While semaglutide has truly pull together lots of care for its potency in deal case 2 diabetes and obesity , researcher have also begun to notice that it and similar drugs may have other benefit . Scientists at Case Western Reserve University have been especially interested in study whether these drugs can reduce multitude ’s craving for potentially addictive heart and soul like opioids .
The researchers analyse the health records of 33,000 patient who were diagnosed with both opioid use disorderliness and type 2 diabetes . They compared the opioid - related outcomes of people prescribed semaglutide ( first O.K. for diabetes under the name Ozempic in 2017 ) to similarly matched masses prescribed other antidiabetic medications . Those on semaglutide were noticeably less likely to go through overdose over the next year compared to those on other medications , they found — up to 68 % less potential depend on the drug comparison .
“ Semaglutide was associated with reduced opioid overdose risk in patients with comorbid T2D and OUD , suggesting its possible curative time value for keep overdoses , ” the researcher save in their subject , publishedWednesday in the journal JAMA internet Open .
An Ozempic injection pen.© Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty
How Ozempic Works — and What ’s Still a Mystery
The research worker ’ study design was intended to emulate a randomized trial , but this data alone ca n’t be used to bear witness that semaglutide and standardised drug can treat dependance . That being said , it ’s the latest piece of evidence to point in that focusing . Earlier this July , the investigator published a field of study find oneself a interchangeable association between reduced nicotine cravings and semaglutide employment , and scientist elsewhere havepresented early datathat the drug can avail comfort alcoholic beverage abuse . Semaglutide is designed to mime the hormone GLP-1 , and some enquiry hasalso suggestedthat GLP-1 receptors in the mentality help determine our response to habit-forming input like drug . We ’re still not trusted just how this summons hap , but it does provide a plausible explanation for why GLP-1 medicament can temper people ’s various kinds of harmful cravings .
While there are existing effective treatment for opioid use upset , only about a stern of eligible patientstake them . There are several ingredient behind this gap , includingmisconceptionsabout these medications among both patients and doctors . But being able to find other reliable option could sure enough make it easy for patients to grapple their opioid function disorderliness . The overdose crisis has unceasingly worsened over the years , with more than 100,000 Americans now drop dead from opioid overdoses yearly ( that said , deaths may havefinally block climbinglast class ) .
Ultimately , it will take large - ordered series clinical trial to corroborate the welfare of GLP-1 therapy for addiction , the researchers note . Scientists have already begin totest semaglutidefor the intervention of alcoholic beverage use disorder in people . And given these finding , it ’s looking likely that trial for opioid economic consumption upset could presently follow .
GLP-1Ozempic
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