Can Ozempic cure Addiction?

GLPs appear to work more effectively against alcohol than they do for certain other addictive behaviors.

For the Meso bros hooked on steroids, Reta has provided no benefit.
 
GLP-1 drugs protect against new or worsening addictions, large study shows #-glp-1-drugs-protect-against-new-or-worsening-addictions-large-study-shows

REUTERS By Nancy Lapid Mar-04-2026 6:30 p.m. ET

* In patients with type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 drugs cut substance use disorders.

* Those on GLP-1s were less likely to develop new disorders or face adverse outcomes from existing ones.

* The effect held across a broad range of addictive substances.

March 4 (Reuters) - According to a large study of U.S. military veterans, diabetes drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, which belong to the GLP-1 class, can stop new substance use disorders from forming and ease addictions that already exist.

A wide variety of addictive and habit-forming substances were covered by the protective effect, among them cocaine, opioids, alcohol, nicotine and cannabis, adding further evidence to a phenomenon previously flagged in smaller studies.

"That breadth was quite a surprise," said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly of the VA Saint Louis Health Care System in Missouri, who led the study published in The BMJ. "In addiction medicine, there's not a single drug that works across all these substances."

To identify patients with type 2 diabetes treated with drugs from two different classes of medicines, his team used a U.S. Veterans Affairs database: GLP-1s such as Eli Lilly's (LLY) Trulicity or Mounjaro, and Novo Nordisk's Victoza or Ozempic; and SGLT-2 inhibitors such as Jardiance from Boehringer Ingelheim and Farxiga from AstraZeneca (AZN). They then compared them in simulated randomized trials.

For the most part, study participants were not taking the higher-dose GLP-1 drugs used to treat obesity.

Over the following three years, the 124,001 participants without a history of substance abuse who were taking GLP-1 drugs had 14% lower odds of developing a new substance use disorder than the 400,816 similar patients prescribed SGLT-2 inhibitors.

GLP-1 drugs reduced the odds of new alcohol use disorders by 18%, cannabis use disorders by 14%, cocaine use by 20%, nicotine use by 26%, and opioid use by 25%, the researchers found.

Among 81,617 patients with existing substance use disorders, the odds of related emergency department visits during the next three years were 31% lower for those on GLP-1s. GLP-1 drugs also reduced related hospital admissions by 26% versus the SGLT-2s, and reduced related deaths by 50%, drug overdoses by 39%, and suicidal ideation or attempt by 25%.

COMMON BIOLOGIC PATHWAY

Doctors are taught that "if a patient has an addiction to substance A, you give them the antidote for substance A, such as a nicotine patch for tobacco, or naltrexone for alcohol," Al-Aly said.

"But here, you have this drug that is working across all addictive substances," he continued. "That's telling us that there is likely a common biologic pathway that is driving all of these addictions that is indeed druggable or treatable by GLP-1."

The proteins on brain cells that receive chemical signals from GLP-1 drugs, known as GLP-1 receptors, are found in an area called the mesolimbic system that is responsible for motivation and reward signaling, Al-Aly noted.

The GLP-1 drugs are likely acting in the mesolimbic system to "put the lid on cravings" by silencing the noise in people's brains that drive them toward overuse of foods or drugs, he said.

The researchers said they don't know whether the effects will persist when people have been taking the drugs for many years, or whether the brain will adapt and the GLP-1 effects will weaken.

"We're very interested in fleshing this out and trying to understand this concept a little bit more," Al-Aly said.

The VA itself is planning a large, traditional clinical trial testing semaglutide, the main ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, in U.S. veterans with alcohol use disorder.

"For patients with type 2 diabetes who also live with (or are at risk of) a substance use disorder, the key message is not to wait for a single 'magic bullet," Fares Qeadan of Loyola University in Chicago wrote in an editorial published with the study.

"These results suggest that when GLP-1 receptor agonists are clinically indicated for cardio-metabolic reasons, potential benefits for substance related outcomes may be an added consideration in shared decision making."

(Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Editing by Bill Berkrot
 
A while back, I came across something about a pharmaceutical company running a clinical trial using GLP-1 for a drug addiction.
 
Based on my reading, GLP's have a strong likelihood of eventually becoming the initial treatment option for many addiction issues. While the evidence isn't conclusive at this point, numerous studies indicate decreases in alcohol consumption and opioid overdoses. I'm uncertain about meth or cocaine in humans, though it does work in rodent models. What's required are dedicated prospective trials of GLP's for addictions, instead of relying on post hoc statistical analyses.
 
GLPs strike me as a useful aid when trying to stop any behavior that triggers cravings.

