What to know about how GLP-1 medications might fight addiction
KSL.com • • health
Key Points:
- A large study of over 600,000 U.S. Veterans Affairs patients with diabetes found that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro are associated with lower risks of developing addictions to substances including alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, opioids, and cannabis compared to other diabetes medications.
- Among patients already addicted, GLP-1 treatment correlated with significant reductions in emergency visits, hospitalizations, suicidal behavior, overdoses, and death, suggesting potential benefits beyond diabetes and weight loss.
- The study, published in The BMJ, is observational and limited to mostly older, white male veterans with diabetes, so it does not prove causation and results may not generalize to the broader population.
- Experts highlight that GLP
