Rimonabant, a cannabanoid antagonist, is another non-nicotine medication being developed both as a treatment for obesity and for smoking cessation (Gelfand & Cannon 2006). In two post-mortem studies, completed suicides had higher levels of cannabanoid receptor activation than non-suicides (Vinod & Hungund 2006). In addition, rimonabant acts similar to SSRIs in its effects on neurotransmitters and on animal tests of antidepressant activity; thus, the antidepressant effects of rimonabant could cause it to increase suicidal behavior (Vinod & Hungund 2006).
