An analysis in Stat shared recent findings from the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference that indicate liraglutide–the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medication used for weight loss—significantly reduced opioid cravings for patients in a small randomized controlled trial. The 20 patients used anti-obesity drugs for opioid use disorder for 3 weeks, and those using liraglutide experienced a 40% reduction in opioid cravings, even when the lowest dose was used.Â
Ramp up recovery: Buprenorphine is the go-to drug prescribed to treat opioid use disorder, and study subjects using buprenorphine and liraglutide together were more likely to report they had no cravings compared to the placebo group. They also reported lower gastrointestinal issues when using both drugs. Find out more about buprenorphine prescribing from the JUCM archive: The X-Waiver Is No More: What This Means For Urgent Care