Medications originally designed to manage Type 2 diabetes and help with weight loss—like Ozempic and Mounjaro—may also have the power to blunt something far more insidious: cravings for drugs and alcohol.
In a paper released in Addiction, scientists reported that people with a history of alcohol use disorder who were prescribed these medications were 50% less likely to binge drink. The results were similarly striking for those struggling with opioids. Among patients with opioid use disorder, those on the drugs had a 40% lower rate of overdose.
“We hypothesized that these medications might impact cravings and reward-seeking behavior,” said Fares Qeadan, a biostatistician at Loyola University Chicago and the study’s lead author. “But the observed reduction in severe outcomes for individuals with opioid and alcohol use disorders suggests a broader, more protective effect than anticipated.”
From Blood Sugar to Brain Chemistry
Ozempic and Mounjaro, known generically as semaglutide and tirzepatide, are part of a class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They mimic natural gut hormones that help regulate blood sugar and signal fullness after eating. Millions now use them for weight loss, and demand for these medications has skyrocketed in the past two years — so much so that scams with fake products now abound.
But as prescriptions soared, so did unexpected side notes. Patients began reporting that their desire to drink alcohol or engage in other compulsive behaviors waned. Anecdotes began to pile up in online forums, and eventually into data scientists could track.
To test these observations, Qeadan and colleagues sifted through electronic health records of more than 1.3 million people between 2014 and 2022. All had documented alcohol or substance use disorders. What emerged was an unexpected pattern: those who had been prescribed GLP-1 medications were significantly less likely to experience the most dangerous consequences of addiction.
The findings contribute to a growing body of research suggesting these drugs may disrupt some of the same brain pathways involved in substance use & abuse.
A Shared Circuit in the Brain
The idea that food cravings and drug cravings might stem from a shared neural circuit isn’t new. Dr. Lorenzo Leggio, clinical director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, has studied this connection for years.
“We believe that these medications are active in the brain,” he told NPR. “Similar to their actions on food, they also curb craving for addictive drugs.”
Leggio explains that in animal models, drugs like semaglutide reduce alcohol consumption. More recently, human studies—including some under his supervision—have started exploring that link in controlled settings.
Christian Hendershot, who directs clinical research at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Addiction Science, says the new study is “a promising addition” to the growing case for these medications. But he also sounds a note of caution.
“It’s based on observational data,” he said. “That means we can’t say definitively that the medication caused the reduction in drinking or overdose risk. We need randomized clinical trials to confirm the effect.”
Several such trials are already underway, including one at the National Institutes of Health. But for now, doctors are not prescribing these drugs specifically to treat addiction.
Still, the signals are hard to ignore.
What Could Be Happening?
Scientists aren’t entirely sure how GLP-1 receptor agonists affect the brain’s reward system. One theory is that these drugs increase feelings of satiety. Not just for food, but for behaviors driven by intense craving.
“Another potential mechanism is that these medications tend to reduce the reward value or hedonic value of highly palatable foods and addictive drugs,” said Hendershot.
That might explain why some patients report not just eating less, but drinking less, or skipping out on other behaviors they once struggled to control.
The implications could be profound. Addiction treatments today often combine behavioral therapy with medications like buprenorphine or naltrexone. If Ozempic-like drugs prove effective, they could add a powerful new tool to that toolkit.
Qeadan believes the study “provides an exciting direction for future research.”
