Day 1 Sessions:
Symposium I - From Metabolism to Addictions: Repurposing GLP-1 Therapies for Alcohol and Other Substance Use Disorders
Scheduled for Thursday, November 12, 2026, 9:00 AM - 10:40 AM
Chairpersons: Lorenzo Leggio, MD, PhD, NIDA Clinical Director and Deputy Scientific Director; and Joji Suzuki, MD, Program Director, BWH Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Presenters: Lorenzo Leggio, MD, PhD, NIDA Clinical Director and Deputy Scientific Director; Luba Yammine, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Dept of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Manish Jha, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and O’Donnell Clinical Neuroscience Scholar at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; and Joji Suzuki, MD, Program Director, BWH Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies have revolutionized the management of chronic conditions like obesity and diabetes. Consistent with the overlap between feeding and metabolic pathways and those mediating addictive behaviors, growing evidence suggests that GLP-1 therapies may also be beneficial for treating alcohol and other substance use disorders (ASUDs).
Preclinical evidence across several experimental models and species consistently shows that GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) reduce drug intake and other addictive behaviors. Research to date has primarily focused on alcohol; however, nicotine, opioids, and psychostimulants have also been studied. Observational cohort studies using electronic health records suggest improvements in ASUD-related outcomes among people treated with GLP-1RAs for other indications. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have been limited, yielding mixed results but overall promising signals. Several RCTs are ongoing or about to start. Despite some early pharmacovigilance alarms, GLP-1RAs do not seem to cause or increase the risk of psychopathology (e.g., depression, suicidal ideation and/or behavior). Some recent studies suggest beneficial effects of GLP-1RAs on mental health outcomes, but more work is needed.
The rationale for studying GLP-1 therapies for ASUDs is supported by preclinical and observational clinical evidence. RCTs are emerging and critically needed at this juncture to determine the safety and efficacy of GLP-1 therapies in people with ASUDs. Pending results from RCTs, GLP-1 therapies have the potential to be repurposed for ASUDs.
Hot Topic: Team-Based Patient-Centered Clinical Decision Making for Dilemmas Related to Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use
Clinical Considerations:
▪ What approaches and strategies should we use when prescribing benzodiazepines long-term?
▪ How should we assess and reassess risks and benefits to decide when it is appropriate to taper or continue benzodiazepines?
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
1. Summarize ongoing clinical decision making for case presentations - including risk-benefit for acute-therapeutic and long-term effects of benzodiazepines
2. Describe acute and chronic risks for patients who misuse benzodiazepines across the lifespan and across genders
3. Discuss and apply pharmacological and psychosocial management strategies that mitigate risk and improve health outcomes when opting to continue or taper patients down or off benzodiazepines
Mini Symposium - Tobacco Use and Its Impact on Psychiatric Symptoms and the Recovery from Other Substance Use Disorders
Scheduled for Thursday, November 12, 2026, 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Chairperson: Maher Karam Hage, MD, Professor, Anderson Cancer Center
Presenters: Jill Williams, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Rutgers-RWJ Medical School; Brian Hurley, MD, Medical Director of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; and Tony George, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto and CAMH
This symposium will address the comorbidity of tobacco use (smoking in particular) with psychiatric disorders and symptoms, highlighting the impact of psychiatric symptoms on the ability to quit using tobacco and conversely continued tobacco use on the severity of psychiatric symptoms. We will explore the impact of continuing to use tobacco on the ability to abstain and recover from other substances of use.