Ozempic, Mounjaro and similar medications for Type 2 diabetes and weight loss could also help people struggling with addiction, according to a new study. Researchers found that people addicted to alcohol who also had a prescription for Ozempic or similar medications had a 50% lower rate of binging on alcohol, compared to people who were not on the medications. And people with opioid use disorder who were taking the medications had a 40% lower rate of opioid overdose.
The findings appear this week in the journal Addiction . The impact that these medications appeared to have on reducing addictive behaviors was surprising, says Fares Qeadan, an associate professor of biostatistics at Loyola University Chicago and the study’s lead author. “While we hypothesized that these medications might impact cravings and reward-seeking behavior, the observed reduction in severe outcomes for individuals with opioid and alcohol use disorders suggests a broader, more protective effect than anticipated,” Qeadan said in an email to NPR.
The active ingredients in Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) both work by mimicking hormones in the body that help regulate blood sugar and make you feel satisfied after eating. Prescriptions for these and similar medications have skyrocketed in recent years, and that’s led to growing anecdotal reports that the drugs can curb not just cravings for food, but also for alcohol and other addictive behaviors. To conduct the study, researchers from.