Obesity Treatment Medication Acomplia
Obesity medication Acomplia – The latest weight loss aid
Pharmaceutical company Sanofi Aventis manufactures rimonabant. It is generic name of the branded medication Acomplia. It is an obesity treatment medication.
What is obesity?
Obesity is a serious condition wherein a person has more weight than is healthy. Obesity leads to various diseases that may prove to be fatal, if timely action is not taken. Some of the diseases caused by obesity are diabetes, high blood pressure, and even cancer.
Many countries are facing more and more hospital cases because of obesity; financial losses are also mounting because of the condition. Cases of morbid obesity are also rising and this condition is highly fatal. In order to avoid obesity turning into morbid obesity, it is very important that you take steps to lose weight. You should first try to lose weight with conventional methods such as dieting and exercising. If however, you do not lose weight with the help of these methods, you can consult a doctor and ask him to suggest some weight loss aids.
Causes of obesity
Obesity can be caused by genetic factors, hormonal problems and lifestyle factors. Sometimes environmental factors also play a big role in obesity. If your family members and relatives are obese then your obesity is caused by genetic factors. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, do not exercise much and eat a lot of junk food then you stand a high chance of becoming obese.
Whether your obesity is caused by lifestyle or environmental or any factors, it is important to fight it. Ask a doctor if you can take Acomplia or any other obesity medication.
Obesity medication Acomplia
Acomplia was approved for use in obese patient on 28th June 2006 in the UK. The active ingredient in Acomplia is rimonabant. It is a prescription drug for obesity.
Acomplia is an obesity treatment for obese patients with a BMI of 30 and above. It can also be taken by overweight patients with other risk factors such as type 2 diabetes or dyslipidaemia. Acomplia reduces the risk of obesity related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Although Acomplia is an obesity drug, it is also beneficial for smoking cessation. However, this benefit of Acomplia is not yet approved for use.
Acomplia has been shown to have beneficial effect on blood glucose and fat levels. Moreover, it raises HDL cholesterol levels (good cholesterol).
Acomplia clinical trials
Following are the results of Acomplia clinical trials:
33% patients who were given Acomplia in clinical trials lost more than 10% of their original body weight
67% patients on Acomplia lost more than 5% of their initial body weight
Patients on placebo and calorie-controlled diet lost significantly lower weight compared to those on Acomplia
Patients who took Acomplia for more than a year did not regain weight
Ingredients, strength, side effects of Acomplia
The active ingredient in Acomplia is rimonabant, which is a CB-1 receptor antagonist. Acomplia works as an appetite suppressant. You can get Acomplia in 10mg and 20mg dosage strengths. Never take Acomplia for cosmetic purposes, it is a prescription medication and should be taken under a doctor’s guidance only.
Acomplia has few side effects such as nausea, dizziness, diarrhoea, vomiting, hypoglycaemia, anxiety, and mood swings. Most side effects of Acomplia are temporary in nature and go away as your body adjusts to the medication. Acomplia side effects are also transient and reversible in nature and disappear when you stop the treatment.
Is Obesity a Disease?
Obesity is an excess of body fat that frequently results in a significant impairment of health. Obesity is a known risk factor for chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetics, high blood pressure, heart attack and various other forms of diseases. The symptoms may be mild in some individuals, but they represent the early stages of a chronic and incurable disease. Even in children with overweight, there is increased risk of developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and other diseases.
According to most references, a person is classified as obese, if he has a BMI of 30 or higher. Many classify obese as disease that affects the rest of one’s body in negative ways, leading to increased stress on the heart and other organs.
Although obesity is often considered as a disease, it is technically only a condition-the condition in which excess body fat is stored on the body. There are many factors that can contribute to excess body fat deposition. These factors can be divided into broadly two categories-genetic or inherited factors and behavioral factors.
Obesity has become so common these days that it is replacing traditional health concerns such as malnutrition and other infectious diseases.
Obesity has more than one cause- genetic, environmental, psychological, and many other factors play a part as well.
Genetic factors-
Obesity tends to run in families, suggesting a genetic cause. Research says if one of the parents is obese, the possibility that their children will be obese is 40%. If both the parents are obese, the chance that their children will be obese goes up to 80%.
Environmental factors-
Environment strongly influences obesity. This includes lifestyle behaviors such as eating habits and exercise. Although you can’t change your genetic factor, you can change your eating habits and levels of activity. Eat nutritious food and be more physically active.
Psychological factors-
Many people eat in response to negative emotions such a boredom, sadness or anger.
Other factors-
Some illness can lead to obesity or a tendency to gain weight. Drugs such as steroids may cause weight gain.
Unfortunately, obesity is difficult to manage, in part because the treatment is difficult and demanding and must be sustained for a lifetime. Again, it is rarely covered by health insurance.
Physicians find various ways to manage obesity by altering lifestyle issues like diet and exercise and with effective medication. To lose weight and maintain weight loss over the long term, it is necessary to modify one’s diet and engage in regular physical exercise.
Obesity is a serious risk to our health. Other than several health problems, emotional suffering is one of the painful parts of obesity. Obese people often face prejudice or discrimination in the job market, at school and in social gatherings.
Various treatment modalities applied for weight reduction include diet regulation, behavior modification, prescribed exercises, medication, management of complications and surgery as the last resort. The management of obesity consists of reduction in calorie intake, dietary modifications, increasing the physical activity, behavior therapy, medically approved drug therapy and if nothing works, surgical treatment.
