Xenical Over the Counter: Too Easy?

Jim - only just blogged on this myself. I am pretty concerned about it, particularly as from what you have said, the target audience seems to be the people who 'cant lose the last 10 pounds'.

I can forsee this product being jumped on by people who are looking for a quick fix, and at the cost of them altering their diet or nutrition - and at the cost of them starting to make exercise a part of their life.

I am also worried that mild addiction could form as people may not alter their diet, meaning that when they take the pill - they lose weight and when they dont take the pill they dont lose weight. This could lead to people using this long term, which again is worrying.

Could this not have implications for those who are susceptible to eating disorders.

Maybe I am jumping the gun a little, but this type of drug makes me nervous, and lets face it - the pharmaceutical firms do not have a history of altruism...

What worries me is the fact that this will "supposedly" make them look great by losing the weight, but without proper eating habits, the internals are going to be clogged still. People will look great on the outside, but the internal system is ready for a shut down. Need to get people off these "quick fix" ideas and onto an exercise and balanced nutrition schedule. Mickey D's and BK aren't going to be leading that road :(

I'm really concerned about this as well. I agree with Ross and Chris...people will take this as a "quick fix" and not really improve their health habits at all. The target audience, those people wanting to lose that last 10 lbs, is also dangerous since those are the people who usually want to lose weight for vanity's sake and not for health reasons. I hope that the horrific side effects ("oily spotting"? GROSS!!) will at least deter people from rushing out and buying it.

My roommate in college had an incident with Xenical in high school. She took her mom's pills and for a while it worked but then one day she went out for pizza without thinking. She told me that the next day she literally had to stay near a bathroom at all times and wear a pantiliner just in case of leaking. That was enough to get her to stop sneaking it and start trying to get healthy.

I took xenical as a written script by my physician and had no problems. As for eating the right foods while using it thats a choice made by the individual taking the medication. We all know the negatives if we eat extra fatty foods and the embarrassment of leaking so we have to take the necessary precautions to deal with it. My end result was that I lost the needed weight required so that I could have a surgery safely.

In addition to reinforcing the quick fix mentality thee is another danger to this. Many people deliberately overeat and take this drug to mitigate the effects of dietary excess. We have to remember these drugs are about profit for the drug companies – they are not about helping people loose weight.

http://www.antiagingatlanta.com

My question is; "What is worse, unhealthy weight or leaking?" I have a few health problems that could be null if I could lose the excess weight and I believe this would be a big help in my achieving that. As with any drug you have to consider the good and the bad, then decide if you want to continue or back out.

Xenical over the counter in the USA is a good idea. Obesity is a huge problem here. However, as a prescriber, I understand the side effects and am sure that the package labeling will warn those who have colitis, or other bowel problems about the risks of diarrhea and to consult their physicians.

As for fat consumption, that is not always the problem. Certain studies in type II diabetics have shown that their insulin resistance is reduced and sometimes reversed with Xenical, whether it is the lower level of absorbed triglycerides or the weight loss. This makes their diabetes more controllable, and all of the side effects that go with it. It can also lower their triglycerides and cholesterol due to the lack of absorption. The only risk is fat - absorbed vitamin deficiencies, so the package labeling will also state that you should take a multivitamin at bedtime. For people who are diabetic, overweight, or have heart problems, this is their answer. It is not an appetitie suppressant and has no affects on blood pressure, pulse rate, etc. For the rest of us, we can work out.

It is not a quick fix, and Xenical packaging actually has a web site with information on diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. I have used their information and diet fat wheel for teaching to patients with high cholesterol. The tools are free. Also, the prescribed dose of Xenical is 150 mg per meal, but the over the counter medications are usually one half a prescription dose by law, i.e. MOtrin 200 mg instead of 800mg. This helps prevent overdose.

Hope this helps.

R.Cailor, FNP-C, Assistant Professore
University of Southern Nevada

I just have a nagging picture in my head of 11 year-old girls starting to take this drug and continuing on until suffering the as-yet-unknown long-term side-effects.

I may sound like I'm blowing things out of proportion, but I have two teenage daughters and it is amazing how many of their friends have/are suffering from eating disorders or a poor body image.

