Experts reveal fascinating theory about Ozempic and why it appears to change ... trends now
They were designed to treat type 2 diabetes - and fix the metabolic fault that puts patients on the path to deadly heart disease.
But it didn't take long before researchers noticed an unusual side effect of the drugs: people lost a surprising amount of weight. And quickly.
The blockbuster medications including Ozempic, Mounjaro and Zepbound are today being rolled out to millions who need to drop weight to improve their health - and appear to be causing other unexpected effects.
Some patients have reported a dulling of emotion and even suicidal thoughts, while others have reported plummeting libido and diminished sensation during sex.
Some have seen it cure addictions, too. People who consistently had a couple of drinks every evening found that they had zero desire to drink alcohol on the medication. Others found their desire to splurge on random items in the shops had also decreased.
Now, experts speaking to DailyMail.com have revealed a fascinating new explanation for these wide-ranging, curious symptoms. They say it's all to do with the drug's impact on a masterful brain chemical that determines pretty much every human behavior.
This means it is entirely feasible that injecting Ozempic could alter your entire personality.
TikToker Ashley Raibick (left) said being on semaglutide for weight loss left her libido at rock bottom, and said that 'nothing turned me on'. Karen Ramirez (right) posted on TikTok and told DailyMail.com that Ozempic made her 'disgusted' by alcohol
Ozempic and its sister drug Wegovy work by triggering the body to bind to a receptor called the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a protein that triggers the release of hormones in the brain which keep the stomach full and tell the body to stop eating and avoid cravings
The brain chemical at play is dopamine, responsible for a range of essential functions including feelings of reward and pleasure, as well as motivation and movement.
It is also involved in fueling our emotional and physical drive for food.
Dr Kent Berridge, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Michigan, said this explains why quelling hunger pangs also limits cravings for other vices - such as alcohol, cigarettes or drugs.
This is because both addictive substances and food activate the same dopamine signals and reward-learning regions in the brain.
'Cravings for addictive drugs are also amplified by hunger,' Dr Berridge told DailyMail.com.
'When researchers are trying to get animals to learn to self-administer cocaine, they often will keep them hungry for a little while, as this helps them learn.
'Hunger is specifically for food but it's more general than that, it activates craving for a lot of things.
'If you're hungry, the motivational value of things, even that are not food, seems to increase,' he added.
Ozempic - which works by mimicking GLP-1, a naturally occurring hormone which tells the brain it is full - may dampen this effect because it makes a person feel satisfied for longer.
By suppressing dopamine activation, the drugs suppress food cravings and potentially also drug and alcohol cravings.
'Satiety may be not only reducing the craving for food, but potentially for other things,' Dr Berridge said.
GLP-1 drugs also make you feel less hungry overall by making you feel full quicker due to delayed emptying of the stomach, Dr Sue Decotiis, a New York City weight-loss doctor, told DailyMail.com.
But GLP-1 drugs appear to modulate the motivational dopamine systems in a way that doesn't dampen the desires completely. Patients still want to eat, but
