Today.I am starting the preop diet one week earlier. After what I have read the more you can loose and get your liver rid of fat the better it is. Is this right. Okay friends I have to come clean I am a smoker too. I know quit. Well I am starting champix too.

I don't see where it would hurt anything to start your diet early. But please, please, please do everything you can to quit smoking. I have a friend that didn't quit and she didn't heal properly from the surgery. The doctor had to put her on a feeding tube for 3 months. That scared me enough to quit myself.

Rimonabant hcl is fda approved. Not on the doctors lists so theres no kick backs for him to push but if you ask for it it is available. My wife quit smoking in a week because it made her.

Heres the true background information:

Rimonabant also known as SR141716, is an anorectic drug primarily used for comprehensive anti-obesity treatment. It is an inverse agonist for the CB1 cannabinoid receptor.[1] The primary method of action is through reduced caloric intake, due to the anti-hunger effects of rimonabant.

An inverse agonist refers to a chemical that binds to a receptor and, when compared to a known agonist for that receptor, shows approximately the same affinity and exhibits roughly inverse effects of one or more primary effects of the agonist.[2] One of the primary effects of cannabinoid receptor agonists is an increase in appetite; rimonabant reduces appetite, demonstrating an inverse effect.

Some effects of rimonabant are admittedly under-studied or not well known or explorer; for example, rimonabant-dosed mice reduced voluntary wheel-running behavior when compared to a control group.[4]

Rimonabant does have other uses besides weight loss; though the mechanism is not well understood it has been demonstrated to increase probability of quitting smokers by 50%:

From the preliminary trial reports available, rimonabant 20 mg may increase the odds of quitting approximately 1(1/2)-fold. Adverse events include nausea and upper respiratory tract infections; the risk of serious adverse events is reported to be low. However, there is current concern (August 2007) over rates of depression and suicidal thoughts in people taking rimonabant for weight control. The evidence for rimonabant in maintaining abstinence is inconclusive. Rimonabant 20 mg may moderate weight gain in the long term.[5]

Researchers hypothesized, in keeping with the inverse-agonist nature of rimonabant, that (because cannabinoids nearly univerally impair memory), rimonabant may improve memory; this is borne out thus far in rat studies:

The positive influence of rimonabant on performance indicated that the action of endocannabinoids was to reduce SmR code strength, resulting in trials that were at risk for errors if the delay exceeded 10 s. Thus endocannabinoids, like exogenously administered cannabinoids, reduced hippocampal encoding necessary to perform long-delay trials. The findings therefore indicate a direct relationship between the actions of endocannabinoids on hippocampal processes and the ability to encode information into short-term memory.[6]

Researchers speculate that due to the pervasive role of the endocannabinoid system in the reward (and therefore addiction-perpetuating) system, rimonabant might be successfully used to treat other addictions besides nicotine.[7] Rimonabant has been demonstrated to successfully block the psychological effects of cannabis use without interfering with the physiological effects.[8] Respective excerpts follow:

Recent studies have shown that the endocannabinoid system is involved in the common neurobiological mechanism underlying drug addiction. This system participates in the primary rewarding effects of cannabinoids, nicotine, alcohol and opioids, through the release of endocannabinoids in the ventral tegmental area. Endocannabinoids are also involved in the motivation to seek drugs by a dopamine-independent mechanism, demonstrated for psychostimulants and opioids. The endocannabinoid system also participates in the common mechanisms underlying relapse to drug-seeking behaviour by mediating the motivational effects of drug-related environmental stimuli and drug re-exposure. In agreement, clinical trials have suggested that the CB(1) cannabinoid antagonist rimonabant can cause smoking cessation. Thus, CB(1) cannabinoid antagonists could represent a new generation of compounds to treat drug addiction.[7]

Single oral doses of SR141716 produced a significant dose-dependent blockade of marijuana-induced subjective intoxication and tachycardia. The 90-mg dose produced 38% to 43% reductions in visual analog scale ratings of "How high do you feel now?" "How stoned on marijuana are you now?" and "How strong is the drug effect you feel now?" and produced a 59% reduction in heart rate. SR141716 alone produced no significant physiological or psychological effects and did not affect peak THC plasma concentration or the area under the time x concentration curve. SR141716 was well tolerated by all subjects. CONCLUSIONS: SR141716 blocked acute psychological and physiological effects of smoked marijuana without altering THC pharmacokinetics. These findings confirm, for the first time in humans, the central role of CB1 receptors in mediating the effects of marijuana.[8]

Citations:

[1]Fong TM, Heymsfield SB (September 2009).Cannabinoid-1 receptor inverse agonists: current understanding of mechanism of action and unanswered questions. Int J Obes (Lond) 33 (9): 947–55.

