Rimonabant: Diet Pill Extraordinaire
It’s like willpower, but without the hassle of “self” control.
by Bryan Haycock M.Sc., CSCS
bryan@thinkmuscle.com
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Introducing “N-piperidino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methylpyrazole-3-carboxamide”! Or, if you have any trouble saying that three times in a row you can just call it “Rimonabant.”
On March 9th, the French drug company Sanofi-Synthélabo, announced the early results of two Phase III studies with their new drug they call “ACOMPLIA™” (rimonabant). Rimonabant is the first in a class of drugs called Selective CB1 Blockers. They report that overweight/obese patients lost weight over 12 months while improving their lipid and glucose profiles. Not only that, but smokers who had previously unsuccessfully tried to quit smoking, were able to quit in 10 weeks without the usual post cessation weight gain. The results of both the RIO-Lipids (Rimonabant In Obesity) and STRATUS-US (STudies with Rimonabant And Tobacco USe) trials were presented for the first time at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting in New Orleans, LA. Rimonabant phase III programs in obesity and smoking cessation are due to be completed at the end of 2004; the product is still non-approved for marketing.
The “CB” in CB1 stands for cannabinoid receptor type-1. This receptor is the primary receptor involved in the actions of cannabis (delta 9-THC). The cannabinoid system is involved in everything from sleep/wake cycle to sexual behavior. Not only will Rimonabant help you eat less, but it will also help you get up in the morning, stop smoking, and stop drinking. In essence, this drug takes away the brain’s “reward” after ingesting/inhaling most addictive substances (including sugary-fat) and/or behaviors.
Is this type of brave new drug good for us? I mean, is it better to use a drug to control others, and our selves, or is it better to struggle and fight until we grow stronger and are able to overcome our weaknesses?
To be honest, I used to feel that people who overate themselves into the hospital from obesity, diabetes, and related complications deserved what they got. After all, no one was forcing them to eat. They knew that they were making themselves sick by eating so much and exercising so little. Over the years however, I have had a change of heart.
After working with thousands of individuals to help them improve their health, whether it was by eating better, exercising, or using medications to lose weight, I have gotten to the point where it just seems better for some people to staple their stomachs or take mind altering drugs to get them to stop eating so much. After all, I’ve seen many obese people spend a great deal of time and money on the best trainers and dietitians and still not overcome their devastating eating habits. In the end, what does it accomplish to keep throwing “self control” at them when it obviously doesn’t work? After 10 years of struggling I would say nothing.
Write in and tell me what you think of the ever-increasing trend towards the use of medications to control our own behavior. I’ll share some of your responses to this question in the next newsletter. So if there is something you want a lot of people to hear, write to me at (bryan at hsnhst dot com). Sorry I can’t just write it out but the SPAM bots sniff out email addresses from the website and bombard me with junk ...
Until next time, be healthy and be happy.
Bryan Haycock M.Sc., CSCS
bryan@thinkmuscle.com
