Popular Weight-Loss Medications Associated With Reduced Risk of Addiction: Study - Video

Addiction may not be as substance-specific as scientists once believed. New research suggests that a class of medications widely used for diabetes and obesity could help reduce cravings and lower the risk of addiction across multiple substances.

Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine analyzed health records from more than 600,000 U.S. veterans with type 2 diabetes and found that people taking GLP-1 receptor agonists were less likely to develop substance use disorders. The study, published in The BMJ, also showed fewer overdoses, hospitalizations, and addiction-related deaths among individuals already living with substance use disorders.

Scientists have become increasingly interested in these medications after patients reported unexpected changes in behavior, including reduced interest in alcohol, tobacco, and other addictive substances. Earlier studies hinted at similar benefits, but most focused on a single type of addiction.

To explore whether the effect was broader, researchers followed participants for up to three years. Among those without a substance use disorder at the start, GLP-1 treatment was linked to a 14% lower risk of developing one. Reduced risks were observed across alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, cocaine, opioid, and other substance-related disorders.

The benefits were also seen among participants who already had addiction diagnoses. Compared with those taking other diabetes medications, GLP-1 users experienced a 30% reduction in emergency department visits, a 25% reduction in hospitalizations, a 40% reduction in overdoses, and a 50% reduction in drug-related deaths.

Researchers believe the medications may work by acting on brain pathways involved in reward and motivation. Rather than targeting a specific substance, they appear to reduce the cravings that drive addictive behavior, a mechanism sometimes described as quieting "drug noise."

REFERENCE: Fares Qeadan. Metabolic medicines and addiction: what GLP-1 receptor agonists might add to substance use care. BMJ, 2026; 392: s325 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.s325