[2]Kenakin T (2004). Principles: receptor theory in pharmacology. Trends Pharmacol. Sci. 25 (4): 186–92.

[3]Suicide risk fears over diet pill. BBC News. 15 June 2007. (URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6755665.stm).

[4] Keeney BK, Raichlen DA, Meek TH, Wijeratne RS, Middleton KM, Gerdeman GL, Garland T, Jr. Differential response to a selective cannabinoid receptor antagonist (SR141716: rimonabant) in female mice from lines selectively bred for high voluntary wheel-running behavior. Behavioural Pharmacology 19: 812–820. 2008.

[5] Cahill K, Ussher M. Cannabinoid type 1 receptor antagonists (rimonabant) for smoking cessation. Cochrane database of systematic reviews (On[line) (4): CD005353. 2007.

[6]Deadwyler SA, Goonawardena AV, Hampson RE. Short-term memory is modulated by the spontaneous release of endocannabinoids: evidence from hippocampal population codes. Behavioural pharmacology 18 (5-6): 571–80. 2007.

[7]Maldonado R, Valverde O, Berrendero F. Involvement of the endocannabinoid system in drug addiction. Trends Neurosci. 29 (4): 225–32. 2006.

[8]Huestis MA, Gorelick DA, Heishman SJ, et al. Blockade of effects of smoked marijuana by the CB1-selective cannabinoid receptor antagonist SR141716. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 58 (4): 322–8. 2001.

Thank you very much for the help. I started Chamax today so will definitely be non smoker before surgery. Will need all the encouraging words though not as strong as I want to be. The heart says one thing and my brain says another lol

Good luck Kat!! As everyone has said..it's so important to quit smoking. I know you can do it!

I'm also going to start my liquid diet early. I officially need to start Jan 1, but I'm going to ease into it. This week one meal replaced and next week 2 meals replaced.

I started my pre-op diet early (a few days) too because I had gained some weight beforehand . It probably didn't make a huge difference but I did feel better about myself and regained some self-control.

Good for you! And good luck on quitting smoking.

Thanks Kala

Kat1 .... I too started the pre-op diet early and i think it has helped me accept my food intake post-op .... Mentally maybe? don't know but so far i am able to handle my "head hunger" ....

I am proud of you on the stop smoking..... It is NOT easy but do-able ... supportive hugs sent your way!

Thanks tjmom day 1 on preop done ugg.

Kat1....how you doing today? been thinking about you!

Kat1....how you doing today? been thinking about you!

Hi tjmom

Thanks for asking. I am doing miserably. I took your advice and made it thicker but I am still gagging. Headache due to no food ugg. I packed up my briefcase and headed home early. Figured I would work tonight. I did not sleep well last night as my stomach was growling. My husband had the nerve to sit down and watch tv last night with a huge bowl of chips. I could not believe that he did that. Was I pissed and I let him have it after I came out of the bedroom when I figured he was done lol. Funny now but it wasn't last night. So to answer your question I am doing lousy lol. Ugg

Kat1...i am so sorry.....what does your doctor/nutritious say you are allowed to eat? .... there is also unflavored protein that you could mix with something else... Can you have sugar free jelly and pudding? ... what i had to do is keep my carbs under 40 grams a day until surgery.... I hope you are able to find something to eat.... Oh and tell your husband if he is going to eat those right now, he needs to eat outside or in the bathroom ... Might make him think twice...lol

Kat1...i am so sorry.....what does your doctor/nutritious say you are allowed to eat? .... there is also unflavored Protein that you could mix with something else... Can you have sugar free jelly and pudding? ... what i had to do is keep my carbs under 40 grams a day until surgery.... I hope you are able to find something to eat.... Oh and tell your husband if he is going to eat those right now' date=' he needs to eat outside or in the bathroom ... Might make him think twice...lol[/quote']

You are funny. I will tell him. I spoke ti dr. Garcia's staff Sandy and here it is 1 Protein Drink Breakfast, 1 protein drink lunch, green vegetables with chicken or fish or eggs for dinner, 1 protein drink later if needed. She suggested to try Atkins protein drink which I am headed out right now to find. Will write when I get back. Lol