What Makes Naltrexone the Ozempic For Alcohol

There’s a good reason why people are calling naltrexone the Ozempic for alcohol reduction given that it has many similarities to the powerhouse weight loss medication.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why naltrexone is often compared to Ozempic
• Some key similarities between the use of naltrexone and Ozempic
  
  • The impressive success rate of each medication
  • Convenience of at-home medications
  • Both medications’ ability to curb cravings
  • How naltrexone and Ozempic impact the reward system
• How GLP-1s will expand medications for alcohol use

Naltrexone is having its Ozempic moment, and it’s happening for a good reason. What Ozempic does for reducing weight, is what naltrexone does for reducing alcohol use. 

Naltrexone is an opioid receptor antagonist while Ozempic is a semaglutide (GLP-1 receptor agonist). They are very different types of medication, but both are equally impressive and share some important similarities, which is why they are often compared. 

Naltrexone and Ozempic Are Highly Effective

One commonality between naltrexone and Ozempic is efficacy. Both medications are highly effective, which is one reason why naltrexone is called the Ozempic for alcohol. 

An impressive 82% of people who are using naltrexone reduce their alcohol use overall and 89% have less binge drinking episodes. The medication needs to be used 3+ months to significantly curb alcohol cravings and keep them at bay. 

On average people who take Ozempic lose 15-20% of their body weight by just taking the medication. However, like naltrexone it takes a little time for the maximum effect. People typically reach maximum weight loss after 6+ months of use and then continue taking Ozempic to maintain it. 

Naltrexone and Ozempic Are Convenient At-Home Medication

Another key similarity that makes naltrexone comparable to Ozempic is that they are both very convenient. Naltrexone and Ozempic are medications that can be prescribed online and taken at-home. With naltrexone all you have to do is take one pill daily. Ozempic is an injection that is done once a week with a pre-loaded pen. 

With very little effort, naltrexone and Ozempic help you make more progress than you would likely make on your own and in less time. 

Naltrexone and Ozempic Curb Cravings

The reason why both medications work is the same - they curb cravings. With naltrexone the craving for alcohol is curbed. With Ozempic it’s food and beverages in general that are curbed. 

The curbed cravings lead to weight loss with both medications. Ozempic helps people crave food less, including fatty foods that many people enjoy eating. For naltrexone, the weight loss comes from consuming fewer empty alcohol calories, better judgement with your diet and increased will power to avoid unhealthy foods. 

Naltrexone and Ozempic Alter the Brain’s Reward System

The cravings are curbed because Ozempic and naltrexone alter the brain’s reward system. 

When naltrexone is taken before drinking alcohol, the medication binds to opioid receptors and significantly reduces the release of dopamine. Dopamine is a hormone that is linked to feelings of euphoria as well as motivation. Essentially, if something causes a release of dopamine it makes us want that thing more and we’re highly motivated to do it again. When the reward is gone people crave alcohol a lot less.

Semaglutides like Ozempic also alter the reward pathway, but they do so in a more indirect way. These medications are known for mimicking the GLP-1 hormone that’s produced in the gut and causes a person to feel full. It’s now believed that satiety and pleasure overlap, and when they do reward signals are blunted. 

In other words, both naltrexone and Ozempic make alcohol feel less rewarding, and that starts to curb cravings rather quickly. 

But semaglutides like Ozempic have another trick up their sleeve. They also slow down digestion and gastric emptying. Alcohol must be processed by the stomach and reach the intestines for the buzz to take effect. When you’re taking Ozempic feeling the effects of alcohol will take longer and make it feel less rewarding. 

How GLP-1 Semaglutides Will Expand Medication-Assisted Therapies For Alcohol Use

Medical science is never at a standstill. We’re always progressing and finding new therapies based on the latest research. And the ancillary effects of an existing medication can lead to new uses.

That appears to be the case with semaglutides like Ozempic that are used for weight loss. After patient and clinical observations noted that people taking semaglutides for weight loss were also drinking less alcohol, researchers took a closer look at this class of GLP-1 receptor agonists. They looked specifically at drinking behaviors while taking GLP-1 medication. What they discovered is:

• Many people taking semaglutides have less desire to drink alcohol.
• The episodes of heavy drinking are reduced.
• Semaglutides have the potential to slow alcohol absorption. 
• The liver may be protected from alcohol while taking semaglutides by decreasing toxic metabolites.

Researchers are working on putting together large scale studies that will verify the efficacy of GLP-1 medications when they are used specifically as an alcohol treatment. It’s a necessary step in making GLP-1s an option for anyone who wants to reduce their alcohol use.

Until then, naltrexone is still considered the gold standard in medication-assisted treatments for alcohol use disorder. It’s backed by decades of research and appears to have more of an effect to curb alcohol cravings than semaglutides in their current form. Despite the promise that GLP-1 medications show, for now naltrexone is the Ozempic for alcohol reduction.

Choose Your Horizon is a safe, reliable source for medication-assisted therapies. We’ll be offering GLP-1 medication for alcohol use once it’s FDA-approved, and until then we prescribe naltrexone to help people take control of their drinking. Find out if you qualify for a naltrexone prescription by taking the online Alcohol Use Assessment.