GLP-1 meds to treat drug or alcohol addiction for people who are not overweight

[Anonymous]

My partner is at a “healthy” weight (diet, exercise and genetics). However she is an addict to both alcohol and prescription drugs.

She’s tried rehab twice times and relapsed both times pretty quickly. She’s mostly functional as an addict, she has a good job and we do love each other, but she clearly wants to break the addictions and I want to help her in any way I can.

We have read about GLP medications being used to treat addictions and were wondering if anyone here had experience using them for addiction while not needing or wanting to lose weight.

Any experience you have and any referrals you have to docs in the area who might be able to help would be greatly appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Has she tried any of the three medications that are approved for alcohol use disorder? Gabapentin is also used off label for this. I have heard that GLPs are good for curbing alcohol cravings, but I'm in recovery myself and don't know anyone who has been prescribed a GLP just for that. Did she follow up rehab with PHP or IOP? Most people need a step down with accountability (testing) built in. Meetings are also free and can be good.

[Anonymous]

Vivitrol

[Anonymous]

The post did an article on this today. I don’t know how to post this without the paywall but found it interesting.

Wanted to bump this in case anyone has experience with using these meds for addiction and if you can refer a doctor in the DMV area who would consider this:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/11/16/glp1-weight-loss-addiction-drug-alcohol/

[Anonymous]

Naltrexone is prescribed specifically for alcohol addiction. Look up Sinclair Method.

Wellbutrin is also thought to help.

GLP-1s have a good deal of side effects in addition to the weight loss aspect, so I don't know if I'd go that route.

I am alcohol free a little over 3 years now. I am on Wellbutrin and also lost 70lbs on Zepbound. I think both might have helped with staying alcohol free. I don't know that either would have helped my stop drinking in the first place. For me, that was a mental switch flipping. But anything is worth trying in order to beat addiction.

I wish your partner the very best.

[Anonymous]

They are studying this. Not approved for it yet, and I'm not familiar with any doctors prescribing it off label for addiction. Yet.

[Anonymous]

There are already approved meds to help with alcohol addiction. Your wife's PCP can prescribe these or if you take your wife to the emergency room they will prescribe one of the approved meds. Even a walk in clinic will prescribe these to alcoholics.

Has she talked to her PCP about a med? She does not need to go to a specialist. Naltrexone one of several prescribed specifically for alcohol addiction.

Is your wife working a recovery program? That is key in conjunction with the meds.

Alcoholics are functional until they are not. Alcohol killed my brother at age 50.

Take this seriously. Go to her PCP, a walk in clinic, or the emergency room and get something prescribed.

Check out AlAnon for yourself.

[Anonymous]

I’ll bite! I didn’t weigh too much and got it for alcohol addiction. It hasn’t made me want to stop drinking alcohol. But I only can have one glass of wine, one mixed drink or one beer. I’m too full to drink more than that and it’s enough to take the edge off from a stressful day. Previously I liked at least 3-5. I do not crave it either and only drink 1-2x a week and only one drink. I’m hoping that only having so little will help me taper down naturally and help my body get used to not drinking. I didn’t drink a massive amount but I couldn’t stop when I wanted to.

I’ve also read a lot of reports of improved liver function on glp, and it’s not just because people drank less.

I got a compounded. I would suggest she go for it now because November and December are big drinking holidays. I even found January to be very depressing. Wellbutrin did not work for me, but I couldn’t get a doctor to prescribe naltrexone since I can’t be honest with them about my drinking. I think Wellbutrin plus Nax is effective.

About being smaller… I have lost about 15 lbs which puts me at the bottom of my bmi now. It is about half a pound a week. I just make sure to eat normal, healthy meals. I think most of the weight loss very overweight people have is because it’s super easy to just not eat until dinner. The more you eat the more you definitely won’t want alcohol. Too full! You can eat even if you’re not interested in food to maintain your body weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are studying this. Not approved for it yet, and I'm not familiar with any doctors prescribing it off label for addiction. Yet.

