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/Tall_poppee Feb 12 '25

The shopping thing was pretty surprising. Turns out we get a dopamine hit from shopping that is some sort of leftover from the days when going hunting was required to eat. I don't think these medications are specifically impacting dopamine, but must be having some effect on the reward centers in the brain in general.

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u/kitanokikori Feb 12 '25

I think that all of your brain chemicals are diminished when you are undereating and this is an artifact of that; low calories => lower excitement for everything, including stuff like shopping

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u/Tall_poppee Feb 12 '25

I've never experienced that before though, on any calorie restricted diet. The medication is definitely impacting it.

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u/kitanokikori Feb 13 '25

I have definitely experienced that on calorie restricted diets, and had the exact same experience on Ozempic. You've never had your sex drive tank for example when you are dieting super hard?

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u/StandardEgg6595 Feb 13 '25

No. Even when I used to fast (with electrolytes) for days on end I’d tend to have more energy and cravings.

I was already losing weight when I started the meds, but it completely took away the constant food noise, cravings for alcohol, etc. Not sure how to explain, but my brain feels normal now.