Information About Xenical Diet Pills

You may be interested in Xenical diet pills if you are obese and want to lose weight faster than through dieting alone. MayoClinic.com states that Xenical may help you lose an additional 5 to 7 lbs. per year in addition to what you would lose by following your diet program without Xenical. The drug carries some health risks, so only use it as your doctor recommends.

Background

In 1999, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved orlistat as a weight loss pill for treating obesity and preventing you from regaining weight after you lose it. Xenical is a brand name for orlistat, and each Xenical pill contains 120 mg orlistat. Despite some safety concerns because some Xenical patients had liver problems, the FDA maintains that current evidence shows that the benefits of Xenical may outweigh the risks, and you should ask your doctor if you have concerns.

How They Work

When you eat foods with fat, your body uses digestive enzymes called lipases to break down the fat so that you can absorb it from your intestines. Xenical diet pills are fat-blockers because their active ingredient, orlistat, is a kind of lipase inhibitor that prevents your body from absorbing some of the fat from food. This can help you lose weight because you will not get the full calories from the fat that you eat.

How To Use Them

According MedlinePlus, you should only use Xenical as part of a controlled diet that is low in calories, and has no more than 30 percent of its calories from fat. Take Xenical three times a day, with meals or within one hour after your meal, or as your doctor prescribes. Choose low-fat foods, such as lean protein, low-fat or fat-free dairy and cooking spray instead of butter, and reduce your risk of side effects from Xenical by avoiding high-fat meals.

Other Information

To avoid deficiency, you may need to take supplements of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K while you are on Xenical. MedlinePlus states that some of the side effects from taking Xenical diet pills include nausea, vomiting, hives, fatty diarrhea and stomach pain. Xenical may interact with other medications, so remind your doctor about all medications that you take. As with any drug, get your doctor's approval and advice before taking Xenical. Use it according to the safety and usage instructions on the package.

References

Article reviewed by Libby Swope Wiersema Last updated on: Feb 8, 2011

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