Semaglutide, a drug initially approved for type 2 diabetes and obesity, may also help curb addictive and compulsive behaviors, according to anecdotal reports. The drug falls under a class known as GLP-1 analogs, which mimic a natural hormone that helps an individual feel full. Patients taking the drug for type 2 diabetes or weight loss also reported losing interest in addictive and compulsive behaviors such as alcohol consumption, smoking, shopping, nail biting, and skin picking. Although these reports are subjective and yet to be clinically verified, preliminary research lends weight to these observations.
Studies are underway to investigate the potential of semaglutide and other GLP-1 analogs to counteract addictive behaviors. The potency of exenatide and semaglutide – two such drugs – is expected to cause a greater reduction in alcohol intake than exenatide. Animal studies have also shown promising results, with GLP-1 agonists suppressing alcohol-induced reward, intake, motivation, and relapse.
While these findings hold promise, researchers caution that addiction is a complex disorder and no one drug will be helpful for all patients. Instead, an array of different drugs should be deployed to treat patients effectively. Trials are currently ongoing to determine if patients receiving semaglutide injections will drink and smoke less than those receiving a placebo injection.
Additional Piece:
The addiction epidemic remains a widespread problem affecting millions of people worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, one in every 20 deaths globally can be attributed to alcohol, and approximately 269 billion people are thought to use drugs globally. While addiction has a considerable social and economic impact, treatment for the disorder remains elusive.
In recent years, the focus has shifted to developing drugs that address the underlying causes of addiction rather than solely managing its symptoms. Semaglutide and other GLP-1 analogs hold tremendous potential in this regard. As they mimic a natural hormone that helps regulate food intake, they can help patients feel full and reduce their cravings for food and other addictive substances.
The research so far has shown that semaglutide can help reduce alcohol and drug intake in lab animals by suppressing their reward centers. People living with addiction often struggle with triggers like stress, peer pressure, and boredom, driving them to seek the immediate pleasure of substance consumption. By reducing the activation of their brains’ reward centers, semaglutide and other GLP-1 analogs may provide a way for individuals to resist these impulses.
Although the results are still in their early stages, they provide hope that this class of drugs may help treat a range of addictive disorders. A recent pilot study showed that semaglutide could significantly reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms in people with methamphetamine use disorders, opening new opportunities for drug development in the field of addiction treatment.
Despite promising developments, it’s essential to recognize that addiction is a complicated disease, often caused by a combination of factors such as genetics, social environment, and mental health issues. While drugs like semaglutide hold promise, they are part of a broader solution that also includes counseling, behavioral therapy, and support groups. Treatment protocols need to take into account each patient’s unique circumstances and customize solutions based on their requirements.
Conclusion:
The addiction epidemic presents significant challenges to society and individuals, with the potential to cause significant damage to public health and economic productivity. The development of new drugs like semaglutide and other GLP-1 analogs shows promise in addressing the underlying causes of addiction and reducing harmful behaviors. While early results are encouraging, more research is needed to verify the anecdotal benefits of these drugs, as well as discover new avenues for treatment. With the right resources and support, individuals living with addiction can overcome their struggles and lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
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June 13, 2023: Could the class of new weight-loss drugs, including semaglutide – approved as Ozempic to treat type 2 diabetes and Wegovy to treat obesity, also to curb addictions and compulsive behaviors?
As demand for semaglutide for weight loss grew after Wegovy was approved by the FDA in June 2021, personal accounts of unexpected added benefits also began to emerge for the class of drugs known as GLP-1, which mimic a natural hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 that helps a person feel full.
Some patients taking these drugs for type 2 diabetes or for weight loss also lost interest in addictive and compulsive behaviors such as drinking alcohol, smoking, shopping, nail biting, and skin picking, as reported in articles by He New York Timesand the atlantic, among others. For now, the reports are merely anecdotal, so they are subjective and have not yet been clinically verified. But there is also some preliminary research that supports these observations.
Recent and upcoming studies
“I hope that GLP-1 analogs in the future can be used against [alcohol use disorder]but before that happens, several trials of GLP-1 [are needed to] show an effect on alcohol consumption,” said Anders Fink-Jensen, MD, lead author of a recent study randomized controlled trial of 127 patients with alcohol use disorder, or AUD.
Their study involved patients who received 26 weeks of the first-generation GLP-1 agonist exenatide approved for type 2 diabetes, but this did not reduce the number of days of heavy drinking, compared to a placebo.
But in analyzes conducted after the study ended, binge drinking days and total alcohol intake were significantly reduced in the subgroup of patients with AUD and obesity as determined by a body mass index, or BMI, over 30.
Participants were also shown images of alcoholic or neutral subjects while having functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Those who had received exenatide versus a placebo had significantly less activation in the reward centers of their brains when shown images of alcohol.
This shows that “something is going on in the brain and the activation of the reward center is hindered by the GLP-1 compound,” said Fink-Jensen, a clinical psychologist at the Copenhagen Psychiatric Center in Denmark.
“If AUD patients already meet the criteria for semaglutide (or other GLP-1 analogs) by having type 2 diabetes and/or a BMI greater than 30, of course they can use the compound right now,” he said.
His team is also starting a study, in patients with AUD and a BMI of 30 or higher, to investigate the effects of semaglutide up to 2.4 milligrams per week on alcohol intake. This is the maximum dose of semaglutide approved for obesity in the US.
“Based on the potency of exenatide and semaglutide,” Fink-Jensen said, “we expect semaglutide to cause a greater reduction in alcohol intake” than exenatide.
Animal studies have also shown that GLP-1 agonists suppress alcohol-induced reward, alcohol intake, motivation to drink, alcohol seeking, and alcohol relapse, according to researcher Elisabet. Jerlhag Holm, PhD.
These agents also suppress reward, intake and the motivation to use other addictive drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, nicotine and some opioids, said Jerlhag Holm, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
your group recently published results from a study in rats that provides evidence to help explain anecdotal reports of obese patients treated with semaglutide who claimed they also reduced their alcohol intake. In the study, semaglutide reduced alcohol intake (and relapse-like drinking) and decreased body weight in rats of both sexes.
“Future research should explore the possibility that semaglutide decreases alcohol intake in AUD patients, particularly those who are overweight,” Jerlhag Holm said.
“AUD is a… disorder [involving various components]and most likely, one drug will not be helpful for all AUD patients,” he said, “and therefore an armamentarium of different drugs is beneficial when treating AUD patients.”
Janice J. Hwang, MD, MHS, echoed these thoughts.
“Anecdotally, there are many reports from patients (and in the news) that this class of medication affects cravings and could affect addictive behaviors,” he said.
Still, “I think it’s too early to say” whether these drugs could be approved to treat addiction patients without more robust clinical trial data, said Hwang, an associate professor of medicine and chief of the University’s Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Meanwhile, another research group at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, led by psychiatrist Christian Hendershot, PhD, is conducting a clinical trial in 48 people with AUD who are also smokers.
Their goal is to find out if patients who receive semaglutide injections at increasingly higher doses over 9 weeks will drink less alcohol and smoke less than those who receive a placebo injection. Results are expected in October.
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20230613/could-weight-loss-drug-treat-addiction-as-well-as-obesity?src=RSS_PUBLIC
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