Side effects and risks of taking Xenical

As with all medical treatments, Xenical may not be suitable for everyone and can have side effects. When you approach your doctor about taking this kind of medication you will have to carefully weigh up the pros and cons of taking Xenical before going ahead with using it as part of your weight loss programme. In clinical trials Xenical was found to be well tolerated and its safety profile was similar to that of the placebo.

Do not buy Xenical if it is contraindicated to anything in your medical history and if your doctor recommends you do not use this treatment.

For general information on weight loss click here

Xenical

The most commonly reported side effects:

• Headache.
• Oily spotting from the rectum.
• Abdominal pain or discomfort.
• Flatulence (wind), sometimes with discharge.
• Oily or fatty stools.
• Urgent or increased need to open the bowels.
• Diarrhoea.
• Low blood sugar levels (hypoglycaemia) in people with type 2 diabetes.

Xenical treatment side effects are caused by the specific action of the medication which means that once you have understood its mechanism it is relatively easy to work out how to manage any unwanted effects. Xenical Orlistat is a drug which is not absorbed into the bloodstream; instead it works in the stomach and small intestine where it interferes with the normal metabolism of dietary fats. Xenical prevents fats from being broken down into digestible pieces, so these are passed through the gut in the faeces. By stopping your body from storing fat energy Xenical prevents you from putting on weight, and similarly forces your body to use up fat reserves it has already collected helping you to lose weight.

How to stop Xenical side effects?

The side effects of Orlistat are mostly gastrointestinal because of the pharmacological effects of the treatment on preventing the absorption of dietary fats. As Xenical filters fats, the most important course of action in preventing unwanted side effect is cutting down or cutting out all fatty foods from your diet. The most obvious things to reduce consumption of are: butter, margarine, oil (of any kind), cream, cheese and milk. This might require you to substitute products cream and milk with soya versions, and use a teaspoon to measure out small amounts of oil when you cook.
The best advice is to plan all your meals at home and research which ingredients are best suited to a low fat diet. Try to cook all your meals from scratch using non-processed foods, so you are in control of what goes into your meals, and steam or boil food where possible. Avoid eating pre-packaged or processed food, but if you must eat these foods, check the labelling to find out the quantity of fats contained and make sure the total fat content is no more than 30g per 100g. Eating a low fat diet will certainly help you to manage the most embarrassing side effects caused by the medication and complement Xenical’s fat blocking action.

What happens if I cannot manage the side effects?

If you find side effects are a problem, contact us to let us know. You may be advised to stop taking the treatment altogether or we may be able to further advise you on how to manage symptoms. Unlike the NHS we will not stop treatments if you need a break to learn how to better deal with gastrointestinal side effects.