Semaglutide initiation linked to changes in concomitant medication use

A nationwide Danish interrupted time series study followed 189,392 adults initiating semaglutide for weight management. Over 12 months, prescriptions for several medication classes declined relative to projections from pre-initiation trends, while anxiolytic use increased; the findings are observational and do not establish that semaglutide caused these changes.

Danish register study included 189,392 semaglutide initiators.
Several medication classes declined relative to projected trends.
Anxiolytic use increased and remained elevated at two years.
Observational findings do not establish causation.

Researchers used Danish register data to examine monthly prescriptions for 10 medication classes among 189,392 adults who initiated semaglutide for weight management between December 2022 and December 2024. The interrupted time series compared prescription volumes over the 24 months before initiation with those in the 12 months afterward. Participants had a median age of 50 years, and 68% were women.

At 12 months, prescription volumes were lower than projected from pre-initiation trends for antiasthmatics (rate ratio [RR] 0.82), topical corticosteroids (0.91), analgesics (0.93), antidepressants (0.93) and topical antifungals (0.92). Antihypertensive prescriptions continued to rise, but less than projected (RR 0.92). Glucose-lowering medication use also declined (RR 0.87), mainly for non-insulin agents, although a similar reduction occurred in a negative-control cohort. Anxiolytic use increased (RR 1.16) and remained elevated at two years.

The results suggest that medication use may change after semaglutide initiation, but the observational design cannot establish causation. The authors note that prescribing patterns warrant continued monitoring; the findings alone do not establish that treatment changes are appropriate or attributable to semaglutide.

In practice

In adults initiating semaglutide for weight management, prescriptions for several medication classes were lower at 12 months than projected from pre-initiation trends, while anxiolytic use increased and remained elevated at two years. These register-based findings may support attention to concomitant medication use during treatment, but they do not show that semaglutide caused the changes or that prescriptions should be started, stopped or adjusted. The reduction in glucose-lowering medicines was also seen in a negative-control cohort, limiting interpretation of that finding.

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Source

Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism: Impact of Semaglutide Introduction on the Use of Concomitant Medications: An Interrupted Time Series ↗

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