Drug Uses
Alli (orlistat) blocks some of the fat that you eat, keeping it from being absorbed by your body and helps you to lose weight.
Alli is used together with a reduced-calorie diet and weight maintenance to treat obesity in people with certain risk factors (such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol or triglycerides).
Alli may also be used for other purposes.
How Taken
Take Alli by mouth, generally three times daily during (or up to one hour after) each main meal that contains fat. Your daily intake of fat, protein and carbohydrate should be evenly spread over three main meals. If a meal is occasionally missed or contains no fat, skip that dose of the medication. Because this drug can interfere with absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (e.g., A,D,E,K), a daily multivitamin supplement containing these nutrients is recommended. Take the multivitamin at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after this drug (e.g., at bedtime). The effects of this drug may begin as soon as 1-2 days after treatment begins; noticeable weight loss will take longer.
Warnings/Precautions
Tell your doctor your medical history, including: allergies, digestive disorders (malabsorption or cholestasis), low thyroid function (hypothyroidism), other metabolism problems (e.g., oxalate kidney stones, hyperoxaluria). This drug should not be used if you have anorexia nervosa or bulimia-type eating disorders. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant before using this medication. The manufacturer does not recommend use of this drug during pregnancy. It is not known whether this drug is excreted into breast milk. Because of the potential risk to the infant, breast-feeding while using this drug is not recommended. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.
Missed Dose
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember, but no more than 1 hour after eating a meal. If it has been more than an hour since your last meal, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at your next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
If you miss a meal, or if you have a meal without fat, you can skip your dose of Alli for that meal also.
Possible Side Effects
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Stop taking Alli and call your doctor at once if you have severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, nausea and vomiting, and a fast heart rate. These could be signs of pancreatitis.
The following side effects occur commonly with the use of this medication. They are the natural effects of Alli's fat-blocking action and are actually signs that the medication is working properly. These side effects are usually temporary and may lessen as you continue treatment:
-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;
-an increased number of bowel movements; or
-stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rectal pain.
Other side effects that may occur while taking Alli include:
-problems with your teeth or gums;
-cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, cough;
-fever, chills, sore throat, flu symptoms;
-headache, back pain; or
-skin rash or itching.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur.
Storage
Store at room temperature (77 degrees F, 25 degrees C) away from light and moisture.
Overdose
If overdose is suspected, contact your local poison control center or emergency room immediately. US residents can call the US national poison hotline at 1-800-222-1222.
More Information
Tell your doctor of all prescription and nonprescription medication you use, especially of: cyclosporine, "blood thinners" (e.g., warfarin), drugs for diabetes (e.g., insulin), other drugs used for weight loss. Cyclosporine should be taken at least 2 hours before or after orlistat to assure maximum absorption of the cyclosporine into your bloodstream. Do not start or stop any medicine without doctor or pharmacist approval.
You can find more information about Alli weight loss pills here:
Disclaimer
This drug information is for your information purposes only, it is not intended that this information covers all uses, directions, drug interactions, precautions, or adverse effects of your medication. This is only general information, and should not be relied on for any purpose. It should not be construed as containing specific instructions for any particular patient. We disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of this information, and/or any consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty, either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.
