Ozempic (and similar medications) may be the new treatment for opioid and alcohol use disorder

A new study published in the scientific journal Addiction has found that people with opioid or alcohol use disorder (OUD, AUD) who take Ozempic or similar medications to treat diabetic/weight-related conditions appear to have a 40% lower rate of opioid overdose and a 50% lower rate of alcohol intoxication than people with OUD and AUD who do not take Ozempic or similar medications. 

Ozempic is one of several medications, called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists or GLP-1 RAs, that are prescribed to treat diabetes, obesity, and other weight-related medical conditions. The medications interact with a region of the brain – the mesolimbic system – to reduce appetite and trigger satisfaction after eating.  The mesolimbic system overlaps with the brain processes that govern addictive behaviors. This overlap suggests that GLP-1 RAs and similar medications might also alter the reward-response pathways associated with substance use.  ‘Similar medications’ include glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) agonists like the weight-loss medication Mounjaro. 

Until now, most of the existing research into using GLP-1 RAs and GIPs to treat substance use disorders consists of animal studies and small-scale clinical trials. 

This new large-scale human study looked at 503,747 people with a history of opioid use disorder (OUD), of which 8,103 had a prescription for a GLP-1 RA or GIP.  The study found that people with OUD who had a GLP-1 RA or GIP prescription had a 40% lower rate of opioid overdose compared with those who did not have a prescription.

The study also looked at 817,309 people with a history of alcohol use disorder (AUD), of which 5,621 had a prescription for a GLP-1 RA or GIP.  The study found that people with AUD who had a GLP-1 RA or GIP prescription had a 50% lower rate of alcohol intoxication compared with those who did not have a prescription.

This study may introduce a promising new treatment for substance use disorders.

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For editors:

This Open Access paper is available on the Wiley Online Library (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.16679) or you may request a copy from Jean O’Reilly, Editorial Manager, Addiction, jean@addictionjournal.org.

To speak with lead author Dr. Fares Qeadan, please contact him at Loyola University by telephone (+1-708-327-3294) or e-mail (fqeadan@luc.edu).

Full citation for article: Qeadan F, McCunn A, and Tingey B.  The Association Between Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide and/or Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Prescriptions and Substance-Related Outcomes in Patients with Opioid and Alcohol Use Disorders: A Real-World Data Analysis. Addiction. 2024. DOI: 10.1111/add.16679

Primary funding: No funding. 

Declaration of interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to report.

Addiction (www.addictionjournal.org) is a monthly international scientific journal publishing peer-reviewed research reports on alcohol, substances, tobacco, gambling, editorials, and other debate pieces. Owned by the Society for the Study of Addiction, it has been in continuous publication since 1884.