Addiction – CancerObesityConnection.org

Addiction and Obesity Drugs

Papers from PubMed – February 13, 2024 – semaglutide (in title) OR tirzepatide (in title) AND addiction

Mechanisms of GLP-1 in Modulating Craving and Addiction: Neurobiological and Translational Insights August 22, 2025
Substance use disorders (SUDs) remain a major public health challenge, with existing pharmacotherapies offering limited long-term efficacy. Traditional treatments focus on dopaminergic systems but often overlook the complex interplay between metabolic signals, neuroplasticity, and conditioned behaviors that perpetuate addiction. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), originally developed for type 2 diabetes and obesity, have recently emerged […]
Gabriel Amorim Moreira Alves
GLP-1 RA Medication Associations With Hazardous Alcohol Drinking Reductions in Patients With Overweight or Obesity: A Prospective Observational Study August 12, 2025
CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the association between GLP-1 RA treatment and reduced alcohol consumption, particularly for individuals with very hazardous alcohol drinking levels. A better understanding of the acute mechanisms underlying GLP-1 RA therapies and randomized clinical trials may aid in the development of pharmacotherapies for hazardous drinking beyond patients with diabetes and/or obesity.
Andrea C King
Assessment of the Potential of GLP-1 Analogs in the Treatment of Addictions: A Literature Review August 6, 2025
CONCLUSION: GLP-1 analogs represent a promising therapeutic option for the treatment of SUDs. While long-term adverse effects are not yet fully understood, they show potential in addressing the limited success rates of existing alcohol use disorder pharmacotherapies and the overall lack of effective treatment options for SUDs. While early clinical trials provide promising insights, further […]
Isabel Noemi Torres
Efficacy and Safety of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Agonists for Psychiatric Symptoms: A Systematic Review July 10, 2025
CONCLUSION: GLP-1 RAs showed mixed and inconclusive effects on psychiatric symptoms. Although some studies suggested potential benefits, others reported null findings. Given the variability across trials, further research is needed to clarify their therapeutic potential.
Shakila Meshkat
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist semaglutide through the lens of psychiatry: a systematic review of potential benefits and risks June 27, 2025
Semaglutide (SEM), a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, affects neural circuits regulating food intake and satiety, and it provides neuroprotective effects; however, SEM may influence psychological functioning, possibly leading to psychopathological symptoms. This review examines studies on SEM, focusing on its effects on mental health and potential neuropsychiatric side effects. A systematic search in PubMed […]
Matteo Carminati
Semaglutide for clozapine-treated patients with schizophrenia June 12, 2025
No abstract
Sri Mahavir Agarwal
Efficacy and safety of semaglutide versus placebo for people with schizophrenia on clozapine with obesity (COaST): a phase 2, multi-centre, participant and investigator- blinded, randomised controlled trial in Australia June 12, 2025
BACKGROUND: People with schizophrenia have a 16-20-year reduction in life expectancy, primarily due to cardiometabolic disease. Clozapine, the most efficacious antipsychotic for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, is associated with weight gain and metabolic dysfunction. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, including semaglutide, contribute to substantial weight loss in the general population, but their effect and safety profile in people […]
Dan Siskind
The role of dulaglutide in the treatment of alcohol use disorder: a case report May 16, 2025
Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, medications commonly employed in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, have illustrated several additional benefits, including weight loss and potentially reduce addictive cravings. Several studies have indicated that GLP-1 receptor agonists may be effective in treating Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), for which current pharmacologic therapies are often inadequate. […]
Olivia Hill
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and alcohol use disorders: An emerging unexpected beneficial effect May 14, 2025
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are increasingly used for the management of people living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and/or obesity. Numerous concordant animal and human studies suggest that GLP-1RAs could reduce the risk of addiction, especially alcohol use disorders (AUD). This comprehensive review aims at summarising the known effects of GLP-1RAs on AUD. […]
André J Scheen
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: Encouraging Signals for Treating Alcohol Use Disorder April 24, 2025
Excessive alcohol use is a leading cause of preventable death in the USA, and the number of annual deaths from alcohol more than doubles the number from drug overdose. As newer glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists like semaglutide have increased in use, anecdotal reports suggest they may reduce craving for alcohol and other addictive substances. […]
Marlene C Lira
Therapeutic Potential of the Novel GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Semaglutide in Alcohol Use Disorder April 14, 2025
