A GLP-1 pill a day might help keep problem drinking at bay, a recent trial has found. Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz conducted a small randomized trial of once-daily oral semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, for people with alcohol use disorder. Compared to those taking a placebo, people on semaglutide reported fewer days of heavy drinking, among other improvements. The findings are the latest to suggest that GLP-1s could have another life as a treatment for addiction. “Efforts to repurpose semaglutide for [alcohol use disorder] should continue apace,” the authors wrote in their paper, published Wednesday in The American Journal of Psychiatry. Less heavy drinking Over the past few years, a growing base of evidence has suggested that GLP-1s can tamp down people’s unhealthy urges for alcohol, cocaine, and even vices like gambling. Much of this research has come from observational studies that can only show a correlation between GLP-1 use and reduced addiction symptoms. Yet we are now starting to see similar results from more conclusive studies like clinical trials.
This latest research involved 50 people diagnosed with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder (AUD). Half were randomized to take a placebo for eight weeks, while the rest took escalating doses of oral semaglutide (3 milligrams a day for 4 weeks, then 7 milligrams a day for 4 weeks).
