Xenical (Orlistat) – a weight loss drug that can destroy your health?
Overweight and obesity often require appropriate treatment, because they threaten the proper functioning of our body. In such cases we resign from natural diet supplements available on the market in favour of a drug with a strong active substance. But is this always a good choice? Yes, if we carefully read the leaflet attached to the package. Otherwise the treatment may not help, but harm our health. Even when the drug was prescribed by the attending physician. The more so when it contains the active substance orlistat. It reduces the absorption of vitamins (A, E, D, K) and affects processes in the body. A long list of side effects many times scares patients away from buying a prescription. We decided to check its action, contraindications and risks of use.
Contents
- 1 Dosage and frequency of use
- 2 Xenical – who is recommended to use it?
- 3 A dangerous composition available by prescription at pharmacies. Xenical – possible side effects
- 4 Risks of using the active substance orlistat. When to stop treatment?
- 5 Contraindications to the use of Xenical and treatment effects
- 6 Fighting obesity and taking care of your health. Other dietary supplements for weight loss without side effects
Dosage and frequency of use
Orlistat is best taken before, during or, at the latest, one hour after a meal with plenty of water. The daily dose of the drug depends on the indications of the attending physician. Usually it is 1 capsule 3 times a day. Xenical may be used only by adults. Therefore, it is important to keep it out of reach of children. During the treatment we should switch to a light diet and avoid alcohol. If you have severe abdominal pain, indigestion, annoying diarrhea or any other of the side effects after use, you should consult your doctor as soon as possible. If your body weight does not decrease even by 5% after 12 weeks of treatment, you should stop taking Orlistat.
Xenical – who is recommended to use it?
The drug is intended for people with body mass index BMI greater than or equal to 28. They have great difficulty in reducing body fat, and often their many years of overweight leads to or threatens the development of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular ailments. Since Xenical is a drug with a very strong action, it quickly and visibly reduces the absorption of fats. Thanks to this, their excess is not deposited in the body’s tissues, and the burning of body weight is effective. This is definitely an effective treatment for overweight, but it is dangerous. Doctors who prescribe this drug to their patients believe, however, that the benefits of using this product are much greater in relation to the possible risks. This is true if you follow their recommendations. Taking 1 tablet before, during or after a fatty meal activates the action of this pharmaceutical. At the same time, high-fat foods significantly increase the likelihood of side effects in the patient. Unfortunately, there are a lot of possible undesirable complaints – from headaches and abdominal pain to rectal bleeding, hepatitis or pancreatitis, as well as kidney failure. However, the list is much longer.
A dangerous composition available by prescription at pharmacies. Xenical – possible side effects
The active substance of this medicinal preparation is orlistat. Its action is based on inhibiting the activity of lipase and reducing the absorption of fats in the intestines. In this way, it is immediately excreted, and only a small part remains in the body. This makes the reduction of body fat very fast, visible and does not require starvation or daily workouts crossfit. Orlistat is a very potent substance, which can be additionally stimulated by excessive consumption of fatty foods. The most common adverse reactions of the body are gastrointestinal complaints. These include:
- indigestion,
- bloating,
- gas with discharge,
- fatty stools,
- oily stools,
- severe diarrhea,
- anal pain.
These are the basic, most common side effects. However, other disorders such as irregular menstruation should be mentioned. Orlistat affects our hormonal balance, discharge and bleeding may occur more frequently and in a different intensity than before. Xenical can also cause hyperglycemia, respiratory infections, and tooth and gum disease. Also, it has been noted that it can cause flu, fatigue, and even anxiety. Orlistat has a lot of side effects, its effects are short-lived, and treatment requires constant monitoring by the treating physician. In addition, Xenical affects the action of other active substances, such as acarbose, cyclosporine, vitamins (A, E, D, K) and amiodarone. It also weakens the effect of anticoagulants and antiepileptic drugs.
Risks of using the active substance orlistat. When to stop treatment?
Xenical is a drug intended for people with a particular problem of overweight. It is recommended only in exceptional cases, and its use must be constantly monitored by the attending physician. If your gastrointestinal complaints are occasional and not very bothersome, they should disappear with prolonged treatment. However, in some cases taking a drug with an active substance as strong as Orlistat is particularly dangerous. You should discontinue use as soon as possible if you notice symptoms such as:
- rectal bleeding, which requires detailed diagnostics conducted by a doctor. It is also important to do additional blood and stool tests. Orlistat is a very strong substance that can damage the work of many organs,
- severe diarrhea leading to dehydration, weakness and reduced effectiveness of contraceptive drugs. If we also experience fainting it is a sign that our body is exhausted and needs time to regenerate and rehydrate,
- thyroid insufficiency due to excessive absorption of iodine salts or levothyroxine. Untreated, it leads to weakness, slowed metabolism, menstrual cycle disorders, and problems with concentration and memory. In special cases it is the cause of depressive states and insomnia,
- asudden drop in blood sugar levels, which is particularly dangerous for diabetic patients. In their case Xenical can lead to hypoglycemic coma. Therefore, when fighting overweight with the active substance orlistat, such people should constantly monitor blood sugar levels and consult alarming “jumps” in glucose with a doctor,
- ineffective or weakened action of antiepileptic drugs, which is a consequence of reduced absorption of their active substances. Prolonged use of Xenical in such persons may cause epileptic seizures,
- kidney failure due to too high amount of oxalates excreted by the body with urine. People with reduced blood volume or chronic kidney disease are particularly at risk. The use of the active substance orlistat, despite visible side effects, is very dangerous to our health.
Contraindications to the use of Xenical and treatment effects
Orlistat is not recommended for breastfeeding mothers. In addition, it adversely affects the treatment of bile stasis and chronic malabsorption syndrome, so it is not recommended for people with this problem. Also, we should not use the drug Xenical in case of hypersensitivity to the active substance or any of the excipients. People with epilepsy, type 2 diabetes or chronic kidney disease can start treatment only with the consent and under close supervision of a doctor. Clinical studies have not shown any danger to pregnant women. However, it is not advisable in their case either, due to the number and risk of possible side effects. Certainly, the visible results achieved without much effort are encouraging and influence the risk taking associated with the treatment. The effects achieved with Xenical are indeed extremely fast, but unfortunately short-lived. We must also remember that the active substance Orlistat works only during treatment. After its completion, fat excretion is slower and does not affect weight loss. This may result in an undesirable yoyo effect.
Fighting obesity and taking care of your health. Other dietary supplements for weight loss without side effects
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