Ozempic has been making headlines as an expensive weight loss drug. Ozempic, and its many counterparts, are known semaglutide injections, specifically known as GLP-1. GLP-1, Glucagon-like peptide 1, are used to make the body feel more full. The presence of this medication in the circulatory system leads to less calorie intake due to the sensation of fullness. So how does a weight-loss drug affect addiction? Ozempic also operates in the brain. When GLP-1 is present, it inhibits the release of dopamine when partaking in addictive behaviors. For example, in an individual who has alcoholism, each time they drink alcohol, their brains give them a hit of dopamine. This hit of dopamine is what drives addiction, and therefore causes conditioned behaviors. However, with Ozempic that dopamine hit is not released while drinking, which removes the driving force of addiction. Researchers and doctors are now questioning the full effects of Ozempic. Animal studies are currently being conducted to show how semaglutides impact addiction. Is drug use, gambling, etc. also affected by Ozempic's pathways? Will this medication become more effective than previous addiction healthcare? It will be interesting to see how future studies play out.
Friday, October 4, 2024
Ozempic Battling Addiction?
Doucleff, M. (2023, August 28). Ozempic seems to curb cravings for alcohol. Here’s what scientists think is going on. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/08/28/1194526119/ozempic-wegovy-drinking-alcohol-cravings-semaglutide
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/08/28/1194526119/ozempic-wegovy-drinking-alcohol-cravings-semaglutide
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This is very interesting. I don’t know much about addiction medications, but I do know that they exist. I also know that Ozempic has been called by many doctors as a very safe medication for both weight loss and diabetes, specifically for long term use. If this surpasses animal trials and into human clinical trials, I feel this drug would be deemed a miracle drug. Especially since addiction is a real problem for a lot of people.
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ReplyDeleteThis is super fascinating connecting semglutide to addiction behaviors. I was actually going to write about ozempic as well because it’s so interesting how it is used as a T2D treatment but is commonly known as an expensive weight loss drug like you said. As I was looking into semaglutide I found an interesting paper that looked into the efficacy of ozempic for weight loss in obesity without diabetes. While one interval found favorable conditions for semaglutide, there was another that showed an increased risk for gastrointestinal adverse events due to semaglutide. So if ozempic can be used to inhibit addiction, it may also be harming our GI functions which is an indication that there is much about semaglutide that is still unknown.
DeleteTan, H. C., Dampil, O. A., & Marquez, M. M. (2022). Efficacy and Safety of Semaglutide for Weight Loss in Obesity Without Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies, 37(2), 65–72. https://doi.org/10.15605/jafes.037.02.14
This is very interesting how Ozempic was originally created as a treatment for weight lose and it could potentially fight addiction! This medication can literally kill two birds with one stone. It’s fascinating to see how one medication could potentially target such different health challenges. This could lead to a whole new way of approaching addiction treatment by focusing on the brain’s reward system, which hasn’t been fully explored with weight loss drugs before.
ReplyDeleteI like how you talked about Ozempic because with the influence that social media has on people's lives, I do agree that this medication has been making headlines. It's interesting how Ozempic can correlate with overcoming addiction specifically alcoholism. Something that caught my attention was that as soon as an addict consumes alcohol, their brain receives that "hit" of dopamine, which is why they are prone to consume more, but I wonder if the same goes for any addiction. Do you think the same kind of process happens when people smoke or have substance usage? And, going along with that, if Ozempic inhibits dopamine release due to the presence of GLP-1, but GLP-1 causes a reduction of amyloid plaque deposition in Alzheimer’s, do you think it would be a good idea in giving Ozempic to people with Alzheimer’s when they already have low levels of dopamine?
ReplyDeleteI found a paper in PubMed (Hölscher C. (2024). Glucagon-like peptide-1 class drugs show clear protective effects in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease clinical trials: A revolution in the making?. Neuropharmacology, 253, 109952. https://doi-org.dml.regis.edu/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.109952) that states there is promising future for diseases like Alzheimer's when treated with medications such as Ozempic.
I wonder if Ozempic will cause clinical depression in life-long users due to it's effect on dopamine. Since not all addictive behaviors are necessarily bad such as hobbies or socializing. In Intragastric balloon placement, they insert a silicon filled balloon in your stomach to trigger the full sensation earlier, so I wonder if this would remain a more intrusive but practical procedure compared to Ozempic's cost and unknown effects on the brain.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who works at a pharmacy, I have been frequently exposed to Ozempic and other semaglutide medications but have never heard of the possibility that it could help battle addiction. It will be extremely interesting to hear what the animal trials conclude and whether the results are significant to deem Ozempic and other semaglutide medications as addiction treatments. I will say from first-hand experience, if this does become a legitimate way to treat addiction, I hope that it's accessibility increases. Individuals without insurance typically have to pay up to $1600 for a box of treatments. So, again, it will be extremely interesting to see if this study progresses in its findings.
ReplyDeleteOzempic appears to be one of those drugs that could revolutionize medicine. The decrease of disease risk alone from losing excess body weight is truly miraculous. I even found this article on PubMed (article bellow) that suggests that it should be part of the regular treatment protocol that patients dealing with heart failure, particularly issues relating to the left ventricle, should regularly take Ozempic. Hopefully, this drug will prove to not have any serious complications with prolonged use.
ReplyDeleteHeres the article I found
Beghini, A., Sammartino, A. M., Papp, Z., von Haehling, S., Biegus, J., Ponikowski, P., Adamo, M., Falco, L., Lombardi, C. M., Pagnesi, M., Savarese, G., Metra, M., & Tomasoni, D. (2024). 2024 update in heart failure. ESC heart failure, 10.1002/ehf2.14857. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/ehf2.14857
I feel like Ozempic is one of those drugs that became super popular because of how fast it causes people to lose weight, and in today's society and with today's beauty standards it can justify it's popularity. I personally think that if proven to be healthy and an easier mechanism to lose weight it could safe and change a lot of people's life, but I also don't support its recreational use and how little regulations it has as of today. Interesting article.
ReplyDeleteOzempic being used as a drug that helps with addiction was not on my 2024 bingo card. i always thought this was just a lazy way for rich people to lose weight so the fact that this can help people with real problems is crazy.
ReplyDeleteIt is fascinating how ozempic was created to lose weight, but now it also has the potential to help with alcohol and other addictions. After reading your post, I wondered if ozempic could become an addiction itself, however, research claims that ozempic is not a type of medication that causes addiction and there are also no withdrawal symptoms from it. Now, I wonder if ozempic could potentially become a treatment for diseases associated with dopamine levels. Overall, it is very interesting how ozempic can potentially become a treatment that advances medicine, so I am also very curious about future research and studies relating to ozempic.
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