What? Of course there are. Go to any med spa or online doctor and get a script for compounded. As long as you aren’t underweight you will get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bite! I didn’t weigh too much and got it for alcohol addiction. It hasn’t made me want to stop drinking alcohol. But I only can have one glass of wine, one mixed drink or one beer. I’m too full to drink more than that and it’s enough to take the edge off from a stressful day. Previously I liked at least 3-5. I do not crave it either and only drink 1-2x a week and only one drink. I’m hoping that only having so little will help me taper down naturally and help my body get used to not drinking. I didn’t drink a massive amount but I couldn’t stop when I wanted to.

I’ve also read a lot of reports of improved liver function on glp, and it’s not just because people drank less.

I got a compounded. I would suggest she go for it now because November and December are big drinking holidays. I even found January to be very depressing. Wellbutrin did not work for me, but I couldn’t get a doctor to prescribe naltrexone since I can’t be honest with them about my drinking. I think Wellbutrin plus Nax is effective.

About being smaller… I have lost about 15 lbs which puts me at the bottom of my bmi now. It is about half a pound a week. I just make sure to eat normal, healthy meals. I think most of the weight loss very overweight people have is because it’s super easy to just not eat until dinner. The more you eat the more you definitely won’t want alcohol. Too full! You can eat even if you’re not interested in food to maintain your body weight.

I appreciate everyone’s replies but particularly this one. Thanks for sharing your experience (also want to thank the other posters who shared their experiences and eventually I’ll show this to her). My partner is not only addicted to alcohol but also to certain meds and probably marijuana. She does go a day without using at least two of those substances. I should have been more specific that it’s not just alcohol for her. I think she also has addictions to food but she seems to handle that ok, and if I had to guess it’s because the alcohol and meds or marijuana knock back her food cravings. Her biggest issue is that she’s at a healthy weight if not a little too underweight (in my opinion), if she was overweight it would be so much easier to get an rx and then see if it didn’t help with all her addictions.

[Anonymous]

Alcoholism is tough for women to kick. One reason is our smaller weight and one reason is the way we process alcohol.

Alcoholics are at risk of death from seizures from stopping drinking all of a sudden.

The meds approved for alcoholics also will minimize the risk of seizures from stopping to drink all of a sudden.

She really needs to talk to her primary care physician.

[Anonymous]

Following this for similar reasons as OP!

What does it take to justify a GLP-1 prescription? Can you say you want to drop 10 pounds?

[Anonymous]

I read an article that black beans help the body produce glp-1 naturally After adding black beans to my lunches/dinners plus a scoop of metamucil, I have lost all cravings for alcohol and much like previous poster, if I do have a beer, I can only drink one. Just something to try while you're waiting for a prescription

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bite! I didn’t weigh too much and got it for alcohol addiction. It hasn’t made me want to stop drinking alcohol. But I only can have one glass of wine, one mixed drink or one beer. I’m too full to drink more than that and it’s enough to take the edge off from a stressful day. Previously I liked at least 3-5. I do not crave it either and only drink 1-2x a week and only one drink. I’m hoping that only having so little will help me taper down naturally and help my body get used to not drinking. I didn’t drink a massive amount but I couldn’t stop when I wanted to.

I’ve also read a lot of reports of improved liver function on glp, and it’s not just because people drank less.

I got a compounded. I would suggest she go for it now because November and December are big drinking holidays. I even found January to be very depressing. Wellbutrin did not work for me, but I couldn’t get a doctor to prescribe naltrexone since I can’t be honest with them about my drinking. I think Wellbutrin plus Nax is effective.

About being smaller… I have lost about 15 lbs which puts me at the bottom of my bmi now. It is about half a pound a week. I just make sure to eat normal, healthy meals. I think most of the weight loss very overweight people have is because it’s super easy to just not eat until dinner. The more you eat the more you definitely won’t want alcohol. Too full! You can eat even if you’re not interested in food to maintain your body weight.

This is a great response. How did you get it prescribed? Or did you go through a normal doc/insurance or just pay through Her or similar?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are studying this. Not approved for it yet, and I'm not familiar with any doctors prescribing it off label for addiction. Yet.

What? Of course there are. Go to any med spa or online doctor and get a script for compounded. As long as you aren’t underweight you will get it.

"Go to any med spa or online doctor" to get treatment for substance use disorder is not a good idea.