The Side Effects Of Alli Pills

GlaxoSmithkline's weight loss drug Alli, which contains the active ingredient orlistat, blocks your body's absorption of fat, causing it to be excreted from the body. This effect results in an overall lower calorie load. But before you purchase Alli, consider the most often reported and sometimes extremely embarrassing side effects associated with its use.

Stomach and Intestinal Effects

Some of the most common and often treatment-limiting side effects of Alli involve the stomach and intestines. These reactions affected from 12 percent to 27 percent of Alli's pre-marketing study participants, according to the 2008 Drug Information Handbook. They include abdominal cramping and oily spotting---leaking of oil from your rectum that results in soiled underpants. Alli may also cause you to pass oil or a little bit of stool when passing gas. More frequent stools, inability to control your bowels, fatty stools, oily stools and fecal urgency have also been commonly reported among Alli users, according to FDA prescribing information for orlistat.

These side effects may occur early in treatment and resolve themselves, or they may continue throughout treatment. The best way to minimize them is to limit the amount of fat in your meals. Keep your total fat calories to less than 30 percent of your daily caloric intake. Rather than consume the bulk of these fat calories during one sitting, spread them over three meals.

Vitamin Deficiency

By blocking the absorption of fat, Alli prevents the absorption of those vitamins that require fat to be absorbed by the body. These are vitamins A, D, E and K, which are also known as fat-soluble vitamins. Therefore, while taking Alli, you should take a multivitamin containing adequate amounts of these essential vitamins.

Headache

According to results from clinical trials reported in the Drug Information Handbook, approximately 30 percent of trial participants experienced headaches. However, you can easily manage this side effect by taking an over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin before or after taking your dose of Alli.

Upper Respiratory Effects

According to the Drug Information Handbook, Alli may also cause upper respiratory-tract infections such as flu, sinusitis and pharyngitis, which are infections of the sinuses and throat, respectively. Lower respiratory-tract infections such as bronchitis are also listed as possible side effects. According to prescribing information for orlistat, close to 40 percent out of 1,913 orlistat clinical trial participants reported experiencing these side effects.