Can semaglutide be the key to quitting smoking?

The popular diabetes and weight loss medication semaglutide, known by brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, might offer hope for those struggling to quit smoking. A recent study suggests this drug could have even more far-reaching effects than initially thought.

Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the study analyzed health records of nearly 223,000 individuals who had recently started various diabetes medications. The findings showed people taking semaglutide were significantly less likely to seek medical help for tobacco use disorder or smoking cessation counseling compared to those on other diabetes drugs.

Luba Yammine, a nurse practitioner studying semaglutide’s potential in addiction treatment, told Yahoo Life the findings are “promising in terms of their contribution to the growing body of evidence showing that GLP-1 receptor agonists may in the future expand the arsenal of treatment options for nicotine dependence.”

GLP-1 — or glucagon-like peptide-1 — receptor agonists are a class of medications used to treat Type 2 diabetes

Although the exact reasoning is not fully understood, medical experts say they believe semaglutide may affect the brain’s reward system, potentially reducing cravings for both food and nicotine. This dual action could be particularly beneficial for people with diabetes, who often struggle more with quitting smoking and fear post-cessation weight gain.

However, researchers caution more rigorous clinical trials are needed before semaglutide can be prescribed specifically for smoking cessation. The current study, while encouraging, doesn’t provide definitive proof of the drug’s effectiveness in this area.

“We need as much of this (type of research) as possible to stimulate research into medications for substance use disorder,” Heath Schmidt, an addiction researcher and associate professor of psychiatry, told Yahoo Life.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and a new tool in the fight against tobacco addiction could be a breakthrough in helping people quit smoking and improve their overall health.

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