MORE COMING UP.BOUT
THESE DIABETES AND WEIGHT LOSS
LOCATIONS.
THEY WORK.
FOR SOME PEOPLE IT HAS BEEN
COMPLETELY LIFE CHANGING.ES.
EFTD
EVIDENCE IS MOSTLY ANECDOTAL.
>> IT APPEARS TO HAVE BROAD
BENEFIT ACROSS A VARIETY OF
BEHAVIORAL ADDICTIONS AS WELL AS
DRUG-BASED ADDICTION.
>> Reporter: NEUROROW SCIENTIST
SAYS ALTHOUGH THE RESEARCH IS IN
ITS EARLY STAGES, THERE IS A GROW ING
GROWING SENSE. FROM CRAVINGS.
SHE SAID 5% HAVE DESCRIBED A
PROBLEM.
>> OH, I THINK IT WOULD BE HUGE.
MANY OF MY PATIENTS THAT HAVE
OBESITY ALSO HAVE A HISTORY OF
ALCOHOL USE DISORDER.
>> Reporter: TWO DRUGS ALREADY
SUCCESSFULLY TREATING DIABETES
NOW SHOWING THEY COULD DO A
WHOLE LOT MORE.
>> Reporter: JUST LAST WEEK,
RESEARCHERS AT THE NATIONAL
INSTITUTES OF HEALTH RELEASED A
STUDY SHOWING THE ACTIVE
COMPOUND IN OZEMPIC REDUCED
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION IN RODENTS,
BUT WE STILL DON’T KNOW THE
LONG-TERM IMPACTS ABOUT THIS AND
MORE EVIDENCE IS NEEDED TO MAKE
ANY CLINICAL CONCLUSIONS ABOUT
THEIR EFFECTIVENESS AS AN
ADDICTION TREATMENT.
>> VERY INTERESTING, THOUGH.
STEPHANIE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
LET’S TURN TO A
GASTROENTEROLOGIST AND ASSOCIATE
PROFESSOR AT NYU.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS?
IT IS INTERESTING, ISN’T IT?
>> IT IS INTERESTING.
AS WE KNOW, THIS SORT OF DRUG
HAS BECOME ALL THE RAGE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TAKING IT.
SOME OFF LABEL.
WHAT WE’RE FINDING IS WITH THIS
PATIENTS TAKING THESE INJECTIONS
FOR DIABETES AND WEIGHT LOSS,
SOME PERCENTAGE ARE NOTICING
CHANGES IN OTHER BEHAVIORS.
AND SPECIFICALLY ADDICTIVE
THINGS LIKE ADDICTION TO
ALCOHOL, TO NAIL BITING TO
SMOKING, EVEN SHOPPING IN SOME
CASES.
SO AN INTERESTING AREA OF
EXPLORATION
EXPLORATION.
HOW IS THIS WORKING?
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BRAIN
BECAUSE THEY SAY IT BLUNTS THE
PRODUCTION OF DOPAMINE.
AND DOPAMINE IS THE THING THAT
MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD AND EXCITED
AND MAKES YOU WANT TO REPEAT THE
BEHAVIOR.
IF IT BLUNTS IT THERE, IT
DOESN’T SPECIFICALLY BLUNT IT
FOR ALCOHOL.
DOES IT BLUNT IT FOR ALL THE
THINGS YOU HAVE?
>> THAT IS THE THEORY.
THAT’S PARTLY WHY IT WORKS FOR
WEIGHT LOSS BECAUSE IF YOU ARE
NOT GETTING AS MUCH PLEASURE
FROM FOOD, YOU WILL NOT BE
MOTIVATED TO EAT AS MUCH.
IT ALSO GIVES YOU A FEELING OF
FULLNESS.
IT SLOWS DOWN THE PASSAGE OF
FOOD IN YOUR STOMACH.
YES, THAT IS ONE OF THE COMMON
PATHWAYS FOR MANY TYPES OF
ADDICTION THAT YOU WANT MORE AND
MORE OF THAT DOPAMINE FEELING.
IF YOU ARE BLOCKING IT, YOU ARE
NOT GETTING THE SAME HIGH FROM
THAT DRUG.
>> WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THESE TWO
DRUGS.
THERE IS ANOTHER DRUG CALLED
MINJARO AS WELL.
ORIGINALLY PREDIABETICS WERE
PRESCRIBED THIS DRUG.
THEN IT WAS PRESCRIBED FOR
WEIGHT LOSS.
HOW DID WE MAKE THIS LEAP?
>> THIS HAPPENS A LOT IN
MEDICINE WHERE PEOPLE ARE TAKING
ONE DRUG FOR A SPECIFIC, YOU
KNOW, CONDITION THAT IT IS
IMPROVED FOR AND THEN WE NOTICE
LO AND BEHOLD THEY’RE HAVING
THESE OTHER EFFECTS THAT ARE
BENEFICIAL.
THAT’S WHERE WE ARE.
WE’RE IN THE RESEARCH STAGE.
WE NOTICED THIS INTERESTING
PHENOMENON.
WE HAVE SOME ANIMAL STUDIES, BUT
IT IS TIME TO DO THE HUMAN
STUDIES WITH THESE MEDICATIONS.
WE WILL NEED TO SEE THE CLINICAL
RESULTS THERE.
YOU KNOW, IT IS SOMETHING THAT’S
REALLY INTERESTING AND ONE DAY