Xenical (orlistat) may become the first non-prescription weight loss drug. In New Zealand, for example, the diet pill is available over-the-counter in normal drugstores and pharmacies.
The system would work in a similar way to the emergency contraceptive pill – only trained pharmacists would be able to sell it and customers would have to have their body mass index assessed and go through a short consultation to make sure the drug was suitable.
Xenical works by ‘absorbing’ a portion of fat that is eaten. Of course in reality the fat is still passed through the system. Many users of Xenical report a number of side effects – everything from an oily discharge, to lots of all round messy times on the toilet (forgive me for being frank – but this is the reality). This is exacerbated when too much fat is eaten.
Xenical is one of those drugs that do not in any way teach you good eating habits. The only thing to help you eat moderately is fear of side effects.
The decision to make this available over-the-counter is a foolish one:
Though pharmacists clearly had a vested interest in selling the drug, the Pharmacy Council had agreed to discipline anyone failing to assess and monitor customers properly… …He was confident pharmacists would be careful with the extra responsibility. “Pharmacists are not going to sell it to anorexics. It’s not in their interests to abuse it.”
This will not help those who already have problems with laxative abuse. A number of groups “are concerned it will be used as medicated bulimia – encouraging binge-eating in young people.”.
Side Effects
When taken with meals, orlistat blocks the absorption of about one-quarter of any fat consumed. That fat — the equivalent of about 150 to 200 calories — is passed out of the body in stools, which can be loose or oily as a result. Other side effects include gas, incontinence and oily spotting. About half of patients in trials experienced such side effects, the company said.
Purchasing
OTC Xenical is marketed as Alli (pronounced al-eye). The pill can now be purchased on-line without a prescription.
how much does this product xost in the U.S
Hi I have been on this for 5 moths and have lost 56 lbs and it is the best thing i have ever done. It forces you to change your eating habits due to the side effects, but leads you into a new life style which is substainable when you eventually reach your goal
I have been taking Xencial for about 8 months i have lost weight, but i dont have to run to the loo all the time, maybe i just dont eat enough fatty food, it has helped loads and you do think before you eat things now, sometimes i wish it would go thru me quicker , does anyone else have that problem the tablets dont make you run to the loo all the time???
Hi Toni thanx for your writup about xenical, I have just started on this product about 2weeks now and really have not had any side affects.
I feel a few rumbles in the stomach at times but am delighted how great I feel on emptying out.This has made me very much aware of the amount of fat I intake at meals. I have a problem with sweets too of which I am trying to handle, this I have also become very much aware of.
Is there any particular diet you follow?
I thank you for your positive comments I look forward to hearing back from you.
Regards
Rebecca- you are a ‘prescriber’ and a ‘nurse practitioner’ and are ‘trained in herbology’.! Interesting. Really?!
Is that in the same way you are ‘trained to diagnose’ people.
People please stay away from these nurse quacktitioner jokers- they are seriously dangerous- surely your health is worth an actual consulation with someone who actually has some knowledge- ie. a doctor??!
Has this drug ever made any one late with their period? does it have that effect? I spotted the day I was due and now there is nothing. Not to be gross but I have to know because if not, might have a bun in the oven!
hey, princess i just started to take this and nothing seems to be happening, everyone is saying about the oily stools, does it take time to kick in please help
I was prescribed Xenical by my doctor but when I found out it was close to 300.00 I decided against it.The pharmacist advised me to try Alli since this is the OTC form of Xenical. I have been taking Alli for about 2 and 1/2 weeks and have lost 7 lbs so far.If nothing else I have found that I am eating healthier and walking a couple miles a day helps too.As far as side effects I haven’t had much.Maybe a little bit gassy but not all the time and I have yet to have any oily spots in my panties, however, a friend of mine tried it and she said she thought she might poop herself to death so I guess it just depends on you.Even my doctor told me that Xenical wouldn’t work if you were going to just eat salads so fat intake is necessary the trick is to not overdo it.I can’t take any of the other things out there because I have heart problems so this product (Alli) is working for me and if Xenical is too strong maybe you could try Alli instead.
