![\"STYLE\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/newsletter_style_embed_desktop.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In 2024, around 5 per cent of Britons had used an injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, a medication known under brand names such as Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro<\/a>. The drugs work by mimicking the hormone GLP-1 to slow down digestion<\/a> and lower appetite, which can lead to significant weight loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n But alongside the well-documented weight-loss effects, emerging scientific research<\/a> has indicated that the medication may have other potential benefits, from reducing addictive behaviours to lowering the risk of Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a breakdown of some of Ozempic<\/a>\u2019s unexpected side effects:<\/p>\n Reducing addictive behaviours<\/p>\n Research has found that weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic may help curb addictive behaviours, such as alcohol addiction. One 2025 study<\/a>, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, found that semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic) reduced cravings in people with alcohol use disorder. <\/p>\n Semaglutide is a medication that mimics a natural hormone to help regulate blood sugar and reduce appetite. It’s used to treat type 2 diabetes<\/a> and support weight loss.<\/p>\n The findings followed a 2024 study<\/a>, published in the scientific journal Addiction, revealing that people taking Ozempic (or a similar medication) appeared to have a 40 per cent lower rate of opioid<\/a> overdose.<\/p>\n \u201cBy modulating dopamine<\/a> release, these medications appear to reduce cravings for alcohol, nicotine<\/a>, ultra-processed foods<\/a>, and even compulsive behaviours,\u201d Dr Tamsin Lewis, founder of the London-based personalised healthcare service, Wellgevity,<\/a> told the Standard.<\/p>\n She said she had observed this anecdotally in patients and that animal studies backed it up. \u201cThis may be one of the most powerful aspects of these medications for long-term behaviour change,\u201d Dr Lewis added.<\/p>\n Lowering Alzheimer’s disease and dementia risk<\/strong><\/p>\n Research has indicated that taking GLP-1 drugs can also lower the risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease and dementia.<\/p>\n According to a 2024 study<\/a>, semaglutide was associated with a 40 per cent to 70 per cent lower risk of an Alzheimer\u2019s diagnosis over three years compared with other diabetes treatments.<\/p>\n \u201cThis may be linked to reduced insulin resistance, which is increasingly being recognised as a driver of brain ageing,\u201d said Dr Lewis.<\/p>\n Helping with ADHD symptoms<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>This connection is based on the drug’s potential effects on brain function and neurotransmitter regulation, which could be beneficial in managing ADHD<\/a> symptoms [such as impulsivity and difficulty with focus],\u201d he told the Standard.<\/p>\n However, Dr Najjar emphasised that there is limited research in this area and \u201cmore studies are needed to establish the direct result of GLP-1 medication and ADHD\u201d.<\/p>\n Research has found that weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic may help curb addictive behaviours<\/p>\n Unsplash<\/p>\n Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt appears to reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, and improve endothelial function \u2014 all of which support vascular health<\/a>,\u201d Dr Lewis told the Standard.<\/p>\n Lowering depression and anxiety<\/strong><\/p>\n GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic have been linked<\/a> to a reduction in diagnoses of depression<\/a> and anxiety<\/a>. \u201cGLP-1s slow gastric emptying and reduce gut inflammation, but they also influence vagal signalling and brain function via the gut-brain axis,\u201d said Dr Lewis. <\/p>\n \u201cSome patients report greater calm, satiety and mental clarity on these medications \u2014 although side effects like nausea and constipation need careful management.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In 2024, around 5 per cent of Britons had used an injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36164,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4315],"tags":[967,105,4326,370,2343,16,15,19458,734],"class_list":{"0":"post-36163","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-diabetes","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-medication","11":"tag-ozempic","12":"tag-research","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-weight","16":"tag-weight-loss"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114371521625844535","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"adhd](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/axville-JB7dRB6gUmY-unsplash.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n