Alcoholics taking weight loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro end up in hospital less, according to a study of 41,000 users. Researchers say the drugs could be explored as a possible treatment for addiction
Weight loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro can stop alcoholics needing to be admitted to hospital, research suggests.
Alcohol dependent people on the powerful appetite-suppressing drugs were around two thirds less likely to need to go to hospital according to a study of 41,000 users. Researchers say the drugs which are now available in pill form as well as injection could be explored as a possible treatment for addiction.
The study looked at people who had started either Wegovy, Ozempic or Mounjaro between January 2018 and December 2024. Author Dr Hemalkumar Mehta, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, US, said: “These findings may suggest a potential role for GLP-1 receptor agonists in the context of alcohol-use disorder.”
Previous research has suggested the drugs could reduce alcohol cravings for addicts who tended to consume fewer drinks in a single sitting.
Weight loss drugs mimic the glucagon-like peptide (GLP) 1 hormone, which makes people feel full sooner as well as regulating blood sugar. Wegovy is prescribed on the NHS for obesity and Ozempic for diabetes.
Scientists combined the findings from four similar studies. The analysis found GLP-1 drugs slashed the risk of alcohol-related hospital admission by 26% compared with other diabetes medicines. Among those using the drugs for weight loss, the risk was 32% lower compared with other obesity medications.
Weight loss injections lowered the risk of alcohol-related hospital admission by 63% and 65% respectively among type 2 diabetics with alcohol problems and obese people with alcohol problems.
The latest available figures show there were more than one million hospital admissions related to alcohol in England in 2023/24.
Previous studies have suggested weight loss drugs may have multiple health benefits including direct anti-inflammatory effects on multiple organ systems. Studies have suggested that GLP-1 drugs could help with conditions from heart disease, cancer, dementia, kidney disease, liver disease, obstructive sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, to addiction and mental illness.
However they commonly cause side effects such as vomiting and require personalised support from specialists so that weight loss is maintained. Without drastic lifestyle changes, users often pile fat back on if they stop taking the drugs but never regain the muscle and bone mass they lost.
Experts said the findings, published in the journal BMJ Open, “may suggest a potential role” for GLP-1 medications to help alcoholics but that further research is needed.
Colin Angus, professor of alcohol policy at Sheffield University Addictions Research Group, said: “This looks like a reasonable study that adds to a growing body of evidence that GLP-1s may reduce alcohol-related harm.
“However, this is a US-based observational study, and newer GLP-1s are expensive treatments, meaning there may well be some important differences between the people taking GLP-1s and those not taking them that may not be fully controlled for.
“For example, it is more likely that people from more affluent groups, with better health insurance, can afford them. I’d view this as adding a little more weight to the emerging evidence, rather than the definitive word on the matter.”