Use of Acomplia in Weight Loss

Acomplia is a medication to assist obese people to lose weight and it was licensed for use as an adjunct to diet and exercise in the UK in June 2006. Since then, it has proved to be the most popular weight loss treatment prescribed by The Online Clinic, outstripping sales of Xenical and Reductil, the two established weight loss treatments licensed in the UK.

Acomplia works by blocking the CB1 receptor in the body's endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is thought to regulate the body's desire for food and energy consumption. The body sends out chemicals called cannabinoids which, when they latch onto the CB1 receptors which are located in fat cells and the hypothalamus of the brain, creates a signal that the body desires food and this manifests itself as hunger pangs. It is believed that the endocannabinoid system is overactive in overweight and obese people. The blocking of the CB1 receptor by Rimonabant (the active ingredient in Acomplia) makes hunger pangs much more manageable.

As with most medications, Acomplia does not work for everyone. Clinical trials demonstrated that 70% of patients were able to lose at least 5% of their body weight over a 12 month period. Around 39% of patients managed to lose at least 10% of their bodyweight over the same period. It was also noted that most of the weight loss occurred within the first nine months of treatment.

Acomplia is not without potential side effects. The most common side effects reported by patients include nausea, depression, irritability and sleeplessness. Most patients have reported no side effects whatsoever and only a handful have considered the side effects to be so serious that they have decided to cease treatment.

Acomplia is not suitable for everyone so anyone considering commencing a course of treatment should make a full and frank disclosure to any clinic to ensure that an accurate assessment of their suitability can be made.



About the Author
Ronald Widburn is a medical journalist. Ronald recommends visiting Online Clinic for more information on acomplia.




Source: ArticleTrader.com