22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

WAR ON FAT, April 13, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February, 2007 approved orlistat capsules (Alli 60 mg. capsule) as an over-the-counter (OTC) weight loss aid for overweight adults, kudos to Bush administration. Prior to this date, orlistat was marketed only as Xenical, the prescription form of the same drug, orlistat. The FDA did a fine job in making orlistat an OTC, ahead of the EU, for instance. Orlistat works by inhibiting the fat-busting enzyme called Lipase in the gut. The “unbusted” fats cannot be absorbed by the body and they find their way into the toilet. In doses of 120 mg. three times a day, 30% of eaten fats will go into the sewer. Less than 2% of the drug gets absorbed in the body so more than 98% of the drug passes in the stools, mostly unchanged. Still not happy?

One might ask what happens to the bad fats in the blood, e.g. bad cholesterol? One can expect lowering of bad cholesterol aka LDL, the lethal variety that makes widows. It does not affect the good cholesterol aka HDL by much but the HDL gets up by exercising, the pill is a good adjunct to ‘other things’ such as eating healthier foods, not drinking alcohol, exercising, not smoking etc. The pill is taken only with a fatty meal. In other words, if you are eating an apple for lunch, there is no need to waste a capsule there. Many feel that this is an “expensive” capsule. I agree. The sponsor is making a killing over some lousy fat fed to people by way of fast foods, another killing in the first degree. Frankly, a Big Mac should come with one free orlistat. In the global economy, one orlistat should cost no more than 12-15 cents, in my view and they still will make decent profits. I do not know when the patent is up for the generics to plunge in. Hopefully soon.

Administration

Administer during or up to 1 hour after each main meal containing fat.

Precautions:

Fat soluble vitamins also ‘get lost’ in the process. A multivitamin containing the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) should be administered once daily at least 2 hours before or after Alli. Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency is a common condition as it is (thanks to the deep freeze winters). Orlistat will make this worse. This is especially important in women and is totally preventable. Lack of Vitamin D also causes muscle incoordination besides thin bones thus increasing the chances of fall and fracture, not common knowledge.

Orlistat is a God sent pill for Type II diabetics, mostly obese. Therapy modification is recommended w a doctor.

Orlistat is not recommended for use during pregnancy/lactation and transplant patients.

Drug interactions

If you are taking blood thinners, transplant drugs, or some other prescription meds, you need to talk to your doctor for adjustment. Your pharmacist has a list of these for free.

Drink plenty of water when on orlistat to keep kidneys flushed well.

For obese kids over 12, consult with your doctor.

Orlistat thus appears to be a safe drug, no lawyer has collected anything on it that I am aware of. Now, that is something.

BMI Body Mass Index

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