What is Acomplia or “Riomonabant”?
For those who have weight or fat loss concerns and for the ones on the look of a radical solution to their smoking habits there are good news: It has been found that “rimonabant” stops both food and cigarette cravings, besides some other unhealthy urges.
Rimonabant is a CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist, whose main effect is the reduction in appetite. Thus, it is effective in weight control and some metabolic disorders. It is also associated to cardiovascular risk factors.
How does it work?
Rimonabant (whose commercial name is Acomplia) blocks the CB1 receptor, one of two receptors found in a newly described physiological system called the Endocannabinoid System (EC System). Researchers report that this system plays a fundamental role in the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure.
In order to make sure whether a drug that halted this action might curb appetite, the first animal study was conducted at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in Bethesda, Md, in 2001. Genetically altered mice that lacked cannabinoid receptors were used as subjects in the study. They ate less than their litter mates, even after 18 hours of fasting. When the normal mice were given rimonabant, which blocked their CB1 receptors, they reduced dramatically their food intake.
The studies on humans began in 2002. In one study, Acomplia, helped overweigh people lose an average of 20 pounds and in another doubled the chances that smokers would quit. The blocking of signals that control cravings results in weight loss, improvement of cardiovascular/ metabolic risk factors in overweight/obese patients and reduces tobacco dependence. As an important plus, researchers report that it also helps keep their weight in people who are trying to give up smoking. The drug is also believed to help people cut their alcohol consumption, and as a possible treatment against drug addiction and schizophrenia.
According to a press release by The Guardian, the studies with tobacco use and Rimonabant are still in progress and involve more than 6,000 subjects. Those studies explore two smoking-related therapies
1) to use rimonabant directly to aid in smoking cessation
2) to help prevent weight gain in former smokers
At the moment, results suggest that rimonabant is effective in both cases. The FDA has explicitly stated to Sanofi-Aventis (the company who owe Acomplia rights) that without additional studies rimonabant cannot be approved in the United States for smoking cessation therapy, and they are still in progress.
Side Effects
Acomplia showed to be well tolerated in testing. The most relatively common side effects were dizziness and mild GI side effects; these were said to be transient.Acomplia compared to other weight-loss drugs Because of their undesired and widely spread side effects, many people who have struggled to lose weight over years are still reluctant to take the weight-loss drugs on the market. Xenial for example can give severe diarrhea, which may make it impossible for some patients to continue using the drug. Meridia (Reductil in Europe) was meant to treat depression. It also presents severe side-effects as well, such as sleeping problems, constipation, dry mouth syndrome, and high blood pressure. Phentermine stimulates the central nervous system, so it makes the body run on “full throttle” all the time, which may cause a great strain on many body systems. IN consequence, Phentermine should not be used for longer periods. It should only used in obesity cases along with exercise, diet and behavior therapy, not for common overweight.
Conclusions
Acomplia looks really promising as a great help to the ones who want to lose weight, reduce fat and sugar blood levels, and reduce the subsequent cardiovascular risk. Besides, because its even non-existing side effects, it is well tolerated for most patients. However, always consult your physician, especially if you are suffering from previous diseases or problems associated with obesity.
Source-:www.helplosefat.com
