Can Ozempic Treat AUD?

Ozempic, also known by its generic name semaglutide, is a popular weight loss and diabetes drug. Over the last couple of years, in addition to weight loss, people have been noting a surprising byproduct of the medication: decreased alcohol use. Ozempic has not been adequately researched or approved for its ability to thwart alcohol cravings. While clinical studies are underway, it has been sparking conversation about the use of medication for addiction. 

What’s Behind the Ozempic for AUD Stir?

Drinking alcohol in excess is a risk factor for premature death; it makes sense that any anecdote about the potential for a quick and effective treatment would be buzzworthy. Here’s the thing—medication to treat alcohol use has been FDA-approved for decades. However, most people don’t know that medication for alcohol exists. There’s a reason why Ozempic in the limelight is causing conversations about its ability to treat alcohol use—many do not know that there are other medication treatments for AUD. 

FDA-approved medicines to treat or reduce alcohol use, such as disulfiram, naltrexone, and acamprosate, are specifically approved for that purpose. Medications to treat AUD are just as effective as medicine, like SSRIs, for depression. But they are nowhere near as widely used.

In the United States, about 13% of adults took antidepressants in a month (1). Despite the efficacy and safety of medication to treat alcohol, only 1.6% of people with AUD use it. Ozempic has been approved since 2017 to treat type 2 diabetes in adults, and it’s commonly used and more well-known than medicine for AUD. A 2024 survey shows almost three-quarters of Americans have heard of Ozempic (2).

Another reason for excitement about Ozempic’s possibility of treating AUD is that it could reach two birds with one stone—weight loss and alcohol misuse. This two-in-one potential might offer people some discretion in seeking alcohol treatment in the first place. 

Stigma is a significant reason that prevents people from seeking help for AUD. Individuals with alcohol misuse might not admit that they have a problem bad enough to warrant medication for alcohol solely. However, when taking Ozempic for another reason, they might experience relief they didn’t know they needed or were too ashamed to get.

Understanding Ozempic and AUD

Let’s look at what Ozempic does to understand its potential impact on AUD. Ozempic is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist drug, which means it’s a class of medicine targeting blood sugar control and, likely, weight loss. This medication mimics the hormone GLP-1 and stimulates insulin production, which can help lower blood sugar levels. 

Ozempic use is on the rise in the US—a recent health tracking poll found that 1 in 8 adults have used a GLP-1 agonist. 4 in 10 adults used them primarily to lose weight (3). COVID-19 caused an increase in weight gain and alcohol misuse, potentially spurring more attention around Ozempic with increased usage.

With the surge of people taking Ozempic, patients and doctors began to notice a byproduct from the drug—its seeming ability to curb drinking and cravings. It’s important to note that currently, evidence is anecdotal. People report that while taking Ozempic for a different reason, limiting alcohol consumption was an unintended effect. 

Some of the preliminary research is promising. Clinical trials on rodents suggest Ozempic could help reduce alcohol use. However, a 2017 clinical trial looked at the potential of exenatide, another GLP-1 agonist, to treat AUD among 127 patients administered placebo or exenatide (4). The randomized trial found that exenatide was not superior to placebo in reducing drinking among those with AUD.

Researchers identified a few factors potentially influencing the results, such as that the levels of AUD varied among participants compared to other studies. Also, exenatide reduced alcohol intake, but only in the participants who qualified as obese. It’s important to note that exenatide is less potent than Ozempic. 

A later 2023 case series published in the Journal of Psychiatry found that six individuals being treated for weight loss with AUD each exhibited significant improvements (5).

Six clinical trials studying the potential power of Ozempic to curb alcohol or smoking are underway. While more substantial research is clearly needed, the conversation about Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists’ potential for AUD ignites awareness around the power of medicine to treat alcohol use.

Why Might Ozempic Be Effective for Treating AUD?

Part of the reason that Ozempic is helpful for weight loss is that it may alter brain reward pathways. Ozempic signals fullness, which can help people consume less. Researchers hypothesize that Ozempic could work similarly for addiction. GLP-1 agonists target the reward center of the brain. Generally, when you drink, you’ll experience a hit of the feel-good chemical dopamine. New studies will use an fMRI scanner to examine alcohol’s impact on the brain while taking Ozempic.

Good-quality data is essential for the use of any medication. Luckily, with medication to treat AUD, solid evidence proving the efficacy of approved drugs already exists.

Medications approved for AUD are also more affordable. About half of all adults who have taken GLP-1 agonists say it was difficult to afford the cost (6). While insurance covered part of the cost, more than half of adults said the price was difficult, even among those insured. Without insurance, Ozempic costs just under $1000 per month. Without insurance, naltrexone can cost $25-175 per month, depending on the state where you buy it. 

While there is optimism for Ozempic’s ability to treat AUD, it’s important to remember it’s not yet FDA-approved for AUD treatment and to exercise caution until it is. While Ozempic may have positive results for drinking among those already taking it for another reason, approved medications for AUD don’t require other conditions to take them. 

SSRIs have become more widespread and helped to address some of the stigma around depression; medicine for AUD merits the same evolution. Hopefully, the discussions around Ozempic’s potential to treat AUD will spur more awareness that medicines for AUD already exist and can help people in the short and long term reduce or stop drinking. 

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