Significant Decrease in Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms Secondary to Semaglutide Therapy for Weight Loss
Jesse R. Richards, Madisen Fae Dorand, Kyleigh Royal, Lana Mnajjed, Maria Paszkowiak, W. Kyle Simmons
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.