Could GLP-1s Help Treat Addiction?

from Public Health On Call · host Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

About this episode: As GLP-1 use surges among U.S. adults for weight loss and diabetes management, researchers are exploring whether these medications could play a role in treating substance use disorders. In this episode: an addiction medicine doctor gives a research update, discusses promising early results, and ponders the larger questions these treatments pose about satiety. Guest: Dr. Sarah S. Kawasaki is the director of addiction medicine services at the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute and an assistant professor of psychiatry at PennState Health. (Full disclosure: Public Health On Call Host Dr. Josh Sharfstein is the proud brother of Dr. Kawasaki) Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: Can Ozempic Cure Addiction?—The New Yorker Could popular weight loss drugs become the new treatment for addiction? Evidence is starting to mount—CNN Efficacy of the GLP-1 receptor agonist, semaglutide, in abstinence from illicit and nonprescribed opioids in an outpatient population with OUD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial protocol—Addiction Science & Clinical Practice Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @‌PublicHealthPod on Instagram @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.