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There are many different types of GLP-1 medications and many of them are being researched for alcohol use treatment, but some have proven to be more effective than others.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why GLP-1 is being considered for alcohol use treatment.
- What GLP-1 agents are being researched for their effect on alcohol use.
- How different types of GLP-1 medications compare in terms of curbing alcohol consumption.
- Why burgeoning dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists could be even more effective.
- What to consider before using GLP-1 to reduce drinking.
After being used for more than 20 years for diabetes and weight loss, there have been a lot of observations on how GLP-1 receptor agonists affect alcohol use. Some of the initial findings include people experience:
- Less of an intoxicated feeling while drinking because of a slower rise in blood alcohol level.
- Lower risk of overdosing and hospitalization.
- Suppressed alcohol cravings.
This is in addition to all the other health benefits of GLP-1 medications such as weight loss and insulin regulation. It’s believed the same mechanisms that lead to weight loss, appetite suppression and delayed gastric emptying, could also play a role in curbing alcohol use.
Now that the dangerous health effects of alcohol are known, helping people with alcohol use disorder or chronic drinking is about more than avoiding addiction. There’s greater demand for medication-assisted treatments like naltrexone that can help control alcohol cravings, and GLP-1 medications could be exactly what many people are looking for.
Types of GLP-1 Agents That Are Being Used For Alcohol Use Treatment
By now, many people have heard about GLP-1, but they don’t realize there are different types of GLP-1 medications. Because GLP-1 looks so promising as an alcohol use treatment, a variety of GLP-1 agents are being researched. They include:
Semaglutide
The GLP-1 agent that shows the most promise for reducing alcohol use is semaglutide. It’s already FDA-approved to treat obesity, type 2 diabetes, and most recently, fatty liver disease. Small clinical studies looking specifically at alcohol use disorder have found that semaglutide reduces alcohol cravings. And while the number of drinking days weren’t significantly reduced, the number of drinks consumed on drinking days was. There are medical observations that suggest semaglutide reduces alcohol-related hospitalizations.
These early clinical studies have been small. The next step is conducting studies on a larger scale to see if the outcomes can be replicated with a bigger cohort.
Liraglutide
After semaglutide, liraglutide is the GLP-1 with the best potential of being a treatment option. It too is currently used for weight loss and managing diabetes. Some preclinical trials have found that liraglutide use reduces drinking and alcohol-related incidences like hospitalization.
Exenatide
Although exenatide has been shown to be effective for treating type 2 diabetes, that’s not the case with alcohol use disorder. So far, studies haven’t proven that taking exenatide will reduce the number of heavy drinking days. However, research has continued since exenatide could possibly lead to alcohol cue reactivity.
Dulaglutide
Dulaglutide is another GLP-1 that is used to treat diabetes. While it’s been included in observational studies, this type of GLP-1 agent hasn’t been studied much specifically for alcohol use outcomes.
Could Dual GLP-1/GIP Receptor Agonists Be Better at Reducing Alcohol Use?
There is a new class of GLP-1 medications that are beginning to emerge. They are called GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists. They combine GLP-1 with other receptor agonists with GIP activation to make the effects more targeted or broader.
GLP-1 Receptor - Linked to appetite, reward modulation and reward-related brain circuits
GIP Receptor - Gut hormone receptor involved in metabolism and energy balance
While more in-depth clinical trials are needed, pre-clinical findings suggest that dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists could be even better at curbing alcohol cravings and preventing relapse compared with GLP-1-only drugs like semaglutide. Dual agonists have demonstrated stronger metabolic effects from synergistic incretin activity.
Tirzepatide
There are ongoing clinical studies for a GLP-1/GIP called tirzepatide that are directly related to alcohol use. For example, tirzepatide is being studied for its ability to treat fatty liver disease, a condition that is common among chronic drinkers.
What to Consider Before Taking GLP-1 Medication For Alcohol Treatment
GLP-1 medications are getting more targeted, but at the moment they have a number of effects that happen simultaneously. To many people, the all-around effects of a GLP-1 boost are a big benefit.
For anyone who needs insulin regulation along with help curbing alcohol cravings, semaglutide could prove to be a great option. Treating multiple conditions with a single medication is always the best case scenario.
However, there are some instances where GLP-1 medication may not be the best solution.
Naltrexone Could Be the Better Option If . . .
If you’re allergic to GLP-1 semaglutide, experience adverse side effects from these medications or don’t want to potentially drop weight, you may want to consider naltrexone instead. Online prescription naltrexone is a once a day tablet that’s been proven effective at treating alcohol use disorder and helping people drink less.
Some of the results for GLP-1 medications that were used to help people drink less still fall short of what’s possible with naltrexone. If you want more assurance, naltrexone treatment is the better option of the two.
You can find out if either medication will benefit your situation by taking our Alcohol Use Assessment. It only takes a few minutes and is completely confidential.
