Alarming reports have surfaced after the national medicines watchdog disclosed information linking users of popular weight loss drugs with at least two suicides.<\/p>\n
An urgent caution about the weight loss drugs including Ozempic and Mounjaro, and the potential link for users to develop suicidal thoughts was issued on Monday.<\/p>\n
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) issued the alert over drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists and links to suicidal behaviour and the reduced effectiveness of oral contraception.<\/p>\n
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By continuing you agree to our Terms<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n The areas of concern regarding psychiatric behaviour came with product warnings for the drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity including:<\/p>\n Ozempic (semaglutide)Wegovy (semaglutide)Saxenda (liraglutide)Trulicity (dulaglutide)Mounjaro (tirzepatide)<\/p>\n \u201cProduct warnings across the GLP-1 RA class of medicines have been aligned to ensure consistent information regarding the potential risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviours,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe updates follow investigations by TGA and other international regulators.<\/p>\n \u201cPatients taking any of these medicines should tell their health professional if they experience new or worsening depression, suicidal thoughts or any unusual changes in mood or behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n In the case of Mounjaro the TGA said there is potential for side effects regarding contraception.<\/p>\n \u201cOur investigation into the potential for reduced effectiveness of oral contraception when first taking or increasing the dose of Mounjaro (tirzepatide) has found that this association could not be ruled out,\u201d the statement continued.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a precautionary measure, the product warnings for tirzepatide have been updated to include further advice for patients using oral contraceptives.<\/p>\n \u201cPatients taking tirzepatide are advised to switch to a non-oral contraceptive or add a barrier method of contraception for 4 weeks after first taking the medicine and for 4 weeks after each increase in the dose.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of the GLP-1 RAs should be used during pregnancy and individuals of childbearing potential are advised to use effective contraception during treatment with a GLP-1 RA,\u201d the alert added.<\/p>\n The alert has cautioned doctors and health professionals to look out for signs of behaviour changes in their patients who may have been prescribed the drugs.<\/p>\n \u201cHealth professionals should monitor for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behaviours, or any unusual changes in mood or behaviour,\u201d the advice states.<\/p>\n \u201cConsider the benefits and risks for individual patients before initiating or continuing therapy in patients with suicidal thoughts or behaviours.<\/p>\n \u201cAdvise patients to tell their health professional if they experience new or worsening depression, suicidal thoughts or any unusual changes in mood or behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n The TGA have also issued information from their database with worrying statistics pointing to an increase in suicidal behaviour for users of the products.<\/p>\n \u201cA search of the TGA\u2019s Database of Adverse Event Notifications (DAEN) on September 23, 2025 for the GLP-1 RA class (semaglutide, liraglutide, dulaglutide and tirzepatide) disclosed the following,\u201d the statement says<\/p>\n 72 reports for suicidal ideation6 reports for depressional suicide4 reports of suicide attempt2 reports of completed suicide1 report of self-injurious ideation<\/p>\n The DAEN allows the public to search all adverse event reports for medicines including vaccines received by the TGA.<\/p>\n The TGA uses adverse event reports to identify when a safety issue may be present but the the DAEN website page says it does \u201cnot contain all known safety information\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAn assessment of the safety of a medicine or vaccine cannot be made using the DAEN medicines alone\u201d, the information page states.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alarming reports have surfaced after the national medicines watchdog disclosed information linking users of popular weight loss 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