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Ozempic Could Help Curb Alcoholism

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 13, 2024.

By Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13, 2024 -- The blockbuster GLP-1 drug semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) could curb drinking for people battling alcohol use disorder, helping them to avoid crises that require hospitalization, new research shows.

Numerous studies had already hinted that semaglutide might act on appetite centers in the brain to suppress the urge to drink, just as it does the urge to overeat.

Now, researchers in Finland say their nearly nine-year study of almost 228,000 Swedish people with alcohol use disorder who were taking semaglutide had a 36% lower odds of requiring hospitalization.

Use of a second drug in the same class of GLP-1 medications, liraglutide (Victoza), was linked to a 28% reduction in hospitalizations, the team reported Nov. 13 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

The study couldn't prove cause and effect, only associations. However, based on these and prior findings, the researchers say that "clinical trials are urgently needed to confirm these findings."

The research was led by Dr. Markku Lähteenvuo, of the University of Eastern Finland.

Besides the finding that both semaglutide and liraglutide appeared to help keep people with alcohol use disorder out of the hospital, the study also found that semaglutide, in particular, was linked to a decreased risk for suicide.

The researchers also noted that the two GLP-1 drugs appeared to outperform standard anti-alcoholism medications, such as naltrexone, disulfiram and acamprostate, in lowering hospitalizations among people with alcohol use disorder, although better studies are needed to confirm that.

The Finnish group noted that better treatments for alcohol use disorder are desperately needed, "because existing treatments may not be suitable for all patients."

Sources

  • JAMA Psychiatry, Nov. 13, 2024

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted November 2024

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