Can Popular Weight-Loss Medications Help Curb Your Smoking Habit?

A recent study is raising hopes that semaglutide, a drug used for weight loss in medications like Wegovy and Ozempic, could also assist people in quitting smoking. The research, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Monday, reveals that semaglutide might lower the need for smoking cessation medications and counselling.

The study analysed data from 222,942 new users of anti-diabetes drugs, including semaglutide and seven other medications. All participants had Type 2 diabetes and struggled with tobacco use disorder. Researchers observed that the benefits of semaglutide became noticeable within 30 days of starting the medication.

Although it's too soon to recommend semaglutide specifically for quitting smoking, the findings suggest that further research could explore its potential in treating tobacco use disorder. This isn't the first time that drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic have been linked to reduced cravings for substances like nicotine, alcohol, and even opioids.

Dr. Tamika Henry from the Unlimited Health Institute in California explains that these drugs may affect the brain’s reward centres, which release dopamine, a feel-good hormone. "When we think about the reward centres, it releases dopamine, which is our feel-good hormone. So what happens is, when you do a certain activity, dopamine surges - and you're like, 'Oh, I want to keep doing that,' whether that's indulging in alcohol, nicotine or even gambling," she said. "How Ozempic works is, it decreases the surge of dopamine, and therefore the desire for that particular activity is decreased."

However, Dr. Henry cautions that using semaglutide for purposes beyond weight loss could have side effects, such as nausea, heartburn, or fatigue. "As you're thinking about decreasing an addiction, yes, you want to do that, but is there also going to be some association with nausea? Are you also going to have problems with heartburn, or fatigue?" she said.