For years, people taking Ozempic or other drugs in the same class for diabetes and weight loss have noticed the medicines don’t just curb their desire to eat; for some, they also lead them to drink less alcohol.

It’s possible that GLP-1s may be useful for a range of substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder and nicotine use disorder, Varisco says. The medication may even be helpful in treating sex disorders and eating disorders, Dr. Sarhan says.

Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster GLP-1 diabetes drug Ozempic led to improvements in some measures of alcohol use disorder in a small trial, researchers reported on Wednesday. The 48 participants in the nine-week trial all had moderately severe alcohol use disorder and were given either once-weekly Ozempic or a placebo.