The cannabis/weight-loss connection
A federal advisory panel shot down a drug being reviewed for the treatment of obesity in this country.
And it was a smart, reasonable thing for the panel to do.
By a unanimous vote, the panel decided to err on the side of common sense, since there was concern over some of the drug’s extremely troubling side effects, such as neurological and psychiatric problems, along with an increased risk of suicide.
The drug, rimonabant, is already marketed and used in 37 other countries. Sanofi-Aventis, a French company and this particular drug’s maker, is just one of many companies hoping to cash in on the obesity problem in this country. Let’s face it, these drug companies are not in the drug business for altruistic reasons. This particular company was hoping for a $3 billion payday from this one drug alone!
The advisory panel couldn’t in good faith let that happen, so concerned was it by the safety issues of this drug—which was going to be marketed as Zimulti. And I really must say that if this federal advisory panel was feeling alarmed by the safety of this drug, considering the other truly alarming drugs that it has allowed onto the market without hesitation, there must truly be a grave cause for alarm!
In the case of this particular drug, the panel was alarmed at the idea of a pill that caused a doubling of psychiatric events during clinical studies. It was also concerned over its possible potential to cause seizures in some folks.
The problem revolves around what the drug is designed to d Suppress hunger. And this is where the history behind the research gets interesting. During research on the effects of marijuana, a certain system in the brain was discovered and aptly named the “endocannabinoid” system. Marijuana is known to cause what is called “the munchies.” This is due to a stimulation of certain receptors in the brain by this substance, causing an increase in appetite.
So, scientists thought it would be a good idea to suppress this particular receptor. When this was done, clinical studies showed a five percent loss of weight in patients who were tested.
However, this particular system that they’re tampering with also controls depression and anxiety, phobias, and post-traumatic-stress disorder. This is where the connection comes in for the increased psychiatric problems when these receptors are suppressed—they’re also suppressed from doing what they’re supposed to!
In fact, taking the drug doubled the risk of these associated psychiatric problems in patients who took it. So the advisory panel feels that there just isn’t enough safety data to go on.
But I have to wonder how there could ever be enough safety data to go on if this drug is specifically used to suppress an important brain center. What could possibly change? Or will we need still another drug to counteract just enough of the suppression to allow the receptor to do its job?
It’s dizzying, I know, but this is the merry chase that the drug companies try to lead us all on. And they’ll only get away with it if we let them.
Sanofi-Aventis is now scrambling to save its shot at record profits. It is recommending that any patients be screened first to see if they have any propensity for psychiatric problems. And in a true act of desperation, it cited the great need for drugs to treat obesity in order to stave off some of those accompanying health risks like diabetes and heart disease.
It is now planning to work with the FDA to address safety concerns, and I think a close eye should be fixed on how they go about working on these concerns.
The advisory-panel vote happened to coincide with the release of xenical—marketed as Alli—which is now available on an over-the-counter basis. Its side effects include diarrhea and gas, not to mention the troubling “inability to control stools!”
I don’t see the advantage of these drugs intended to “treat” obesity, especially if there is only about a five percent weight loss. It hardly seems reasonable to risk those side effects for such a small amount of weight loss, when there are still the good old standbys available in the form of natural measures.
My recommendation if you’re trying to lose weight—whether you are simply overweight or actually obese—is to start with small changes. Add more healthy foods into your diet, while moderating or even eliminating altogether those foods that are less healthy. Find an exercise program that you’ll stick with. For inspiration, many of my patients have reached back into their own childhoods for the things they loved to do, such as dancing, riding bikes, or going on long walks.
