Scientists launch trials into whether Ozempic and Wegovy can treat alcoholism, drug addiction and even DEMENTIA
- It decreases the release of dopamine in the brain, which tells us to eat or drink more
- Evidence is mounting that millions of people could use it to overcome their addictions
- READ MORE: Ozempic FIVE times more expensive in the US than in Japan
Although Ozempic has taken the US by storm as it has been touted as a magic weight loss drug, scientists are now curious if it could also be used to treat other health conditions such as alcoholism, drug addiction and even dementia.
The injection of semaglutide, the active drug in Ozempic, is approved for the treatment of diabetics to lower blood sugar levels. However, it has risen in popularity as an off-label weight loss drug, despite a host of unpleasant side effects.
While people have anecdotally suggested that the drug helped them kick unwanted long-term habits in addition to their binges, Ozempic’s powers are put to the test in human clinical trials on things like alcohol dependence and dementia.
One of the researchers involved in the studies, Kyle Simmons, a professor of pharmacology and physiology at the Oklahoma State University, said if the results of the studies are positive, “it is difficult to overestimate the effect this will have on the field (of addiction medicine).”
Now Ozempic’s powers are being tested for things like alcohol dependence and even dementia in human clinical trials
Henry Webb, from North Carolina, completed a two-month course of Wegovy, a drug similar to Ozempic, after reaching his weight goal. He used to have a few drinks consistently in the evening, but said, ‘The meds didn’t make me feel like it’
Ozempic helps people lose weight by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone, which curbs hunger and slows the rate at which one’s stomach empties, helping one feel fuller for longer.
But experts say it may also lower levels of dopamine reward hormone released in the brain. Reducing the levels of this hormone could lead to a decrease in the ‘feel good’ element of giving in to unhealthy desires or behaviors.
Professor Simmons is currently leading a trial testing whether semaglutide can reduce people’s alcohol intake. An additional separate study is also taking place at the University of Baltimore.
Simmons theorized that the drug could blunt the brain’s reward signaling in a way that means reducing people’s ability to experience pleasure not just for food, but for everything.
“If this drug is being used by more and more people, if it starts to promote a loss of interest in pleasure in general, that might not be such a good thing, for example for people with a history of depressive disorders,” he says. told CNBC.
However, more research is needed to understand semaglutide’s effect on the brain, Simmons added.
Christian Hendershot, director of the translational addiction research program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is also exploring whether or not the appetite-regulating mechanism may help with alcohol and drug addiction.
He hopes to publish the first results next year and said: ‘There is cause for optimism, especially given the reports. Now it’s our job to do the research to validate these findings with clinical data.’
Meanwhile, a trial at the University of Oxford is testing semaglutide on patients at risk for dementia because of high concentrations in their brains of a certain protein linked to dementia. Researchers are investigating whether the drug can reduce protein levels and calm inflammation, another marker associated with a high risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.