r/science • u/Wagamaga • Feb 12 '25

Neuroscience The first clinical trial of its kind has found that semaglutide, distributed under the brand name Wegovy, cut the amount of alcohol people drank by about 40% and dramatically reduced people’s desire to drink

https://today.usc.edu/popular-weight-loss-diabetes-drug-shows-promise-in-reducing-cravings-for-alcohol/
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954

u/Horror-Win-3215 Feb 12 '25

That’s been my experience with semaglutide since starting last October. Strongly diminished interest in drinking (and eating).

263

u/PennilessPirate Feb 12 '25

I’ve heard it specifically diminishes cravings for junk food, and increases cravings for healthier foods. Have you found that to be the case?

281

u/BrokeMyCrayon Feb 12 '25

Not who you responded to but in my experience it depends.

When i was new to the meds and was upping my dose every month to get to maintenance dosage, it was hard to eat much of anything sometimes because the appetite supressing effect is so strong. In those moments, i would end up eating small amounts of junk food because they're so hyperpalatable compared to a seasoned chicken breast in the air fryer. One was much easier to eat and since i couldn't eat much anyway, junk food it was.

Now that im on a maintenance dose, i put a lot of mental work into making sure I'm eating more whole unprocessed foods because i know that my overall appetite is so much lower that i need to make my meals count.

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u/sbNXBbcUaDQfHLVUeyLx Feb 12 '25

I just don't have "cravings" anymore. I actually experience "hunger" now.

77

u/Solonotix Feb 12 '25

That's a great way of putting it. I don't really seem to reach true hunger before a craving pushes me to consume. On Ozempic, that just wasn't the case. I'd go 8-36 hours without eating and be totally fine, no compulsion to eat. Then, when I did eat, I could tell when I had enough.

I also echo the results of this study, where my desire for alcohol practically disappeared. I'm not a heavy drinker, but I do like craft cocktails, and making them at home as a hobby. While on Ozempic, I had practically zero interest in drinking anything. Even at times when I consciously wanted to drink, such as for celebratory reasons, or I had a bad day at work and wanted to sip some scotch to relax. The desire was completely absent, and left me listlessly staring at my bottle collection, and inevitably I'd just walk away.

2

u/mybeachlife Feb 14 '25

I’ve been on it since November and feel exactly the same way. We attended at trade show for work a month ago and when everyone went out for drinks afterwards I was fine just ordering a single Michelob Ultra and barely sipping it. I was just fine hanging out and not drinking. It was a wild sensation.

28

u/brilliantpants Feb 12 '25

God, that sounds incredible. I want to try one of these medicines just to see what that feels like!

42

u/km89 Feb 13 '25

If you have the means to do so and are struggling with this kind of behavior, seriously--get thee to a doctor.

"I don't have cravings, I have hunger" is a fantastic way of phrasing it.

Like, before, my brain would go "that's a pint of ice cream. I demand that you eat it. All of it. I will not stop complaining at you until it's gone from your house, and I will start complaining at you again when you pass by the ice cream aisle at the store. And you will bring some home, and you will eat it all."

Now it's just... "hey, ice cream. Have a scoop. That was good!" and then I won't even think about it for a week.

13

u/sbNXBbcUaDQfHLVUeyLx Feb 13 '25

I always thought I was alone in this, but this is exactly the experience.

8

u/Galxee Feb 13 '25

Or try Naltrexone, which is specifically indicated for this

5

u/sbNXBbcUaDQfHLVUeyLx Feb 13 '25

More anecdotes, but I've tried contrave which contains naltrexone and it did nothing for me.

2

u/omggold Feb 13 '25

Same. Contrave did nothing but have me taking a bunch of pills (which is harder for me than a weekly shot)

2

u/Nexii801 Feb 13 '25

Just do it, with like 2 hours of research and $200 you could have a 6 month supply. I've literally given some away I got so much of it

2

u/IversusAI Feb 13 '25

Where did you get it from? Was that from insurance? What did you research?

1

u/Nexii801 Feb 13 '25

Online from a lab in China

No.

Where to get it.

Reviews of particular vendors. Particularly with independent lab testing.

Studies on the effects. (I'm taking a trial blend called CagriSema)

11

u/fcocyclone Feb 13 '25

Im just on a low dose of tirzepatide so far (so similar to semaglutide), and this is accurate to me.

And hell, I find it easier to distinguish between true hunger and thirst. When the body needs fluids, the hunger signals will quiet a lot quicker than before the injection.

2

u/3_Slice Feb 13 '25

It’s crazy what I was able to smash and now makes me feel sick if I try to eat that same amount

10

u/EM3YT Feb 13 '25

I’m on a low dose for the last 3 weeks. My craving to drink is down quite a bit, but i occasionally still want to snack. What I notice is I just don’t want to gorge. I’ll still get hungry (low dose right now) and I’ll hit up some junk in a bind, but I won’t have nearly as much, probably less than half

11

u/arciela Feb 13 '25

Been on Ozempic for 17 months and I have found this to be generally true. I used to always have cravings for McDonald's or Arby's or [insert fast food here]. These days unless I'm on a hormone bender (thx uterus) I will very rarely get fast food. Even when I do, it's a relatively normal portion of a cheeseburger and medium fry or a protein item (chicken nuggets, roast beef) with no side.

We have saved so much money in the past year and a half, it's crazy.

