people); common adverse effects (occurring in between 1% and 10% of people) included gastroenteritis, anxiety, irritability, insomnia and other sleep disorders, hot flushes, diarrhea, vomiting, dry or itchy skin, tendonitis, muscle cramps and spasms, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, and increased risk of falling. The FDA's advisory committee raised concerns that based on animal data, it appeared that the therapeutic window with regard to CNS toxicity, and specifically seizures was almost nonexistent; the therapeutic dose and the dose that caused seizures in animals appeared to be the same. When the EMA reviewed postmarketing surveillance data, it found that the risk of psychiatric disorders in people taking rimonabant was doubled. Pharmacology Pharmacodynamics Rimonabant is an inverse agonist of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor. Originally thought to be selective for the CB1 receptor, rimonabant was subsequently also found to act as an antagonist of the μ-opioid receptor. Chemistry The chemical synthesis of rimonabant is described as follows: Research Along with the clinical trials in obesity that generated the data submitted to regulatory authorities, rimonabant was also studied in clinical trials as a potential treatment for other conditions, including diabetes, atherosclerosis, and smoking cessation. See also Drinabant, also a cannabinoid developed for prescription drug use that triggered severe psychiatric side effects. References Hydrazides Anorectics Anxiogenics CB1 receptor antagonists Chlorobenzenes 1-Piperidinyl compounds Pyrazoles Withdrawn drugs Cannabinoids Mu-opioid receptor antagonists Pyrazolecarboxamides