Xenical

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Defeating Diabetes Brenda Davis and Tom Barnard See book keywords and concepts

One of the newest prescription drugs on the market is a fat blocker sold under the name xenical (orlistat). It works by inhibiting enzymes responsible for fat breakdown, reducing fat absorption by about 30 percent. The side effects of xenical are diarrhea, poor absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and phytochemicals, anal leakage, and urgency. Many people simply cannot tolerate the gastric lipase inhibition necessary to benefit from the xenical program, and in truth, if you are unable to restrict your intake of fat, the very loose stool can become quite unbearable.

Supplement Your Prescription: What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutrition Hyla Cass, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

Nutrients depleted: If you do decide you want to try xenical or Alli's program—which, like most weight-loss regimens, involves drastic dietary changes and exercise—you can also expect to be depleted of important fatty acids and fat-soluble nutrients, including vitamins A, D, E, K, and the carotenes. Needed supplements: • High-potency multivitamin: Use a multivitamin that contains all of the fat-soluble nutrients and with a meal for better absorption.

Living the Low Carb Life: Controlled Carbohydrate Eating for Long-Term Weight Loss Jonny Bowden, M.A., C.N.S. See book keywords and concepts

In a second two-year European trial, obese patients were put on a reduced-calorie diet (reduced from their regular intake by 600 calories a day) and given 120 milligrams of xenical three times a day. At the end of the year, they had lost about 9 pounds more than the placebo group (about % pound a month). A similar design was used in a two-year study in the United States that produced an average of a mere Vi pound a month more in the xenical group than in the placebo Does it get any better? Not much.

During the first year, participants were put on a lower-calorie diet, and during the second year they adhered to a maintenance diet. The xenical group lost between 2 and 3 percent more weight than the placebo group. In a second two-year European trial, obese patients were put on a reduced-calorie diet (reduced from their regular intake by 600 calories a day) and given 120 milligrams of xenical three times a day. At the end of the year, they had lost about 9 pounds more than the placebo group (about % pound a month).

Supplement Your Prescription: What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutrition Hyla Cass See book keywords and concepts

Nutrients depleted: If you do decide you want to try xenical or Alii s program—which, like most weight-loss regimens, involves drastic dietary changes and exercise—you can also expect to be depleted of important fatty acids and fat-soluble nutrients, including vitamins A, D, E, K, and the carotenes. Needed supplements: ?High-potency multivitamin: Use a multivitamin that contains all of the fat-soluble nutrients and with a meal for better absorption. ?

Orlistat is also available by prescription as the brand-name product xenical. Since the drug's actions rely on binding 25 percent of the fats you consume in your gut and passing them through your body unabsorbed, there's no focus on the real reason that most people get fat: too much refined carbohydrate. No wonder the drugs don't have much effect. Action: Orlistat prevents the digestion and absorption of fat in the intestine by blocking the action of lipase, an enzyme that helps break down fat.

Living the Low Carb Life: Controlled Carbohydrate Eating for Long-Term Weight Loss Jonny Bowden, M.A., C.N.S. See book keywords and concepts

All of the following except for xenical, which is a digestive inhibitor, are appetite suppressants. And all, except for Meridia and xenical, are approved for short-term use only. Some innovative physicians are treating obesity and overweight with drugs that are not conventionally used for weight loss but seem to produce it as a side effect. We'll talk about those later. Appetite Suppressants All of the appetite suppressants are called noradrenergic drugs, which means that they do their work by causing the release of two chemicals, norepinephrine and epinephrine.

Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease Ann M. Coulston and Carol J. Boushey See book keywords and concepts

Orlistat, the active ingredient in the drug xenical, aids weight management by inhibiting lipase-mediated hydrolysis of triacylglycerol, which reduces the bioavailability of dietary fat. Third, energy balance may be shifted downward through the action of food constituents that stimulate or enhance energy expenditure. Theoretically, this would occur if a food constituent, whole food, or diet augmented thermo-genesis, resting energy expenditure, and/or physical activity. The digestion of protein, fat, and carbohydrate entails the generation of heat that is unavailable to anabolic processes.

Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs Melody Petersen See book keywords and concepts

For example, the drug company Roche created a program for overweight patients who were prescribed xenical, its weight loss drug. The company asked doctors in Iowa and throughout the country to give their patients starter kits for its Xenicare program. Roche asked these patients thirty personal questions, logged the information into its sophisticated database, and then used it to act like a coach or well-wisher to the person. The company sent holiday cards and congratulatory notes as the weeks passed and the patient continued taking the pills.

Supplement Your Prescription: What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutrition Hyla Cass See book keywords and concepts

Orlistat is also available by prescription as the brand-name product xenical. Since the drug's actions rely on binding 25 percent of the fats you consume in your gut and passing them through your body unabsorbed, there's no focus on the real reason that most people get fat: too much refined carbohydrate. No wonder the drugs don't have much effect. Action: Orlistat prevents the digestion and absorption of fat in the intestine by blocking the action of lipase, an enzyme that helps break down fat.

Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation: Unleash The Natural Healing Power That Lies Dormant Within You Andreas Moritz See book keywords and concepts

This new wonder drug is actually a lower-dosage version of the old prescription drug xenical, which has never shown to have any effects on fat reduction. Alii is the first drug of its kind sold without a prescription, and it is selling like hotcakes. But instead of enjoying a real hotcake, you may experience extremely unpleasant and embarrassing side effects, including gas with oily spotting, loose stools and abdominal pain. The drug's official website states that, if you take the drug, "It's probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work.

Big Pharma: Exposing the Global Healthcare Agenda Jacky Law See book keywords and concepts

Which leaves xenical, a drug that blocks fat entering the digestive system, passing it out through stools instead. This is hardly an impressive result from so much research. But it is precisely the unpredictable nature of research that is used to justify the high cost of medicine. Market forces, pharma argues, are perfectly capable of sorting out what is researched and therefore the kind of treatments people receive.

Living the Low Carb Life: Controlled Carbohydrate Eating for Long-Term Weight Loss Jonny Bowden, M.A., C.N.S. See book keywords and concepts

You should also know that only two of the following medications, Meridia and xenical, have been approved by the FDA for long-term use. The others are approved for "a few weeks," which is widely interpreted to mean up to three months. That doesn't mean they aren't safe for longer use—just that long-term use of these drugs has never been studied. Nor does it mean that doctors don't prescribe them for longer than three months—they do. It's called "off-label" use, and it's done all the time.

Anti-Aging Manual: The Encyclopedia of Natural Health Joseph E. Mario See book keywords and concepts

Anti-Fat Drugs xenical (Orlistat) inhibitsan pancreas enzyme inhibiting 30% of digestive fat and calories, causing abdomen cramps, gas, diarrhea, and risk of breast cancer. Fat-Substitute Olestra is a non-absorbed fat, blocks Carotenoid absorption, and Lutein 40%, Anti-Fungus drugs For finger- or toenail fungus infections, ketoconazole and griseofulvinhavesideeffectsofhepatitisandliver ailments, especiallyintheelderly. Fialuridine(FIAl J) Given forhepatitis-B has killed five patients with liverand kidney failure, even after 1 i ver transplants forthree ofthe victims (by September 1993).

Living the Low Carb Life: Controlled Carbohydrate Eating for Long-Term Weight Loss Jonny Bowden, M.A., C.N.S. See book keywords and concepts

And all, except for Meridia and xenical, are approved for short-term use only. Some innovative physicians are treating obesity and overweight with drugs that are not conventionally used for weight loss but seem to produce it as a side effect. We'll talk about those later. Appetite Suppressants All of the appetite suppressants are called noradrenergic drugs, which means that they do their work by causing the release of two chemicals, norepinephrine and epinephrine. The release of those chemicals causes you to feel less hungry or not hungry at all.

And it's the only drug other than sibutramine (Meridia) currently approved for long-term use. xenical works by blocking some of the fat that you eat from being digested and assimilated. It does this by blocking up to 75 percent of the digestive enzyme lipase—which breaks down fat—resulting in as much as 30 percent of the fat you eat not going to your hips. What should be immediately apparent is that it does nothing for the fat that is already on your hips.

