Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic may help reduce overdose risks: Study

A new study suggests that GLP-1 agonist medications like Ozempic, which are used for diabetes control and weight loss, may help reduce the risk of overdose and alcohol poisoning in people with alcohol disorders. substance use

“It helps underscore another significant benefit of this class of drugs,” Dr. Angela Fitch, co-founder and chief medical officer of knowwell, a company that provides weight-inclusive health care, told ABC News.

The large study, published in the journal Addiction, looked at the health records of 1.3 million people from 136 US hospitals over nearly nine years. This included the records of 500,000 people with opioid use and more than 800,000 with alcohol use disorders.

MORE: New study focuses on what happens if you stick with weight loss drug Wegovy for years

According to the study, those taking Ozempic or a similar drug were 40% less likely to overdose on opioids and 50% less likely to get drunk compared to those not taking the drug.

“Existing medications to treat substance use disorder are underutilized and stigmatized,” said Fares Qeadan, associate professor of biostatistics at Loyola University Chicago. “These diabetes and weight loss medications can help addiction without the associated stigma, which will be a new window into how to treat addiction.”

The protective effects were consistent and even applied to people with type 2 diabetes, obesity, or both conditions.

Fitch was optimistic about the results of the study.

“As clinicians, recognizing that people can get dual benefits from something is always helpful, and as more obesity drugs come to market, this can help personalize treatments,” he said.

GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic and the combination drug tirzepatide also included in the study, mimic a natural hormone known as glucagon-like peptide-1 to help regulate blood sugar and insulin levels. To control obesity and diabetes, these drugs work by slowing digestion, reducing appetite, and improving the release of insulin in response to meals.

MORE: Which is better for weight loss, Mounjaro or Ozempic? The new study provides an answer

Scientists still do not fully understand how these drugs work. Some studies indicate that they activate specific “reward” receptors in the brain that make high-calorie foods less rewarding, so users eat less.

This could also be why these drugs can reduce cravings for alcohol and opioids. For example, a previous study found that adding the GLP-1, exenatide, was effective in helping some people with obesity and alcohol use disorders drink less.

The Addiction study doesn’t show that GLP-1 drugs directly reduce the risks of opioid overdose and alcohol poisoning, only that people who take them seem to be helped. And it only included hospitalizations, so it’s unclear whether they’ll work in less severe cases as well.

Prescribing the drugs to treat substance use, at least for now, is not possible because they are not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for that purpose, Fitch noted.

“One of the challenges we have as physicians is that we know some of these benefits help patients. And not being able to access them is very difficult,” he said.

People with substance use disorders continue to use drugs or alcohol even though it causes problems in their lives. According to the CDC, there are 178,000 deaths annually related to excessive alcohol consumption. More than 75% of drug overdose deaths in 2022 involved opioids.

If you or someone you know is living with a substance use disorder, free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling or texting the national helpline at 988.

Dr. Faizah Shareef is an internal medicine resident and member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic may help reduce overdose risks: Study originally appeared on abcnews.go.com