Could Ozempic Help Reduce Opioid Overdose Risk?

Semaglutide, the progressive constituent successful fashionable drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, could assistance immoderate radical struggling with opioid abuse. A caller survey this week has recovered a nexus betwixt taking semaglutide and a reduced hazard of overdose successful radical diagnosed with opioid usage disorder.

While semaglutide has rightfully garnered tons of attraction for its effectiveness successful treating benignant 2 diabetes and obesity, researchers person besides begun to announcement that it and akin drugs whitethorn person different benefits. Scientists astatine Case Western Reserve University person been particularly funny successful studying whether these drugs tin trim people’s cravings for perchance addictive substances similar opioids.

The researchers analyzed the wellness records of 33,000 patients who were diagnosed with some opioid usage upset and benignant 2 diabetes. They compared the opioid-related outcomes of radical prescribed semaglutide (first approved for diabetes nether the sanction Ozempic successful 2017) to likewise matched radical prescribed different antidiabetic medications. Those connected semaglutide were noticeably little apt to acquisition overdose implicit the adjacent twelvemonth compared to those connected different medications, they found—up to 68% little apt depending connected the cause comparison.

“Semaglutide was associated with reduced opioid overdose hazard successful patients with comorbid T2D and OUD, suggesting its imaginable therapeutic worth for preventing overdoses,” the researchers wrote successful their study, published Wednesday successful the diary JAMA Network Open.

The researchers’ survey plan was intended to emulate a randomized trial, but this information unsocial can’t beryllium utilized to beryllium that semaglutide and akin drugs tin dainty addiction. That being said, it’s the latest portion of grounds to constituent successful that direction. Earlier this July, the researchers published a survey uncovering a akin relation betwixt reduced nicotine cravings and semaglutide use, and scientists elsewhere person presented aboriginal data that the cause tin assistance easiness intoxicant abuse. Semaglutide is designed to mimic the hormone GLP-1, and immoderate probe has also suggested that GLP-1 receptors successful the encephalon assistance modulate our effect to addictive stimuli similar drugs. We’re inactive not definite precisely however this process happens, but it does supply a plausible mentation for wherefore GLP-1 medications tin temper people’s assorted kinds of harmful cravings.

While determination are existing effectual treatments for opioid usage disorder, lone astir a 4th of eligible patients take them. There are respective factors down this gap, including misconceptions astir these medications among some patients and doctors. But being capable to find different reliable options could surely marque it easier for patients to negociate their opioid usage disorder. The overdose situation has continuously worsened implicit the years, with much than 100,000 Americans present dying from opioid overdoses annually (that said, deaths whitethorn person finally stopped climbing past year).

Ultimately, it volition instrumentality large-scale objective trials to corroborate the benefits of GLP-1 therapy for addiction, the researchers note. Scientists person already started to test semaglutide for the attraction of intoxicant usage upset successful people. And fixed these findings, it’s looking apt that trials for opioid usage upset could soon follow.