The Evidence on Ozempic to Treat Addiction
Dhruv Khullar on the latest research on GLP-1 drugs, which, typically used to manage diabetes and obesity, are showing promise as groundbreaking treatments for addictions of all kinds.
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Show Notes
Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs have had a major impact in their short time on the market—currently, one in eight Americans say that they have been on GLP-1 drugs. As tens of millions of people take these medications, anecdotal evidence has emerged that they have a positive effect on alcohol abuse and drug addiction. Researchers are starting to run trials of the drugs for these purposes, and some speculate that GLP-1 drugs could even affect addiction behaviors such as gambling and online shopping. The physician and New Yorker medical correspondent Dhruv Khullar spoke with scientists and patients. “Over the course of my reporting,” he tells David Remnick, “I became more and more bullish on the idea that these are actually going to be really important molecules for the treatment of addiction.”
Dhruv Khullar’s “Can Ozempic Cure Addiction?” was published on February 9th.
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