Semaglutide begins trial for Cocaine addiction

Ghoul

Well-known Member
After anecdotal and observational reports of Semaglutide treated cocaine addicts significantly reducing or entirely stopping use, formal trials to evaluate its potential as a treatment for cocaine use disorder are approved and set to begin.


This follows successful trials demonstrating Sema's effective use in treating alcoholism, and strong evidence showing major drops in opioid use and overdose among populations being treated with GLP class medications.

In my opinion, many addictions are essentially "hijaking" the same potent mechanisms that evolved to influence energy intake behavior, aka "appetite", with "food noise", the colloquial term for the psychological drive to eat, often incessant despite having satisfied requirements, being silenced along with "coke noise", "nicotine noise", or "alcohol noise".
 
After anecdotal and observational reports of Semaglutide treated cocaine addicts significantly reducing or entirely stopping use, formal trials to evaluate its potential as a treatment for cocaine use disorder are approved and set to begin.


This follows successful trials demonstrating Sema's effective use in treating alcoholism, and strong evidence showing major drops in opioid use and overdose among populations being treated with GLP class medications.

In my opinion, many addictions are essentially "hijaking" the same potent mechanisms that evolved to influence energy intake behavior, aka "appetite", with "food noise", the colloquial term for the psychological drive to eat, often incessant despite having satisfied requirements, being silenced along with "coke noise", "nicotine noise", or "alcohol noise".

Very interesting. I expect results will be good based on the anecdotal data we have so far.

I know there are other GLP-1s that are better on paper for weight loss, but I wonder if this is an area where Semaglutide really shines. It may not be top of the pile for WL, but the consensus seems to be it is absolutely the best appetite suppressant.

Glad I bought the dip!
 
I'd be interested to see how semaglutide compares to tirzepatide with regards to anti-addiction properties? Do you happen to have any guess on this?

We know that GLP-1 is what helps and sema is a stronger glp1-r agonist. Do we have data on how much tirzepatide is needed to equal same glp1-r agonism with 1 mg semaglutide?

I always found sema to be stronger anti-addiction wise but could be that my tirzepatide dose was just too low In comparison.

Is tirzepatide just better tolerated because it needs lower overall glp1-r agonism to achieve same or better weight loss due to the additional gip agonism?
Or is the gip agonism making some of the glp1 associated side effects better?
 
I'd be interested to see how semaglutide compares to tirzepatide with regards to anti-addiction properties? Do you happen to have any guess on this?

We know that GLP-1 is what helps and sema is a stronger glp1-r agonist. Do we have data on how much tirzepatide is needed to equal same glp1-r agonism with 1 mg semaglutide?

I always found sema to be stronger anti-addiction wise but could be that my tirzepatide dose was just too low In comparison.

There's a chart floating around here showing relative strength of agonism between Sema, Tirz. and Reta.

The limiting factor preventing stronger agonism with the dual and triple agonists is actually a business/political one.

Drug companies have been limiting peptide design to 39 amino acids or less. More than that and they get diminished patent protection in comparison to other pharmaceuticals. This artificial "cap" came about in an obscure portion of Obamacare.

Sema is 31, Tirz 39, Reta 39
 
There's a chart floating around here showing relative strength of agonism between Sema, Tirz. and Reta.

The limiting factor preventing stronger agonism with the dual and triple agonists is actually a business/political one.

Drug companies have been limiting peptide design to 39 amino acids or less. More than that and they get diminished patent protection in comparison to other pharmaceuticals. This artificial "cap" came about in an obscure portion of Obamacare.

Sema is 31, Tirz 39, Reta 39
If you happen to find it again, I'd appreciate it very much! Thanks @Ghoul for your help!
 
Much about what is known about these metabolic hormones, GlP, GIP, etc is still hypothesis, and GLPs mechanism of action against addiction isn't entirely understood, but a picture is emerging that may, at least in part, explain it.

One rough definition of addiction is "a compulsion to engage in behavior despite knowing it's harmful".

Reduced blood flow in parts of the brain is associated with many addictive behaviors.

Things that reduce oxygen supply in the brain, like alcohol, are "disinhibiting", weakening so-called "willpower" to refrain from engaging in impulsive behavior.

GLP-1 agonism appears to strengthen the connection of Nuero Vascular Units, NVUs, to microscopic blood vessels. So when parts of the brain require more blood flow due to workload, nerves are better able to regulate blood vessels, signaling them to dilate, sending more blood to the areas requiring it.

My hypothesis is that perhaps what's happening isn't so much a reduction in the compulsion to engage in harmful behavior, but maintaining proper blood flow regulation in the brain, preventing the weakening of conscious control ("willpower"), that may be the way addiction grips a person and overwhelms their ability to resist.

Other benefits include an overall boost in brain health, and protection against degeneration, as this recent study found:

 
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