They’re tapping into the potential of Ozempic.
Researchers from Loyola University Chicago are adding to the growing evidence suggesting that medications like Ozempic can treat substance abuse.
Ozempic — which mimics the body’s naturally occurring GLP-1 hormone to make people feel full and eat less — treats diabetes and can spur weight loss.
The new study has found that opioid use disorder patients taking 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 rate of intoxication 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 primarily been conducted 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 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 manufactures 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 medications interact with the mesolimbic system — a major reward center in the brain that overlaps with the brain processes that govern addictive behaviors.
The researchers said that GLP-1 drugs may alter the reward-response pathways linked to 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 getting Ozempic injections.
“I have no desire to drink wine anymore,” she shared. “And that’s crazy to me because I couldn’t stop before.”
As Ozempic has exploded in popularity, researchers have been studying other conditions Ozempic could treat, such as heart disease and skin ailments.
