Ozempic may treat opioid and alcohol use disorder: new study

They are exploiting the potential of Ozempic.

Researchers from Loyola University Chicago are adding to growing evidence suggesting that medications like Ozempic can treat substance abuse.

Ozempic – which mimics the body’s natural GLP-1 hormone to make people feel full and eat less – treats diabetes and may promote weight loss.

The new study found that patients with opioid use disorders who took a GLP-1 drug like Ozempic had a 40% lower rate of opioid overdose than those without a prescription.

People with alcohol use disorder cut their intoxication rate in half with a GLP-1, the researchers determined.

The findings were published Thursday in the scientific journal Addiction.

The study authors noted that past research exploring the effect of GLP-1 drugs on substance abuse has been conducted primarily through animal studies and small-scale clinical trials.

The new study involved 1.3 million participants, including 13,700 taking Ozempic or a similar drug.

An estimated 6.1 million Americans aged 12 and older reported having OUD in 2022, while 28.9 million recently admitted to having AUD.

The Post reached out to Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic and its sister drug, Wegovy, for comment.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved Ozempic in 2017 to treat type 2 diabetes in adults and Wegovy in 2021 for adult weight loss.

These types of drugs interact with the mesolimbic system—a major reward center in the brain that overlaps with the brain processes that regulate addictive behaviors.

The researchers said that GLP-1 drugs can alter the reward response pathways associated with substance use.

Las Vegas mom and real estate agent Christie Martin told “Good Morning America” ​​last year that she lost her desire to drink after taking Ozempic injections.

“I don’t want to drink wine anymore,” she said. “And that’s crazy to me because I couldn’t stop before.”

As Ozempic has exploded in popularity, researchers have been studying other conditions that Ozempic can treat, such as heart disease and skin conditions.