(NEXSTAR) – From unexpected babies to "Ozempic teeth," the ultra-popular class of GLP-1 medications is turning out to have a few unanticipated side effects. Emerging research shows the drugs, which have proven effective in treating obesity and diabetes, may also be useful in treating addiction.
The medications' full potential is coming to light as more people are prescribed a GLP-1, which includes the brand names Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy and Zepbound. As 15% of Americans say they've tried a GLP-1, researchers are learning more about how it impacts all aspects of life, not just diet.
"This drug has been available in the medical community since 2005," said Dr. Eugene Lucas, professor and coordinator of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program at Wilkes University. "And over time, when physicians are ordering these medications for people with obesity, diabetes, they're finding that if they have a concurrent addictive disorder, and specifically alcohol, that they're either cutting back or stopping their alcohol use."
A large study of more than 200,000 people in Sweden found using a GLP-1 drug was associated with a decreased risk of hospitalization from alcohol use disorder.
Another study by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine, which looked at 600,000 veterans with type 2 diabetes, found the medications were tied to a lower risk of developing any kind of substance use disorder.
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"In addiction medicine, a lot of treatments target just one thing – for example, a nicotine patch helps with smoking, but not alcohol – but there is no medication that works across addictive substances, let alone all of them," said the study's senior author, Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly.
If GLP-1s are able to work across multiple addictions – not just alcohol or one type of drug – they could be a promising treatment path.
Treating addiction is not an FDA-approved use of GLP-1 medication, but Lucas said that could be a possibility down the line if enough research proves it works.
Alcoholism is researched more than other types of substance use, Lucas said. "The focus has been mostly on alcohol. There have been some studies done on cocaine, methamphetamine, and opioid addiction, but the findings are not conclusive."
More research is also needed to understand why the drugs meant to treat obesity and diabetes could work to curb smoking, drinking or drug use. Al-Aly said GLP-1s may help with addiction because they target the craving center of the brain.
"It blunts that craving that pulls people toward whatever they're addicted to," he said.
"It's so exciting to see GLP-1s come into this level of the research to say, 'Hey, this is another tool that we can use to help people, reduce their alcohol intake or reach abstinence from alcohol,' whatever that goal is," said Dr. Samuel Parish, an addiction medicine specialist, told Nexstar's WCBD. "But at this moment, we can't say with certainty."
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