Generic Xenical (Orlistat) 120 mg is a powerful medication meant for people who are overweight or obese. This product claims that it is safer than other weight loss pills because it does not affect the central nervous system. This medication is used along with a reduced-calorie diet and exercise program by people with a BMI of 30 or higher who have not responded to an appropriate weight-reducing diet alone, and by people with a BMI of 27 or higher who also have other risk factors (e.g., high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels, excess body fat). It is also used to maintain weight loss and reduce the risk of regaining weight for people who have lost weight.
Xenical blocks the action of lipase, the enzyme that digests fat in the intestine and stops around 30 percent of the fat you’ve eaten from being absorbed. As a result, your body loses around a third of the calories provided by this fat so you start to lose weight.
The recommended prescription dose for Xenical is one capsule (120 mg) three times daily. Orlistat should be taken one hour after or during a meal containing about 15 mg of fat. Meals without fat do not require orlistat. Patients should eat a nutritionally balanced, reduced calorie diet that contains approximately 30% of calories from fat.
Reported side effects are oily stool, increased bowel movements, nausea, vomiting, rectal pain, diarrhoea, abdominal pain. The risk for these side effects is higher if more than 30% of your daily calories are obtained from fat, or if any single meal has a very high fat content.
Do not use orlistat if you have problems absorbing nutrients from foods. It should also not be used if you have problems with bile flow in your liver. In addition, since food and nutrient absorption is affected by this medication, the FDA recommends that users take a multivitamin while on the diet drug.
Before taking Xenical, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. This medication must not be used during pregnancy. Weight loss offers no potential benefit to a pregnant woman and may harm an unborn baby. If you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant, tell your doctor immediately.