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Feeding and Eating Disorders · Journal article
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being · August 18, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This is a qualitative interview study exploring subjective experiences of hunger and semaglutide treatment in 11 people with schizophrenia who participated in the HISTORI randomized trial. The analysis identified three themes, including the concept of 'hunger pain'—an extreme, distressing combination of constant hunger, inability to achieve satiety, and preoccupation with food—attributed to antipsychotics, with semaglutide providing relief in most cases. The findings are descriptive and exploratory, generating hypothesis-generating insights rather than definitive evidence about semaglutide's efficacy or safety in this population.
Qualitative interview study with reflexive thematic analysis. Eleven participants (6 women, 5 men) with schizophrenia who had received semaglutide as part of the HISTORI randomized controlled trial; trial involved home-based intervention with semaglutide for neuroleptic-related prediabetes.. Intervention: Semaglutide treatment (as part of the HISTORI trial); dose and duration not specified in provided text.. n = 11. Central and Western Zealand Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Slagelse, Denmark (based on author affiliations; explicit site details not stated in text)..
Eleven participants (6 women, 5 men) reported a constellation termed 'hunger pain': extreme hunger, never achieving satiety, and relentless preoccupation with food, attributed to antipsychotic medication. Relief from hunger pain due to semaglutide was reported by most participants as 'a liberation'. Three themes identified: 'Hunger pain induced by antipsychotic medicine', 'Positive and negative experiences of reduced hunger', and 'Eating habits and what influences them'.
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
Clinicians should recognize that people with schizophrenia may experience severe antipsychotic-induced hunger ('hunger pain') that impairs quality of life and may reinforce maladaptive coping. These qualitative findings suggest semaglutide may relieve this burden for most patients, but caution that negative effects of reduced hunger also warrant assessment before and during treatment. These insights are exploratory and require confirmation in larger, controlled studies.
Qualitative study with small sample (n=11) exploring subjective experiences of hunger and semaglutide in schizophrenia; generates rich descriptive data but lacks quantitative endpoints, control group comparison, or statistical analysis typical of confirmatory evidence.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
Clinicians should recognize that people with schizophrenia may experience severe antipsychotic-induced hunger ('hunger pain') that impairs quality of life and may reinforce maladaptive coping. These qualitative findings suggest semaglutide may relieve this burden for most patients, but caution that negative effects of reduced hunger also warrant assessment before and during treatment. These insights are exploratory and require confirmation in larger, controlled studies.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Purpose. It is often reported that people with schizophrenia experience weight gain and disordered eating, partly due to antipsychotics. As part of the RCT "Home-based Intervention with Semaglutide Treatment of Neuroleptic-Related Prediabetes, HISTORI", the present study investigates experiences of hunger and eating habits in people using antipsychotics during semaglutide treatment.Methods. Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted 4 months to 1,5 years after treatment completion. Six women and 5 men were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using Braun & Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis.Results. Three themes were identified; "Hunger pain induced by antipsychotic medicine", "Positive and negative experiences of reduced hunger", and "Eating habits and what influences them". The term "Hunger pain" was applied. It defines an excruciating combination of feeling extremely hungry, never achieving satiety, and relentless preoccupation with thoughts about food. The analysis suggested a focus on the patients' coping styles.Conclusion. The hunger pain, probably induced by antipsychotics, seemed to reinforce maladaptive coping styles. The relief from hunger pain due to semaglutide was in most cases a liberation. Yet, it is important also to pay attention to the negative effects of reduced hunger. It is relevant to assess patients' eating problems prior to semaglutide treatment.
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