Ozempic: semaglutide reduces the desire to drink, says study – 06/16/2023 – Equilíbrio

Swedish research has shown how semaglutide, the active ingredient in drugs such as Ozempic, an antidiabetic drug also used off-label to treat obesity, can halve the urge to consume alcoholic beverages. The work confirms the effect already reported by users of drugs based on the substance.

The study with rats also indicated that the drug acts equally in male and female subjects and works even at low doses.

Research suggests that the metabolic mechanism of dopamine (the feel-good hormone) is altered by the presence of semaglutide in the body, causing a reduction in the reward system when ingesting alcohol, as with food. The next stage of the work is already underway and should assess the effects of semaglutide on other chemical dependencies, starting with cocaine.

According to the authors, who spoke by e-mail with the Sheetthe medication has greater potency and affinity with GLP-1 receptors, a hormone that the substance imitates synthetically.

“We were happy that the response was similar in male and female rats and that very low doses could be used. The mechanisms by which semaglutide acts also surprised us”, indicates researcher Elisabet Jerlhag Holm.

Cajsa Aranäs points out that the result that the drug would attenuate the brain’s ability to increase the release of dopamine in its motivation, pleasure and learning center was expected. “What we didn’t expect was to see that semaglutide seemed to alter dopamine metabolism,” she says.

Aranäs reinforces that the results found still need to undergo more tests, including in the clinical phase (with humans), to be confirmed. The article was published in the journal eBiomedicine this month.

In the study, treated rats reduced their alcohol intake by half compared to animals that did not receive semaglutide. The team is from the Department of Pharmacology at the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

“We showed that semaglutide binds to an area of ​​the brain that is central to reward, the nucleus accumbens, and increases dopamine metabolism when alcohol is in the body,” says Jerlhag.

The newly published study does not compare the effect of the GLP-1 analogue with that of other addiction drugs. “However, the effect of semagultuid is very profound. And one must think that alcohol dependence is a heterogeneous disorder. A large number of drugs are needed for the therapy of such a complex disorder”, says Jerlhag.

In the case of alcohol, treatment consists of a combination of various psychosocial methods and medications, but there are only four authorized remedies available in Brazil.

The methodology must be taken to the clinical studies stage and, at the other end, tests with other addictive drugs have started.

“We have a study with semaglutide and cocaine in progress, but also semaglutide together with other pharmacological treatments that can further improve the effect on alcohol intake”, points out Aranäs.

Americans also explore therapeutic potential of semaglutide

Researchers from the NIH (US National Institutes of Health) published in May, in the international journal JCI Insights, another study on the therapeutic potential of semaglutide. The article discusses the role of GLP-1 and its synthetics in the emotion and mood of patients who have compulsive behaviors.

The work also suggests that semaglutide can reduce alcohol consumption, in addition to modulating central neurotransmission.

According to the material, evidence of the effect of semaglutide on the neurobiology of compulsive behaviors and addictions is growing and indicates that GLP-1 analogues can be used for the treatment of alcohol dependence.