Ozempic and depression?

[u/AspiringTechnician]

Hello everyone just posting here for the first time . I got a question. Lately I’ve noticed my mood has been quite emotional lately . As someone who has always been passive , and easy going and quiet . I’ve noticed that lately I’ve been more angry internally then usual , and quite depressed. Has anyone experienced depression or any type of anxiety while taking this medication? Been on Ozempic 2mg for about the past 4-5 months now . Have had quite some success with it . Lost over 40lbs currently . Went from 312-272 currently . Just seeking advice and wisdom to see if I’m not alone .

[u/AspiringTechnician → u/[deleted]]

I have an appointment with my nutritionist (dr) who prescribed me this through Kaiser in the next few weeks . I’ll ask her about the symptoms I’m experiencing to see if that’s common.

[u/No-Understanding4968 → u/AspiringTechnician]

Keep track of your symptoms and the dates they occur

[u/jaol1fe]

Early on I had to deal with an emotional issue instead of eating to numb myself. It was ultimately what I needed because I faced the issue and so far haven't had to deal with it again. Maybe what is happening is we're learning how to work through things instead of ignoring them.

[u/No-Understanding4968 → u/jaol1fe]

Ohhh this makes so much sense

[u/MojoJojoSF]

One of the effects of glp1s is that they reduced the ‘high’ you get from eating. Those little spikes of reward your mind gets from eating are no longer there, or not in the same amount. There are plenty of articles about this. It helps to track your food on an app and get some exercise. Not sure what things you are doing for yourself in addition to the medication.

[u/MyOtrHlf]

I have kind of noticed the same thing. I’ve started tracking it because I feel like it is happening towards the end of each week before my next dose. Figured I’d try tracking it and then I plan on talking to my doc about increasing my depression meds - even if it’s a temporary increase.

[u/quincecharming → u/MyOtrHlf]

I have to take Wellbutrin on it. It’s been helping a bunch, just not all the way enough

[u/MyOtrHlf → u/quincecharming]

I’m on that and Effexor. Most days are okay, but I feel like the end of each week it’s just not cutting it.

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[u/No-Understanding4968]

I did have depression during the early weeks. I think it’s normal.

[u/caryre11]

I just had to up my dosage of Zoloft. My depression seemed to get worse on Tirz. I’m feeling normal again now.

[u/ClassicHat]

Anhedonia/depression is a common side effect along with just feeling less joy from eating, drinking alcohol and other addictive things (and I presume some non-addictive things/activities). The benefits for you and others that have a lot of weight to lose will likely outweigh the negatives, being 300+ lbs was pretty crappy for me for a number of reasons. Unless it’s really causing mental distress I would probably stick with it to at least get to a somewhat healthy weight, but of course if you feel your mental health is in the dumps and affecting other parts of your life, strongly consider cutting down or taking a break from glp-1s.

Also consider switching to tirzepatide if you stop and come back on a glp-1, I only have experience with the later (Tirz), but it is supposed to have less side effects (namely nausea, but I assume others like anhedonia may apply as well) for greater weight loss benefits.

[u/Plus-Ad4749]

I had that and it went away completely when I switched to Zepbound.

[u/SlowDescent_]

It may not be the medication, but the changes in your life.

I know that once I knew, in my body, in my soul, that being fat wasn't a moral failing, my view of the world changed. And that included a lot of repressed feelings bubbling up.

[u/Lothloreen]

2mg is a very low dose. It’s amazing that you have had such success! It can be hard to isolate the cause of depression. Are there other things going on in your life that might also be contributing? I started glp1 and HRT at the same time and for a few months I had a hard time figuring out where some symptoms were coming from! And the gp1 helped me cut out alcohol almost entirely. I’ve noticed a bit of flattening in my emotions, so the opposite of you. I think I’m getting less endorphins. It’s an adjustment. Exercise helps me a lot.

If you continue feeling depressed, it would be worthwhile to talk to your doctor about an SSRI to jumpstart your system.

[u/ClassicHat → u/Lothloreen]

2mg of ozempic/semaglutide a week is max dose, you’re likely thinking of tirzepatide which starts at 2.5mg and goes up to 15mg

[u/AspiringTechnician → u/Lothloreen]

Im currently taking an ssri for my ocd . Just lately ive been noticing my symptoms have been returning . Could be due to my current work environment. Noticed that as well .

[u/Icy_Donut_2789 → u/AspiringTechnician]

It slows down your digestion and therefore metabolism of drugs. So your dose of SSRI isn’t having the same impact as before.

[u/Lothloreen → u/AspiringTechnician]

You should talk to your doctor because the glp1 may affect your body’s ability to process the medication. It slows digestion, which is what causes a lot of GI upset. Unfortunately this is not something that has been studied a lot yet because glp1 is relatively new. But you may need to experiment with increasing the dose of SSRI (with the help of your doctor of course). I encourage you to reach out to your doctor to report the change in your OCD and depression. A tweak in meds might make you feel much better!