A new study led by researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso found that the use of weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and other GLP-1s is associated with a lower risk of developing alcohol, opioid, nicotine, and cocaine use disorders.
The study, led by researchers Tadesse Abegas, Ph.D., and Gabriel Frietze, Ph.D., from the UTEP School of Pharmacy, was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. The study looked at more than 142,000 patients with type 2 diabetes or obesity, about 20,000 of whom were prescribed GLP-1 drugs. We next examined whether GLP-1 users were more or less likely to develop a substance use disorder compared to their non-drug-using counterparts.
GLP-1 is a type of drug originally developed to treat obesity and diabetes. However, emerging evidence suggests that these drugs may affect dopamine signaling and other neural pathways that contribute to cravings not only for food but also for other substances.
Our findings add to the evidence that GLP-1 drugs can have effects beyond regulating appetite and blood sugar levels. These medications appear to affect brain pathways related to reward and desire, which may help explain the reduced incidence of substance use disorders observed in our study. ”
Dr. Tadesse Abegaz, first author
The study found that people taking GLP-1 drugs had the following symptoms:
- 74% lower chance of developing alcohol use disorder
- 69% lower chance of developing opioid use disorder
- 68% lower chance of developing nicotine use disorder
- 75% less likely to have cocaine use disorder
The research team stressed that their findings do not establish cause and effect and that GLP-1 does not specifically protect patients from drug abuse.
“At this time, we do not support prescribing these drugs for addiction treatment. Because this is an observational study in a specific clinical population, randomized clinical trials are needed to recommend GLP-1 drugs for addiction treatment,” Frietze said.
However, the research team believes the results are promising and plans to continue studying GLP-1’s effects on drug abuse.
“Our next goal is to conduct a prospective study that follows individuals who begin GLP-1 therapy over time,” Abegaz said. “We aim to assess whether changes in drug use behavior occur after initiation of treatment and whether these changes are associated with improvements in mental health and quality of life.
He added, “Ultimately, this study will help us learn whether GLP-1 drugs can be part of future treatment strategies for substance use disorders.”
Patient data for this study was provided by the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research program, one of the nation’s largest and most diverse health databases.
sauce:
University of Texas El Paso
Reference magazines:
Abegas, T.M. others. (2026). Association between GLP-1 receptor agonist use and substance use disorders in patients with type 2 diabetes or obesity: a nested case-control study in the All of Us research program. Frontiers of psychiatry. Doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1766770. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1766770/full