6

u/rumski Feb 12 '25

My choices in food haven’t changed but overall my consumption goes way down. I’ll meal prep for days and then order pizza one night because I just need a change.

2

u/PM_ME_BOYSHORTS Feb 13 '25

Not for me. It just decreases my cravings for ALL food. I used to have massive, UNSTOPPABLE cravings for food. I'd satisfy those cravings, and then I'd continue to eat another 500 calories on top of that because I just couldn't... stop.

That doesn't happen anymore. I eat when I feel hungry, which is less often but still happens mostly normally. And I get full super fast, and I can just leave the plate unfinished without an issue. Even if it's my favorite things.

For example, sweets. A bag of sour patch kids, I used to destroy the entire movie-sized bag in like 3 minutes. Now I have like 3-4 pieces and I'm good.

I don't have any increased desire for "healthy" foods, though. But that doesn't matter really. When it comes to food-based nutrition, maintaining a healthy weight trumps everything else.

1

u/downvote__trump Feb 12 '25

I crave more junk food specifically gummies candies.

1

u/Loud_Ad4852 Feb 13 '25

I get bad stomach aches with greasy/junk food, so I crave healthy foods to avoid that.

1

u/Wischiwaschbaer Feb 13 '25

I’ve heard it specifically diminishes cravings for junk food, and increases cravings for healthier foods.

Totally not a thing for me. But appetite is generally lower.

1

u/InTheEndEntropyWins Feb 13 '25

Well I do have more desire for fruit, which is juicy and light over more heavy meals.

1

u/Nexii801 Feb 13 '25

Nah kills the desire to eat pretty much entirely. You mentally feel like you just finished seconds at Thanksgiving, like all the time.

1

u/codepossum Feb 13 '25

how does it know which is which?

1

u/squishmaster Feb 13 '25

Not in my experience

1

u/AstraofCaerbannog Feb 14 '25

I’m on under half the recommended dose, but I have found this to some degree but not entirely. I still crave and enjoy junk food probably as much as before, but I don’t crave food in general as much. And if I eat junk food I eat less. So for example, if I’m craving a pizza, I could have a small pizza or half a pizza for one meal and a very light meal. Same if I want something sweet, I still have those cravings, but they’re easier to ignore and a small amount is enough.

I do not crave healthier foods any more than before. But I’ve always enjoyed healthy foods. But what it does do is keeps me full off healthy foods, so I can enjoy them more knowing I won’t be hungry soon after.

Largely I just eat intuitively now. My portions are less, I’m more in control of hunger cues. And while I’m not diabetic, I used to get mild hypoglycaemia if I didn’t eat enough which would leave me feeling faint. I no longer get this which means I can eat less regularly.

9

u/Taxus_Calyx Feb 12 '25

Have you experienced any negative side effects?

40

u/DesertGoat Feb 12 '25

I'll chime in here as someone on a 2mg dose of Ozempic for almost a year now. Yes I have, and I have mostly learned to manage them. For me, they have been almost exclusively gastrointestinal - constipation, nausea, and bloating. I have able to mitigate them, most of the time, by taking fiber gummies, not eating too close to bedtime, not sleeping on my stomach, and probably most importantly being super careful to stop eating when I am full.

There were some times that I considered stopping, but I have lost roughly 40 lbs in the past year and I am now at my high school weight. That is a heck of a result.

Related to the original post, my desire for alcohol while on Ozempic is practically nil. I almost have to force myself to have a cocktail if out with friends. It's very noticeable for me.

2

u/CordialPanda Feb 13 '25

What is your rough age, what does it cost you per month, and what is the most frustrating management aspect?

2

u/PM_ME_BOYSHORTS Feb 13 '25

I have been on it for ~6 months. When I first started, I had heartburn when lying down (usually bedtime.) And occasional nausea. I also had one specific day where I had really bad diarrhea, but I'm not sure that was related to the medicine (it was only one day.)

Overall, very few side effects and they're all very tolerable.

12

u/FeelsGoodMan2 Feb 12 '25

Oddly I am the other way around, I used to get very hungover even with small amounts of liquor which would dissuade me from casual drinking. Now, it feels like I dont get hungover nearly as often which has actually made me feel more okay with having drinks every now and then, does anyone else have that experience? It's almost like my digestion of alcohol improved or something. I also don't get nearly as affected drunk wise by the same amount of liquor as I used to.

2

u/IOnceAteAFart Feb 13 '25

Hey, previous drinker, always had a bad sweet tooth, and I've always had overly bad hangovers compared to the amount I drink, even when I dont take in sugar that day (in case it's a case of too much sugar affecting alcohol digestion). But I've wondered before if it's a metabolism/digestion issue as well. New studies are showing deeper links between opioid addictions and sugar intake than ever expected, and I have to wonder if ozempic affecting digestion might somehow be directly affecting the body's tendency to addiction.

Maybe someday the effect of this drug on digestion/metabolism can isolate the effect it might have on addiction, and give a new way forward to treatment.

6

u/secret179 Feb 12 '25

Then what do you do instead?

1

u/_JudgeDoom_ Feb 12 '25

I’m happy for you and if this is a direct result of Sema it is profound. Less alcohol consumption is such a great thing.

0

u/Emkems Feb 13 '25

more than two drinks causes you to poo it all out still in liquid form. Unfortunately I know from experience. Not only does Wegovy reduce the urge, but the consequences would make many hesitant.