Acomplia is a relatively new diet pill that has been approved for use in Europe. There is some level of controversy surrounding this medication, and it has yet to be approved in the United States. However, current research into the effectiveness of Acomplia seems to indicate that it has the potential to help fight obesity.

Acomplia has two ways in which it fights fat. First, the drug works in the patient’s brain as a cannabinoid type 1 receptor blocker. These are the receptors in the brain that cause a person to feel hungry. When these receptors are blocked, the patient will not feel as hungry and therefore will not eat as much.

Besides working on the cannabinoid type 1 receptors, Acomplia also works in the fat cells of those who take the medication. People who are overweight have fat cells that do not produce a protein called cytokine. Lack of cytokine can cause type 2 diabetes. As a result, obese individuals tend to have this type of diabetes. Acomplia causes the fat tissue in obese individuals to produce an increased amount of cytokine, which can help fight diabetes.

Acomplia is not a miracle drug that will melt away pounds, but it does appear to have a significant impact on overall body weight. In clinical studies patients who were prescribed the medication and did not exercise or significantly change their diets lost around 19 pounds after a year. When combined with diet and exercise changes, these results went up significantly. The fat that was lost in these patients was lost in the abdomen areas. This is important, because abdominal fat is a significant risk factor for heart disease. Those with excess body fat in the abdomen are more likely to die prematurely because of heart disease or other obesity related diseases. On average, patients on Acomplia during the trial stages lost over three inches on their waists.

Surprisingly, while Acomplia is currently being used almost entirely as a weight loss medication, it appears to have an effect on smoking as well. The cannabinoid type 1 receptors are located in the EndoCannabinoid System in the body. This system not only regulates hunger, but also tobacco cravings. When the cannabinoid type 1 receptors are blocked, the craving for nicotine is reduced, helping smokers quit much more successfully than without the medication. While this research seems to be promising, Acomplia has not yet been approved for use as an anti-smoking medication. More research is needed to prove that it is, indeed, successful in this endeavor.

The reason that there is some controversy over the use of Acomplia, particularly in the United States, is the side effects of the medication. Many patients who took the medication when it was in the trial stage reported psychiatric problems such as insomnia, anxiety, and depression. This can put the patients at a higher risk for suicide. These side effects have caused the members of the Food and Drug Administration in the United States to ask for further testing before they will approve the drug for either weight loss or smoking cessation usage.