Version 1
: Received: 27 October 2023 / Approved: 30 October 2023 / Online: 30 October 2023 (09:29:46 CET)
How to cite:
Patton, C.; Brooks, A.E.; Brooks, B.D.; McKelvey, K. Semaglutide: A Promising Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder. Preprints2023, 2023101883. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202310.1883.v1
Patton, C.; Brooks, A.E.; Brooks, B.D.; McKelvey, K. Semaglutide: A Promising Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder. Preprints 2023, 2023101883. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202310.1883.v1
Patton, C.; Brooks, A.E.; Brooks, B.D.; McKelvey, K. Semaglutide: A Promising Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder. Preprints2023, 2023101883. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202310.1883.v1
APA Style
Patton, C., Brooks, A.E., Brooks, B.D., & McKelvey, K. (2023). Semaglutide: A Promising Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202310.1883.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Patton, C., Benjamin D Brooks and Karma McKelvey. 2023 "Semaglutide: A Promising Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202310.1883.v1
Abstract
With more than half of U.S. adults reporting alcohol consumption the last 30 days and nearly 6% reporting heavy drinking, alcohol imposes a significant socioeconomic burden. While there are a host of current medications approved to treat alcoholism, they have limited effectiveness and lack support from both providers and patients. Semaglutide, a medication originally developed for obese type 2 diabetics, may offer a distinctly new approach. A survey to assess the impact of semaglutide on alcohol consumption and desire was designed and distributed in semaglutide-user Facebook and Reddit groups. Of those who had reported drinking before starting semaglutide, 21% of respondents (N= 121) ceased drinking altogether, and 88·4% of respondents (N=538) reported a reduction in their desire to consume alcohol after commencing their medication. Respondents also shared further personal accounts of decreased occurrences of compulsive or "addictive" behaviors beyond a reduction in the desire to consume alcohol. Considering the growing number of reports detailing experiences such as these, combined with our survey results indicating a reduction in both frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption, we strongly recommend conducting scientifically rigorous investigations and clinical trials to explore the potential of semaglutide for addressing conditions associated with alcohol use.
Keywords
Semaglutide; addiction; alcohol use
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Medicine and Pharmacology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Commenter:
The commenter has declared there is no conflict of interests.