Ozempic may reduce health risks in schizophrenia
A new study has found that Ozempic and similar drugs may help people with schizophrenia reduce weight gain and improve blood sugar levels, lowering their risk of heart disease and diabetes, a Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The research, published in JAMA Psychiatry, shows that the medication can bring major physical health benefits without worsening mental health symptoms.
Many people with schizophrenia take strong antipsychotic medicines that help control their condition but often cause serious side effects. These include weight gain, higher blood sugar, obesity, and a much greater risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. As a result, people on these treatments tend to live much shorter lives than the general population. Efforts to manage these side effects through diet, exercise, or changing medications usually do not work well and can sometimes worsen psychiatric symptoms.
Researchers in Denmark studied 73 adults with schizophrenia who were already showing early signs of diabetes. Half received weekly injections of semaglutide — the drug sold as Ozempic and Wegovy — while the rest received a placebo over a period of about six and a half months. Neither the patients nor the doctors knew who was receiving the real medication until the study ended.
The results were striking. Nearly half of the patients treated with semaglutide returned to healthy blood sugar levels, compared with only 3% in the placebo group. Those taking the medication also lost about 9 kilograms more weight on average. Their waist size and body fat dropped noticeably as well. Some participants who smoked even reported feeling less dependent on nicotine.
Importantly, the treatment did not worsen psychiatric symptoms. Side effects were mostly mild stomach issues such as nausea, which usually passed over time.
The researchers say the findings suggest that starting drugs like Ozempic early could protect people with schizophrenia from developing serious heart and metabolic diseases. They stress that larger and longer studies are still needed to confirm the results and to see whether early treatment might also improve long-term heart health and reduce addictive behaviors.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that diabetes drugs can transform addiction treatment.
