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. 2023 Nov 28;28(1):99.
doi: 10.1007/s40519-023-01625-5.

Liraglutide 3.0 mg and mental health: can psychiatric symptoms be associated to adherence to therapy? Insights from a clinical audit

Silvia Tempia Valenta  1 , Michele Stecchi  2   3 , Federica Perazza  2   3 , Chiara Nuccitelli  2 , Nicola Villanova  2 , Loris Pironi  2   3 , Anna Rita Atti  1 , Maria Letizia Petroni  4   5
Affiliations

Liraglutide 3.0 mg and mental health: can psychiatric symptoms be associated to adherence to therapy? Insights from a clinical audit

Silvia Tempia Valenta et al. Eat Weight Disord. .

Abstract

Introduction: Liraglutide 3.0 mg, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue, is a medication approved for obesity treatment. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between psychiatric symptoms, including depression, anxiety, and binge eating, and their impact on therapy adherence.

Methods: A clinical audit was carried out on a cohort of 54 adults with obesity treated with liraglutide 3.0 mg. We retrospectively analyzed the connection between psychiatric symptoms assessed through the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Binge Eating Scale (BES). Adherence to therapy was assessed by the maximum dosage (MD) and treatment duration (TD).

Results: Notably, a discontinuation rate of 59% was encountered. However, among those who continued the treatment, we observed a negative association between anxiety symptoms (STAI score) and MD, depression symptoms (BDI score) and TD, and a higher likelihood of binge eating (BES score > 17) and TD. Moreover, presence of psychiatric symptoms did not compromise drug's effectiveness in achieving weight loss, which was 4.43% (± 5.5 SD) in the whole sample and 5.3% (± 6.3 SD) in the subgroup evaluated at 12 weeks.

Conclusion: We observed a high discontinuation rate in real-life clinical setting, where Liraglutide 3.0 therapy is paid out-of-pocket. While psychiatric symptoms might play a role in diminishing adherence to therapy, they do not prevent drug's effectiveness to promote weight loss. This finding underscores the potential advantages of liraglutide 3.0 mg therapy for individuals contending with obesity while simultaneously managing mental health challenges.

Level of evidence: Level V, descriptive studies.

Keywords: Adherence; Anxiety; Binge eating; Depression; GLP-1 receptor agonists; Obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

MLP has received honoraria for lectures from Novo Nordisk and Bruno Farmaceutici, for advisory boards from Novo Nordisk and has participated in sponsored studies by Novo Nordisk. The remaining authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart: sample selection process and progressive attrition of participants. FU follow-up, n number of subjects, <  less than
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pearson's correlations Heatmap. Higher correlations are marked with darker shades, lower correlations with lighter shades. BDI Beck Depression Inventory, BES Binge Eating Scale, MD maximum dosage, STAI State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, TD treatment duration; *p-value < 0.05; **p-value < 0.001
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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