About Xenical – Facts to Know

Xenical 120mg tablet is used along with a doctor-approved reduced-calorie diet, exercise, and behavior modification program to aid in significant weight loss.  In addition, Xenical is also known to prevent weight regain.

Obesity may be the underlying cause for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, some forms of cancer, certain breathing problems, and a shorter lifespan; therefore losing weight and keeping it off can reduce many health risks.

Dietary fats in our food help provide nutrition to the body. These dietary fats must be broken down into smaller pieces before the body can absorb them.

Xenical works by blocking the enzyme that breaks down the fats in the diet.  This undigested fat then passes out of the body as faeces.

However, Xenical does not block the absorption of calories from sugar and other non-fat foods, so total calorie intake has to be restricted to achieve weight loss.

Although, Xenical carries too many promises for an overweight individual, it cannot simply melt the fats away. Xenical is the actual brand name of the drug, with an active ingredient called Orlistat.

It comes in 120mg capsules and is manufactured by Roche. Xenical belongs to a group of medicines known as lipid inhibitors and work in the digestive system of a body.

Who should buy Xenical?

Xenical (Orlistat) is a prescription medication the type of drug prescribed by doctors to help obese persons lose weight. Xenical effectively blocks most of the fat from the food that one eats and prevents absorption thereby successfully managing obesity.

Xenical eligibility includes:

• People with a Body Mass Index of 30 and above
• People with a body mass index of less than 27 but with obesity related comorbidities
• People who suffer from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood lipid profile in addition to obesity problem

How does Xenical work?

If an excessive amount of fat or calories are ingested, the surplus is stored as fat by the body, resulting in weight gain. In the process of digestion, the body breaks the fats down into its simplest components for easy digestion and absorption.

Xenical, unlike other weight-loss drugs that act in the brain or on the central nervous system to suppress appetite or to speed up metabolism, works in the digestive tract to block about one-third of the fat in the food that is eaten.

Enzymes in your digestive tract, called lipases, help in the process of fat digestion. Xenical, when taken with meals, attaches itself to the lipases and blocks them from breaking down and so remain unused by the body.

This unused fat is eliminated in the bowel movements. By working directly on the dietary fat, Xenical helps block the absorption of about one-third of the fat in the foods by your body.

Is Xenical a Magic Pill?

No, Xenical is a practical alternative solution that provides additional assistance, beyond a low-calorie diet and exercise, in the management of obesity. Xenical helps the body eliminate unwanted fat by blocking 33% of the fat in the food that we eat. As a result, the body’s fat centers are activated, leading to healthy weight loss with time.

Because Xenical is a prescription medication, a complete medical history is needed to evaluate your eligibility for the drug. Clinical studies have established the Xenical credibility because with Xenical people lost more weight than without it. But this was achieved when Xenical was used in combination with a low-calorie diet and a strict exercise regimen.

Xenical Dosages

Xenical 120mg is taken orally with water during each main meal that contains fat or within 1 hour after the meal. Meal times comprise of three main meals a day; therefore Xenical must be taken three times a day or as directed by the doctor. 

So, if you miss a meal or your meal contains no fat, you should skip that medication dosage.  Moreover, to lessen the chances of any unpleasant side effects, it is essential that no more than 30% of the calories in the diet come from fat.  One’s daily intake of fat, protein, and carbohydrate must be evenly spread out over 3 main meals.

Because Xenical is known to interfere with the absorption of certain fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, K and beta-carotene, a daily multivitamin supplement must be taken once a day, either 2 hours prior to or 2 hours after taking Xenical.

Normally, it is expected that weight loss will occur within 2 weeks after starting in the Xenical medication.  Tell your doctor if your condition worsens or if it does not improve.

Xenical Side Effects

The most common side effects of Xenical (Orlistat) are:

• Altered bowel movements – This is generally experienced during the initial weeks of treatment, though on rare occasions it may be seen throughout the regimen
• Steatorrhea i.e. oily, loose stools seen as oily spotting on underwear or on clothing
• Feacal incontinence – urgent need to have a bowel movement along with flatus
• Increased number of bowel movements
• Difficulty controlling bowel movements
• Gas with oily spotting
• Loose stools
• Oily or fatty stools
• Pain or discomfort in the rectum/anus
• Irregular menstrual periods
• Headache
• Anxiety
• Hives
• Rash
• Itching
• Difficulty breathing or swallowing
• Severe or continuous abdominal pain
• Cold or flu-like symptoms

Hypersensitivity to Xenical may result in:

• Reduced gall bladder function
• Chronic malabsorption syndrome

Pregnant and lactating women should not take Xenical; can be prescribed to children over 10 years in the pediatric age group.

Xenical precautions

Before taking Xenical inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to the medication or to any of its ingredients; or if you have any other allergies.

Xenical must not be used if you have certain medical conditions like:

• Certain digestive problems like chronic malabsorption syndrome
• Certain gall bladder problems like cholestasis

Prior to starting Xenical, discuss your medical history with your doctor in detail, especially if you have:

• Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
• Kidney stones/problems like calcium oxalate kidney stones, hyperoxaluria
• Certain eating disorders like anorexia nervosa/bulimia.

In addition, if you are diabetic, there are chances that weight loss may improve your blood sugar levels.  Both diet and medications may need to be adjusted.

Pregnant and lactating women must not take Xenical. It is not known whether Xenical passes into breast milk.

Similarly, cyclosporine must be taken at least 2 hours before or after taking Xenical to make sure that the full dose of cyclosporine is absorbed into the bloodstream.  In the case of levothyroxine, it must be taken at least 4 hours before or after taking Xenical.