Patients who take the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy report an unusual additional benefit: They are free from other addictions that used to dominate their lives.
Consumers across the country claim their cravings for cigarettes and alcohol lessened once they started taking the slimming shot. Others say bad habits like nail-biting, skin-picking and compulsive shopping have also disappeared.
The drug helps people lose weight by mimicking the hormone GLP-1, which curbs hunger and slows the rate at which a person’s stomach empties, making them feel full for longer.
However, experts say it may also dull the brain’s dopamine reward pathway, reducing the chemical effect and therefore the “feel good” factor that comes from indulging in unhealthy cravings.
Some researchers are excited that they may have accidentally stumbled upon an anti-addiction drug. It is estimated that one in every 60 adults in the US has a prescription for Wegovy, Ozempic or Mounjaro.
Henry Webb (left) of North Carolina completed a two-month Wegovy regimen after hitting his weight goal. He used to have a few drinks at night, but said, “On the meds, I didn’t feel like it at all.” Ashley, from Texas, takes Mounjaro, another diabetes drug pending approval in the US for weight loss, and said she does noticed she had stopped picking her hangnails out of a nervous habit
Wegovy was originally developed for type 2 diabetes to help control blood sugar
Henry Webb of North Carolina, finished a two-month Wegovy course after he reached his weight goal.
He used to have a few drinks in the evenings, but said, “I didn’t feel like it at all on the medication.”
He added, “This could be crucial for people struggling with addiction issues.”
Jim Melloan, from New York, called He had a “complete aversion to alcohol” while on the drug, which also had little effect on his weight.
He said, “I didn’t sign up for that.” I’ve been in for almost four months and I’m out. “I want to be able to drink socially again.”
Ashley, from Texas, takes Mounjaro, another diabetes drug pending approval in the US for weight loss, and said she’s noticed she’s stopped picking her hangnails out of a nervous habit.
She called: “I took some biotin.” [vitamin B] When I started, my nails literally never looked better. There’s definitely something to it.’
Victoria Rutledge was addicted to alcohol. Sobering up in her early 30s, she turned to eating and shopping instead.
She spent $500 on organic groceries but then left them moldy in her fridge.
She told The Atlantic, “I couldn’t stop going to extremes.”
When shopping in Target, she couldn’t help but toss dozens of extra items into her shopping cart.
Earlier this year Ms Rutledge started taking Wegovy for weight loss and found she thought less about food and weight loss.
She also made trips to Target and only left the store with the items she wanted to buy.
“I’ve never done that before,” she said. Her cravings for shopping and eating had magically disappeared.
In 2022, more than 5 million prescriptions for Ozempic, Mounjaro, Rybelsus or Wegovy for weight management were issued, compared to just over 230,000 in 2019. That represents an increase of more than 2,000 percent, according to market research firm Komodo Health
A British study found that people taking Wegovy experienced rapid weight loss, losing 18% of their weight in 68 weeks. They regained two-thirds of that weight, or 12% of their original body weight, in the year after stopping the weekly injections. To keep the pounds at bay, the drug needs to be taken for a lifetime, experts say
Another patient, Mary Maher, compulsively picked at the skin on her back and bled so profusely that she avoided wearing white.
Two months after taking Wegovy, the urge to pick was gone, her back was healed, and she had also stopped biting her nails.
Clinical trials are ongoing at the University of North Carolina to see if semaglutide can help people quit drinking and smoking.
Semaglutide, the active substance in Wegovy and Ozempic, mimics glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) – a hormone in the brain that causes the body to produce more insulin, lowering blood sugar levels and thereby regulating appetite .
Originally developed for diabetes, semaglutide stimulates the pancreas to release insulin by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1).
The hormone also curbs hunger and slows the rate at which a person’s stomach empties, leading to weight loss.
It also appears to have effects on the brain. GLP-1 affects the dopamine pathways in the brain, the reward pathway central to addictions.
Things like food and sex release dopamine in the brain, and the positive feeling we get motivates us to repeat the behaviors.
In addicts, this mechanism can shift. They may have fewer dopamine receptors in their brains, meaning the same reward may be less enjoyable.
Other types of GLP-1, such as exenatide, which is also used to treat diabetes, have shown results in reducing addiction.
Mice taking a form of exenatide got less dopamine from alcohol, and rats taking the drug wanted less cocaine.
Researchers assume that numerous studies with semaglutide will soon be published that show positive results.
The longer-term effects of semaglutide are still unknown.
dr Christopher McGowan, a North Carolina-based weight-loss expert, told DailyMail.com that using the drug to lose weight is a lifetime “commitment.”
One study found that just a few months after stopping the drugs, patients gained two-thirds of the weight they had lost on the drugs, and most would have to keep taking the injections forever to maintain their results.
Users of the drug have also found that they suffer from rapid muscle wasting and tend to lose more muscle than fat while taking the drug.
Other people reported feelings disgusted by their favorite foods and some things they never thought twice about.
Staci Rice, 40, of Georgia, lost almost 50 pounds while taking Ozempic and can now fit into the jeans she last wore 16 years ago.
But the marketing pro was also surprised to discover she’d developed an aversion to ground beef and Chick-Fil-A while taking the drug.
Ground beef has since been removed from dinner, much to the chagrin of her husband and son, she told the insider. And instead of the usual “Number 1,” there’s now Chick-fil-A’s Kale Salad.
She was also a lifelong coffee drinker, enjoying a cup of coffee every day since seventh grade. But now she can’t touch it.
“Every morning I tried to make coffee because I figured that someday I’d just taste good again,” Ms. Rice said.
Doctors warn that patients are also facing sagging skin, dubbed “Ozempic face” and “Ozempic body.”
The cause lies in rapid weight loss, which occurs so quickly that the skin does not have time to adapt to the new body size. As a result, it hangs down in folds.
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