Opinion: The complicated connections between weight loss drugs and mental health
There is still so much we don’t know about the psychiatric effects of GLP-1s.
Mental illness can cause or worsen obesity, and obesity can cause or worsen mental illness. As an endocrinologist (Jody) and a psychiatrist (Karen), we know this connection better than most people, so we have long checked in with each other to help our mutual patients. Until recently, a quick curbside chat would do, asking, “Can I add bupropion if this patient is taking another antidepressant?” or, “What should I use next, if metformin is not helping with weight loss in a patient taking an atypical antipsychotic?”
With the rise of GLP-1s, our menu of treatment options increased, but so have questions about whether these medications can help patients’ mental health or hurt it. Patients now ask Jody: “Will Wegovy make my depression worse?” And they ask Karen: “Can I take Wegovy now that I’ve gained 50 pounds on the antipsychotic?”
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