Popular weight loss medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro could offer an unexpected weapon against America’s deadly opioid epidemic, with new research showing patients taking these drugs were 40 percent less likely to be hospitalized for drug overdoses and 50 percent less likely to require treatment for alcohol intoxication.
The findings, published in the journal Addiction, represent a potential breakthrough in addiction treatment at a critical moment.
As drug overdose deaths have surged to record levels—increasing sixfold since 1999—medical researchers are looking to find new tools to combat substance abuse disorders.
While the study was observational and can’t prove direct causation, the reduction in hospitalizations among patients taking GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide suggests these medications, already impacting obesity treatment, could offer a new approach to addiction medicine….