Diabetes drugs like Ozempic are emerging as a surprising and potentially game-changing way to treat addictions, including alcohol-use disorder and smoking, because of the effects they have on the brain.
Some people taking Ozempic are reporting they want to drink less or have stopped smoking altogether after starting the drug. Now, researchers are studying if the pattern holds in large groups.
Drugs like Ozempic mimic the hormone GLP-1 that is naturally released from the intestines and helps regulate glucose levels and suppress hunger.
It is also naturally produced in the brain stem—affecting activity of many brain regions, including those involved in impulse control, memory formation and reward, according to neuroscientists and endocrinologists.
GLP-1 reduces the response of the brain’s reward system to dopamine, a molecule involved in motivation and reward.
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If large long-term studies show these drugs can treat alcohol-use disorder, that could have big impacts on the healthcare system, according to Dr. Brian P. Lee, an AUD specialist, liver-transplant physician and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.
“If you’re able to treat both obesity and alcohol use at the same time, you could just imagine the effects from a public health standpoint,” he said.
