United States: A new study suggests and explores that using semaglutide might help reduce the substance use, including tobacco. still, experts advise that further exploration is required before recommending the drug for quitting smoking.
In a new study which is published on Monday in the journal Annals of the Internal Medicine experimenters tracked the medical records of the further than 200,000 people who started specifics to treat the type two diabetes which includes nearly 6,000 people using semaglutide specifics similar Ozempic
As reported by CNN, Over the course of a year, people who started using semaglutide were less likely to have the medical encounters for tobacco use disorders, prescriptions for medications for smoking cessation or counselling for smoking cessation than those who started other diabetes medications such as insulin and metformin.
Study Details and Findings
The specific study authors note that the reasons individuals might be less likely to seek medical treatment for tobacco use disorder vary widely; it could suggest that their tobacco use decreased or that they’ve become less willing to seek help to quit smoking, for example.
There is a possibility of these two things to be a mix of medication-driven and patient-driven change, said Dr. Disha Narang, an endocrinologist and director of obesity medicine at Endeavor Health in Chicago, who was not specifically involved in the new research.
Expert Opinions and Next Steps
As reported by CNN, “If I have a patient with type 2 diabetes who is on one of these agents and they do have a history of smoking, oftentimes, our visits involve a conversation about tobacco cessation,” she said.
“These folks might start paying special attention to their long-term health and changing some habits because they are being treated for diabetes.”
Also the new study basically did not measure the severity of tobacco use such as the total number of the cigarettes consumed per day, cravings or withdrawal.
Also knowing the semaglutide affects factors is “crucial” to determining whether the medications could be used for smoking cessation, said Dr. Nora Volkow who is the director or can say the chair of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and a co-author of the new report and also the more work would be needed to understand appropriate dosage and the adverse effects before using the block buster drugs in the new way she said.