It’s Type 2 Diabetes and the Diet Pill That’s Shocking the World But current studies suggest that semaglutide, better known by the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, can also help people with alcohol addiction.
An estimated 1.7 million adults are drinking at levels likely to adversely affect their health, according to The Health Survey for England 2021.
Anecdotal reports first surfaced last summer of a ‘miracle’ drug for obesity taken as a pill or daily injection. It also reduces the taste of alcohol among medications prescribed for weight loss.
The first clinical trials in humans are currently underway. After those benefits were confirmed in animal studies.
Researchers from Oklahoma State University In the United States, the Semaglutide Therapy for Alcohol Reduction (STAR) study was conducted in which 80 people who abused alcohol or were addicted to alcohol were studied. They will receive weekly injections of semaglutide or placebo for 12 weeks.
Current studies suggest that semaglutide, better known by the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, can also help people with alcohol addiction.
The semaglutide group started with a dose of 0.25 mg per week for four weeks. and eventually increased to 1 mg per week on the same dosing schedule used when starting semaglutide for type 2 diabetes.
This study will measure changes in alcohol consumption. This includes changes in brain activity using scans such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Kyle Simmons, a professor of pharmacology and physiology who is conducting the trial, told Good Health, “Semaglutide appears to modulate activity in the brain’s reward circuitry. It makes food and alcohol less rewarding.”
In other words When semaglutide is on board Food or alcohol in front of you isn’t as ‘hot’ as stimulating your brain as it should.
“We do not yet know whether semaglutide is safe and effective in treating alcohol use disorder. But data from studies with rodents and monkeys suggest that this will be the case. And anecdotal evidence in humans suggests that this may be the case.”
Although the results of the experiment may not be known until 2025 at the earliest. But data from animal research has sparked intense interest in the drug’s potential.
A study conducted by scientists at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. It was published in the journal eBioMedicine in June. Semaglutide was found to reduce alcohol intake in rats by 60 percent.
The researchers attached a fluorescent molecule to semaglutide to track where it went in the mice’s bodies. and found that it clings to the nucleus accumbens This is a region of the brain involved in the reward system. Although it is not known exactly what effect this will have. said study co-author Elisabet Jerlhag Holm, professor of pharmacology.
“Semaglutide disrupts the rewarding experience of drinking alcohol,” she told Good Health.
‘in [the] The nucleus accumbens, we know it’s held together. But we still don’t know the mechanism. One theory is that it increases the transmission of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a chemical messenger associated with rewards.
Another study at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark was presented at the Alcoholism Research Association meeting in June. They studied the amount of alcohol consumed by monkeys when they were given water for four hours a day.
Then half the monkeys received semaglutide and half a placebo. before being allowed to drink alcohol again
This time, the semaglutide group drank 40 percent less alcohol than the placebo group.
Researchers from Oklahoma State University in the United States conducted the Semaglutide Therapy for Alcohol Reduction (STAR) study.
Professor Simmons noted that “That’s a big impact,” says Professor Anders Fink-Jensen, a psychiatrist who led the study at the University of Copenhagen. Semaglutide is said to be more effective in controlling alcohol consumption than other drugs. In the same group they had tried 20 percent.
The 2021 British Health Survey found that one in five (ten million) adults drink more than the recommended weekly limit of 14 units, and 1.7 million of those drink 35-50 units per week.
Can semaglutide help ‘social’ drinkers reduce their intake and dependence on alcohol?
‘The answer depends on what we found in a little experiment. But it has the potential to help both patients who want to quit drinking completely. and those who want to drink less,’ Professor Simmons said.
‘One interesting situation is It can be used to help support sobriety during the first six months or year of overall treatment for binge eating disorder. When patients are at greater risk of recurrence And while they are gaining skills through psychotherapy and It causes other life changes, but there can be pitfalls. This is because semaglutide appears to work by changing the way the brain receives rewards. There is therefore concern that semaglutide might affect people’s moods and cause depression in people who are sensitive to the condition.
in july The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has launched a review of medicines containing semaglutide. After receiving 5 reports regarding ‘Suicidal behavior and self-harm’ through the yellow card project To monitor drug safety and side effects -effects
This review is ongoing. The MHRA told Good Health: “We are considering all available evidence. and will provide further guidance to patients and health professionals as appropriate.”
Professor Simmons added: “If the drug is altering the brain’s reward circuitry, We need to ensure that the drug does not promote anemia and loss of interest in general happiness.
‘It is never ideal for patients to have to choose between minimizing the harms associated with heavy drinking. and loss of the ability to enjoy general life pleasures, such as social or sexual interactions, for example.
‘Anhedonia is also a potential risk for patients with a history of depression. But now the illness is in a phase of relief.
‘We want to ensure that treating alcohol use disorder does not create anhedonia that worsens depression.’
Semaglutide injection pen brand name ‘ozempic’ is a diabetes medicine used to improve blood sugar.
Matt Field, Professor of Psychology at the University of Sheffield Added that “Semaglutide may reduce the chance that you will drink too much after having one or two drinks.”
‘But there are many examples of addiction drugs that seem to work in animals but don’t work at all in humans for one reason or another.’
Medicines currently approved to treat alcohol addiction in the UK include acamprosate calcium (brand name Campral); disulfiram (Antabuse); and Nalmephine
Acamprosate works by affecting GABA levels, which is thought to affect appetite.
The NHS says it is used to help prevent relapse in people who have successfully stopped drinking. and is often offered in conjunction with counseling
Meanwhile, Disulfiram is prescribed to people who are trying to stop drinking but where there is concern about relapse. It acts as a deterrent by causing adverse physical reactions such as nausea and vomiting. If the person drinks
Nalmefen blocks opiate receptors in the brain to reduce appetite. Prevent relapse or limit the amount of drinking
Another, more controversial option is treating patients with the ‘party drug’ ketamine.
Can semaglutide help ‘social’ drinkers reduce their alcohol intake and dependence?
last year University of Exeter researchers published a study involving 96 people showing a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy. talk therapy And low doses of ketamine kept the drinkers completely sober for 162 of 180 days during a six-month follow-up period. That’s 87 percent of people quitting smoking, reports the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Lead researcher Celia Morgan, professor of pharmacology, told Good Health: “We think ketamine helps treat psychosis by affecting neuroplasticity in the brain. This means they are easier to learn. and by giving people a new perspective on their problems through Unique subjective effects
Professor Morgan’s team has now received a £2.4 million award from the Medical Research Council. National Institute for Health and Care Research and private companies to conduct a larger trial across seven NHS sites.
Dr Emily Finch, Chair of the Addiction Faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists Says new drug treatment for alcohol addiction ‘Always welcome’ but required ‘Extensive research and rigorous clinical trials’
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