What if the key to overcoming alcohol cravings wasn’t just a rehab center or a therapist’s office, but a prescription for a diabetes drug? Ozempic, a semaglutide best known for its role in weight loss for diabetics, is making headlines for an unexpected reason: it appears to reduce the urge to drink.
A small study of 48 people with moderate AUD (alcohol use disorder) found that those taking low doses of semaglutide, the generic name of Ozempic, for nine weeks had less desire to drink and drank significantly less alcohol.1
When my son Charles was addicted to an opiate and decided to go into recovery, I dreamed of medication he could take that would reduce cravings and the chance of a lapse. With heroin and most opiates, death is a higher risk with lapse (aka. relapse) for many reasons. It tends to be that an opiate addiction requires more times in recovery causing deep emotional and financial stress for both users and their families.
I have lots of questions about semaglutide and addiction
- How does it work, and what does this mean for people struggling with alcohol use?
- Do other semaglutides have this effect? Will this work for other semaglutide brands like Wegovy or Rybelsus?
- Would this reduce cravings for other drugs?
- What are the side effects?
- Could we get insurance to cover the drug for those diagnosed with addiction, if it does turn out work for all addictions including alcohol use disorder?
- How much is it with insurance and without it? Does Medicare cover it?
Here’s the feedback I’ve gotten from others about semaglutide and a drop in alcohol cravings
This feedback is from those using a semaglutide in some form, compounded, or prescription, or from someone who knows others using it. I also heard several cardiologists are using it and many of them know how to find a way to get it covered and some have gotten prescriptions in Europe where it’s much less expensive than the USA.
As a listener of Dr. Radio on Sirius XM, they have discussed noticing that the whole class of weight loss drugs does seem to calm the voices that drive addiction and reduce craving. One patient who called in described a side effect of stomach pain so she was unable to take any form of semaglutide. It appears that Ozempic not only helps with food addiction but also with other addictions.
From Robert:
“This is potentially good news, but it frightens me. I’m diabetic and am well controlled with Ozempic. Due to poorly managed off label overuse I nearly died last April because of pharmacy shortages of Ozempic. I was hospitalized for a month and it took another four months to get my diabetes back under control. This was a very painful, expensive and traumatic experience for me.
It’s a great drug with tremendous promise but please doctors do a better job regulating its off label use with the manufacturer to avoid supply shortages and ensure the diabetics it was designed for can get it.
If we’re going to use Ozempic off label for so many things, and I think it’s great if that’s possible, we need to manufacture a lot more of it. My blood sugar climbs or falls to unsafe levels triggering a condition called DKA diabetic ketoacidosis and then bad things happen like extreme dehydration, dangerously low blood pressure and potassium levels, cardiac arrhythmias and loss of consciousness. If not treated death follows.“
From Barbara:
“I’m on Wygovi and have noticed a reduced desire for alcohol.“
From Cat:
“The problem with off-label use of drugs is that there ends up being shortages. In Ireland, a GP can only prescribe this drug to obese patients with a secondary health problem such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure and it is highly regulated. This medication in their instance is life-saving but private clinicians have been dispensing it to non-obese patients at a price and this has led to extreme shortages for those who need it most. It has also led to a black market supply which is both unethical and highly dangerous.”
From Taylor:
“This is very interesting because it’s on the rise of use here in my area by female friends of mine- and honestly they are all alcoholics. Their intention is not to quit drinking but to lose weight and they don’t even look like the same people! I know they pay over $1000 a month just to have it- that’s a lot. One of them said she pays $1800 a month- I had to ask”
From Nicole:
“Interesting…and unexpected. Have other weight loss drugs produced similar benefits? Always good to see new treatments that help with addiction.”
From Gianluca:
“There is a plethora of severely negative side effects associated to Ozempic. Although I empathize with the alleged positive effects it may have for AUD. One would be trading that for a different death sentence. And the list of negative side effects is growing daily. Natural plant medicines with hallucinogenic properties are where the best results being produced. Yet sadly, not talked about enough. Ibogaine and Ayahuasca being two examples.”
Note from AnneMoss: The jury is out for me regarding psychadelics and SUD (addiction). The evidence and studies are lacking and not compelling to me thus far.
From Barbara:
“Im on wegovy and have noticed a reduced desire for alcohol.”
