How Orlistat Works
Orlistat is a medicine that is capable of promoting weight loss has it can prevent digestion and absorption of fat present in food. An enzyme lipase (produced primarily by the pancreas) is responsible for breaking the fat in food and make it absorbable. Orlistat inhibits lipase and so prevents breakup and absorption of fat. Orlistat is capable of blocking about 25% of the fat present in a meal. The FDA approved prescription orlistat in 1999. It also approved alli, a lower dose formulation of orlistat, as the over-the-counter medicine in 2007. Orlistat should be used together with a reduced-calorie diet to get the highest weight loss. Orlistat is recommended for obese patients who have a body mass index (a measure of obesity) of more than 30 kg/m2.
It is also recommended for people having a body mass index of between 27 and 30 kg/m2 when they have risk factors for arteriosclerosis like high blood pressure, diabetes, and elevated blood cholesterol or triglycerides. Scientific studies have found that if the medicine is continued for six months to one year following the recommended directions, then the average weight loss achievable is 12.4 to 13.4 pounds.
The dose recommended for Xenical is one capsule (120 mg) to be used 3 times daily. The dose recommended for alli by doctors is 60 mg to be taken 3 times daily. You should take the medicine 1 hour after or during a meal which contains 15 mg of fat. You won't get any additional benefit from increasing the dose to more than 120 mg. Anyone using the medicine should take balanced, reduced calorie diet containing about 30% of calories from fat.
Some dietary vitamins (vitamins A, D, E and beta- carotene) bind to fat. When you use orlistat, they are eliminated in the stool along with the fat. So, if you're using orlistat, it is important to also take a multivitamin that contains the "fat-soluble" vitamins because then only your body will get the necessary vitamins. To ensure that these vitamins in the multivitamins are not bound to fat, you should take the multivitamin at least two hours before or several hours after taking orlistat.
Vitamin K is important for your body because the blood thinning effect of warfarin (Coumadin) is dependent on the amount of vitamin K present in your body. Vitamin K binds to fat. That is why, it is important for patients using warfarin and orlistat to check the blood clotting closely as orlistat may reduce vitamin K. if that happens, effect of warfarin will increase, which will lead to abnormal bleeding.
Orlistat can also affect the absorption and blood levels of cyclosporine (Sandimmune) and reducesit if both the medicines that used together. So, cyclosporine should be used two hours before or after taking orlistat.