Weight loss medications can help alcohol and opioid addiction

WEight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound are transforming the health of millions of people — and a new study indicates that even more people could benefit from the drugs’ other effects on the body.

A study recently published in the journal Addiction shows that people with substance use disorders who use these weight-loss medications are less likely to experience an opioid overdose or alcohol intoxication compared to those who do not use the medications. The findings add to a growing list of other health benefits researchers are studying associated with the drugs, which target hormones called incretins that affect not only appetite, digestion and diabetes, but also heart health. sleep and the brain circuits associated with satisfaction and health. reward.

The latest study examined the link between opioid and alcohol use disorders and the new class of modern weight loss medications. These target the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) hormone, or the glucose-dependent insulintropic polypeptide (GIP) hormone, and include semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy) and tirzepatide (found in Mounjaro and Zepbound). The scientists analyzed the health records of more than 1.3 million people in 136 health care systems in the US. All patients had an opioid or alcohol use disorder, and some were taking weight-loss medications.

Those with opioid use disorders who received one of these medications showed a 40% lower incidence of opioid overdose during the study period compared to those who did not receive the medications, while people with alcohol use disorders who received the prescriptions showed a 50% lower incidence of opioid overdose. drunkenness compared to those who did not take them.

“This suggests that (the drugs’) beneficial effects on addictive behavior may extend beyond their traditional role in controlling weight or diabetes,” said Fares Qeadan, lead author of the study and associate professor of biostatistics at Loyola University Chicago.

Read more: Scientists study weight-loss drugs for much more than just weight loss

This possibility makes biological sense, because the GLP-1 and GIP systems influence the reward circuits in the brain, which are involved in generating feelings of satisfaction and reward. These circuits are involved in both food consumption and other addictive behaviors. Animal studies have shown that rodents given these drugs reduced their intake of alcohol and other addictive drugs. And while that data, combined with the current study, certainly suggests that these drugs may be useful in reducing certain addiction outcomes, further human studies need to be conducted to confirm whether a similar effect occurs in humans.

The current study only establishes a possible link between the medications and addiction, but rigorous clinical trials that track doses of these medications and reduce opioid or alcohol use among treated and control groups could help clarify how useful these medications may be in treatment of addictions. Brain scan research could also confirm how the drugs can dampen addictive behavior.

As more research and longer-term data on these weight-loss medications accumulate, other health benefits may emerge and physicians will have better information on which to base prescribing information. If the data supports this, it may be possible in the coming years that those who benefit from these drugs will not only be people with diabetes or those who are overweight or obese.

For now, Qeadan says, the data looks encouraging that opioid and alcohol use disorders can be affected by these weight-loss drugs. “We are confident that the observed effects – in particular the lower rates of opioid overdoses and alcohol intoxication – cannot be attributed solely to associations with type 2 diabetes or obesity,” he says.