More About Orlistat

Orlistat is a very important medicine which is necessary for weight loss. The medicine helps in losing weight by preventing the digestion and absorption of fat from the intestine. An enzyme known as lipase is responsible for breaking fat in food so as to make it easy to absorb the fat. Orlistat has the potential of blocking lipase and prevention of breakup and absorption of fat. Orlistat can block about 25% fat present in a meal. Orlistat by prescription was approved by the FDA in 1999. Alli, another form of orlistat, is the over-the-counter medicine and was approved in 2007.

Orlistat should be used along with a reduced-calorie diet for getting better results in weight loss. Orlistat is prescribed for obese patients with a body mass index (a measure of obesity) of more than 30 kg/m2. People who have a body mass index of between 27 and 30 kg/m2 can also use the medicine if they have risk factors for arteriosclerosis like high blood pressure, diabetes, and elevated blood cholesterol or triglycerides. The average weight loss that orlistat can promote is 12.4 to 13.4 pounds if the medicine is used as recommended for six months to one year.

The recommended dose for Xenical is 1 capsule (120 mg) to be taken 3 times daily. The recommended dose of alli is 60 mg to be taken 3 times daily. You should take Orlistat 1 hour after or during a meal that contains 15 mg of fat. If you take orlistat in higher doses which is more than 120 mg, you do not get any additional benefit. Patients should also follow a nutritionally balanced, reduced calorie diet with only 30% of calories from fat.

When orlistat is used, your body may not be able to absorb some dietary vitamins because they bind to fat. These vitamins include A, D, E and beta- carotene. So, people whoever is using orlistat should also take a multivitamin which contains the "fat-soluble" vitamins. The multivitamin recommended for you should be taken at least two hours before or several hours after using orlistat.

Vitamin K decides the blood thinning effect of warfarin (Coumadin) and vitamin K is a vitamin that binds to fat. So, when patients use orlistat and warfarin together, they should get their blood clotting monitored closely. Orlistat can reduce amount of vitamin K in the body, which increases the effects of warfarin resulted in abnormal bleeding. However, no evidence has been found that due to orlistat, deficiency of vitamin K happens in patients.

Orlistat can also decrease the absorption and blood levels of cyclosporine (Sandimmune) if both the medicines are used simultaneously. That is why, it is important to use cyclosporine 2 hours before or after orlistat.