Is there a black box warning about depression on Ozempic?

No. Ozempic's only boxed warning is about thyroid C-cell tumors seen in rodents. The label has no warning about depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts.

Does the Wegovy label still warn about suicidal thoughts?

No. The FDA asked for the warning to be removed in January 2026, and the current Wegovy label lists it as removed in February 2026. Saxenda and Zepbound were included in the same request.

Can Ozempic make anxiety worse if I already have an anxiety disorder?

Trials of semaglutide excluded most people with major psychiatric illness, so data for this group is thinner. Tell your prescriber about your history before you start, and report any change in symptoms. Low blood sugar can also mimic anxiety if you take insulin or a sulfonylurea.

Is it safe to take Ozempic with an antidepressant?

The Ozempic label does not list antidepressants as a drug interaction concern. Ozempic slows stomach emptying, so ask your prescriber or pharmacist to review all your medicines. Do not stop or change an antidepressant on your own.

Can semaglutide improve mood?

In the STEP trials, depression scores were slightly better on semaglutide than on placebo, but the researchers said the difference was not clinically meaningful. Some people feel better as weight and blood sugar improve. It is not a treatment for depression.

Can Ozempic Cause Depression or Anxiety?

The short answer: The best current evidence says Ozempic does not cause depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts. In January 2026, the FDA reviewed 91 placebo-controlled trials and a study of more than 2 million people and found no increased risk. It then asked drugmakers to remove the suicidal-thoughts warning from Wegovy and other GLP-1 weight-loss labels. Mood changes can still happen for other reasons while you take it, so any new or worse low mood deserves a call to your doctor.

What does the Ozempic label say about mood?

Very little, and that is on purpose. The current Ozempic prescribing information on DailyMed (updated June 2026) has no warning about depression, anxiety, or suicidal behavior. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, and the FDA notes that GLP-1 drugs approved for diabetes have never carried such a warning.

The word "anxiety" does show up once in the Ozempic patient information. It is listed as a possible sign of low blood sugar, together with irritability, mood changes, shakiness, sweating, and a fast heartbeat. The label says low blood sugar is more likely when Ozempic is used with insulin or a sulfonylurea.

That matters. If you use one of those drugs and feel sudden jitteriness or dread, check your glucose before you assume it is an anxiety problem.

Why did Wegovy once carry a suicide warning?

Wegovy is the same molecule as Ozempic (semaglutide) at a higher dose for weight loss. For years, its label had a warning called "Suicidal Behavior and Ideation." The same warning appeared on other weight-loss drugs in the class, including Saxenda and Zepbound.

That warning was a class-wide precaution for weight-management drugs, not proof of harm from semaglutide. It is now gone. The current Wegovy label lists "Suicidal Behavior and Ideation (5.10)" as removed in February 2026.

So the long-standing difference between the two labels has mostly closed. Neither Ozempic nor Wegovy now carries a suicidal-thoughts warning. If you read older articles that say Wegovy has one, they are out of date.

What did the FDA and European regulators conclude?

Both agencies looked hard at this after reports of suicidal thoughts in 2023, and both reached the same answer.

European Medicines Agency (April 2024). The EMA safety committee (PRAC) started its review in July 2023. After weighing trials, post-marketing reports, and two health-record studies, it concluded that "the available evidence does not support a causal association" between GLP-1 drugs, including semaglutide, and suicidal thoughts or actions. It said no change to product information was needed.
FDA (January 2024). The FDA posted a preliminary update saying its review had found no evidence that these drugs cause suicidal thoughts, while it kept looking.
FDA (January 13, 2026). The FDA finished its review and requested removal of the warning from Saxenda, Wegovy, and Zepbound.

The 2026 review was large. A meta-analysis of 91 placebo-controlled trials covered 107,910 people, 60,338 of them on a GLP-1 drug. It showed no increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior, or of other relevant psychiatric side effects. A separate FDA Sentinel study compared 1,161,983 people who started a GLP-1 drug with 1,081,155 who started an SGLT2 inhibitor. It found no increased risk of intentional self-harm.

What have large studies found about depression and anxiety?

The research mostly points the same way, with one caveat.

Randomized trials. A post hoc analysis of the STEP 1, 2, 3, and 5 trials in JAMA Internal Medicine (2024) pooled 3,377 adults in the first three trials. Depression scores on the PHQ-9 questionnaire were slightly better on semaglutide 2.4 mg than on placebo at week 68. People on semaglutide were less likely to move into a more severe depression category (odds ratio 0.63). Suicidal thoughts or behavior occurred in 1% or fewer of participants, with no difference between groups. Two limits: the trials excluded people with major psychiatric illness, and the study was funded by Novo Nordisk.

Health-record studies. A 2024 study in Nature Medicine followed 240,618 patients with overweight or obesity. Over 6 months, those prescribed semaglutide had a lower risk of new suicidal thoughts than those on other weight-loss drugs (hazard ratio 0.27). The finding repeated in more than 1.5 million people with type 2 diabetes. Observational studies like this cannot rule out other differences between the groups.

The caveat. An analysis of the WHO global adverse-reaction database in JAMA Network Open (2024) found a reporting signal for suicidal thoughts with semaglutide (reporting odds ratio 1.45). Report databases show what people chose to report. They cannot measure risk or prove cause, which is why regulators weigh trials and cohort studies more heavily.

Anxiety has been studied less directly than depression. The FDA trial meta-analysis found no rise in psychiatric side effects overall, but few studies report anxiety on its own.

Why might your mood change on Ozempic anyway?

"No increased risk" across large groups does not mean no one ever feels worse. Several common experiences on Ozempic can affect mood indirectly:

Low energy. Eating much less, nausea, and fluid loss can leave you drained. Our guide to fatigue on Ozempic covers the causes.
Poor sleep. Night-time nausea or reflux can break up sleep, which feeds irritability and worry. See Ozempic and sleep problems.
Low blood sugar. With insulin or a sulfonylurea, lows can feel like sudden anxiety.
Loss of food as comfort. Some people notice that eating no longer soothes stress the way it did.

Depression and anxiety are also common in people with obesity and diabetes, whatever medicine they take. A new low mood may be unrelated to the drug and still need treatment. For a wider view of other risks with years of use, see our piece on long-term side effects of Ozempic.

When should you call a doctor, and when is it urgent?

The FDA advises people on GLP-1 drugs to keep taking them as prescribed and to tell their provider about "new or worsening depression, suicidal thoughts, or any unusual changes in mood." Do not stop Ozempic on your own without talking to your prescriber.

Call your doctor soon if you notice:

Low mood or loss of interest that lasts more than two weeks
New or worse anxiety, panic, or constant worry
Mood symptoms that began after starting Ozempic or a dose increase
Shakiness, sweating, or dread that may be low blood sugar

Get help now if you have thoughts of harming yourself. In the US, call or text 988, or chat at the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It is free, confidential, and open 24/7. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

If you have a history of depression or anxiety, tell your prescriber before you start. For more on symptoms and treatment options, depression.md is a good next stop.

The bottom line

Large trial pools, a 2-million-person FDA study, and reviews by both the FDA and the EMA found no sign that semaglutide causes depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts. That is why the FDA had the Wegovy warning removed in 2026, and why Ozempic never had one. Still, fatigue, poor sleep, and low blood sugar can all drag your mood down, and depression is common on its own. Take mood changes seriously, report them, and use 988 in a crisis.

Last updated: September 2026. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. If you have thoughts of self-harm, call or text 988 in the US, and talk with your prescriber before changing any medicine.