Weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic could cut drug and alcohol abuse in half, according to a new study in the scientific journal Addiction.
In the research, Published on Thursday, It was found that people taking Ozempic or similar drugs (medications used to lose weight or treat type 2 diabetes) were 40% less likely to overdose on opioids. The study also found that alcohol poisoning rates were 50 percent lower in the same group.
Researchers at Loyola University Chicago studied more than 500,000 people with a history of opioid use disorder. More than 8,000 of the samples involved Ozempic and other weight loss drugs containing the active ingredient semaglutide.
The study also looked at 800,000 people with a history of alcohol abuse. More than 5,600 of the participants were using weight loss drugs.
“Our study…reveals the potential for new treatment pathways in substance use treatment,” said study principal investigator Fares Keedan and report co-authors Ashley McCann and Benjamin Tingey. He says: said The Wall Street Journal.
Another study published in July also found that Ozempic use was associated with a lower risk of cognitive problems. Researchers said the results did not apply to people without diabetes.
The study, conducted by the University of Oxford, found that Ozempic was associated with a lower risk of nicotine dependence and cognitive impairment. The drugs did not increase the risk of anxiety, depression or dementia, the report said.
Dr Riccardo de Giorgi, lead author of the Oxford study, said: “Our results show that the use of semaglutide extends beyond the management of diabetes, offering unexpected benefits in the treatment and prevention of cognitive decline and substance abuse. This suggests that there is a possibility.”
A survey conducted earlier this year by the health policy nonprofit KFF found that one in eight adults had taken a GLP-1 agonist, a drug used to treat obesity and diabetes, such as Ozempic, Munjaro, and Zepbound. It turned out that the answer was
The drug's popularity has prompted the World Health Organization and Food and Drug Administration to issue warnings that counterfeit versions of the drug may have been detected in some countries.
