Orlistat experience

[RaventheBrave]

I’ve struggled with my weight since I was about 12, now 35. I’ve been dieting on and off since then dropping a stone or two then putting it back on. I currently have 10st to lose to get to a healthy BMI.

I spoke to my GP about my struggle today and I have been prescribed Orlistat. I’ve spent most of this evening researching it and I’m really concerned about the side effects.

Has anyone been prescribed this and had good experience on it? Did it help with your weight loss? Were the side effects horrendous?

I tried it years ago. I suffered anal leakage if I ate anything fatty and it didn’t help and lose weight. That doesn’t mean it won’t work for you of course. If you can afford it, I highly recommend GLP 1s

I have used Orlistat on and off for a long time. Yes, it did help me with weight loss but not without cost and not quickly either. You simply cannot go off your ‘low fat’ diet or you will shit yourself and I don’t mean you’ll be dying for the toilet and must get there in a rush, I mean you’ll just shit yourself because it comes on so fast and it’s just orange oil that comes out so you can’t ’hold on to it’ till you get to the loo. The wind is bad as are the stomach gurgles. It’s a very good WL aid that works but you need to work just as hard too.

I’ve not used it but I am on mounjaro. From what I can see it would be very difficult to lose 10 stone on orlistat. Really it will just be fear of eating anything too fatty, if eating fatty foods is part of your issue, that keeps you from doing it. But doctors don’t really have many other options.

would you be able to afford weight loss injections privately? If not could you ask your doctor to refer you to tier 3 weight management clinic? It is a long wait and no guarantee they’d offer the drugs instead of bariatric surgery,

id say give it a go, but it will be dieting through sheer will power.

I found people reduced the fat but increased their carbohydrates so they weren't in calorie deficit so didn't lose any weight.

I worked in adverse event reporting when it first came out yonks ago. Days upon days of constantly just writing anal seepage was bad enough - the potential to experience it in real life is a hard no.

I tried it about 15 years ago. It was horrible. Orange oil leaking into knickers, never knowing if a fart was just a fart. Did not help me lose weight.
Don’t put yourself through it.
I have lost 8 stones on mounjaro, no side effects at all.
Appreciate it is costly though.

I’m on Orlistat and I’ve lost just over a stone since 1 September. For context, I was 13st 4lb, am now 12st 2lb. As I’m fairly short, just over 5 ft, I am still significantly overweight.

I haven’t found it difficult at all, and the only time I had an unfortunate side effect was when I unwisely trusted a fart … Fortunately I was at home when that happened 🙄

I’m being careful but not obsessive about what I eat, and the biggie (I think) is that I’ve massively increased the amount of moving I do. Swimming 2-3 times a week, and walking everywhere I can rather than automatically taking the car.

I know I’d have lost a lot more (and more quickly) if I was doing WLIs, but I thought I’d give this a try before heading down that route.

I looked into this and the potential for embarrassment because I was working was too big. WLI’s are expensive but what you don’t realise is that you save money on alcohol (if you are a wine drinker) because in my case I have definitely reduced my intake. Eating out and cooking from scratch. So yes it’s expensive but not as much as you think and I have stayed on low doses (5mg Monjouro). If you can possibly afford it then I would definitely try it. It would be life changing.

Thank you for the feedback.

After doing research and the comments above, I am going to give it a miss.

Hopefully, in the new year injections will be a financial possibility.

Do you mean every time you fart you need to go to the loo in case you shit yourself? 😱

I ised the alli version half strength of orlastate.
I didn't have any problems with leaking oil pooping. As long as you stick to the fat allowance allowed you should be ok.

Pretty much

Then I take my hat off to you. 😀

Seen this post a bit late, but I started taking Orlistat via Boots pharmacy in June 2024. It was horrible at first. I was away for work, the food was rich, and I constantly leaked orange oil.

However, after a few weeks things settled as I learned to properly cut most fat out. It was boring counting fat grams in everything I ate, and I definitely pissed off people I ate with, but by summer 2025 I had lost 3 stone - down from just over 11 to 8.1 stone at my lightest. I'm now settled at around 8.6 stone. I'm 5 ft 3 inches.

It worked me for me, but you just can't go over the per-meal fat allowance. I also resent people saying the tablets are doing "all the hard work". I'm working bloody hard, go running, and have given up cheese and chocolate. I still very much enjoy food. Just I'm more careful and mindful.