How should I take Xenical?
What is Xenical?
Xenical (orlistat) blocks some of the fat that you eat, keeping it from being absorbed by your body.
Xenical is used to aid in weight loss, or to help reduce the risk of regaining weight already lost. This medicine must be used together with a reduced-calorie diet. Xenical is for use only in adults.
Orlistat is also available over-the-counter under the brand name alli for customers over the age of 18 years.
It is dangerous to purchase Xenical on the Internet or from vendors outside of the United States. Medications distributed from Internet sales may contain dangerous ingredients, or may not be distributed by a licensed pharmacy. Samples of “alli” purchased on the Internet have been found to contain sibutramine (Meridia), a prescription weight loss medication that can have dangerous side effects in certain people.
Take Xenical exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended.
Never share Xenical with another person, especially someone who has a history of eating disorder. Keep the medication in a place where others cannot get to it.
This medicine comes with patient instructions for safe and effective use. Follow these directions carefully. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.
Xenical is usually taken 3 times per day with each main meal that contains some fat (no more than 30% of the calories for that meal). You may take the medicine either with your meal or up to 1 hour after eating.
If you skip a meal or you eat a meal that does not contain any fat, skip your Xenical dose for that meal.
The fat content of your daily diet should not be greater than 30% of your total daily caloric intake. For example, if you eat 1200 calories per day, no more than 360 of those calories should be in the form of fat.
Read the label of all food items you consume, paying special attention to the number of servings per container. Your doctor, nutrition counselor, or dietitian can help you develop a healthy eating plan.
Xenical is only part of a complete program of treatment that also includes diet, exercise, and weight control. Your daily intake of fat, protein, and carbohydrates should be evenly divided over all of your daily meals. Follow your diet, medication, and exercise routines very closely.
Xenical can make it harder for your body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K. Your doctor may recommend that you take vitamin and mineral supplements while you are taking Xenical. Follow your doctor’s instructions about the type of multi-vitamin or mineral supplement to use.
Take your vitamin or supplement at bedtime, or at least 2 hours before or after you take Xenical.
Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Keep the bottle tightly closed. Throw away any unused Xenical after the expiration date on the medicine label has passed.
Keep track of the amount of medicine used from each new bottle. Xenical is a drug that may be misused as a weight-loss aid, and you should be aware if anyone is using your medicine improperly or without a prescription.
Xenical dosing information
Usual Adult Dose for Obesity:
120 mg orally three times a day with each main meal containing fat. The dose may be taken during the meal or within 1 hour of completing the meal.
Usual Pediatric Dose for Obesity:
12 years or older:
120 mg orally three times a day with each main meal containing fat. The dose may be taken during the meal or within 1 hour of completing the meal.
What happens if I miss a 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.
Recommended Dosing
The recommended dose of XENICAL is one 120-mg capsule three times a day with each main meal containing fat (during or up to 1 hour after the meal).
The patient should be on a nutritionally balanced, reduced-calorie diet that contains approximately 30% of calories from fat. The daily intake of fat, carbohydrate, and protein should be distributed over three main meals. If a meal is occasionally missed or contains no fat, the dose of XENICAL can be omitted.
Because XENICAL has been shown to reduce the absorption of some fat-soluble vitamins and beta-carotene, patients should be counseled to take a multivitamin containing fat-soluble vitamins to ensure adequate nutrition [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)]. The vitamin supplement should be taken at least 2 hours before or after the administration of XENICAL, such as at bedtime.
For patients receiving both XENICAL and cyclosporine therapy, administer cyclosporine 3 hours after XENICAL.
For patients receiving both XENICAL and levothyroxine therapy, administer levothyroxine and XENICAL at least 4 hours apart. Patients treated concomitantly with XENICAL and levothyroxine should be monitored for changes in thyroid function.
Doses above 120 mg three times a day have not been shown to provide additional benefit.
Based on fecal fat measurements, the effect of XENICAL is seen as soon as 24 to 48 hours after dosing. Upon discontinuation of therapy, fecal fat content usually returns to pretreatment levels within 48 to 72 hours.
Xenical side effects
Get emergency medical help if you have any signs of an allergic reaction to Xenical: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Stop using Xenical and call your doctor at once if you have:
severe pain in your lower back;
blood in your urine, painful or difficult urination;
kidney problems–little or no urinating; swelling in your feet or ankles; feeling tired or short of breath; or
liver problems–nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, tired feeling, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).
Common Xenical side effects are caused by orlistat’s fat-blocking action. These are signs that the medicine is working properly. These side effects are usually temporary and may lessen as you continue using Xenical:
oily or fatty stools;
oily spotting in your undergarments;
orange or brown colored oil in your stool;
gas and 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, rectal pain.
