Significant Decrease in Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms Secondary to Semaglutide Therapy for Weight Loss: A Case Series
Abstract
Despite being a major cause of preventable death worldwide, alcohol use disorder (AUD) currently has only 3 FDA-approved pharmacotherapies. The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) semaglutide has shown promise in preclinical studies for reducing alcohol consumption, but there are currently no randomized clinical trials that associate a decline in AUD symptoms with semaglutide use. This case series presents 6 patients with positive AUD screenings who were treated with semaglutide for weight loss. All subsequently exhibited significant improvement in AUD symptoms. test was utilized to compare initial AUDIT scores with AUDIT scores after initiation of semaglutide therapy. < .001). This case series is consistent with preclinical data and suggests that GLP-1RAs have strong potential in the treatment of AUD. Additional randomized, placebo-controlled clinical studies are needed to fully assess the efficacy of semaglutide in treating AUD.
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In a case series of six patients treated with semaglutide for weight loss, all six experienced a significant reduction in AUD symptomatology, with a mean decrease of 9.5 points on AUDIT (p < 0.001).
“The results showed that all six patients experienced a significant reduction in AUD symptomatology, as evidenced by an improvement in AUDIT scores (mean decrease of 9.5 points, p < 0.001) following semaglutide therapy”
From A Narrative Review of Current and Emerging Trends in the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (2024) · cites this paper as [102]
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- Authors
- Richards, J. R., Dorand, M. F., Royal, K., Mnajjed, L., Paszkowiak, M., & Simmons, W. K.
- Affiliations
- University of Oklahoma - Tulsa (US)
- University of Oklahoma (US)
- Oklahoma State University (US)
- Venue
- The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc
- Published
- 2023-11-27
- Volume
- 85
- Issue
- 1
- ISSN
- 0160-6689 (ISSN-L)
- 1555-2101
- OpenAlex
- W4388921295
- Cited by
- 59
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 16
- FWCI
- 11.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Pharmacology and Obesity Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
- Keywords
- alcoholism, semaglutide, GLP-1 receptor agonists, weight loss, alcohol consumption reduction, auditing, pharmacotherapy, obesity
- MeSH terms
- Semaglutide, Alcohol Drinking, Alcoholism, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Humans, Hypoglycemic Agents, Retrospective Studies, Weight Loss
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