People on Ozempic Are Drinking Way Less

Ozempic and similar drugs aren’t just for weight loss, more and more research is finding. New data is the latest to show that GLP-1 medications help lower people’s alcohol consumption, too. Scientists in Ireland and Saudi Arabia conducted the study, which involved around 200 patients who were prescribed GLP-1 drugs to manage their obesity. They found that people not only lost weight on the drugs, they also tended to reduce their alcohol intake—by up to two-thirds for those who drank the most beforehand. The findings strengthen the case for GLP-1s as an addiction treatment, the researchers say. Semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy) and similar GLP-1 drugs are far more effective at helping people lose weight than diet and exercise alone. But some scientists have also begun to notice that these drugs may help reduce people’s cravings for things besides food, including potentially harmful drugs like opioids, cocaine, and alcohol. Early studies have started to support ... Read full article.