Another reason the trial failed could be that exenatide is much less potent than its new relative semaglutide, known as Ozempic. Now that Ozempic is ubiquitous, these drugs can treat more than just food cravings. Online shopping, smoking, nail bitingand alcohol.
The first empirical evidence is now emerging to support the idea that drugs like Ozempic can be an effective treatment for AUD. This week, new paper Published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry strengthened the argument. The paper presents a series of case studies of six patients who were prescribed semaglutide for weight loss, but who also qualified as suffering from AUD. All six participants showed significant reductions in AUD symptoms, even among those who achieved minimal weight loss.
This small study is just the beginning. The authors also clinical trial In Tulsa, Oklahoma, semaglutide is being considered for AUD treatment.be sister's study It takes place in Baltimore, Maryland. These clinical trials take at least a year and a half to produce publishable data, so this case series was done to prepare clinical trial data, said study author, Oklahoma State University Department of Pharmacology. said Kyle Simmons, professor of physiology. Jesse Richards, assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine. (Mr. Richards receives academic conference speaking fees from Nordisk and Eli Lilly and Co., Inc., which manufactures GLP-1 receptor agonists.)
Scientists are not sure how these drugs work to suppress alcohol cravings, but they are thought to act on the same pathways that cause a decrease in appetite. Cravings are thought to be caused by the rewarding properties of alcohol, which are caused by increased dopamine release in the brain. Over time, that dopamine surge intensifies the desire for alcohol.
GLP-1 receptors are scattered throughout the body, including in brain structures that control reward pathways. These receptors control the release of the hormone GLP-1, which plays a variety of roles in the body, including the response to alcohol.
Drugs like semaglutide that mimic the effects of GLP-1 are thought to reduce the amount of substances (such as food or alcohol) needed to feel full. Richards said that some patients, when attending an event where heavy drinking would normally be expected, such as a sports game or a fishing trip, find that “instead of drinking their normal amount, they have one drink and then… “I get tired of it,” he said. And forget about it,” he says.