From Amy:
“I have been taking low dose semaglutide since May for weight loss. It is prescribed by my functional MD and it is a compounded medication. I get vials of the med and syringes to draw it up. This has given me incredible flexibility in dosing. I did the prescribed titering up of the medication but when I got to 1mg I found I did not want to eat much of anything, which is definitely not good. So I scaled back to a dose that works for me to continue losing 1 pound a week (or less–I’m not in a hurry).
I have lost 36 pounds now and feel so much better. One side effect I noticed about 8 weeks in was that my desire for alcohol was completely gone. Granted, I do/did not have a drinking issue, but it completely took away any desire. I told a friend who self-describes as an alcoholic about it and encouraged her to talk with her MD about it…..My MD thinks peptides (this class of drugs) will be transformative for many things. They are finding it has cardioprotective benefits too. He thinks 4 out 5 of his patients will be on peptides in the future… So interesting!
It is just compounded semaglutide. Just the generic name. I had been getting it from a compounding pharmacy in Indiana but they can no longer ship to my state. Brand name Ozempic, Wegovy or Monjaro (the last a different but similar peptide) are all prescribed in pre-filled pens for injection. They run about $1300/month. The compounded generic is more like $130 a month. So not cheap, but so much better than the brand name through an insurance benefit. I don’t like the pre-filled pens because you are committed to that dose. I love the flexibility.
My functional MD (basically a concierge service focused on integrative/functional approach to healthcare) …..prescribed it for me. I started seeing him for hormone issues but he quickly diagnosed me with mold toxicity. One issue for people with mold tox is the inability to lose weight. He has had success using semaglutide with his patients for weight loss.”
Compounded Formulas of semaglutide in the USA?
The FDA removed semaglutide from its drug shortage list therefore compounded versions have clarified policies for compounders to continue compounding semaglutide until May 22, 2025.
Compounded semaglutide can be made by state-licensed pharmacies, and physicians, as well as outsourcing facilities (also known as 503B Outsourcing Facilities, these are compounding pharmacies that can produce large batches of medications without patient-specific prescriptions).
The FDA is concerned that patients and healthcare professionals may use unapproved versions of semaglutide for weight loss, which have not been reviewed for safety, effectiveness, or quality.
Sources
- 1Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder. A Randomized Clinical Trial
- CNN: Ozempic shown to reduce drinking in first trial in alcohol-use disorder
- Study: Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder. A Randomized Clinical Trial, Clinical Trial PDF
- FDA’s Concerns with Unapproved GLP-1 Drugs Used for Weight Loss
- FDA clarifies policies for compounders as national GLP-1 supply begins to stabilize
- Hendershot CS, Bremmer MP, Paladino MB, et al. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online February 12, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.4789
AnneMoss Rogers is a leading wellness and suicide education expert and one of the top mental health speakers and suicide prevention speakers. Known for her powerful, motivational keynotes, AnneMoss combines her personal story of loss with proven strategies to help organizations build a wellness culture that drives results and saves lives. She speaks at conferences, workplaces, K-12 schools, and universities, delivering impactful presentations that inspire change and promote mental health awareness.
AnneMoss does this work in memory of her son, Charles, who struggled with anxiety, depression, and addiction, and died by suicide at age 20 in 2015.
I wanted to share with you about my GLP-1 experience and how it has impacted my personal understanding of addictions better.
After I lost 3 family members in one horrifically traumatic day, I ended up gaining 35+ pounds making me then a total of 50-60 pounds overweight. During my most intense grief, I lost my “care” to act in any disciplined manner about my own health. I only cared when my back and knees started hurting so much. I thought I have enough pain in grief, I don’t need extra physical pain too. I decided to see what Tirzepatide (a generic GLP-1) would do for weight loss.
Wow. It was a fascinating experience. About 3 days after the first shot (at lowest dose), this chatter in my head STOPPED. It was chatter I didn’t realize was there – because it had always been there as long as I can remember. I knew nothing different. It was the quietest and most peaceful my head had ever been about food.
Until then, I did not understand how strongly I had been fighting against this voice throughout my entire life. It felt like a huge relief and peaceful, like a long slow exhale. Food became this simple choice about whether my body needed fuel/calories or not. And nothing else had altered in my life. This med was the only change. I easily lost the 55-60 pounds I wanted to lose. Then, I went to once a month maintenance for 2-3 months. Then I stopped the medication completely.
I was pretty confident I had learned it is just chatter and I don’t have to act on it anymore – even if/when I do hear it. I felt so confident in my ability to make the same peaceful choices off the med. And the chatter eventually returned full speed.