Xenical is for “obese” people. I doubt if you only want to lose 20lbs that you would be considered “obese”.
Hi there, let me share my story to you guyz. I took Xenical(orlistat) 120 mg. 1 tablet 3x daily every meals for 4 months together with a healthy diet that includes none oily foods, without even exercising and surprisingly lost 30 lbs…this drug is great, effective and safe. But before starting on this therapy, make sure you are committed on losing weight, eating healthy foods and exercise at least 3-4x a week and see the results in just a month..-tnx
Could anyone pls advice me on how to use Xenical. I haven’t tried it yet but i wanted to. I am 58 kg. and got excess fat on the belly and i would like to get rid of those excess fats. as I read the comments about taking Xenical most people who used it were overweight to 10kg. or more but I am just 3 kls over the standard weight. pls email me at adrenee_pagaduan@yahoo.com I will be glad to receive suggestions from you guys. thanks a lot.
hi, how did u loose so much so quick wat were you eating ? if you dont mind xx
firstly id like to say hello, secondly id like to say well done you on ur weight loss , even though u gained it back due to a medical condition hopefully u have sorted that now ready for ur second lot of tablets, i wish u all the very best on ur future weight loss and u gave me the dertermanation to do it myself thankyou xx claire take care
I was recently prescribed xenical. I’m 20 and I’m abit overweight, don’t get me wrong I wasn’t looking for a “quick fix” but I guess I could explain that my weight is an issue that isn’t caused by binging or overeating.
I’ve took xenical for a week and a half and today I had to flush them down the toliet. Honestly what was my doctor thinking!? I had taken reductil before and that had bad side effects on my mentality. At 20 years of age, Xenical may have been responsible for this sudden start up of piles. I don’t mean to be graphic so forgive me. But seriously, it’s not freakin’ worth it. And my doctor is an idiot. Don’t buy them at all, they will hurt you inside.
My dr. prescribed this to me and I just filled the prescription. The instructions on the bottle says to take 1 pill at bedtime! After reading here, and reading the instructions on the pamphlet supplied by the pharmacy it seems like the drug should be taken after each meal that contains fat. Does anyone know why would my doctor prescribe it to take it once at bedtime? I haven’t taken the drug yet.
My name is Vivian Brown and i would like to show you my personal experience with Xenical.
I am 28 years old. Have been on Xanax for 2 weeks now. Needed to lose 20 lbs. I’m 5 foot 7 and about 165 pounds…would like to get around 145 or less. I lost 7 pounds within 7 days of starting. Worked very good for me since I’m only overweight because I eat fatty foods. If you are dieting and exercising and eating all of the right foods it may not do much, but if you are like me and have a decent metabolism but do not eat the right foods it seems to work wonders. Also I’m only taking half of the normally prescribed dose.
I have experienced some of these side effects -
Orange Oily Stool, very minor stomach cramping, sudden urge to use the bathroom after eating food with heavy amount of fat.
I hope this information will be useful to others,
Vivian Brown
hey… i live in the uk too
How much fat do u eat per meal on average ?
Carrie
Hi
Tanya
The only reason that happened to you is because u ate to much fat, i stick to no more than 13grams of fat per meal and only eat three times a day. i have been on it since april last year and it has only happened to me twice and that was because i was naughty and fatty foods !! Just give another go and dont be scared !! i have lost 3 stone 1 lb !
after reading all the posts here, I decided to do some more “researching” because I too was curious about the side affects of the long term use of this medication. Below you will find a link to an article that was on MSNBC. I found the last few sentences to be “alarming” & am now hesitant to use this drug, but I’m not yet ruling it out. I hope this article helps.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17032249/
19/12/08
I have tried to lose weight for the last three years since i gained 30lbs for no reason over a two month period. I have a very healthy diet and do an hour fast walking everyday day so the doctors and Dietitian came to a dead end after doing numerous tests on me for different illnesses so as a last resort they have put me on Xenical for a 6month period to see if it will help me lose some weight. I am on Xenical three weeks now and i have lost 6lbs so far! I was terrified to take the tablets at the start as i read so many blogs about the “accidents” people were having but i have had no side effects what so ever only that the wind i pass is abit more smelly. I reckon alot of the side effects people are getting is from not watching their fat intake! I was told absolutley nothing about these tablets and havent even seen a Dietitian about the tablets yet so i had to do my own research so when i went onto the Xenical.com site i seen that im only suppose to be on a 30% Fat Diet and by sticking to this and having a good diet anyway i reckon thats why ive no bad side effects. Im hoping the tablets will keep dropping my weight by 2lbs each week so byt he time my 6 months are up ill be down about 3 stone, Fingers x. I’ll let you all know how im getting on over the next few months. Ps. If you need a drink … Stick to the Weight Watchers Wine and mix it with diet 7up.!!!!
