Veteran data tie GLP-1 use to fewer overdoses and drug-related deaths

Analyses of veterans with pre-existing substance use disorders found that those taking GLP-1 receptor agonists had 30% fewer emergency department visits, 25% fewer hospitalizations, 40% fewer overdoses and 50% fewer drug-related deaths over three years compared with patients on other diabetes medicines ^[1]. The findings come from observational Veterans Affairs data and add to a growing body of research on GLP-1 drugs and addiction outcomes ^[1].

A separate study published in The BMJ in March 2026 looked at more than 600,000 veterans with Type 2 diabetes. Researchers at WashU Medicine in St. Louis found that GLP-1 users had a 14% lower risk of developing any substance use disorder than people on other diabetes drugs, with the size of the effect ranging from 14% to 25% depending on the substance involved ^[1].

More than 50 clinical trials examining GLP-1 drugs for addiction are currently registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, according to the same reporting ^[1]. Researchers say the drugs appear to act on the brain's reward system broadly, rather than targeting one specific substance. Adam Scioli, DO, former chief medical officer at Caron Treatment Centers, said the drugs seem to affect cravings for alcohol, opioids and possibly nicotine, and that they work differently than existing addiction medications that target a single receptor ^[1].

The interest in this area has already produced new care models. Quel Health, a Santa Fe, N.M.-based telehealth company, launched a platform built around using GLP-1 drugs in addiction care, available in 41 states and the District of Columbia as of September 2026, with national coverage planned by year-end ^[1]. Caron Treatment Centers, a founding partner of the platform, has treated more than 600 patients with GLP-1 receptor agonists for substance use disorder at its Pennsylvania and Florida campuses ^[1]. Steven Klein, MD, PhD, co-founder and chief medical officer of Quel Health, has worked with Caron on this approach ^[1].

No GLP-1 medication is FDA-approved to treat addiction. The drug class is currently approved in the United States for Type 2 diabetes, obesity or overweight, heart disease and kidney disease ^[1]. Use for substance use disorder would be off-label, meaning a prescriber uses an approved drug for a purpose the Food and Drug Administration has not cleared.

Why it matters for patients

For people managing substance use disorders, this research points to a possible added benefit of GLP-1 drugs beyond their approved uses in diabetes and weight management. But the numbers cited come from observational VA data, not from randomized controlled trials, so they show an association rather than proof that the drugs caused the drop in overdoses and deaths ^[1]. Other factors in this patient population could contribute to the difference.

Patients taking or considering GLP-1 drugs for diabetes or obesity who also have a substance use disorder may want to know that researchers are actively studying this connection, with over 50 trials now registered ^[1]. At the same time, because no GLP-1 drug carries FDA approval for addiction treatment, any use for that purpose today is off-label, and coverage, cost and long-term safety data specific to addiction treatment are not established in these sources.

What happens next

With more than 50 clinical trials on GLP-1s and addiction registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, results from randomized studies are expected to clarify whether the association seen in veteran data reflects a real treatment effect ^[1]. Quel Health has said it plans to expand its telehealth addiction platform to national coverage by the end of 2026 ^[1]. It is not yet known from these sources when, or whether, any GLP-1 drug might receive FDA approval for a substance use disorder indication.