For years I attempted to break my wine habit using every method out there, and none of them eliminated the urge — that is, until roughly 2 years back, when I enrolled in a clinical trial involving 2 high-dose psilocybin sessions. Around that same period I was taking my partner's Ozempic as well, and I have no doubt it contributed. The result was flawless. The craving vanishes, you feel no loss whatsoever, and you feel pity for anyone still stuck in that poisonous cycle.
 
DunningKruger said:

GLPs strike me as a useful aid when trying to stop any behavior that triggers cravings.

For years I attempted to break my wine habit using every method out there, and none of them eliminated the urge — that is, until roughly 2 years back, when I enrolled in a clinical trial involving 2 high-dose psilocybin sessions. Around that same period I was taking my partner's Ozempic as well, and I have no doubt it contributed. The result was flawless. The craving vanishes, you feel no loss whatsoever, and you feel pity for anyone still stuck in that poisonous cycle.
Click to expand...
So basically, what's your point?
 
juGGaKNot said:

DunningKruger said:

GLPs strike me as a useful aid when trying to stop any behavior that triggers cravings.

For years I attempted to break my wine habit using every method out there, and none of them eliminated the urge — that is, until roughly 2 years back, when I enrolled in a clinical trial involving 2 high-dose psilocybin sessions. Around that same period I was taking my partner's Ozempic as well, and I have no doubt it contributed. The result was flawless. The craving vanishes, you feel no loss whatsoever, and you feel pity for anyone still stuck in that poisonous cycle.
Click to expand...
So basically, what's your point?
Click to expand...
What I'm getting at is this: GLP-1s may reduce cravings, but pairing them with psychedelic therapy reaches further. It works on the physical urge and the deeper mental habits at the same time. Used properly, the two aren't merely separate instruments—they form a deliberate combination.
 
By month 5 of GLP-1, my drinking problem has started slipping back. Those early months were honestly a total turnaround. Cravings didn't vanish, but they stayed manageable, cut down to about 1 drinking session per week, with far less alcohol each time compared to before.

Then Chinese New Year came and I screwed up. To save a bit of money I picked up a few cartons of beer, not knowing how hard that would rebound on me. The old patterns returned fast, going from 1x weekly -> 2x -> every other day -> and now it's every day.

For 2 weeks now I've been parked at 83.2–83.8 kg. I'm still eating less, but let's be honest, booze is where most of my calories come from at this point.

I feel pretty awful about it, but i'm gonna hit reset. Giving myself 2–4 weeks off meds, because deep down, i know if i can't get my act together on my own, no pill or injection is gonna fix this.

TLDR; GLP-1 definitely helps with addiction, but just like weight loss, it's not a magic fix and you still gotta to put in the work.
 
Peptides might be able to treat or even cure addiction — does anyone else see the irony in that, given how I (and from what I can tell, plenty of others here) can't stop buying peptides in quantities that would last years?

At minimum, it's funny. Better get ready for what's coming! I prep, and I'm a pepper!
 
94brian49 said:

By month 5 of GLP-1, my drinking problem has started slipping back. Those early months were honestly a total turnaround. Cravings didn't vanish, but they stayed manageable, cut down to about 1 drinking session per week, with far less alcohol each time compared to before.

Then Chinese New Year came and I screwed up. To save a bit of money I picked up a few cartons of beer, not knowing how hard that would rebound on me. The old patterns returned fast, going from 1x weekly -> 2x -> every other day -> and now it's every day.

For 2 weeks now I've been parked at 83.2–83.8 kg. I'm still eating less, but let's be honest, booze is where most of my calories come from at this point.

I feel pretty awful about it, but i'm gonna hit reset. Giving myself 2–4 weeks off meds, because deep down, i know if i can't get my act together on my own, no pill or injection is gonna fix this.

TLDR; GLP-1 definitely helps with addiction, but just like weight loss, it's not a magic fix and you still gotta to put in the work.
Click to expand...

It's tough to hear that alcohol is giving you a hard time once more.

I'm not sure stopping the meds is the right move. Given that glp-1 medications helped you with drinking earlier in your treatment, maybe the current dose isn't high enough? I haven't come across any studies showing that a break resets or reactivates receptors. Nor that pausing offers any upside.

Look after yourself, and I hope your situation improves before long!
 
94brian49 said:

By month 5 of GLP-1, my drinking problem has started slipping back. Those early months were honestly a total turnaround. Cravings didn't vanish, but they stayed manageable, cut down to about 1 drinking session per week, with far less alcohol each time compared to before.

Then Chinese New Year came and I screwed up. To save a bit of money I picked up a few cartons of beer, not knowing how hard that would rebound on me. The old patterns returned fast, going from 1x weekly -> 2x -> every other day -> and now it's every day.

For 2 weeks now I've been parked at 83.2–83.8 kg. I'm still eating less, but let's be honest, booze is where most of my calories come from at this point.

