Orlistat Review: Is it Effective?

What is Orlistat?

Boasted as FDA approved, orlistat supplements diet and exercise to help the adult users it is marketed toward to shed some extra pounds. Coming in capsule form, orlistat helps stop fat from being absorbed into the body. Unlike some competing brands that promote their product to be some magical elixir of weight loss, orlistat makes it clear that diet and exercise are needed to make weight loss possible.

Who makes it?

Orlistat comes in two different forms, an over-the counter version called Alli, and a prescription brand called Xenical. Of the two, Xenical contains more orlistat (which can lead to problems. See below). Orlistat is manufactured into products by the British GlaxoSmithKline. Founded in 2000, GlaxoSmithKline was once the 6th largest manufactrer of pharmaceticals. They are also known for producing a variety of other producs which include pharmaceuticals, vaccines, oral health care products, nutritional products and over-the-counter perscriptions.

How (and) does it work?

It is advertised that by taking 3 capsules a day results will be seen. Orlistat works by blocking the absorption rate of about a quarter the amount of fat in foods that a person consumes during a given day. Instead of getting absorbed into the body, the unused fats are lost in stool. Less fat being absorbed means less overall calorie intake than if only a diet was used. The company’s website does stress however that orlistat only shows results with a reduced calorie diet and exercise.

Some users of orlistat report that the effects of the capsules only last so long as you are taking the capsules. Once people stopped taking the product, the results of their weight loss began to disappear. So to achieve the physique that people strive for, users find themselves in a cycle of addiction, repeatedly using a product and not being able to stop.

What’s inside of it and are there side effects?

Orlistat is a drug used to treat obesity. It is used to block fat inhibitors from being absorbed into the body which also can help reducing a person’s overall calorie intake. Orlistat is a synthetic drug, which may or may not turn some people away from people away from the product if they are not comfortable taking things aren’t all natural. If you want to find a diet pill that is derived from all natural ingredients, please read the top 10 list.

Potential Side Effects: Fatty/oily stool, oily spotting, changes in bowel function, intestinal gas with discharge increased bowel movements and uncontrollable bowel movements.

*Note: Side effects vary depending on diet.*

What’s good about it?

Along with proper diet and exercise, orlistat can help with weight loss. orlistat doesn’t make claims of massive weight loss, but is honest that it can help lose a few extra pounds. For example in it’s over-the-counter version, Alli, 2-3 pounds can be lost for every 5 from dieting.

What’s bad about it?

In higher doses, orlistat can in some extreme cases lead to liver and kidney failure, which have resulted in lawsuits to companies that manufacture orlistat. And yet those responsible seem to not care about acting on these tragic mistakes. Reports of these cases are becoming increasingly common, and the number of lawsuits in relation to this are expected to increase over time.

It should also be noted that because of orlistat’s ability to block fat from being absorbed into the body, this can have a wide range of negative issues. For example, people with gall bladder problems have reported issues with bile. Also people with a history of seizures are at risk with this product, as orlistat can block fat soluble seizure medicine.

Wrap up

On the one hand orlistat is honest and consistent about it’s product and it’s effectiveness. However, there isn’t much of a cap on when to stop using the product. If orlistat use isn’t kept up, the progress that can be made will amount to nothing. Also the negative effects that orlistat can have on people who have pre-existing gall bladder, liver, kidney and seizure issues can make one think twice about using this product.

Bottom Line:

While not hiding anything about the importance of diet and exercise, there is more to orlistat than meets the eye. Under the guise of acting like it’s being honest that orlistat alone will cause weight loss, the company isn’t very upfront about the dangerous side effects of orlistat. There are an array of other products that aren’t like this that could be the same price or cheaper.

We recommend that while this product may be useful, other diet pills may be more effective and better for you.

Check top 10 weight loss pills