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a prevalent neuropsychiatric disorder with serious health and social consequences. However, few licensed and successful pharmacotherapies exist for heterogeneous and complex disorders such as AUD, and these are poorly utilized. Preclinical and clinical findings suggest that the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) system, a gut-brain peptide, is involved in the neurobiology of […]
Tingting Liu
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, but not dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, reduce alcohol intake March 6, 2025
BACKGROUNDDespite growing preclinical evidence that glucagon-like peptide1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) could be repurposed to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD), clinical evidence is scarce. Additionally, the potential impact of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4Is) on alcohol intake is largely unknown.METHODSWe conducted a large cohort study using 2008-2023 electronic health records data from the U.S. Department of Veterans […]
Mehdi Farokhnia
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: Beyond Diabetes-What the Neurosurgeon Needs to Know February 17, 2025
CONCLUSION: In this article, we review what the neurosurgeon needs to know about the perioperative management of GLP-1 RAs and discuss existing literature in clinical and preclinical studies for potential indications and benefits of these medications, which can influence the management of conditions treated by neurosurgeons.
Hael Abdulrazeq
Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial February 12, 2025
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These findings provide initial prospective evidence that low-dose semaglutide can reduce craving and some drinking outcomes, justifying larger clinical trials to evaluate GLP-1RAs for alcohol use disorder.
Christian S Hendershot
In Silico Pharmacogenomic Assessment of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP1) Agonists and the Genetic Addiction Risk Score (GARS) Related Pathways: Implications for Suicidal Ideation and Substance Use Disorder January 27, 2025
CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that associated polymorphisms seem to have overlapping effects with addictive behaviors of Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) and dopamine regulation. Consequently, GLP1R agonists may represent a double-edged sword, potentially triggering both antiaddictive effects and SI by exacerbating depressive phenotypes. Thus, we encourage the scientific community to perform further empirical clinical studies to […]
Alireza Sharafshah
Weight loss therapy and addiction: Increased risk after bariatric surgery but reduced risk with GLP-1 receptor agonists January 16, 2025
CONCLUSION: Available data from observational cohort studies confirm an increased risk of addictive disorders following bariatric surgery, contrasting with a reduced risk with GLP-1RA therapy. Both physicians and patients should be informed of the higher risk post-surgery whereas available promising results with GLP-1RAs should be confirmed in ongoing dedicated randomized controlled trials before any official […]
André J Scheen
Anti-consumption agents: Tirzepatide and semaglutide for treating obesity-related diseases and addictions, and improving life expectancy January 1, 2025
American culture encourages overconsumption, fueled by ubiquitous availability and pervasive marketing of ultra-processed foods and other addictive substances. This chronic overindulgence has contributed to rising rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), substance abuse, mental health disorders and premature mortality. Glucose-like peptide-1 agonists (GLP-1RAs) affect the brain's reward pathway that mediates addiction to foods and […]
James H O'Keefe
Semaglutide Ameliorates Diabetic Neuropathic Pain by Inhibiting Neuroinflammation in the Spinal Cord November 27, 2024
CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate SEMA's neuroprotective benefits against diabetic neuropathic pain, most likely by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress by inhibiting astrocyte and microglial activity. Our findings suggest that we can repurpose GLP-1 agonists as potent anti-hyperalgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs to treat neuropathic pain without serious side effects.
Sing-Ong Lee
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) as treatment for nicotine cessation in psychiatric populations: a systematic review November 11, 2024
CONCLUSION: The multi-effect characteristics in NUD paradigms provide a compelling rationale for large, adequately powered, long-term, randomized controlled trials of GLP-1RAs in the treatment and prevention of NUD. The replicated effect on mitigating post-nicotine cessation weight gain is a differentiating feature of GLP-1RAs from extant proven therapies for NUD.
Serene Lee
The association between glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and/or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist prescriptions and substance-related outcomes in patients with opioid and alcohol use disorders: A real-world data analysis October 17, 2024
CONCLUSIONS: Prescriptions of glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and/or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists appear to be associated with lower rates of opioid overdose and alcohol intoxication in patients with opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder. The protective effects are consistent across various subgroups, including patients with comorbid type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Fares Qeadan