Patient information:
Xenical was approved by the FDA in April, 1999 in the treatment of obesity. More precisely, this prescription drug is used in association with a low calorie diet aiming to help the patient achieve desired weight loss and maintain it.
As Xenical is a prescription only medication, patients need to see the doctor before actually taking the capsules. The doctor is the one to decide whether Xenical works for someone, depending on their Body Mass Index measurement results. The Body Mass Index relates body weight and height to calculate the weigh needed to loose to achieve normal standards. The active ingredient in Xenical is Orlistat and the producing company is Roche.
Unlike other weight loss medications, Xenical does not work by suppressing appetite or boosting up metabolism. It works by blocking up enzymes in the digestive system and therefore preventing fats from being digested and transformed into pounds. By blocking lipases (water-soluble enzyme), which breaks down fats, Xenical determines the elimination of fats through processes in bowels. The efficiency area of Xenical reaches almost one third of the ingurgitated fats, prevented from being digested.
Directions of using Xenical:
Xenical is recommended in one capsule dose before each main meal containing fats. In other words, Xenical is taken three times a day tops, before each meal consisting in maximum 30% fats. Only in association with low-calorie nutritional regimes could Xenical be effective.
Xenical can be ingurgitated during or no more than 60 minutes before meals with a large glass of liquid. Supplementary intake of Xenical does not increase the efficiency of the drug, but it can be omitted in case of fat free meals.
Xenical's Side effects:
Natural adverse reactions to Xenical include modification in
bowel
functioning for first few weeks up to 6 months. These modifications may
be translated into gas, increased and sometimes hard to control bowel
movements.
That and other gastrointestinal side effects that may appear during
Xenical therapy, however, may be decreased respecting a balanced
doctor
recommended diet.
Contraindications to Xenical:
Xenical is contraindicated in pregnant and breastfeeding
female
individuals, as well as in patients experiencing decreased bile flow
and slow food absorption.
Xenical is contraindicated in association with cyclosporine,
but it is
advisable to associate it with daily multivitamin doses, as it normally
decreases vitamin intake.