I have 2 Xenical stories. My former boss used to take it. Let me tell you, it is not just about having the runs or leaking: when you go poop, it will smell so foul people anywhere close to the bathroom, with the door closed, are gonna gag. We had 2 bathrooms and 12 people in the office, and when he went, nobody else would go into that bathroom. In fact it was one bathroom for 11 people, one bathroom just for him, and we'd have to take our break when he went cause we couldn't sit near the bathroom with the door closed (stalls and bathroom itself). A girl sitting at the desk closest to it once barfed on her computer keyboard from the smell. The cleaning lady, going in the bathroom several hours after he'd been in there, would barf so often she'd take a bin with her when she entered. We used to be able to use the same bathroom until he started on Xenical, so this wasn't specific to him, but to the drug.

Second, the ads for Xenical here in Brazil are a bunch of women with the question "What would you do if you lost a few pounds?" and ALL the answers are veiled ways to say "have sex". None of the women shown in the ad are overweight (for comparison, they are not the size of the largest women in the Dove ads, and even they are not fat for starters). They all just look like size 8 and 10 35-55 women. So it is offensive because it is saying that until you are no longer the "unacceptable" sizes 8 and 10 you can't have sex, but also because since they are normal sized women, but just aren't young (yeah, 35 is old nowadays - don't get me started on that), that the only way to "make up" for their horrible flaw of being "old" is to be skinny. The ads make me so angry.

The good thing about Xenical is that it "just" blocks fat. I have worked in a diet clinic before, and to be able to take something to "aid" in weight loss that does not give you the side effects of drugs like phentermine etc.. is great. The added benefit of helping the disgestive system eliminate fat will also help people that struggle with constipation. Please remember that just because someone has a need to lose excess fat does not mean that the person is "eating "alot of extra fat. Many people have affected metabolisms that do not burn fat as they should. I agree that losing weight should not be about being more "sexxy" etc.. My interest is my health, and I believe that is the concern of most sincere people that are looking forward to Xenical being available over the counter. We should not be denied access.

This is an interesting thread. These fat blockers are rarely 'useful' with the exception of persons such as Dawn as it seemed to help her loose quickly for an upcoming surgery. I see the potential for carelessness because of the pharma/food industries hype about 'dangersous fat' that most people buy into the lies and actually believe no fat/low fat as a permanent lifestyle is healthier. On top of this, take a fat blocker that further denies the body essential fats and it will not take long for nutrient deficiency problems will arise.

The problem is not fat, but excess amounts of it, and the wrong types. The greater problem is the industry propaganda surrounding it, encouraging consumers to buy their artifical products (plastic 'fats', dangerous hydrogenated vegetable fats such as margarine). Enjoy the real stuff (butter, olive, grapeseed oil etc) but in small quantities and leave the rubbish. Cheaper, healthier and wiser choices.

As we all know but what many have problems incorporating is a shift to a better lifestyle and not a magic pill or patch that is either useless (except to the companies producing) or dangerous on the long run.

This is response to Rebecca -

You said you are a prescriber? Does this mean that you are a doctor?

If so, you just proved my point in avoiding traditional medicine and doctors! You're all too quick to jump to medicating! Its scary actually!

This is response to Rebecca -

You said you are a prescriber? Does this mean that you are a doctor?

If so, you just proved my point in avoiding traditional medicine and doctors! You're all too quick to jump to medicating! Its scary actually!

Oh, also, if you're a doctor who much of a kick back do you get when you prescribe it to a patient?

Patricia, if you are overweight at all, you are not "denied access". Doctors love to prescribe stuff, I'm sure the next time you went to your gyn/ob and said "So how about that Xenical?" you'd walk out with a prescription for it. If you are currently "denied access", then you must have a pretty low BMI already.

I don't eat much fat so I've never seen the point of this medication. I recommend having gallstones for anyone who wants to reduce fat in their diet. Even after having my gallbladder removed, the sight of fat makes me sick. I can't even be around people eating pizza anymore, cause seeing melted cheese is too much.

If they invent a carb absorber, then I wanna know more about it. Unfortunately, the sight of boiled potatoes does not make me sick. ;)

As a prescriber, I am not a doctor, but a Nurse Practitioner, and a teacher of Nursing. There are no kickbacks for prescriber's in this country, and actually any kind of kick-back. i.e. gifts, are against the law. Not every patient is appropriate for Xenical, and I do not prescribe it all that often. However, as I pointed out, there is a population with what is called Syndrome X, or metabolic syndrome, which has been helped by this drug. Please do not slam all medical professionals, as Nurse practititoners are also patient advocates, trained in herbolgy and other holistic medical therapies. We look at drugs as a last resort.
Thanks
Rebecca