SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Clinical Diabetes
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1578326
Effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors citalopram and escitalopram on glucolipid metabolism: a systematic review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Fourth Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- 2Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- 3Shaoxing No.7 People's Hospital, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China
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Objectives Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and major depressive disorder (MDD) frequently co-occur, highlighting the need to understand the metabolic effects of antidepressants. This systematic review evaluated the impact of citalopram and escitalopram on glucose and lipid metabolism, focusing on glycemic control.A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library and Google Scholar was conducted. Primary outcomes included changes in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting blood glucose (FBG). Secondary outcomes assessed lipid profiles (triglycerides, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein) and depressive symptom scales. Subgroup analyses were conducted to evaluate outcomes in patients with comorbid T2DM and MDD and those with MDD only. Results Thirteen studies involving 502 participants met the inclusion criteria. Six randomized controlled trials, four prospective studies, one cohort trial, one single-arm trial and one three-arm trial. The findings suggest that both citalopram and escitalopram tend to reduce HbA1c and FBG levels. No significant effects on lipid profiles were observed across the included studies. Conclusion Citalopram and escitalopram appear to exert beneficial effects on glycemic control, as evidenced by reductions in HbA1c and FBG. Further high-quality investigations are warranted to validate these findings and guide individualized treatment strategies. Registration number: PROSPERO ID: CRD42024544963.
Keywords: Major Depressive Disorder, type 2 diabetes mellitus, Glucolipid metabolism, Citalopram, escitalopram, Systematic review
Received: 18 Feb 2025; Accepted: 26 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Dai, Zhao, Li, Ding, Ye, Tan and Liang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Zhonglin Tan, Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Sugai Liang, Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.