Orlistat

[AcerPacer79]

Hi, I have just started taking Orlistat today and I can see lots of old threads about it but none recently posted so just wondering if anyone else on here is on this same journey? I have around 5-6 stone that I could do with losing so my doctor suggested Xenical as a starting point. I have Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome too and I am sure my weight at 18.5 stone won't be helping those. Any friendly advice or chat would be greatly appreciated

@samestyle I am sure you will have lost even if you don't think you have x
@hairypaws king prawn pasta sounds dreamy !! I am sure that will be fine x
@DyslexicPoster welcome :-) x best of luck with your start - keep us posted how you get on x

@DyslexicPoster I'm 5'3" and 14.9 stones so similar to you. I went to collect prescription today but pharmacy hasn't received it from GP. Dr is reprinting so hopefully get it tomorrow 🙏

It worked well when I took it last year for a month. I'm not sure about staying on it for a long time without a break. I might do 6 weeks or a stone then take a week off. Eating less and low fat is key. When I started it originally I had a croissant and tmi I was passing oil but no accidents or anything like that. Not had that since but tummy is gurgling having a hot chocolate and a few mouthfuls of cake yesterday. Hopefully I loose a stone in a month. I have recently lost 5kg doing nothing so fingers crossed. I do try to not eat until after midday.

Hi can I join? I started today, I have done orlistat previously in 2015. I lost 5 stone in four months and kept it off, until my 11yr old daughter got seriously unwell from covid in 21 (I had a thread at the time). It caused a brain infection and she almost died. She is now disabled in a wheelchair and with serious mental and medical needs. My whole life has changed, I would swim a mile a day and go to the gym five days a week. But I have comfort eaten my way through since she was unwell. Something has clicked now though, probably the sun coming out and remembering how uncomfortable I was last summer.

I ended up with liver problems and believe it was as a result of this drug. Please do your research before you continue with it.

How long was on it for? I do think that my body has changed the way that I react to it which in my head means it processes it differently if your on it for a while. I try to skip breakfast then have slimfast or the like for lunch so only one tablet at dinner time. I still aim to break at a month. Trying use it as a way to control fat intake rather than to eat normally and loose weight.

@Sodie @Franticbutterfly welcome x good to chat.
I have read all the stuff about liver issues and my doctor made me aware of these, I already have mild fatty liver so the doctor said reducing my weight would probably help me rather than hinder me but I am definitely keeping this in mind at all times. Do you mind me asking what signs you had that there was a problem with your liver?

@Sodie sorry to hear about your daughter, that must have been distressing. I hope that you are managing now and are getting any support that you need x x

@AcerPacer79 I believe it gave me nafld.

Also, I know this is boring af but please try low carb eating and exercise before resorting to a drug with potentially serious side effects. I took orlistat (recommended by GP) when it first came out and they didn't know of these effects.

@Franticbutterfly I already have a diagnosis of that but only the beginnings of so I'm hoping the weight loss will help counteract that so it doesn't get worse x I will keep an eye on it though, thank you for mentioning it.

Good evening everyone, I'm seriously considering these and wandered if someone could tell me when you take them, side effects and are they working!! I can see by some posts they are working but I'd love to lose a couple of stone and am so fed up now. I have to commute by train so need to consider what will work for me and also I love a wine at the weekend and wandered how that would work

Side effects are your body doesn't process and absorb fat, so it passes through you. Take a tablet and eat a crosant and you will poop oil. That's basically it. You can't eat anything high fat ( a few mouthfuls maybe you be ok) but say a pastry or big Mac and you will regret it. I think some people have unpleasant accidents too. A best you'll get gas and rumbling. I think you have to consider it as a tool to stop eating fatty things. Uour advised to take a multivitamin at night. Drinking and sugar consumption won't be effected. You could eat bags of sugar it won't counteract that at all.

That's interesting thank you, my problem is sugar rather than fat so that's something I need to think about.

@Smoky1107 I think they are worth a try if you are struggling with other means. My weight has just gone up and up before trying these. I have fibromyalgia and CFS and I was pre diabetic too. No matter what I tried, I couldn't lose weight. My joints are so painful and my feet. I've been taking these now for 6 or 7 weeks and I'm over a stone down. I am eating mostly like I'm on slimming world but if I'm honest, I'm not being very strict with myself so I probably could have lost more by now. I don't drink loads but I have had a few gin and tonics on these and not had any issues. I have had one accident though (tmi) 🤣 after my husband and kids made me a massive Mother's Day fry up. But that was not an uncontrollable thing like some people report, I just put too much trust in a fart 😬🙋🏼‍♀️my issue is sugar and carbs usually because I am so tired all the time but I have really not found it hard to reduce those. It has made me more mindful of what I am eating. If I have found that I am going out and I know I might eat something higher in fat, I've been skipping a pill. I would give them a go x

Hi that's all really helpful thankyou! So a quick question if you miss a pill do you miss it that meal or a few before?

So sometimes my husband and I will eat out last minute decision on a Saturday but if I skipped the pill I would have taken that would be sufficient to not have an issue on the train home!!
I think I'll finish my boots order and try them this month. So I may lurk on here for a while if that's ok

You take the pill within an hour after the meal or just before it so I'd just skip the pill if I was eating out unless it was a sensible choice. It only speeds up your digestive passage a bit so you'd be OK for about 4 hours afterwards I think? Maybe some else can comment?

Week one after and I'm 4lbs down. I get my tablets from the gp and I did a repeat prescription but it wasn't in with my order so hopefully the gp hasn't changed their minds. I only took it for a month and last year.

Week one after and I'm 4lbs down. I get my tablets from the gp and I did a repeat prescription but it wasn't in with my order so hopefully the gp hasn't changed their minds. I only took it for a month and last year.

Just placed my order with boots! So I'll join you here if that's ok for support

@DyslexicPoster well done ! 4lbs is great x that's brilliant.

@Smoky1107 you will get to know how long your digestive system takes to process food. The way it works is the tablet sits in your tummy and releases whatever it is that stops the fat absorption and then the left over fat that is not absorbed is expelled. I have found that if I eat something higher in fat, I don't notice any changes until around 12 hours later if that helps. I might have one for breakfast but then skip lunch and dinner but then take another one with breakfast. And I've not noticed an issue. You need to eat some fat for them to work. They say aim for 14-15gms of fat per meal and if you
Eat fat free, skip a pill because there is no point taking one. I'm eating the way I would on slimming world, which Includes home made slimming world chips, low fat home made burgers, brown toast and jam, jacket potatoes and tuna salad, stuff like that so I choose stuff like that out as well but I check the calories and think about how it may have been cooked. X

Thank you! I'm on my home now with my prescription. Working from tomorrow so will start tonight!! I've eaten low fat all day so may as well

I'll be starting this next week so just marking my place! I'm away with work the rest of this week and then two nights out over the weekend so don't want to risk any accidents by starting now 😁

@Twinstudy welcome ! :-) I'm away for work next week too. I will take mine with me and see how I get on. Im off to Belfast and I bloody love a potato cake so it's gonna be hard 🤣

@Smoky1107 good luck x don't forget your multi vitamins too x

My doctor is happy with my progress and has arranged another repeat prescription today so I
I'm in this for a while now.