Patients claim weight loss jab has very unexpected side effect: it stops all ... trends now
Top British experts say a new 'miracle' weight-loss jab could also help beat debilitating addictions – including alcohol dependency, smoking and even problem gambling.
The pioneering drug, semaglutide, also known as Wegovy, was approved for use by the NHS in March to address the nation's escalating obesity crisis. It works by suppressing the appetite and in trials has led to patients shedding a fifth of their bodyweight.
But amid mounting evidence by British and international researchers, as well as anecdotal reports from patients, there are now calls for further clinical trials to see if it could help patients combat compulsive behaviour.
Patients taking the drug have described losing interest in drinking alcohol and smoking, while some have reported that lifelong habits such as nail-biting and skin-picking no longer appeal.
One study from researchers at Imperial College London, which has not yet been published, found a similar drug can dampen activity in areas of the brain linked with addiction.
Top British experts say a new 'miracle' weight-loss jab could also help beat debilitating addictions – including alcohol dependency, smoking and even problem gambling
This suggests it could make bad habits less appealing and, because semaglutide is more potent than the drug they used, experts say it is likely to have a greater impact.
Dr Tony Goldstone, associate professor in the department of brain sciences at Imperial and who led the research, said: 'All of the evidence points to the fact [drugs such as this] could treat addiction. We don't fully know what's going on. We think these drugs may reduce the amount of the chemical dopamine which is released in the brain in response to certain stimuli, such as smoking or alcohol, or possibly even compulsive behaviours – shopping, internet addiction or gambling. We're looking at whether it could prevent relapses in people with addictions. Things have to be investigated.'
Semaglutide, which is injected under the skin using a self-injection pen, was first designed to manage blood sugar levels for type 2 diabetes patients, and was sold under the brand name Ozempic.
But users also lost significant amounts of weight. This spawned an off-label market for the drug among those hoping to use it as an alternative to dieting, making it particularly appealing to Hollywood stars and celebrities. The manufacturer, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, then created Wegovy, which contains a more potent dose of semaglutide as a specific treatment for weight loss. Other drugs that work in a similar way are also available.
Wegovy is licensed in the UK for people who have a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30 – the threshold for obesity – and at least one weight-related condition, such as type 2 diabetes. But as it has grown in popularity, reports have begun to emerge of curious side effects.
Professor Alex Miras, an expert in obesity from Ulster University, said: 'A small number of patients on these sorts of drugs to have told me they've gone off drinking alcohol or smoking. As doctors, it's not information we routinely ask for, so we're only hearing it if patients tell us. It means it's probably happening more than we think. Theoretically, you could take someone with a normal weight and give them these drugs for other forms of addiction, but that hasn't yet been proven.'
And obesity specialist Dr Spencer Nadolsky, who practices in Maryland in the US, told The Mail on Sunday: 'Patients report a decreased desire to even reach for any alcohol. Their cravings are diminished. I am hoping this is studied.'
The social media site Reddit has hundreds of people describing how Wegovy has changed their lives in unexpected ways.
One man who claimed to have drunk large amounts of whiskey every night for 20 years said he had barely touched a drop in over two months after taking Wegovy for weight loss. 'I am able to have a single drink and not have the urge to drink another,' he wrote.
A woman who had bitten her nails 'down to the nubs' for 34 years since she was four had 'completely stopped'. Others reported losing the craving to smoke, to eat chocolate or shop compulsively.
One Reddit user wrote: 'I'm on this drug and it really does change some part of your brain. You just feel overly satisfied most of the time. The best way I can think to describe it is like the feeling you have after eating something very rich and decadent.'
One man who spoke to The Mail on Sunday said semaglutide had not only reduced his interest in drinking alcohol, but had also 'completely stopped' his teeth-grinding and nail-biting habits.
Patients taking the drug have described losing interest in drinking alcohol and smoking
Some have reported that lifelong habits such as nail-biting and skin-picking no longer appeal
Chad Teixeira started taking it for weight loss five months ago after getting a prescription for Ozempic from a private doctor.
The 27-year-old from London, who runs a celebrity PR agency, says he feels 'amazing', losing nearly two-and-a-half stones – 18 per cent of his bodyweight – after a
