Ideal weight loss is a never-ending wish for everyone’s dreams, but it gets way too slow if done in a healthy way.
People around the globe are experimenting with quick ways to shed off their extra weight by having medical procedures and surgeries or by consuming weight-loss drugs.
Keeping in mind the harmful impact, medical drug regulators in Australia have added two new safety warnings for people consuming weight loss drugs.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration TGA, says that these drugs are causing serious harm to mental health.
TGA said that “doctors should monitor patients for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behaviors, and any unusual changes in mood or behavior.”
It further informed that the warning of the potential risk of suicidal thoughts applies across the GLP-1 RA class of medicines (often called semaglutides), including Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda, Trulicity, and Mounjaro.
The warning came after a 2024 study analyzed the World Health Organization WHO global database of adverse effects of these drugs and found reports that suicidal thoughts were slightly higher for drugs containing semaglutide, as compared to other drugs.
TGA also asked its Advisory Committee on Medicines ACM for independent expert advice.
The evaluation of the database of adverse event notifications for the GLP-1 RA class up to September 2025 found there were 72 reports for suicidal ideation, six reports for depressional suicide, four reports of suicide attempts, two reports of sucessful suicide, and one report of self-injurious ideation.
Data also showed that more than 2 million people in 2023-2024 were using weight loss drugs, with more users expected.
Dr. Terri-Lynne South, the chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ specific interest group for obesity management, said, “Studies of patients who have undergone bariatric surgery have also shown that significant or rapid weight loss can be a real triggering event from a mental health point of view.”
TGA has also issued a separate warning around Mounjaro and contraceptive pills.
TGA warned that a link between the use of a GLP-1-type drug, ‘tirzepatide’ (Mounjaro), and reduced effectiveness of oral contraception could not be ruled out.
“The drug delays the food digestion and therefore has an impact on the absorption of the oral contraceptive pill and possibly the effectiveness of the pill.”
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also been evaluating reports of suicidal thoughts or actions in people on GLP-1-type medications, with preliminary evaluation saying it had “not found evidence that use of these medicines causes suicidal thoughts or actions.”
“However, because of the small number of suicidal thoughts or actions observed in both people using drugs and in the comparative control groups, we cannot definitively rule out that a small risk may exist; therefore, the FDA is continuing to look into this issue.”
TGA also reported that it had done an experiment on a comprehensive investigation using a small group, and after seeking advice from ACM, they found that the evidence available was not sufficient to support an association between GLP-1-type drugs and suicidal or self-harming behaviors.
It also informed that the final evaluation can be released after combining data from larger groups, for more accurate results.
Additionally, GLP-1-based drugs are a breakthrough class of medication that mimic the activity of a natural hormone, slowing digestion and helping people feel full for longer.
Moreover, these drugs were originally developed to treat people with type 2 diabetes but have gained prominence in helping people manage obesity.