By taking this medicine, I was able to get crystal clear that I had NOT been overeating or eating too often because I feel hungry or even for undisciplined “comforts”. I would eat exclusively to STOP and SILENCE that incessant annoying chatter about food in my head. This voice is constantly doing what I now call “food math”.
I have gained back 15 pounds over the last year+ since I stopped the medication. The whole experience has given me even more understanding, compassion, and insight than I already had toward addiction (no matter what that voice targets). The strong need to STOP that voice is something I never knew was happening until it suddenly disappeared. It felt bizarre to have the ability to “forget to eat” like I’d heard my husband say over the years and I could never understand before. On this medicine, I could forget it too! It was so odd and quite relaxing. It gave my head time to focus on so many other things.
Even before I took the medication, I did yoga, meditation, walking, journaling, & loss groups. I’m a retired mental health therapist and have a good understanding of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and disputing irrational beliefs etc. Exactly NONE that ever quieted the voice like the GLP-1 shot did. I’d like to take it again but it is expensive, has potential side-effects, and I do want to try to find a different way to quiet that voice. We will see. It is an annoying and persistent voice.
This is so amazing. I love how you used other strategies in addition to the med and learned how it worked for you and thus accepted a certain amount of weight but use the skills to keep it in check now that you understand that yours is from Chatter.
I hear the “chatter in my head” comment often from those with an eating disorder. This is a valuable comment. Thank you for making it here.
Thank you for sharing this thought-provoking piece.
As someone with over 14 years of sobriety, I always pay close attention to conversations about new solutions for alcohol cravings.
But here’s the truth from the inside: overcoming alcoholism is not just about reducing cravings. If it were, we’d have solved this long ago.
Alcoholism is a thinking disease—it’s about the mental patterns and often the unresolved trauma and emotions that drive the behavior, not just the urge itself.
And while medications like Ozempic are getting a lot of buzz, we really need to pause and look deeper. First, let’s talk about the top three concerning side effects of Ozempic:
1. Severe gastrointestinal issues (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea)
2. Risk of pancreatitis
3. Potential thyroid tumors
These are not small risks—especially when we consider there are safer, holistic approaches that address the root cause of alcohol dependence.
For example, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is an incredible, evidence-based practice that can help eliminate cravings altogether by rewiring the emotional triggers behind them. No prescriptions, no dangerous side effects.
And then there’s AA, a program that has saved countless lives—not just because it helps people stop drinking, but because it transforms thinking.
It’s a path to real, lasting change through connection, community, and learning new ways of living.
We need to move away from the seductive idea that there’s a magic pill for complex problems like alcoholism.
The real solution is—and always has been—working on the mind, healing the heart, integrating into a like minded social community, and building a life we don’t need to escape from.
Warmly,
Maggie Maier
I totally agree and neglected to include this point of view in the article. Thank you for including it Maggie. We need to make many changes and not just a “magic pill.”
I declare that l am using a fake name so as to protect other people involved in this story.
My father suffered from alcoholism and it was not just physical addiction but a way of coping with his mental state. You see, my dad married my mum and loved her (though he treated her extremely poorly) and he had me and my brothers – but he struggled with being a gay man in a time where he could be institutionalised in a psychiatric hospital or put in jail for a criminal offence. I strongly guess that he took to alcohol so that he could engage in sex with other men but if he lived today, he probably would have enjoyed a much more wholesome life with a stable partner. His alcohol addiction began, l sincerely believe; out of this inner conflict and the physical addiction came next in line.
Because of societal attitudes back in the late 1950s onwards to the mid 1970s, we suffered as a family and even now (l am 60), l still experience the fruits of my early life.
Sorry if l have gone off track here, but Maggie’s comment got me to thinking about this more.
My dad tried to live as a straight man but inside he was a gay man. He needed to be able to heal his mind and his heart so that he could build a life that he didn’t need to escape from, a life of sincerity. And then his life would not have impacted on us (his family) as it did.
I hated my dad and prayed that he would die when he was in hospital back when l was 36 and my prayers were seemingly answered; now l lament those thoughts now that l am 60 years old and understand the immense pressure that was most likely his life.
This is so powerful. Addiction happens as a result of many things. Some are more predisposed than others. But it’s not just a craving. Later that craving is an effort to keep withdrawal at bay. But numbing pain is often a reason alcohol dependence and addiction. And like Maggie pointed out, there are many elements that must be addressed with alcohol use disorders. One is frequently impulse control.