Ozempic Cuts Alcohol Cravings by 40%, Study Finds

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Popular weight loss drug Ozempic has shown potential to reduce alcohol consumption by 30% in recent clinical trials.

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Scientists studied 48 adults with alcohol use disorder, giving half Ozempic injections starting at 0.25mg and increasing to 1.0mg over nine weeks.

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By month two, 40% of Ozempic users reported zero heavy drinking days, compared to only 20% in the placebo group.

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Heavy drinking was defined as 4+ drinks for women and 5+ drinks for men in a single session.

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Study participants who smoked cigarettes unexpectedly reduced their tobacco use while taking Ozempic.

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The medication appears to affect brain reward pathways similar to how it reduces food cravings.

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Current data comes from 178,000 annual alcohol-related deaths in the United States alone.

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A separate study of two million veterans found similar medications lowered substance use disorder risks.

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While promising, researchers emphasize larger studies are needed before Ozempic can be prescribed for alcohol use.

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