Fat Jabs May Cure Cocaine Addiction and Boost Heart Health, New Study Finds

What if the same jab that helps you lose weight could also help you kick a cocaine habit? Sounds wild, but a new study, published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports, says that might actually be possible. The popular weight loss drug semaglutide, known under names like Ozempic and Wegovy, isn’t just shrinking waistlines. It is now showing serious potential for treating cocaine addiction and even boosting heart health.

A 54-year-old man with a long-term cocaine habit and obesity got weekly semaglutide shots for three months. His weight dropped by 13 kilos, and more importantly, his urge to use cocaine fell by 60%. One injection, two massive wins.

Weight Loss Jabs May Rewire Addiction Pathways

Weight loss drugs like semaglutide weren’t designed for this. Originally meant to help manage diabetes and obesity, these jabs work by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1. That hormone affects appetite, but it also tweaks brain circuits tied to reward and craving.

Researchers found that semaglutide messes with the same dopamine pathways that cocaine hijacks. These are the circuits that make you chase that next high. By dialing them down, the drug could make cocaine less tempting.

Animal studies back this up. Rats given semaglutide showed a 26% drop in cocaine-seeking behavior. Even after forced abstinence, their drive to relapse was cut in half. That is a huge deal in addiction science. Rats don’t lie, after all!

Vibe / Unsplash / The man in the case study had a BMI over 35. Obesity and substance use disorders often go together. Both tap into similar brain systems that push people toward quick rewards.

When you treat one, you might help the other. Semaglutide doesn’t just help people lose weight. It changes how they think about reward, be it food, drugs, or anything that lights up the pleasure centers. That could explain why it is working for both problems at once.

A Game-Changer in a Field With No FDA Options

There are zero FDA-approved drugs for cocaine addiction right now. People struggling with it usually get therapy, support groups, or detox programs. That is it. No reliable medications like we have for opioids or alcohol.

If semaglutide continues to show results, it could become the first real drug-based treatment for cocaine addiction. That would be a massive breakthrough. Millions of people suffer from cocaine use disorder, and many relapse because current methods are not enough.

Freepik / Weight loss injections like semaglutide may also help with other addictions. Early research hints at reduced drinking in people with alcohol use disorder.

Some smokers report fewer cravings, too. The idea is that the drug resets how the brain responds to all sorts of rewards, not just food or cocaine.

That is why scientists are so excited. If this works, it could give us one medication that tackles multiple forms of addiction. Not just treating the symptom, but the root cause: how the brain chases pleasure.

Still, this is early data. Most of the results come from animal models or single-case studies. We need full-scale human trials before we can say for sure. But the signs are promising.

Like any drug, semaglutide is not perfect. It can cause nausea, digestive problems, and in rare cases, pancreatitis. People with a history of certain cancers may need to avoid it. And when you are talking about using it for addiction, those risks need to be weighed carefully.