How does Rimonabant help diabetics? What is the biggest problem with Rimonabant?

Answer 1

rimonabant helps withs weight loss through its action as a CB1 blocker. It acts on the endocannabinoid system that modulates the body's energy balance and nicotine dependence. An over-stimulated EC system is thought to play a role in obesity and in tobacco dependence, and CB1 blockers are supposed to reduce this overstimulation.

Like most drugs it must be metabolized by the body and thus has some potential toxic effects to the metabolizing structures...

and since it is active in the central nervous system, it has a complex side effect potential including depression.

Answer 2

Rimonabant is new, and apparently has some significantly bad side effects. If not, FDA would have approved it already. As a weighloss drug, it is probably not going to be covered by insurance. Best application for Rimonbant is for smokers who want to quit and don't want to gain weight.

For diabetics, Byetta (by Amylin and Lilly) has been very efffective for weight loss. It is an injectable and there are two new drugs (Merck and GlaxoSmithKline) that are oral but they don't seem to have the Byetta weightloss benefits. Byetta seems not have not too bad of side effects, although having to do the injections every day gets old quick.

There are some really good weight loss drugs coming up that are combinations of existing drugs that are known to be safe and have very mild or no side effects, by Orexigen in San Diego, include combinations of wellbutrin and low dose naltrexone, and wellbutrin and zonisamide.These drugs would be good choices for diabetics. These combinations have been especially effective, are existing and known drugs, and low side effects. Of course, many other weightloss drugs are in the approval pipeline.

Worst problem about weightloss drugs is that insurance won't cover them. Weightloss is an off-label use for Wellbutrin, and so it is covered by insurance.

The additional drugs added to wellbutrin are to help to keep weighloss from shutting down. After losing a relatively small amount of weight, the body interprets that the person is "starving" whether they weigh 300 lbs or 150 lbs. The body naturally reacts by increasing the appetite, defeating weightloss. The wellbutrin Orexigen drug combo stimulates weight loss, and then also successfully blocks the "starvation" response that defeats weightloss, keeping weightloss going. Should be highly effective, and the drugs are known to be safe, as well.

Studies with the Orexigen combo drugs show a 10% weightloss in 24 weeks and that weight loss continues past that point with no sign of slowing down. The Orexigen drug combos could be as effective as Phen Fen, without the bad side effects.

Answer 3

Rimonabant helps Type II diabetics only (not type I) by helping to reduce weight and thus reduce the insulin resistance which is behind the Diabetes.

However Rimonabant has been shown to have pretty severe cases of Depression and anxiety in a subset of the population, As with all psychoactive drugs rimonabant treatment should be monitored for signs of adverse behavioural reactions, particualrly since the system it utilises is associated with Hallucinations, anxiety, and motivational behaviour.

Answer 4

Rimonabant helps diabetics by lowering their weight. Rimonabant acts to supress appetite.
The biggest problem is that it occasionally causes severe depression, since it acts on the nervous system.