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    • Ozempic, Wegovy could help alcoholics cut back, new study suggests
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    Ozempic, Wegovy could help alcoholics cut back, new study suggests

    Online Niel Posted on

    The top line

    The use of GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy, Ozempic and Victoza could help reduce alcohol consumption in those struggling with alcohol use disorder, suggests a new study by European researchers published Wednesday, the latest research showing that the drugs they could be used to treat addiction.

    Key facts

    Scientists from Finland and Sweden on Wednesday published the results of a study that used 17 years of data that looked at more than 220,000 people who were diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder and either had obesity or type 2 diabetes, conditions most commonly treated with peptide-receptor drugs glucagon type 1 (GLP-1).

    The study found that those who took semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, and liraglutide, the ingredient in Victoza, experienced less alcohol consumption and were less likely to be hospitalized for alcohol-related problems than their peers (not the same was true for all). GLP-1 medicines, only those containing semaglutide and liraglutide).

    Of the 227,866 people studied, about 75,454 were using drugs specifically to treat alcohol-related disorders, but the researchers found that those treated with semaglutide and liraglutide had a lower risk of hospitalization than those using drugs to treat addiction.

    Of the 4,321 people in the GLP-1 drug study, there were 222 hospitalizations for alcohol use, or 5% of patients, significantly fewer than the 30,198, or 40% of patients who were hospitalized while using approved drugs for the treatment of alcohol consumption. disorder.

    The researchers cautioned that the study results should be interpreted “with caution” and that clinical trials will be needed to determine whether the improved outcomes were actually caused by the use of GLP-1 drugs.

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    Big number

    3. That’s how many medicines there were approved by the FDA for the treatment of alcohol use disorders in the United States. Almost 29 million people over the age of 12 have been diagnosed with this disorder.

    Surprising fact

    Semaglutide is also associated with reduced incidence and relapse of cannabis use disorder, according to a study published in “Molecular psychiatry“in March, and opioid use disorder, according research published last month.

    Key background

    Other studies have also suggested that the drugs could help treat addiction. In October, a study in the journal “Addiction” found that diabetic and weight-loss drug addicts drank 50 percent less than other addicts in the study, and that people with opioid use disorder had a 40 percent lower opioid overdose rate. More clinical trials are ongoing to discover why GLP-1 users with disorders and addiction report decreased appetites, even though scientists have suggested a theory that drugs can interact with parts of the brain that produce dopamine — also known as the “feel-good hormone” that has been linked to addiction — in a way that makes the dopamine effects of drugs and alcohol more a little intense. Along with the addition, the drugs have shown promise in treating others conditions that cancer, Alzheimer’s, COVID-19, heart disease, liver disease, Parkinson’s and sleep apnea.

    Further reading

    ForbesDrugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and Mounjaro could treat other conditions – Here’s what scientists are looking atOf Robert Hart
    ForbesHow Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound can help treat other diseases: here’s what you need to knowOf Arianna JohnsonForbesOzemic drug Semaglutide could reduce heart risk by 20% – regardless of weight loss, study showsOf Robert HartForbesStudy shows 85% of patients discontinue GLP-1 for weight loss after 2 yearsOf Joshua Cohen

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