Wagging the dog….
There is a new drug indicated for “weight loss” – Rimonabant. It made it through trials but ultimately was not released.
The purpose of this drug is to block the effects of certain cannabinoids upon specific cannabinoid brain receptors, the CB1 receptors. Our bodies create natural or “endogenous” cannabinoids which stimulate hunger. Rimonabant was developed to do the opposite by inhibiting the “appetite stimulation” of cannabinoids. Many of us are familiar with getting the “munchies” – I guess you could say, Rimonabant is the ultimate “anti-munchy”.
We all also know that that cannabinoids improve our mood.
As the makers of Rimonabant discovered, while the drug blocks appetite as an inhibitor of the CB1 receptor, the blocking of these neurotransmitter functions also affects one’s mood. In fact, two of the hallmark clinical signs of Depression are the loss of appetite and severe drops in mood. Administering Rimonabant to patients resulted in numerous suicides and nervous breakdowns. You’ll be happy to learn that the trials on this drug have been suspended and it will not make it to market.
However, the failure of Rimonabant has resulted in a sort of “Tail Wagging The Dog” Clinical Trial scenario. This debacle has ended up confirming that Cannabis and Cannabis receptors play a major role in mood and appetite regulation. The Cannabinoids clearly increase both our appetite and mood. So, if a pill blocks these receptors both our appetite and mood are influenced.
This is more evidence that the Endo Cannabinoid system, or ECS plays a major role in how we all feel. Cannabis clearly effects mood and in my opinion is a very sophisticated and powerful mood enhancer.
