Many Americans taking the blockbuster drug Ozempic have “no desire” to drink, have stopped gambling and find they are no longer interested in their favorite foods.
It is widely known that Ozempic, an injectable drug approved for diabetes, has helped millions of Americans lose weight by reducing their appetite and cravings for unhealthy foods.
However, a growing body of research suggests that the active ingredient, semaglutide, could also curb cravings for alcohol, nicotine, nail biting and even gambling.
Users told DailyMail.com that giving up alcohol made them feel better after a night out, and made them ‘excited’ to see what other habits Ozempic could change.
They also said it could be a game-changer for alcoholics and people struggling with other addictions.
Ozempic users have previously told DailyMail.com that the drug has stopped them craving alcohol
Ozempic and its sister drug Wegovy work by prompting the body to bind to a receptor called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a protein that activates hormones in the brain that keep the stomach full and tell the body to stop eating. and avoid cravings
Karen Ramirez, 32, a high school teacher from Rhode Island, started taking Ozempic in February for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
PCOS is a hormonal condition that affects one in 10 American women of childbearing age, according to the U.S. Office on Women’s Health. It causes the ovaries to produce excessive amounts of male sex hormones. This leads to irregular menstrual cycles, abnormal hair growth, acne, obesity, thinning hair and infertility.
Ms Ramirez told DailyMail.com: ‘I always had very inconsistent periods. Sometimes I would have my period for months, which is of course not normal, even if I wasn’t pregnant or anything like that.’
While she was pregnant two years ago, she developed gestational diabetes, a disease diagnosed in pregnant women who do not yet have diabetes. She was also constantly hungry and unable to lose weight.
Doctors gave Ms. Ramirez Ozempic earlier this year to balance her hormones.
Since then, she has lost about 20 pounds and stopped snacking. She also doesn’t feel like drinking alcohol.
‘I’ve never been a drinker. I have always been a social drinker. I’ll have a glass of wine, or I’ll have some beer… but now I don’t even want to try it at all,” she said.
“It kind of grosses me out, to be honest.”
Before Ozempic, Ms. Ramirez would have no more than three drinks at a social event. Now she hardly wants to order one.
“I don’t really see the need to drink wine or have a beer, and if I do, I have one glass,” she said.
She is far from alone.
A TikTok user named myshellk said in a video, “Since I’ve been on Ozempic, I haven’t felt like drinking anymore.”
She also said these effects could be helpful for people struggling with alcoholism.
“That would be really cool if someone who needs it can get access,” she said.
“I’m curious to see what other cool things (Ozempic) will have an effect on.”
One of the other effects may be a loss of interest in a user’s favorite food. Staci Rice, 40, who reports taking semaglutide, says her favorite chocolate candy, Kit Kats, is now disgusting to her.
Mel, (left), who goes by the username Cgo_of_me on TikTok, said she recently went for two martinis while taking Ozempic. She woke up feeling ‘severely, violently ill’. ‘From now on I won’t drink anymore. You shouldn’t do that either,” she said. Karen Ramirez (right) posted on TikTok telling DailyMail.com that Ozempic ‘disgusted’ her with alcohol
Staci Rice (pictured), 40, said she can no longer tolerate coffee or Kit-Kats after using Wegovy
Another TikTok user named Christienano said she can no longer drink red wine, her favorite drink. However, she insisted, “that’s not a bad thing.”
“You definitely lose your desire for alcohol, and that really helps with weight loss,” she said.
Ozempic is a brand name for the drug semaglutide, which suppresses appetite and causes weight loss.
The drug binds to the GLP-1 receptor, a protein that activates hormones in the brain that keep the stomach full and tell the body to stop eating and avoid cravings.
A report published on Wednesday by Vibrant health found that prescriptions for the drug quadrupled between the start of 2020 and the end of next year, with providers writing more than nine million prescriptions in the last three months of 2022.
The research is limited, but scientists also believe Ozempic may control the brain’s complex reward pathway, which floods the brain with a rush of dopamine when something good happens, like biting into a delicious cookie, and encourages you to eat more.
This could curb potentially addictive behaviors such as drinking alcohol, smoking or even gambling.
A study published in July in the journal eBioMedicine The effects of semaglutide on alcohol consumption were measured in mice.
The mice had previously been exposed to alcohol and enjoyed it. During the study, they were also allowed to freely drink alcohol in addition to their food and water.
Rodents taking semaglutide consumed half the alcohol of those given a placebo.
Even when researchers took away their alcohol to give them a stronger craving, they still drank much less than the placebo group when the alcohol was made available again.
Cajsa Aranäs, a PhD student who worked on the study, said the research suggests that semaglutide inhibits this desire.
“Alcohol activates the brain’s reward system, resulting in the release of dopamine, which occurs in both humans and animals,” she said.
‘This process is blocked by the drug in mice, and according to our interpretation this could cause a reduction in alcohol-induced reward.’
The researchers said that while the findings were promising, more is needed before semaglutide can be given to people who have difficulty quitting alcohol.
Another study published last year found that the GLP-1 agonist exenatide (Byetta) reduced activity in “critical brain areas for drug reward and addiction.”
Other adults who shared their Ozempic side effects on social media noted that the drug reduced their tolerance for alcohol, making them drunk more quickly.
Mel, who goes by the username Cgo_of_me on TikTok, shared that she recently went for two martinis while taking Ozempic.
It wasn’t long before she felt much drunker than usual.
“It was like I drank ten martinis,” she said in a video posted last month.
When she woke up the next morning, Mel felt “severely, violently ill” and had the lowest blood sugar of her life.
‘I burst into shock. I was throwing up. I was disoriented and my husband had to sit with me while I drank straight juice and honey sticks, and we almost went to the ER,” she said.
‘From now on I won’t drink anymore. You shouldn’t do that either.’
Other Ozempic users have reported that the drug has helped them quit other vices, such as gambling. One user noticed his gambling addiction gradually decreasean addiction fueled by heavy Adderall use.
The user said: ‘I used Ozempic for the first time on January 15th. Almost immediately, the thought of gambling seemed so patently stupid – not just financially stupid, but a waste of time. It actually seemed boring to me for the first time ever.
“Now all the addictions are gone and I have lost 50 pounds and lost it steadily. It has almost been a literal miracle for me!’