A daily pill form of semaglutide, the active ingredient behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may offer new hope for people struggling with alcohol use disorder. Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz recently completed a small randomized trial testing once-daily oral semaglutide in adults diagnosed with moderate to severe alcohol problems. After eight weeks, those taking the medication reported fewer heavy drinking days and consumed less alcohol overall on the days they did drink, compared to participants given a placebo. The findings, published Wednesday in The American Journal of Psychiatry, add to a growing body of evidence suggesting GLP-1 medications could find a second life as treatments for addiction.
The trial involved 50 people split between placebo and escalating doses of oral semaglutide, starting at 3 milligrams daily for four weeks before bumping up to 7 milligrams. Interestingly, participants on semaglutide did not report lower alcohol cravings than the placebo group, nor did they necessarily drink less frequently. What changed was the intensity of their drinking. They had fewer binge-level drinking episodes and experienced fewer negative consequences tied to their alcohol use. Lead author Joseph Schacht, who co-directs the Division of Addiction Science, Prevention, and Treatment at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine, said semaglutide’s effects appear larger than existing FDA-approved medications for alcohol use disorder.
While researchers caution that this was only a phase II trial with a modest sample size, several findings hint at broader possibilities. The dose used was relatively low and produced no weight loss during the study period, suggesting GLP-1s might help with problem drinking even in patients who are not overweight or obese. Participants also reported cutting back on cannabis use, raising questions about whether these drugs could help curb other substance dependencies. Bigger trials are already underway, and Schacht noted that if results hold up in larger studies, semaglutide could become a meaningful new option for treating addiction.