New UTEP study shows Ozempic may help curb substance abuse

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)-- Researchers at UTEP have found that the use of GLP-1s like Ozempic lower the risk of people developing alcohol, opioid, nicotine and cocaine use disorders.

The study was led by UTEP School of Pharmacy researchers Tadesse Abegaz, Ph.D., and Gabriel Frietze, Ph.D.

The study took 142,000 cases of patients with type 2 diabetes or obesity, of which around 20,000 were prescribed GLP-1 medications. Researchers then studied if these users were more or less likely to develop substance use disorders.

"Our findings add to growing evidence that GLP-1 medications may influence more than appetite and blood sugar regulation," said lead author Abegaz. "These medications appear to affect brain pathways involved in reward and craving, which could help explain the lower rates of substance use disorders observed in our study."

The study found that people taking GLP-1 medications had:

74% lower odds of alcohol use disorder

69% lower odds of opioid use disorder

68% lower odds of nicotine use disorder

75% lower odds of cocaine use disorder