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Ozempic dials down alcohol cravings for people wanting to cut back
In 2022, when the surge in popularity of the GLP-1 class of weight loss and diabetes drugs really began, stories of surprise benefits besides shedding pounds soon surfaced. One of those – that the medication changed drinking and smoking habits overnight – understandably piqued the interest of…
"There's really been a large number of clinical and anecdotal reports coming in suggesting that people's drinking behaviors are changing and in some instances pretty substantially while taking [Ozempic or Wegovy]," psychologist and addiction researcher Christian Hendershot told NPR in 2023. Earlier animal trials had shown how the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic) drastically changed the way rats and mice sought out alcohol 'rewards' after they'd been conditioned to crave it. And it's not the only way semaglutide could help – given its current popularity, it has the potential to normalize treatment for alcohol use, which remains a barrier for people who'd like more than willpower to change habits but are unlikely to seek out the existing medications.
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