(NewsNation) — Doctors are reporting some Ozempic users are finding the drug is lowering their alcohol cravings along with suppressing appetite, signaling a possible link between the weight loss drug and curbing addiction.
“I used alcohol as kind of a numbing drug at night to just reward myself and self-medicate, I guess you’d say, and it was becoming a bit of a problem. But when I started on the semaglutide, I noticed I had no desire for alcohol, it almost was repulsive,” said Christie Martin.
Martin, a former Ozempic user, joined “NewsNation Prime” to share her experience taking the diabetes drug that has skyrocketed in popularity due to its weight-loss effects.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Kaplan says there isn’t a comprehensive study on the link yet, but anecdotal evidence suggests Ozempic is curbing a range of addictive behaviors.
“We have over 600 patients in our program that we’re hearing these same kinds of things for them. But then we’re even able to crowdsource all of these comments from TikTok, where thousands of people are talking about their experience of biting their nails less, online shopping less, drinking less, smoking less,” Kaplan told NewsNation.
While it isn’t entirely clear why the link might exist, Kaplan says that since over-eating can be an addictive behavior, it would make sense that a drug that targets the neural pathways for over-eating would also impact other addictive behaviors.
“Clearly they need to do long-term studies on clinical evidence showing that this works, but also some basic science studies to exactly figure out what the pathway is of why it is working exactly the way it is,” Kaplan said.
Martin said she recently went off Ozempic, and while she gained a few pounds back, her alcohol cravings have not returned.
“The food noise had started to come back, so I was concerned about the alcohol aspect of it, but really that didn’t come back. And I did gain a few pounds back so I might look into using it as something that I do maybe once a month to maintain,” Martin said.
Kaplan told NewsNation that while Ozempic has not been approved as an addiction solution, doctors can still prescribe it to patients who may be struggling with the disease.
“It would be considered off-label but it doesn’t make it illegal for the doctor prescribe it for you,” Kaplan said. “I know you hear things on the news about stomach paralysis, but those major risks are very few and far between.”