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/HegemonNYC Feb 13 '25

Do you know what it would be like to stop taking them? Would that food noise or drive to keep drinking return? And if you were to be on these drugs long term, are there downsides other than cost?

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u/ExternalPanda Feb 13 '25 edited Feb 13 '25

Do you know what it would be like to stop taking them? Would that food noise or drive to keep drinking return?

Not them, but I've actually interrupted my Wegovy treatment because it's quite expensive, so I can chime in. There is something life changing in experiencing a healthy, "normal" relationship with food (I haven't really experienced the effect with other binge activities, unfortunately) and knowing it's possible and attainable, but, at least for me, it wasn't enough to sustain those habits after stopping the medication.

I'm now back to overeating, snacking, and eating really fast. I'm more aware of those impulses now, so I can actually try and control them, but the magic with Wegovy was that there was barely any struggle, the impulses sort of just went away.

And if you were to be on these drugs long term, are there downsides other than cost?

There are side effects, I didn't have any, but a friend who's also found through it has quite a bit of nausea. They also mentioned that the effect seems to be getting weaker for them, and they're already at maximum dosage.

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u/Dogsnamewasfrank Feb 13 '25

Most people who *need* a GLP-1 will need it for life. Some people do have side effects (like any med) but for most, the long term effects are net positive - better heart, kidney, liver, and brain health. Semaglutide has been studied in people for over 20 years, so it has long term data.