I feel pretty awful about it, but i'm gonna hit reset. Giving myself 2–4 weeks off meds, because deep down, i know if i can't get my act together on my own, no pill or injection is gonna fix this.

TLDR; GLP-1 definitely helps with addiction, but just like weight loss, it's not a magic fix and you still gotta to put in the work.
Click to expand...
Whenever you feel like talking or could use some support, my DMs are open to you. This is a demon I recognize all too well that you're fighting. Don't beat yourself up over the slip too badly, it happened, and a plan is already in place. Every slip, and owning up to it, can move you nearer to a better place, even when it doesn't appear that way. Eventually it fades, and it's actually easy. Though it sure as hell doesn't look or feel like it while you're in the middle of it.

If schizophrenia doesn't run in your family, I might look into psychedelic therapy in Malaysia. I see Monash University had a symposium on psychedelic medicine there last fall. It may be available, even in clinical trials.
 
As someone who has dealt with addiction myself — thankfully it was quite a while back, unless peptides count — taking a break from GLP's just to "reset" strikes me as the sort of dubious reasoning our brains cook up during those times. You want to quit drinking or using, yet another part of you clearly feels differently, so you keep going with the drink or whatever it is. Sometimes the fixes your mind proposes are precisely the ones that make things worse.

If your GLP dose is low, bumping it up could be worth a shot to see whether the urge to drink drops. Sadly, I haven't come across any research on that. It might work simply by leaving you feeling too sick to drink, though.

Best of luck. You quit not long ago, so you already know it's within your reach, and you can do it once more — just stick with it, and in time it gets less hard.
 
Good-Heart6425 said:

Image unavailable



Can Ozempic Cure Addiction?



For certain individuals, GLP-1 medications have assisted in reducing drug and alcohol consumption, possibly opening a route toward moderation.

Image unavailable


www.newyorker.com
Click to expand...
Like others have mentioned, GLPs appear to assist with certain addictions, alcohol being 1 example.

I wouldn't count on anything outside yourself to "cure" you. The cure has to come from within — things like peptides are just tools that lend a hand.

Think of it as constructing a house: the hammer isn't what builds the house, the person is, through their own will and drive, with the hammer merely providing help

Wishing you the best
 
@Grogu @DunningKruger @lessthanhalf @itsapinthing

Appreciate it, everyone! Yeah, i realize stopping doesn't really add up from a physical standpoint, but mentally it's a different story. What i caught myself doing was blaming the meds — asking why it stopped working, whether a higher dose is needed — rather than addressing what's underneath. The way i see it, a pause would push me mentally to put in more effort rather than leaning entirely on the meds.

Yeah, i have hope. The first time around, the scariest part was not knowing whether i was even capable of it. Now that i've gotten through it once, i figure this round should be a lot smoother.

Also, just sharing this for anyone interested. My stack was Reta 10 mg + Sema 3 mg. For appetite suppression, i felt it was doing a really good job.

And sorry OP for kinda hijacking your post a little here haha.
 
deluge said:

Peptides might be able to treat or even cure addiction — does anyone else see the irony in that, given how I (and from what I can tell, plenty of others here) can't stop buying peptides in quantities that would last years?

At minimum, it's funny. Better get ready for what's coming! I prep, and I'm a pepper!
Click to expand...

A few weeks back, somebody floated the idea of creating a peptide designed to kill the compulsion to stockpile peptides — but the joke was that we'd simply end up stockpiling that peptide instead.
 
randompersonrandom said:

deluge said:

Peptides might be able to treat or even cure addiction — does anyone else see the irony in that, given how I (and from what I can tell, plenty of others here) can't stop buying peptides in quantities that would last years?

At minimum, it's funny. Better get ready for what's coming! I prep, and I'm a pepper!
Click to expand...

A few weeks back, somebody floated the idea of creating a peptide designed to kill the compulsion to stockpile peptides — but the joke was that we'd simply end up stockpiling that peptide instead.
Click to expand...

Precisely! It can help you break an addiction... unless that addiction is peptides! 😆
 
GLP-1 medications seem to act almost like a miracle cure, and honestly, I believe they turn you into a "better person" in a way that the majority of us would acknowledge if we really thought about it.
 
Perhaps that's actually the case. Having been raised by a father and stepfather who both struggled with alcoholism, I may not be entirely objective, but plenty of alcoholics tend to be rather unpleasant people. If it stops even a portion of them from drinking, then it likely makes the world a better place. Addiction generally doesn't lead people toward better decisions, morals, or treatment of those around them, so the same could apply to its impact on drug use. I pushed my ex hard to begin tirzepatide "to prevent her from getting diabetes as she had impaired glucose tolerance", though the real reason was that it might get her to quit drinking, it is not exactly great for the kids.
 
Back
Top