An elite rehab center is using Ozempic in a surprising way—is this the future of addiction medicine or a dangerous fad?
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“I don’t think of this as doing anything wild west. We’re using something off-label under the umbrella of addiction, whether that be food, sex, alcohol, or opioids.” — Steven Klein, staff physician at Caron Treatment Centers, STAT
At Caron Treatment Centers, an elite rehab facility outside Philadelphia, something unusual is happening: Program directors are prescribing GLP-1s as a means of treating substance use disorder.[]
And according to STAT, "no program has so openly and aggressively touted GLP-1s" in this way. The reasoning behind isn't related to shedding pounds—it’s shedding the substance abuse addictions that brought them there in the first place.
With staff physicians reporting that patients have fewer addiction cravings, it's a paradigm shift in how we think about treating substance use disorders.
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GLP-1 drugs act on the gut-brain axis, regulating appetite and glucose metabolism. Early research and animal studies have suggested they may also modulate reward pathways involved in addiction, particularly for alcohol, nicotine, and opioids. []
The theory is that by dampening the reward response, patients experience fewer urges—essentially rewiring cravings in real time.
“I don’t think of this as doing anything wild west,” Steven Klein, a staff physician at Caron Treatment Centers, told STAT. “We’re using something off-label under the umbrella of addiction, whether that be food, sex, alcohol, or opioids.” []
Mo Sarhan, another staff physician, said that semaglutide has 'obliterated' many of his patients’ cravings for substances like alcohol, stimulants, and opioids. []
But this enthusiasm comes with immediate questions: Can these drugs be safely scaled beyond an elite, closely monitored setting? And do we understand the long-term effects on a population with complex comorbidities?
The catch
Experts caution that the controlled environment of a luxury rehab facility is far removed from community clinics or public hospitals.
Patients are closely monitored for side effects, adherence is enforced, and diet and lifestyle are tightly regulated. In the real world, prescribing GLP-1 drugs for addiction could introduce risks, including nausea, gastrointestinal distress, and rare but serious events like pancreatitis.
Moreover, there’s a psychological factor: Some worry that relying on pharmacologic suppression of cravings could undercut other crucial behavioral therapies, like cognitive-behavioral therapy and group counseling.
Could this become standard practice?
For now, evidence remains anecdotal. While some see promise—especially for patients who’ve failed multiple rehab attempts—the generalizability is unclear.
Clinical trials are needed to answer critical questions: Which substances respond best? Who benefits most? What dosing and treatment duration are safe and effective?
Despite these uncertainties, this rehab center has sparked conversation across addiction medicine circles.
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