What Is Orlistat?
Orlistat is the only medicine currently licensed in the EU to help you lose weight. Orlistat prevents your body from absorbing the fat from the food you eat. By reducing the amount of fat that is absorbed, Orlistat is clinically proven to help you lose up to 50% more weight than with dieting alone.
Orlistat 120mg is used in the treatment of obesity. Orlistat prevents your body from absorbing the fat from the food you eat. By reducing the amount of fat that is absorbed, Orlistat can help you to lose weight more easily.
What is Xenical
Xenical is a brand name for generic Orlistat 120mg. Xenical is manufactured by Roche and contains the active ingredient Orlistat 120mg. Medically there is no difference between generic Orlistat and Xenical although Orlistat is generally available at a lower price.
What is Alli?
Alli is a brand name for Orlistat 60mg and is an over the counter medication. Alli is half the strength of the prescription-only medication Orlistat 120mg and Xenical.
When should you use Orlistat?
If you have previously tried losing weight through diet and exercise and have not had the desired results you may wish to consider trying to use Orlistat. Orlistat is clinically proven to help you lose 50% more weight than through dieting alone.
Orlistat is only suitable for people with a BMI over 30 or for people with a BMI over 28 who have conditions related to weight such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
Use our online BMI calculator to calculate your BMI.
How does Orlistat Work?
Orlistat works in a unique way. The active ingredient, Orlistat, attaches itself to some of the body’s natural enzymes that break down fat, so you don’t absorb it. This prevents some of the fat you eat from being absorbed.
If you eat an excessive amount of fat or calories, the excess is stored as fat by the body, resulting in weight gain. When you eat fat, your body breaks it down into its simplest components so that it can be digested.
Orlistat works in your digestive system to block about one-third of the fat in the food you eat from being digested.
Enzymes in your digestive system, called lipases, help digest (or break down) fat. When taken with meals, Orlistat attaches to the lipases and blocks them from breaking down some of the fat you have eaten.
The undigested fat cannot be absorbed and is eliminated in your bowel movements. By working this way, Orlistat helps block about one-third of the fat in the foods you eat from being absorbed by your body.
Orlistat isn’t a stimulant or an appetite suppressant. It's formulated to work only in your digestive system and should not affect your heart rate, your brain or cause sleeplessness. The safety and efficacy of Orlistat, has been established in more than 100 clinical studies with data from over 30,000 people.
Targets
When you start taking Orlistat you will be given a weight loss target for the first 3 months. This target is 5% of your weight. If you succeed in losing 5% of your weight, you will be eligible to continue taking Orlistat. Pharmacists can supply Orlistat for up to two years.
Each time Orlistat is supplied you will need to supply your pharmacist with your current weight. If your weight goes up in any three months, Orlistat will need to be stopped. If you lose enough weight for your BMI to fall below 28, Orlistat can no longer be supplied.
Some people do not succeed in losing weight with Orlistat. These people should not be disheartened. They can have a break of 6 months and try again later, or see a doctor or a weight loss clinic as alternatives. Losing weight, like many things that are hard to achieve, takes perseverance and resolve, so do not give up.
