"A study of more than 600,000 veterans found that those who started taking a GLP-1 drug for diabetes were about 15% to 20% less likely to misuse substances ranging from alcohol to opioids. The study, which appears in The BMJ, a medical journal, also found that GLP-1 drugs helped people with a history of substance use disorder."
"The surprise was that it was working across various substances. That suggests a common biologic signal affected by GLP-1 drugs is involved in all addictive disorders, says Al-Aly, who also holds a position at VA St. Louis Health Care System."
"We have a lot of hope that these medications may be helpful. There's every reason to be incredibly enthusiastic. But these are not medicines that have been tested in people who don't have overweight and obesity, or Type 2 diabetes."
A study of over 600,000 veterans found that GLP-1 drugs, commonly used for diabetes, reduced substance misuse risk by 15-20% across multiple substances including alcohol and opioids. Veterans with prior substance use disorder who took GLP-1 drugs experienced lower rates of overdose, drug-related hospitalization, drug-related death, and suicide attempts. The consistent effect across various addictive substances suggests a common biological mechanism. However, researchers emphasize this observational study requires confirmation through controlled clinical trials before GLP-1 drugs can be recommended for addiction treatment. Results from several clinical trials are expected soon, offering potential help for 48.4 million Americans with substance use disorders.
Read at www.npr.org
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