📉 In a randomized trial with 48 patients diagnosed with #AlcoholUseDisorder, semaglutide significantly lowered alcohol intake in a controlled lab setting.
🚬 Interestingly, nicotine consumption also decreased.
💉 Low doses (0.25-1 mg/week) were used over 9 weeks—much lower than standard obesity or diabetes dosing.
🔬 More research is needed, but this adds to growing evidence that GLP-1 agonists may impact addictive behaviors.
Link to article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39937469/
I recently had a case involving a person with no prior history of mental illness who suddenly developed acute suicidal thoughts. The only recent change in their life was starting a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist for diabetes. They reported noticeable mood changes and even suspected the medication was the cause based on their own experience. While we can’t draw any definitive conclusions about causation at this point, it’s reasonable to advise people, especially those with a psychiatric history, to carefully monitor for mood changes and suicidal thoughts when starting this type of medication.