I am on xenical and have been so worried about the side effects I have only used 2 days worth over 7 days the last pill i took yesterday morning and this morning i have had to throw away my knickers!!
Hey
i dont count the calories i have meals that dont go over 15 grams of fat and i have 3 meals a day. i have lost 2 stone so far . Give it a go i feel so much better about myself now!
I am on these tablets at the moment and i have been on them for 5 months. These tablets have helped me change my eating habits completly…. if i dont take them because i am going out for a meal for birthday etc… i am always thinking should i be eating this and always try and eat the healthy option.It has helped me train my brain. Of course i always knew what i should eat and shouldn’t eat but i never chose to listen. I wish it was a quick fix but it has taken me 5 months so far to lose 1 stone 10 pounds …. i have always found it hard to lose weight.
ive been taking xenical for over a week and already lost over 5lb with a low fat diet and exercise
hi i’ve read alll this and i just want ppl to know that i became seriously overweight after my son aand i was 290lbs i started xenical and have been taking it for about six months and i have lost at total of 60lbs i lost 18 in my first month of using it just find the time to do some exercise and eat right … anyone who has a weight prob should try it !!! i never had an accident with the orange stuff just some loud farts when i try to eat hardly anything at all try it guys just keep away from fry foood and cheese!
Hi,
I started taking Zenical about (2) weeks ago 07/28/08. I weighed in @ 310 lbs. Interesting enough after 2 weeks I went back to my doctor and I now weigh 312. I was so upset and I wondered what I was doing wrong. I was having regular bowel movements sometimes up to 5 a day! Thing was I did not change my diet or exercised. I felt good most days and in my mind I guess I thought I was losing weight “NOT”. So, I was upset…
But now that I know that I have to change my diet and exerice more often than I do… these little changes will help in the long run. The bowel movements are amazing… I have had 2 or 3 accidents as a result of Zenical. Think you’re passing gas and oops you poo’d on URself-: Not a pretty thing. So I try not to take it while I am @ work.
I love oatmeal.. and this was my breakfast every morning. I have to be honest here, I’d have a large bowl of oatmeal, wheat toast and a sausage patty.. The sausage patty was a NO NO and I could do away with the bread. I guess I was thinking that I could continue to eat and I would be O.K. This was a myth. For me, I KNOW that changing my diet will be my saving grace and talking walks 3 to 4 times a week will help.
I am going to continue on this. Like it has been stated.. Zenical is not a weight loss drug per say, it helps to remove fatty intake…thus reduces your caloric intake. However, in order to lose lbs you have to watch your diet.. Lay off so much bread, butter and sugar and watch you lifestyle.
I can do this and I will.
Thanks everyone for your diaries b/c now I know U can do this and changing what I put into my body is the 1st step to changing my life.
and if this pill is not right for me than what is ! .
please HELPP !!!!!! .. i need any kind of pill i need any advise !
i am 150 lbs i am 13 years old and i need to loose weight fast .. i this pill right for me and if so how old would u have to be to buy it ? .. and couyld smeone please tell me what the worst side effects are !
Argh, I am so confused, its 50/50. I just got back from the doctors and he recommended xenical and I was going to try it until I read all of this.. I work at a call centre, I would rather be fat then completely embarrass myself with “oily spotting”, I would never lift anything heavy again, my god! Is there ANY way to avoid this!!??
I was deciding to take “duromine”, but I’ve read its “legal speed”. I just want to lose weight!
Heelllp