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September 20, 2026 \u2014 5:00am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Sometimes, the drugs that transform our society are stumbled upon by pure happenstance.<\/p>\n Viagra was initially developed to treat chest pain, until clinical trial participants reported a surprising \u2013 though not entirely unwelcome \u2013 side effect.<\/p>\n Minoxidil was first produced for hypertension, but when its impacts on male pattern baldness became an open secret, researchers were forced to pivot, with the topical medication now one of the most common treatments for hair loss.<\/p>\n \u201cIn research, they call it repurposing,\u201d Paul Haber, conjoint professor of medicine at the University of Sydney said. \u201cIt\u2019s quicker and cheaper than developing a drug from scratch \u2013 if it does actually work.\u201d<\/p>\n GLP-1 drugs \u2013 which market under brand names including Ozempic, Trulicity, Wegovy and Mounjaro \u2013 have already been repurposed.<\/p>\n Initially developed for diabetes, the peptides\u2019 effect on appetite, cravings and \u201cfood noise\u201d saw them explode in popularity in recent years as a weight-loss drug.<\/p>\n Now, researchers are questioning whether those same properties could be used to treat drug and alcohol addiction, and will explore the topic as part of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre\u2019s (NDARC) annual research symposium on Friday.<\/p>\n Glucagon-like peptide-1 \u2013 or GLP-1 \u2013 is a naturally occurring gut hormone that controls digestion, blood sugar, and appetite. It slows the rate at which food leaves the stomach and helps signal fullness to the brain.<\/p>\n GLP-1 receptor agonists \u2013 such as Ozempic \u2013 stimulate these same biological pathways, but for much longer periods, suppressing appetite and slowing digestion.<\/p>\n \u201cAddiction can be likened to an abnormal appetite for a drug,\u201d Haber said. \u201cSo, for some time now, there\u2019s been this question that they may alter the appetite for addictive substances, particularly alcohol.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article A randomised control trial recently published in The Lancet<\/a> found GLP-1 receptor agonists had \u201crobust therapeutic effects\u201d in treatment-seeking participants with both obesity and alcohol use disorder.<\/p>\n GLP-1s were associated with a 41.1 percentage point reduction in heavy drinking days, compared with a 26.4 point reduction in patients taking a placebo.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s sort of giving people a stop button,\u201d said GP and addiction specialist Dr Chris Davis.<\/p>\n \u201cOften, people complain that when they start drinking, they can\u2019t stop, and it makes sense that GLP-1s work for addiction in the same way as they reduce appetite … you\u2019re not getting that desire to keep drinking.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Davis said existing treatments that help reduce the urge to drink, such as naltrexone, had already been proven to be safe and effective.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things that we haven\u2019t studied yet is what happens when we stop Ozempic,\u201d he said, pointing to research that found people regained an average 60 per cent<\/a> of their lost weight after cessation.<\/p>\n \u201cThat [rebound] may well happen with your addictive behaviour or substance use,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n NDARC\u2019s director, Professor Michael Farrell, said the emerging area of research was moving \u201cat a very high speed,\u201d but was still in a preliminary stage.<\/p>\n \u201cThe question for us is: How do we figure out where we need to go with this, from a research, clinical and policy perspective?\u201d<\/p>\n A landmark study published earlier this year in the BMJ<\/a> analysed the observational data of more than 606,000 US veterans with type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n It found GLP-1 receptor agonists consistently reduced the risk of developing a new substance use disorder, with alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, cocaine and opioid use all incorporated in the study.<\/p>\n In people with a pre-existing addiction, GLP-1 use was also associated with a reduced risk of adverse clinical outcomes, such as emergency department visits, hospital admissions, mortality, and overdose.<\/p>\n Farrell said existing drugs for opioid dependence treatment, such as buprenorphine, also worked by reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms.<\/p>\n Related Article He said future studies should examine how existing and emerging pharmacological interventions could be combined with lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n Chief executive of the NSW Users and AIDS Association Dr Mary Ellen Harrod said she was doubtful about the real-world impact of using medicine to treat addiction.<\/p>\n \u201cI tend to think of [drug dependence] as a lot more complex than a brain disorder,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s your social circumstances, your past trauma, all those things have probably a lot more to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Davis also raised concerns about the high levels of crossover between eating disorders and substance use disorders.<\/p>\n \u201cIf someone\u2019s just getting Ozempic online for their drinking, and they\u2019re not eating well, or they have an underlying eating disorder, it could be significantly detrimental to their health,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cPlus, the evidence still isn\u2019t there yet, so this isn\u2019t a licensed use of this medication,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n Haber said conclusive results and a potential wider roll-out of GLP-1s as a treatment option for addiction were still five to 10 years away.<\/p>\n For free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drugs, contact the National Alcohol and Other Drug<\/a> hotline on 1800 250 015.<\/p>\n Get the day\u2019s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. 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Could Ozempic be the next addiction treatment? The evidence is promising \u2013 but still inconclusive.Jamie Brown<\/p>\n![\"Clinical](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0c9ecf7b276ee0cef62c13a2f8770c562eda1f7f566b0abadceab06565112e97.jpeg\")
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