CQC-regulated clinics & online consultations
Posted on October 27, 2026 by Sally-Anne Turner
It used to be called shell shock and was something thought to affect only soldiers and other military personnel.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) impacts 4–6% of the UK population at any given time. The NHS states that around 33% of people who experience a trauma may go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, making this more common than many people think.
PTSD is far from just a mental health issue. This condition presents with an array of physical health issues, many of which can add complexity when someone with PTSD wants to undertake weight loss with GLP-1 pills.
Our team at the Bodyline Clinic knows that the average person may need a bit more help losing weight than many other GLP-1 providers can offer. This is why our dedicated clinical team is able to offer you the specialised support you need to lose weight and to keep it off. We have helped over 100,000 people to lose weight successfully across the UK, and our team is able to provide targeted weight loss care based around many co-existing health issues.
With mental health issues and GLP-1s, there is more to assess with PTSD than with many other conditions. So, here we will walk you through the health issues that can co-exist with this mental health issue and how our team will aim to manage it.
OK, so let’s do a quick rundown of post-traumatic stress disorder before we dig into how it impacts the entire body.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) 5, PTSD is defined as
“a trauma and stressorrelated disorder requiring exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence, followed by specific symptoms across four clusters—intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition/mood, and arousal/reactivity—lasting more than one month and causing significant distress or impairment.”
According to PTSD UK, it is estimated that 1 in 10 people will experience PTSD at some point in their life. This equates to around 6,665,000 individuals. At any given time in the UK, 4 in 100 people are expected to have PTSD. This means that at the time of writing, around 2,612,000 people are experiencing it.
The NICE guidelines highlight that the core medications that can treat PTSD include:
Why does this matter? All of the above medications are linked to weight gain via increased appetite, metabolic changes and hormonal effects.
Many mental health conditions impact the stomach. None as frequently as PTSD. Indeed, this psychiatric condition has a lot of comorbidities with physical health issues. Let’s take a look at some of them, and how this may link to GLP-1 treatments.
We have written about GLP-1s and gastroparesis. However, a 2026 study of 207 patients who were diagnosed with gastroparesis found that 28% matched the criteria for PTSD. There was no data on the severity of the gastroparesis, but if you have severe gastroparesis, you will not likely be able to take GLP-1’s.
A 2024 study that looked at veterans with PTSD noted that acid reflux was 1.5 times more prevalent. As always, this was an association and was not proof that PTSD causes reflux. Acid reflux is also a noted side effect of GLP-1s. The SmPCs of the Wegovy injection, the Wegovy pill, Mounjaro and Saxenda note this being more prevalent when taking these meds.
If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), then there is a chance that when taking GLP-1 medications, there is a chance that these symptoms will worsen. There was a 2022 study which, again, looked at the rates of IBS in veterans who have PTSD. 25% met the diagnostic criteria for irritable bowel, with more severe PTSD being linked to higher rates of IBS symptoms.
The links between PTSD and the stomach do not stop with complications and IBS-like symptoms. A study that was published in Obesity found that individuals who had PTSD were 51% more likely to be obese than people without it. This is even when adjustments are made relating to depression, substance use or psychiatric medication. This is deemed clinically to be a response to sustained threat.
Unfortunately, there is substantial evidence that PTSD also impacts the heart.
This is due to triggering chronic stress responses and linked inflammation. PTSD can also impact the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) branches of the autonomic nervous system. In turn, this leads to frequent increases in heart rate, blood pressure spikes and arrhythmias. Put together, these increase the risk of heart disease, hypertension and other cardiovascular health issues.
There are two studies from 2024 that explored this link and came up with some truly shocking numbers. The first was a meta-analysis, which involved 335,000 participants. It found that PTSD was linked to approximately a 42% higher cardiovascular disease hazard, alongside a 42% heart attack hazard compared to those without PTSD. The second study was from the US Biobank and involved 118,827 people. This found that PTSD was linked to a 32% higher chance of major cardiovascular events. Why? The research team noted heightened stress-related activity, altered nervous system regulation of the heart and higher levels of inflammation.
People who have a diagnosis of PTSD are at a higher risk of developing addiction.
Mentalhealth.com reports that around 50% of those seeking substance use treatment also fit the criteria for PTSD. Studies from the National Centre for PTSD also support this finding, suggesting that around 45% (or 4 in 10 adults) have PTSD and substance abuse.
Our team at the Bodyline Clinic have written in the past about the research into addiction and GLP-1s. And this is an area that has grown in interest among researchers. A recent study from JAMA Psychiatry 2026 looked at injectable semaglutide among users who drank alcohol to “unhealthy” levels.
During their first three months:
Among those screening positive for potentially unhealthy alcohol use, 54.1% reported drinking less. Again, we have to point out that this does not mean that this GLP-1 treats unhealthy alcohol consumption.
Does this link to PTSD? Not directly. However, a randomised, placebo-controlled trial that was published in May 2026 (The Lancet) followed 108 veterans who were diagnosed with alcohol use disorder and who were also obese. Everyone received cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and half received weekly semaglutide. What made this interesting was that heavy drinking days fell by 41.1 percentage points from baseline in those taking semaglutide and by 26.4 percentage points in the CBT group.
So, in simple terms, semaglutide injections helped to curb alcohol use disorder. Do GLP-1 injections help to reduce PTSD symptoms, in a similar way that they seem to help with anxiety and depression?
There is some very early research to consider. And it’s not human-based. A 2026 study noted that liraglutide improved some anxiety-like behaviours in mice with PTSD. It altered molecular signalling that was linked to stress and memory. However, common symptoms of PTSD (flashbacks, nightmares and dissociation) cannot be assessed in mice. There are, as always, more studies needed in relevant groups.
It is rare to have a blog about a mental health issue that covers three of our four specialist support areas.
However, we know that if you are diagnosed with PTSD, you will need an ever more targeted approach to your weight loss journey. At the Bodyline Clinic, our team will take the time to assess you as an individual. We will look at any medications you take for anxiety, your stomach health or even your heart health and determine the right GLP-1 medication for you.
Whether you are taking propranolol 40mg, SSRI’s, SNRIs, or a combination to manage your symptoms, we are on hand to ensure you hit your weight loss goals with minimal disruption to your daily life.
Our team knows that you will want a weight loss plan that works alongside your daily life, and we offer specialised support to those who:
For those with more complex needs, our team will also work in line with recommendations from external agencies. If you have a cardiologist, a psychiatrist or a gastroenterologist, our team will liaise with them to ensure that the weight loss medications that we offer will have minimal effect on any other medications you may be taking.
We don’t offer the cheapest Wegovy UK, but if you need more from your weight loss team than a 5-minute meeting and a quick prescription sign-off, contact our team at the Bodyline Clinic for a consultation today.
Bodyline Works. Bodyline Cares.
The SSRI sertraline can cause weight gain. This medication is often used to help those with PTSD to mitigate their sleep and anxiety in the UK, along with SNRI’s and some antipsychotic medications.
The beta-blocker propranolol can be used to help people who have PTSD reduce the physical symptoms of the disorder. Propranolol can cause moderate weight gain, which can become more extreme the more it is consumed.
There is no concrete evidence that Wegovy tablets (or injectables) help directly with PTSD. However, some studies have noted that those who take GLP-1s like semaglutide (Wegovy) have had a reduction in alcohol consumption and other addictive behaviours.
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