Orlistat Side Effects

Whenever you find the following signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; after using orlistat, you should immediately seek medical help. You should also stop using the medicine and call for medical help if you have any of the following - severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, nausea and vomiting, and faster heart rate. All these can be signs of pancreatitis.

When you use orlistat, you may notice one or more of the following side effects. The side effects occur due to rlistat's fat-blocking action. They indicate that the medicine is working perfectly. Such side effects are generally temporary and they will reduce when you continue the treatment with orlistat:

•  oily spotting in your undergarments;

•  oily or fatty stools;

•  orange or brown colored oil in your stool;

•  gas with discharge, an oily discharge;

•  loose stools, or an urgent need to go to the bathroom, inability to control bowel movements;

•  more bowel movements;

•  stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rectal pain; or

•  Weakness, dark urine, clay-colored stools, itching, loss of appetite, or jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).

Some other side effects that you may experience after using orlistat:

•  some problems with your teeth or gums;

•  cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, cough;

•  fever, chills, sore throat, flu symptoms;

•  headache, back pain; or

•  Mild skin rash.

Other medicines that may affect orlistat

If you use any of the following medicines, inform your doctor about that:

•  insulin or diabetes medicines which are taken orally;

•  cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune);

•  digoxin (digitalis, Lanoxin, Lanoxicaps);

•  levothyroxine (Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothroid); or

•  a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin).

Warnings

Patients should not use the medicine

• if you are taking cyclosporine
• if you have any problems absorbing food
• if you are not overweight

Consult with your doctor before using the medicine if you have ever had the following

• gallbladder problems
• kidney stones
• pancreatitis

Consult with your doctor or pharmacist before use of the medicine if you are

• taking warfarin (blood thinning medicine), or taking medicine for diabetes or thyroid disease. Your medication dose may need to be adjusted.
• taking other weight loss products

When you use orlistat

• You will need to use a multivitamin once a day, which can be taken at bedtime. It becomes necessary because orlistat can reduce the absorption of some vitamins.
• You should also follow a well-balanced, reduced-calorie, low-fat diet. It can start following the diet before you start using orlistat.
• Orlistat prevents absorption of fat element present in the food you eat. The excess fat is eliminated from the body through bowel changes.



That is why, you may get:

1. gas with oily spotting
2. loose stools
3. more frequent stools that may be hard to control

• you can reduce the bowel changes by eating a low-fat diet
• For every 5 pounds you lose from diet alone, orlistat is capable of helping you to lose 2-3 pounds more. Scientific studies have found that most of the users of the medicine can lose 5-10 pounds over 6 months.