Xenical
Also Read Xenical Prescription Information [download as PDF]Quick Summary
Excess weight increases the risk of developing many medical problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes. Xenical is an oral prescription weight loss medication commonly used for helping obese people effectively lose weight, and moreover - keep it off for a long time. To achieve the desired goal, xenical works in patient's intestines, blocking some of the fat you eat from being absorbed, and this undigested fat is then eliminated in your bowel movements. Usage of xenical is recommended as a supplement to the reduced-calorie diet; otherwise the result can not be guaranteed.
In medical terms, xenical is a gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor used to treat obesity. Along with dietary fat, xenical decreases the absorption of some fat-soluble vitamins and beta-carotene. To compensate them, you should take a multivitamin containing vitamins A, E, D, and K once a day, at least two hours before or two hours after taking xenical.
Xenical is available for oral administration in dark-blue, hard-gelatin capsules, with light-blue imprinting. Each xenical capsule contains 120 mg of the active ingredient, orlistat. Xenical capsules also contain the inactive ingredients microcrystalline cellulose, sodium starch glycolate, sodium lauryl sulfate, povidone, and talc. Each capsule of xenical shell contains gelatin, titanium dioxide, and FD&C Blue No.1, with printing of pharmaceutical glaze NF, titanium dioxide, and FD&C Blue No.1 Aluminum Lake.
Read below to get ready for the effective xenical-based course of obesity treatment.
Xenical At Work
If you consume a huge amount of fat or calories, the excess is stored as fat by the body resulting in weight gain. When you eat fat, your body breaks it down into its simplest components so that it can be absorbed. Enzymes in your intestinal tract, called lipases, help digest (or break down) fat. When you take xenical with meals, xenical attaches to the lipases and blocks them from breaking down some of the fat you have eaten. The undigested fat cannot be absorbed and is eliminated in your bowel movements. By working this way, xenical helps block about 30% of the fat eaten in food from being absorbed by your body.
For those of you who would like to know about xenical mechanism of action in details, here is a comprehensive explanation given in medical terms. Orlistat (the active ingredient of xenical) is a reversible inhibitor of lipases. It exerts its therapeutic activity in the lumen of the stomach and small intestine by forming a covalent bond with the active serine residue site of gastric and pancreatic lipases. The inactivated enzymes are thus unavailable to hydrolyze dietary fat in the form of triglycerides into absorbable free fatty acids and monoglycerides. As undigested triglycerides are not absorbed, the resulting caloric deficit may have a positive effect on weight control. Systemic absorption of the drug is therefore not needed for activity. At the recommended therapeutic dose of 120 mg three times a day, orlistat inhibits dietary fat absorption by approximately 30%.
What You Should Know Before Using Xenical
Xenical works for considerably overweight people (at least 30% above ideal weight or a body mass index of 30 or greater). Xenical may also be right for you if you are overweight (at least 20% above ideal weight or a body mass index of 27 or greater) and also have other risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, or diabetes.
You should not take xenical if you are consistently having problems absorbing food (chronic malabsorption), or have gallbladder problems, or are pregnant or are breastfeeding a child, or have ever had an allergic reaction to orlistat (the active ingredient of xenical), or any of the inactive ingredients in xenical.
Avoid taking xenical if you suffer from chronic malabsorption syndrome - a condition that prevents nutrients from passing from your stomach into your bloodstream - or from cholestasis, a blockage in the supply of bile needed for digestion.
Before beginning treatment with xenical, make sure your doctor knows if you are:
- allergic to any medicines, foods, or dyes;
- taking any other weight-loss medication;
- taking any other weight-loss medication;
- taking cyclosporine;
- taking any other medicines (including those not prescribed by your doctor);
- taking any dietary supplements, including herbal products;
- planning to become pregnant; or
- anorexic or bulimic.
This information will help you and your physician decide if the expected advantages of xenical are greater than any possible disadvantages.
Xenical Usage Directions
Take one xenical 120 mg capsule by mouth with liquid at each main meal that contains fat, or up to one hour after a meal. You can take xenical in conjunction with a nutritionally balanced, mildly reduced-calorie diet up to 3 times a day. Make sure that each time you take xenical, your meal does not contain more than 30% of calories from fat. If you occasionally miss a meal or the meal contains no fat, you can skip the dose of xenical. Don't try to make up the loss of xenical with a double dose. Please note that doses greater than 120 mg three times a day have not been shown to provide an additional weight loss benefit.
During the treatment course and for the long time after you finish taking xenical, you should evenly divide your daily intake of fat, carbohydrates, and protein over 3 main meals. It is recommended to follow a healthy eating plan such as the one developed by the American Heart Association. Following this eating plan will help you lose weight while decreasing some of the possible gastrointestinal effects you may experience while taking xenical.
It is very important to mention that xenical interferes with your bodys absorption of some fat-soluble vitamins. So during the obesity treatment course make sure that you take a daily multivitamin supplement containing vitamins D, E, K, and beta-carotene. Multivitamin should be taken once a day at least 2 hours before or after taking xenical, such as at bedtime.
The use of xenical for more than 4 years has not been studied, so we recommend you consult your doctor or pharmacist to define the length of xenical-based weight loss course.
Xenical package should be stored at room temperature, in a tightly sealed container.
Xenical Side Effects
The following side effects of xenical most commonly appear during the first year of obesity treatment: depression, leg pain, swollen feet, and tendonitis. If any of these develop or change in intensity, immediately inform your doctor of that. He will determine if it is safe for you to continue taking xenical.
Xenical side effects may include as well: abdominal discomfort or pain, anxiety, arthritis, back pain, diarrhea, dizziness, earache, fatigue, fatty or oily stools, fecal urgency or incontinence, flu, gas with fecal discharge, gum problems, headache, increased defecation, menstrual problems, muscle pain, nausea, oily discharge, rectal discomfort or pain, respiratory tract infections, skin rash, sleep problems, tooth problems, urinary tract infections, vaginal inflammation, vomiting.
The following xenical side effects are less common but not very rare: dry skin, ear/nose/throat problems, joint disorders.
Usage of Xenical by Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women
The effects of xenical during pregnancy have not been adequately studied and the drug is not recommended for pregnant women. If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, inform your doctor before taking xenical. It is not known whether xenical appears in breast milk, so do not take it while breastfeeding.
Overdosage Effects of Xenical
If you take too much xenical, it may cause unwanted effects or become habit-forming, but generally it is unlikely for an overdose of xenical to be life-threatening. Symptoms of overdose may include restlessness, tremor, rapid breathing, confusion, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps.
Regardless to the relative safety of xenical, once you suspect or know for sure of the overdose, the first thing to do must be to contact your local poison control center or emergency room immediately to solve this problem as soon as possible. Remember that self-treatment of xenical overdose is never an option.