July 15, 2024 – A recent evaluation shows that diabetics taking the drug Ozempic were less more likely to experience cognitive problems, dementia symptoms, or nicotine addiction than people taking other diabetes medications.
Overall, the new study by researchers at Oxford University in England suggests that taking Ozempic is just not related to an increased risk of twenty-two brain or psychiatric disorders starting from dementia to drug addiction to depression and suicide.
The researchers analyzed medical records of greater than 60,000 people within the United States who all had type 2 diabetes and were taking Ozempic, which incorporates the energetic ingredient semaglutide. (Semaglutide can also be sold under the name Wegovy, which is approved for the treatment of obesity and chubby.)
The researchers compared the risks of developing the 22 brain and psychiatric disorders inside one 12 months of starting treatment with Ozempic or three other common diabetes medications (empagliflozin, glipizide and sitagliptin).
Compared to people taking other diabetes medications, those taking Ozempic experienced:
- Up to twenty-eight% lower risk of cognitive decline
- Up to 48% lower risk of dementia
- Up to twenty-eight% lower risk of nicotine addiction
The findings are particularly vital since the FDA announced in January that it was investigating reports of suicidal thoughts in people taking Ozempic or drugs in the identical class (often known as GLP-1). The agency reported They cannot “definitely rule out that a small risk may exist and will continue to review the matter.”
“Our findings suggest that the use of semaglutide could extend beyond the treatment of diabetes and may offer unexpected benefits in the treatment and prevention of cognitive decline and substance abuse,” said lead study writer Riccardo De Giorgi, MD, DPhil, a clinical lecturer on the University of Oxford, in a opinion“The results of our study therefore not only help to reassure the millions of patients who rely on semaglutide to treat their diabetes, but, if confirmed, could also have a significant public health impact by reducing cognitive deficits and smoking rates in diabetes patients.”
However, the researchers' conclusions are subject to limitations since the evaluation of medical records doesn't bear in mind many vital aspects, similar to whether patients actually took the prescribed medications. The results also can't be extrapolated to the usage of other GLP-1 drugs, the authors cautioned.
“Our study is observational, and these results should therefore be replicated in a randomized controlled trial to confirm and extend our findings,” lead study writer Max Taquet, PhD, a clinical lecturer on the University of Oxford, said in a press release. “Nevertheless, they are good news for patients with psychiatric disorders who are at increased risk for diabetes.”