GP has suggested Orlistat, need advice please

[Imnotaslimjim]

I went to the GP today for another issue and we got discussing my weight. My BMI is 40, and I need to sort that out. I'm pretty serious about losing some weight, but he has suggested Orlistat. He said he has a few patients on it and that its rare to get the side effects you hear about

So I want to hear the good, the bad and extremely ugly about it please, and help me make up my mind

I have used this a few times. I did not suffer too much from the 'treatment effects' everyone talks about and I was pleased with the weight loss. I did however end up jaundiced and had to stop taking it. I now discover I have a huge gallstone (which is soon to come out) and if you have gallstones you tend not to get on too well with it.

Actually, I just wish I could still use it. I am now on the 5:2 but orlistat is much easier and when you see the quick weight loss it is easier to get motivated.

If your GP recommends it and will monitor you I would go for it!

Is that the stuff that makes you shit through the eye of a needle?

Let me get this right...you need to lose weight and your GP has suggested a pill? Time to change GPs.

I posted this on another thread about my experiences, hope it helps.

--

I've used Orlistat, but it's important to acknowledge that it's certainly not a magic cure. I started using Orlistat 6 months after I'd addressed my inactive lifestyle and decided that I need to really look at my diet to keep the losses going.

Because Orlistat works by preventing about 1/3 of the fat you eat from being absorbed by your body, your body still needs to excrete it. Depending on how much fat you've eaten, the "treatment effects" can be nothing, can be a softer stool, or can be very loose stools and oily leakage when you're not expecting it.

I found Orlistat helped to reinforce good habits for me. It made me eat only three times per day - no snacking - and I kept my fat intake per meal down to a maximum of 5 g. When you start looking at the labels on food, it's quite an eye-opener. So many things are utterly packed with unnecessary fat.

When I kept my meals to no more than 5g of fat, I had no "treatment effects". On the very rare occasion that I overindulged (say, a friend's birthday meal out) Orlistat worked as a bit of a safety net, but of course the unpleasant "treatment effects" followed!

It really isn't about calories in themselves, it's about the amount of fat in your diet.

Good luck! (To you too!)

Why don't you just cut out fat from your diet instead?

Why don't you just cut out fat from your diet instead?

I agree with quiche. I lost 3 stones on it (eating healthy food and walking miles every week too). I looked and felt better and my constant heartburn cleared up completely. Do beware the party poo, it ain't nice and doesn't flush!

Unfortunately, and totally my fault, I have put most of it back on now but if you can maintain the healthy lifestyle most of the weight will stay off.

Thanks so much for the input. I've been reading up about it a fair bit too, and part of what I've read is that it can cause malabsorption and you should take a multi-vit every day. Considering I'm being tested for low vit D/iron/Vit B I don't think its a great idea

For those that have said "why not just cut down/cut out" if ti was that easy I wouldn't be in this state now. Not all of us have been taught the self control to do that. And yes, when asking for help the GP suggested a pill/ He did explain it wasn't a magic cure and that it would need a lot of work from me too, but I want to try hard so I'm going to try without for now

I took 2 days worth and then had an oily shart when I was at work.

beware!

it might have had something to do with the Chinese from the night previous.......

probably works better of used correctly!