Popular Weight Loss Drug Shows Surprising Power to Curb Alcohol Cravings

The medication that’s made headlines for its weight loss effects may have an unexpected benefit: helping people drink less alcohol. A groundbreaking study published today in JAMA Psychiatry reveals that Ozempic (semaglutide) significantly reduced alcohol consumption and cravings in adults who weren’t even trying to cut back on drinking.

The discovery could offer new hope for addressing one of America’s most pressing health challenges. With alcohol contributing to an estimated 178,000 U.S. deaths annually and nearly a third of American adults experiencing problem drinking at some point in their lives, effective treatments are desperately needed.

“These data suggest the potential of semaglutide and similar drugs to fill an unmet need for the treatment of alcohol use disorder,” said Dr. Klara Klein of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, the study’s senior author.

In the clinical trial, researchers recruited 48 adults with alcohol use disorder who weren’t seeking treatment. Participants received either weekly Ozempic injections or a placebo for nine weeks. The results were striking: those receiving Ozempic showed significant reductions in both their desire to drink and the amount they consumed when drinking.

Perhaps most remarkably, by the final month of treatment, nearly 40% of people in the Ozempic group reported no heavy drinking days at all, compared to just 20% in the placebo group. The medication appeared to particularly affect how much people drank on days when they did consume alcohol, rather than the number of days they chose to drink.

The study’s first author, Dr. Christian Hendershot, director of clinical research at USC’s Institute for Addiction Science, noted this was the first randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial designed to study the phenomenon – though doctors and patients had been reporting reduced alcohol cravings as a side effect of Ozempic for some time.

An unexpected finding emerged among participants who smoked: those receiving Ozempic also showed significant reductions in their daily cigarette consumption compared to those on placebo, suggesting the medication might help address multiple addictive behaviors.

The study’s implications could be far-reaching. Currently, less than 10% of people with alcohol use disorder receive treatment, and fewer than 2% receive medication for their condition – one of the largest known healthcare treatment gaps. The widespread adoption of Ozempic and similar drugs for diabetes and weight loss could make treatment more accessible and reduce the stigma associated with seeking help for alcohol problems.

Importantly, the reductions in drinking occurred at relatively low doses of Ozempic – just a fraction of what’s typically prescribed for weight loss – and among people who weren’t actively trying to reduce their alcohol consumption. This suggests the medication might work through biological mechanisms rather than conscious effort.

The research team observed that participants lost an average of 5% of their body weight during the study, consistent with Ozempic’s known effects. Side effects were generally mild and similar to those commonly reported with the medication.

While the findings are promising, the researchers emphasize that larger and longer studies are needed. The trial was relatively small, with 48 participants, and used lower doses than typically prescribed for weight loss. Questions remain about optimal dosing and long-term safety for people specifically seeking to reduce alcohol consumption.

Nevertheless, the results open an intriguing new frontier in addiction treatment. Given that alcohol use is linked to liver disease, cardiovascular problems, and various cancers, as recently highlighted by the U.S. Surgeon General, any new tool for reducing harmful drinking could have substantial public health benefits.

“These initial findings are promising,” Dr. Klein noted, while emphasizing the need for broader studies in more diverse populations to fully understand the medication’s potential role in treating alcohol use disorder.

The research was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and conducted at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. The findings appear in today’s issue of JAMA Psychiatry.