Ozempic's Surprising Superpower

A neuroscientist and leader in the field of addiction explains why popular weight-loss drugs might hold the key to radical new treatments.

- Nora D. Volkow

Ozempic and similar weightloss drugs (collectively known as GLP-1 agonists) have revolutionized the treatment of obesity and diabetes, providing results previously achievable only with bariatric surgery. But in my two decades of studying the neuroscience behind our motivations to eat and take drugs, and the ways they may overlap, these weight-loss medicines are also the most promising option I've seen for a drug that could treat addiction, whether to alcohol, opioids, or nicotine.

In recent years, these medicines have exploded in popularity-so much so that shortages dominated headlines. Initially, GLP-1 agonists (GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone produced in the digestive system and in parts of the brain after we eat) were developed to treat diabetes, hitting the market in 2005. Patients and clinicians soon realized GLP-1 agonists' powerful weight-loss effects: Semaglutide (a.k.a. Ozempic and Wegovy) could induce someone to lose, on average, 15 percent of their body weight. From there, dosing was tested and approved by the FDA specifically to treat obesity.

By the end of 2023, nearly 2 percent of Americans had been prescribed semaglutide-a fortyfold increase over the past five years, per CNN.

In 2023, some people using semaglutide to lose weight started reporting that the drugs not only suppressed their appetite for food (you've probably heard people talk about losing that "food noise," or obsessive thoughts about food), but also, surprisingly, reduced their desire to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol too. These anecdotal observations line up with what we know about how overeating, motivation, and addiction work in the brain and what we know about GLP-1 agonists so far.

Your Brain on Semaglutide