In findings that could put El Paso on the national research map, UTEP scientists report that adults prescribed GLP-1 medications, the class that includes semaglutide (Ozempic), were far less likely to be diagnosed with alcohol, opioid, nicotine, or cocaine use disorders than similar patients who did not take the drugs. The team compared roughly 20,000 people using GLP-1s with matched peers drawn from more than 142,000 adults with obesity or type 2 diabetes, making the results especially notable for a study led out of UTEP’s School of Pharmacy.
The paper, headed by UTEP School of Pharmacy researchers Tadesse Abegaz and Gabriel Frietze, was published on March 10 in Frontiers in Psychiatry. Using the NIH All of Us electronic health dataset, the team ran a nested case-control analysis and found that GLP-1 exposure was associated with 74% lower odds of alcohol use disorder, 69% lower odds of opioid use disorder, 68% lower odds of nicotine use disorder, and 75% lower odds of cocaine use disorder compared with non-users. Their analytic sample totaled 142,349 eligible adults, including about 20,000 with documented GLP-1 prescriptions, according to Frontiers in Psychiatry.
Researchers Urge Caution
The UTEP authors say the numbers are striking, but they are not calling Ozempic or other GLP-1 drugs addiction cures. The findings do not prove the medications prevent substance use disorders, and the team is warning against prescribing them for that purpose right now. As reported by KFOX14, lead author Tadesse Abegaz said the group plans prospective research that will follow people as they start GLP-1 therapy. Co-author Gabriel Frietze added that “we do not support prescribing these medications for addiction treatment at this time.”
How This Fits With Other Research
The UTEP findings line up with a growing body of observational work that is pointing in the same direction. Large cohort studies have linked GLP-1 use to lower rates of several substance-use outcomes. A national VA study of more than 600,000 veterans published in The BMJ reported similar associations across alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, and opioid categories, giving researchers more reason to test these medications in randomized trials. Experts stress that observational links cannot prove cause and effect, and say trial data are needed to clarify safety and who might actually benefit.
Early Clues About Mechanism And Next Steps
Early lab and clinical findings, along with the UTEP analysis, hint at why GLP-1 drugs might affect substance use. GLP-1 signaling appears to alter brain reward circuits, blunting dopamine-driven craving and reward-seeking in animal models and small human studies. The Frontiers in Psychiatry paper highlights these possible mechanisms and calls for prospective follow-up. The authors say their next goal is to track substance-use behaviors in people who begin GLP-1 treatment to see whether any changes emerge after therapy starts. Those prospective studies, they argue, will be essential before clinicians even consider repurposing these drugs for addiction care.
What It Means Locally
For El Paso clinicians and patients, the work is a reminder that local researchers are helping shape national conversations about GLP-1 medications far beyond weight loss. UTEP’s lead authors emphasize that the current findings are an early signal that could someday contribute to new treatments for substance-use disorders, but only if randomized trials confirm both benefit and safety. Until then, they say, prescribers should stick with standard care and continue talking through risks and benefits with each patient one-on-one.
