Weight Loss // Xenical (orlistat)
Xenical is a treatment for obesity, used to help seriously obese people lose weight
and keep it off.
Xenical can be prescribed to patients with a Body Mass Index of over
30 or a Body Mass Index of over 27 accompanied by other risk factors (such as diabetes
or high blood pressure).
How Xenical Is Used
Xenical is usually taken with each meal that contains fat (up to three meals a day).
The usual dose is one 120mg pill per meal.
Xenical should only be used along with a reduced-calorie, reduced-fat diet. When you
start Xenical treatment, your doctor should help you plan a long-term weight-loss program
that includes a healthy, balanced diet as well as realistic weight-loss goals.
How Xenical Works
Xenical is not an appetite suppresant and does not work on the brain. Instead, it
works on the digestive system to stop a significant part of the fat you eat from
being digested. This is the fat that, when digested, leads to weight gain.
When using Xenical, the excess fat will be eliminated through your bowel movements
instead of being absorbed into your body.
Who Should and Shouldn't Use Xenical
As mentioned above, Xenical should only be used by clinically obese patients and
only under a doctor's supervision.
Do not take Xenical if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Do not take Xenical if
you have any food absorption problems. Certain other drugs taken along with Xenical may
have side-effects; talk to your doctor about any other drugs you are taking before you
start using Xenical.
Other Important Notes
Because it affects digestion, Xenical usually has unpleasant effects on the patient's
bowel habits, including gas with oily discharge and stronger urgency in bowel movements or
even incontinence. These effects usually go away after several weeks, but they may last for as long as six
months.
You can keep these side effects under control by reducing the amount of fat in your diet
as much as possible and dividing your fat intake evenly over your three daily meals. If
you are concerned about these effects, talk to your doctor about them before starting
Xenical treatment.
Another important point is that Xenical hampers absorption of some important vitamins from food. Patients taking Xenical
should use a daily multivitamin to ensure that they are getting all the nutritionals they need.
More Information
See official Xenical website.
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