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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u/sbNXBbcUaDQfHLVUeyLx Feb 12 '25

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

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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.

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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.

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u/brilliantpants Feb 12 '25

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

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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.

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u/sbNXBbcUaDQfHLVUeyLx Feb 13 '25

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

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u/Galxee Feb 13 '25

Or try Naltrexone, which is specifically indicated for this

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u/sbNXBbcUaDQfHLVUeyLx Feb 13 '25

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

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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)

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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

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u/IversusAI Feb 13 '25

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

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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)

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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.

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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