Ozempic mental health side effects

[George K]

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/09/21/1200201186/as-ozempic-use-grows-so-do-reports-of-possible-mental-health-side-effects

NPR analyzed the FDA's adverse event reporting system, or FAERS, and learned that the agency has received 489 reports of patients experiencing anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts while taking semaglutide drugs, including Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus.

In 96 of those reports, the patient had suicidal thoughts. Five of them died. It isn't known if Ozempic and the other drugs caused the mental health problems. The FDA database can flag questions but isn't designed to answer them.

"It's a passive surveillance system where people like you and me – patients, caregivers, medical providers – can report a safety event if they feel that that patient has suffered an adverse outcome from a drug that they had been on," says Rishi Desai, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School who studies drug side effects.

The FDA database is voluntary, unverified by the agency and may have duplicates. As a result, it has no denominator or comparison group to tease out whether adverse events – like suicidal thoughts – are the result of a drug or something else.

[89th]

So basically, it's really the most unreliable statistics database EVAH. Voluntary, no baseline (denominator), possible duplicates.

Still... I know the medicines have helped folks lose weight due to the hunger suppressing side effect, but I'd be hesitant to be on board with a life-long dependency on the drug.

[George K]

@89th said in Ozempic mental health side effects:

So basically, it's really the most unreliable statistics database EVAH. Voluntary, no baseline (denominator), possible duplicates.

You noticed...

Interestingly, I don't recall NPR, or any other outlet, being critical of VAERS. Of course, I could be wrong.