How a weight loss drug is helping a NJ nurse overcome addiction

Popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic might be able to help with substance abuse, according to new research on people addicted to opioids and alcohol.
Routine checkups for Brandon Downey, a South Jersey nurse who’s taking Wegovy to lose weight, show a positive trend.
“It curbs my appetite, so I don’t feel hungry as often and I choose better meals,” Downey said.
The weight loss drugs are blockbusters, helping millions shed pounds. And now, research released Thursday shows they might also be able to help with substance abuse.
The study published in the journal Addiction covered 1.3 million people who used opioids and alcohol for nine years.
It found 40% fewer opioid overdoses and a 50% drop in alcohol intoxication. 
Dr. Gaurav Sharma, of Virtua Health, said more research is needed, but the medications appear to work on brain chemicals that control addictions to food, drugs and alcohol.
“This is gonna be a game changer for patients,” Sharma said. 
“These medications go in the brain and act also on suppressing the craving,” Sharma said.
It’s something Downey says he has struggled with for years — addiction to both food and alcohol. The 39-year-old says he’s sober now, and he believes Wegovy is helping him stay that way. 
“I don’t have to fight my brain as much for holding back those cravings,” he said. “I think it just curbs your thought process.”
Downey is thrilled to finally have something he thinks is helping with both addictions, which he says has transformed him physically and mentally.
“I like to see the before and after pictures,” Downey said. “It shows how far I’ve come because now I don’t really recognize that person.”
Doctors caution it’s unclear if there could be unknown dangers linked to the weight loss drugs that will only come with more long term research.