The Effectiveness of Orlistat

One of the few drugs that are approved by FDA as weight loss supplements is the Orlistat (tetrahydrolipstatin). The populkar brand names of Orlistat are Xenical which is manufactured by Roche and Alli that is produced by GlaxoSmithKline.

So if you seek professional advice about effective and FDA approved weight loss supplement, your doctor might probably give you Orlistat because it is FDA approved to treat obesity. Buying Xenical needs prescription while Alli is categorized as over-the-counter drug because it has a lower dose formulation of Orlistat.

Orlistat is known to inhibit the lipase enzyme in our digestive tract and it should be taken before meal so that it can prevent the digestion and absorption of fat in food. It is said that Orlistat effectively blocks the absorption of about 25% of the fat every meal.

The unabsorbed fat is then excreted in the stool; and this is the reason why people who are taking Orlistat usually have “oily” loose stool. But studies said that regular intake of Orlistat for 6 months to 12 months can achieve around 13 pounds of weight loss. This is also one of few weight loss drug that can be taken for long period of time.