![]() ![]() Originally developed for diabetes, semaglutide prompts the pancreas to release insulin by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide 1. The history of semaglutide is one of welcome surprises. This drug that so powerfully suppresses the desire to eat could end up suppressing the desire for a whole lot more. At UNC, in fact, Hendershot is now running clinical trials to see whether semaglutide can help people quit drinking alcohol and smoking. The science is still far from settled, though researchers are keen to find out more. But semaglutide could one day be more widely useful, as this class of drug may alter the brain’s fundamental reward circuitry. Treatments available today tend to be specific: methadone for opioids, bupropion for smoking. Semaglutide and its chemical relatives seem to work, at least in animals, against an unusually broad array of addictive drugs, says Christian Hendershot, a psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. For years now, scientists have been testing whether drugs similar to semaglutide can curb the use of alcohol, cocaine, nicotine, and opioids in lab animals-to promising results. And the spate of anecdotes might really be onto something. Not everyone on the drug experiences these positive effects, to be clear, but enough that addiction researchers are paying attention. They have reported losing interest in a whole range of addictive and compulsive behaviors: drinking, smoking, shopping, biting nails, picking at skin. It was like a switch had flipped in her brain.Īs semaglutide has skyrocketed in popularity, patients have been sharing curious effects that go beyond just appetite suppression. For the first time-perhaps the first time in her whole life-all of her cravings and impulses were gone. The desire to drink, extinguished once, did not rush in as a replacement either. But most surprisingly, she walked out of Target one day and realized her cart contained only the four things she came to buy. (Colloquially, it is often referred to as Ozempic, though that is technically just the brand name for semaglutide that is marketed for diabetes treatment.) Her food thoughts quieted down. When she ran errands at Target, she would impulsively throw extra things-candles, makeup, skin-care products-into her cart.Įarlier this year, she began taking semaglutide, also known as Wegovy, after being prescribed the drug for weight loss. “I couldn’t stop from going to that extreme,” she told me. She would spend $500 on organic groceries, only to have them go bad in her fridge. After she got sober in her early 30s, she replaced drinking with food and shopping, which she thought about constantly. Sign up for it here.Īll her life, Victoria Rutledge thought of herself as someone with an addictive personality. The 2-hour working bee will be followed by a free barbecue lunch.This article was featured in One Story to Read Today, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a single must-read from The Atlantic, Monday through Friday. To volunteer or register your property, contact Emily Kakoschke via or phone 8658 1086. “Working together with the community gives us the best chance of making this happen.” “Nelshaby Reserve is connected to the southern part of Wirrabara Range Conservation Park, so it’s important to stop this weed in its tracks,” said Ms Kakoschke. The working bee aims to create a buffer zone around Nelshaby and Napperby near the lower Flinders Ranges. Land owners can also register for cactus control works to be completed on their property during the working bee. Volunteers, who will receive equipment, herbicide and cactus injection training, will help target cacti along the roadside, on registered residential properties and in Nelshaby Reserve. The Northern and Yorke Landscape Board, working with Port Pirie Regional Council, will host a cactus injection working bee at Lawrie Park in Nelshaby on Friday, 24 February, between 10am and 1pm. “If you’re a resident of Napperby or Nelshaby, or a community member with a few hours to spare, please join us to learn some simple ways to control this damaging pest plant.” “These nasty weeds can multiply and spread across the landscape, so we’re in need of community help to stop them getting into gardens and bushland,” she said. Landscape Officer Emily Kakoschke from the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board said it is important to get on top of Opuntia cactus before it spreads and causes damage to properties and nearby national parks. The discovery of an invasive, prickly weed creeping into Nelshaby Reserve has sparked a community call out to help target declared cacti in the area. ![]()
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