Current:Home > ScamsCan Ozempic, Wegovy reduce alcohol, nicotine and other cravings? Doctor weighs in on what to know.-LoTradeCoin
Can Ozempic, Wegovy reduce alcohol, nicotine and other cravings? Doctor weighs in on what to know.
View Date:2024-12-23 23:29:53
Patients who take drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss may notice another side effect, according to some users, including reduced cravings for alcohol, nicotine and even opioids.
In an interview with CBS News' Anne-Marie Green Thursday, Dr. Tamika Henry, founder of the California-based Unlimited Health Institute, explained Ozempic works with the reward centers in our brain.
"When we think about the reward centers, it releases dopamine, which is our feel-good hormone. So what happens is, when you do a certain activity, dopamine surges — and you're like, 'Oh, I want to keep doing that,' whether that's indulging in alcohol, nicotine or even gambling," she said. "How Ozempic works is, it decreases the surge of dopamine, and therefore the desire for that particular activity is decreased."
So in the same way it can help people who may eat compulsively, some think it could also help people with other compulsive behaviors. But, as Henry said, there's not enough evidence yet.
"There are studies that are done in rats and there has been anecdotal stories," she said, but added "we need more studies to verify."
Earlier this month, another study showed Wegovy can also reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke by 20%.
While this clinical trial performed by drugmaker Novo Nordisk is not yet peer-reviewed, Henry said decreasing health concerns like diabetes does have a "long-term effect of decreasing the risk for cardiovascular events."
"Anytime you're losing weight, reducing the need for medication — yes, you will get reduced in this particular area," she said.
The risk of negative side effects is also a factor to consider with these drugs, including for uses beyond weight loss.
- Ozempic side effects could lead to hospitalization — and doctors warn that long-term impacts remain unknown
"As you're thinking about decreasing an addiction, yes, you want to do that, but is there also going to be some association with nausea? Are you also going to have problems with heartburn, fatigue?" Henry says. "The other thing is taking a medication is just part of it. You need to start to do the other things that help you along the way. Because if the medication is removed, then what happens?"
As weight loss drugs rise in popularity, doctors have warned about the potential side effects, including life-threatening complications if they need surgery or other procedures that require empty stomachs for anesthesia.
- Ozempic, Mounjaro manufacturers sued over claims of "stomach paralysis" side effects
- In:
- Wegovy
- alcohol
- Ozempic
veryGood! (4368)
Related
- 'Wanted' posters plastered around University of Rochester target Jewish faculty members
- Psychopaths are everywhere. Are you dating one? Watch out for these red flags.
- Germany retests its emergency warning system but Berlin’s sirens don’t sound
- Florida Gov. DeSantis recommends against latest COVID booster in ongoing disagreement with FDA, CDC
- USMNT Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal Leg 1 vs. Jamaica: Live stream and TV, rosters
- How Concerns Over EVs are Driving the UAW Towards a Strike
- Federal judge again declares DACA immigration program unlawful, but allows it to continue
- Wisconsin Senate to vote on firing state’s nonpartisan top elections official
- LSU leads college football Week 11 Misery Index after College Football Playoff hopes go bust
- California school district pays $27M to settle suit over death of teen assaulted by fellow students
Ranking
- 5-year-old boy who went missing while parent was napping is found dead near Oregon home, officials say
- Hospitality in Moroccan communities hit by the quake amid the horror
- Ex-CIA employee snared earlier in classified info bust found guilty of possessing child abuse images
- Spain’s women’s soccer league players call off strike after reaching a deal for higher minimum wage
- Trump breaks GOP losing streak in nation’s largest majority-Arab city with a pivotal final week
- Saudi Arabia executes 2 soldiers convicted of treason as it conducts war on Yemen’s Houthi rebels
- On 'GUTS', Olivia Rodrigo is more than the sum of her influences
- Jury awards $100,000 to Kentucky couple denied marriage license by ex-County Clerk Kim Davis
Recommendation
-
Denzel Washington teases retirement — and a role in 'Black Panther 3'
-
Aaron Rodgers makes first comments since season-ending injury: 'I shall rise yet again'
-
'We can put this all behind us:' Community relieved after Danelo Cavalcante captured
-
Whole families drowned in a Libyan city’s flood. The only warning was the sound of the dams bursting
-
Maine elections chief who drew Trump’s ire narrates House tabulations in livestream
-
Author Deesha Philyaw has a 7-figure deal for her next two books
-
Justice Department pushes ahead with antitrust case against Google, questions ex-employee on deals
-
Convicted murderer's escape raises questions about county prison inspections