EL PASO — A study led by researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso found GLP-1 medications are associated with lower odds of substance use disorders among patients with type 2 diabetes or obesity. The findings were published in Frontiers in Psychiatry.

The study, led by Tadesse Abegaz, Ph.D., and Gabriel Frietze, Ph.D., from the UTEP School of Pharmacy, examined more than 142,000 cases of patients. Around 20,000 of these patients were prescribed GLP-1 medications. Patient data for the study was provided by the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research program.

The research indicated that GLP-1 medication use is associated with a 74% lower odds of alcohol use disorder. It also found associations with a 69% lower odds of opioid use disorder, a 68% lower odds of nicotine use disorder, and a 75% lower odds of cocaine use disorder. GLP-1 medications were originally developed for treating obesity and diabetes.

"Our findings add to growing evidence that GLP-1 medications may influence more than appetite and blood sugar regulation," Abegaz said. "These medications appear to affect brain pathways involved in reward and craving, which could help explain the lower rates of substance use disorders observed in our study." He added, "Our next goal is to conduct prospective research that follows individuals initiating GLP-1 therapy over time. We aim to evaluate whether changes in the substance use behaviors occur after treatment begins and whether these changes related to improvements in mental health and quality of life."

"We do not support prescribing these medications for addiction treatment at this time," Frietze said. "Because this was an observational study in a specific clinical population, randomized clinical trials are needed before GLP-1 medications can be recommended for treating addiction." Paul Chandler, bariatric surgery director at Novant Health, said, "The future of treatment for obesity is multidisciplinary, comprehensive approach where it's medicine, it's nutrition, it's exercise, it's mental health, and also surgery in there."