"Reverse Marijuana"

If all this talk about fast food is giving you uncontrollable urges to

sink into a fatty burger and extra-large fries, you might be please to

learn the existence of

N-piperidino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methylpyrazole-3-carboxamide,

also known by the generic name “rimonabant” and soon to be marketed under the brand name “Acomplia“.

This drug is known as “the munchies drug” because it acts like

marijuana in reverse: it blocks the brain circuits that get triggered

whenever you smoke pot. Christian “The Facts About Fitness” Finn has written a quick summary about Acomplia, citing some test results:

Dr. Jean-Pierre

Despres of Laval University in Quebec City enrolled 1,036 overweight volunteers.

All had large pot bellies that put them at especially high risk of heart

disease. They were told to cut their daily calorie intake by 600 calories

a day and randomly given either rimonabant or a dummy pill.

After one year, those who got the higher of two doses of rimonabant had

lost an average of 20 pounds and trimmed three inches from their waistlines.

By comparison, those using the placebo lost just five pounds.

He also points out the observed side effects:

The most common side effects where incidence was higher with rimonabant

than placebo were nausea and dizziness. And more of the people using rimonabant

dropped out because of the side effects. The drop-out rate due to side

effects was 6.9% in the rimonabant group versus 3.8% with placebo.

And not everyone is convinced that rimonabant will be safe to use.

Dr. Gareth Pryce, who has conducted research into cannabinoids at the

Institute of Neurology, London, is concerned that the drug might not be

safe for some patients to take.

“My group has carried out animal research that showed interference

with the cannabis receptor in the brain may have a damaging effect on

the progression of multiple sclerosis,” he says.

“There are also concerns about the possible impact on people who

have a stroke, or head injury while taking the drug. My other concern

is it could exacerbate neurological diseases that had previously been

clinically silent.”

In the end, it still boils down to the laws of thermodynamics: in

order to lose weight, you have to expend more energy than you consume.