Semaglutide is the active ingredient in the following medicines: Wegovi and Ozempiccan help you lose weight, but new research suggests it may also help you quit smoking smoking.
In a study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that semaglutide was associated with a reduced risk of tobacco use disorder-related health care measures, including reduced prescriptions for smoking cessation medications and counseling.
The study compared 222,942 new users of antidiabetic drugs, including semaglutide and seven other medications. Participants had both type 2 diabetes and a smoking disorder, and findings showed that when comparing the groups, most differences were seen within 30 days of starting a prescription.
Although it is too early to suggest prescribing the drug for smoking cessation, the findings suggest that further research is needed to evaluate semaglutide’s potential for treating tobacco use disorder.
This isn’t the first time that weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic have been linked to reduced cravings, with some doctors and patients reporting reduced nicotine cravings. alcohol Additionally, opioids have been reported as unexpected side effects.
Why are researchers and patients noticing this? It has to do with how drugs like Ozempic affect the reward center in the brain, says Dr. Tamika Henry, founder of the California-based Unlimited Health Institute. He previously told CBS News.
“If you think about your reward center, it releases dopamine, and dopamine is the feel-good hormone, so when you do a certain activity, you get a surge of dopamine, and that makes you think, ‘Oh, I want to keep doing this,’ whether that’s why you engage in alcohol, nicotine, or gambling,” she says. “What Ozempic does is reduce that surge of dopamine, which in turn reduces your desire to engage in that particular activity.”
However, the risk of side effects is a factor to consider when using these medications, even for purposes other than weight loss.
“If you’re thinking about reducing your addiction, of course you want to, but is there a link with nausea? Are you going to have issues with heartburn and fatigue as well? The other thing is, taking the pills is only part of it. In the process, you need to start doing other things to help you, because what happens when you stop taking the pills?”
