Rimonabant can be prescribed for patients diagnosed with obesity and unable to lose weight on their own and maintain the progress achieved. It must be combined with a healthier diet and exercise for best effects. It is not going to work for you if you simply take it as prescribed, as its effects are based on reducing your food cravings. This means you will not feel miserable because of extreme hunger and will be able to do with less food than before. In combination with a healthier diet and exercise this scheme is likely to help you lose weight and maintain the progress achieved. Patients during rimonabant trials reported as much as 20 pounds lost a year, and they did not gain that weight back – the most common problems among people battling excessive weight. Rimonabant has also been reported to increase the amounts of good cholesterol in blood and improve a wide array of other cardiometabolic factors. Do not take this medicine if you are allergic to rimonabant, or if you have impaired kidney function, a history of epilepsy or liver problems, as these factors can make the treatment unsafe for you and lead to the development of a number of unpleasant and ever dangerous health effects. Pregnant or breastfeeding women must first talk to their health care provider, as they will probably be recommended to abstain from taking rimonabant until they deliver a baby or stop breastfeeding. This has to do with the fact rimonabant has been reported to cause health problems in unborn babies. It can also pass into breast milk, which means the health of a nursing infant is also in danger. The following mild side effects are possible if you are taking rimonabant regularly: nervousness, diarrhea, anorexia, anxiety, sleep disorders, nausea, dry mouth, depressions, impaired memory, vomiting, and irritability. Unless these side effects go away on their own soon, make sure you report them to your health care provider to see if the dose needs to be adjusted. Notify your doctor before getting a prescription if you are also using any other prescription or over-the-counter medications that may theoretically interact with the effects of rimonabant. Make sure you mention any of the following ones: phenytoin, phenobarbital, nefazodone, ketaconazole, ritonavir, telithromycin, clarithromycin, carbamazeptine, or itraconazole. This list is not complete. To learn more abut possible drug interactions you can read the patient medication guide or talk to your pharmacist.