Ozempic, also known as semaglutide, is commonly prescribed for diabetes and obesity management. Its popularity has gained an immense following. One of its significant advantages for patients is the once-per-week injection.
Much has been known about the weight loss effects of semaglutide, which is now considered one of the top choices for overweight or obesity management by doctors.
Common side effects involve the gastrointestinal system, and patients can report nausea, early fullness, diarrhea and constipation. Similar drugs include tirzepatide (Mounjaro; Zepbound) and liraglutide (Saxenda; Victoza).
Several anecdotes by patients on Ozempic reported a reduced desire to smoke. So researchers set out to examine if there was any fact behind these claims.
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In a study published in July, doctors reviewed a database of electronic health records belonging to 222,942 people who were identified as smokers and who were recently started on diabetic medications.
They divided the people into two groups: one on semaglutide and the other on alternate diabetes medications such as metformin, insulins and other GLP-1 agonists similar to Ozempic. The average age of the participants was 59 years old. Women were half of the group.
Although the researchers evaluated numerous comparisons, they focused on smoking cessation in three forms:
Visits for smoking cessation.
Prescriptions for smoking cessation.
Counseling for smoking cessation.
Patients who were smokers had fewer visits to the doctor for smoking cessation medications, visits and counseling sessions compared to those not on Ozempic.
Not all studies are perfect. This study’s flaws include a relatively short follow-up period of 12 months. Changes were more significant in the first 30 days but seemed more modest afterward. Also, the effect compared to similar drugs such as tirzepatide and liraglutide was only mildly better.
Since the follow-up period was 12 months, no conclusion can be made on the results with increasing follow-up time.
Also, the study did not evaluate what happened to patients’ smoking desires after they stopped the Ozempic.
Although semaglutide is not known or labeled as a smoking cessation medication, participants of the study were found to have a reduced desire to smoke in terms of prescriptions, counseling and visits.
More research needs to be done before concluding whether or not there is a definite link between taking Ozempic and quitting smoking. Also, with additional analyses, doctors will be able to conclude whether Ozempic can add another benefit to its growing fame.
Sources: Wang W, Volkow ND, Berger NA, Davis PB, Kaelber DC, Xu R. Association of Semaglutide With Tobacco Use Disorder in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Target Trial Emulation Using Real-World Data. Ann Intern Med. Published online July 30, 2024. doi:10.7326/M23-2718.
Dr. Naznin Jamal is a Jefferson Regional Medical Center hospitalist.