Best Choices From the People's Pharmacy Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

But it This weight loss medication is also available by prescription under the name xenical. It appears to be one of the few weight loss drugs considered safe for long-term use. Orlistat is intended to be used in conjunction with a reduced-calorie, reduced-fat diet. The drug prevents the absorption of fat from the gastrointestinal tract. Nearly twice as many people on orlistat manage to lose 15 percent of their body weight in a year as people on diet restrictions alone. Side effects: Most of the side effects are gastrointestinal.

The Side Effects Bible: The Dietary Solution to Unwanted Side Effects of Common Medications Frederic Vagnini, M.D. and Barry Fox, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

ORLISTAT (OR-li-stat) Brand Name: xenical About Orlistat The fat from the food you eat isn't absorbed as is. Instead, it's attacked by various substances that break it down into smaller pieces called fatty acids, which are absorbed by the body and reassembled into various forms that the body can either use or store. Fat is a big issue in the United States today, with nearly two-thirds of the adult population either overweight or obese. Obesity contributes in a major way to the development of many diseases, as well as some 400,000 deaths annually.

Best Choices From the People's Pharmacy Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

With the approval of orlistat (available by prescription as xenical) to go over the counter under the name Alii, people finally have a tested do-it-yourself option. The company has chosen the name Alii to imply that it will work best if allied with a full program of dietary and behavior modification approaches. The FDA appears confident that this drug does not pose significant safety issues. Orlistat is a compound that prevents the absorption of fat. It can help people lose weight, but there are some drawbacks. For one thing, there's the underwear risk: spotting with oily stool.

Disease Prevention and Treatment The Life Extension Editorial Staff See book keywords and concepts

Because xenical, a weight-loss drug, works by blocking fat absorption, it can cause embarrassing side effects. Dosage is key, yet whether you are slightly overweight or massively obese, whether you eat a little or a lot, you get the same dose of one-size-fits-all Xenical: 120 mg three times a day. A half dose was proven effective in studies, but the manufactuter does not market it. Zyban, widely advertised for smoking cessation, is started at 150 mg, then doubled to 300 mg in three days, but even at this strong dose long-term cessation rates aren't impressive.

Big Pharma: Exposing the Global Healthcare Agenda Jacky Law See book keywords and concepts

In the case of Roche's obesity drug xenical, for example, NICE'S independent review estimated a CQG of £46,000 ($82,800). Translated, this represents a cost to the NHS of £46,000 a year to bring the patient's quality of life up to that of someone who was not obese -which would be cheap if it actually delivered on its promise, but that is not the point. Roche, meanwhile, had arrived at a CQG of just £10,000 ($18,000). Where the Alzheimer's drugs were concerned, the discrepancies were greater.

One programme tailored for Roche's obesity drug, xenical, in Australia resulted in those on the programme staying on treatment for twice as long as non-enrolled patients.35 How much extra weight they lost is not known. Patients can also receive information via text messaging and mailouts to help them take a drug that, it must be remembered, has been prescribed for their benefit. Whether described as exercises in concordance or disease management, pharma money is usually to be found.

Defeating Diabetes Brenda Davis and Tom Barnard See book keywords and concepts

The side effects of xenical are diarrhea, poor absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and phytochemicals, anal leakage, and urgency. Many people simply cannot tolerate the gastric lipase inhibition necessary to benefit from the xenical program, and in truth, if you are unable to restrict your intake of fat, the very loose stool can become quite unbearable. Another popular prescription weight loss medication is sibutramine, or Meridia. This drug helps control appetite by increasing the levels of certain hormones in the brain (mainly serotonin) which control appetite and hunger.

Fat Blockers The most popular "natural" fat blocker is chitosan, which is derived from chitin, a complex starch found in the exoskeleton of shellfish such as shrimp, lobster, and crabs. Like xenical, it can reduce the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and phytochemicals, very possibly doing more harm than good. Laxatives There are two main types of laxatives: bulking agents and stimulants. Both are commonly used in herbal weight loss formulas. Stimulants such as senna, cas-cara sagrada, and buckthorn work by irritating the system, often causing cramps and diarrhea.

Many people simply cannot tolerate the gastric lipase inhibition necessary to benefit from the xenical program, and in truth, if you are unable to restrict your intake of fat, the very loose stool can become quite unbearable. Another popular prescription weight loss medication is sibutramine, or Meridia. This drug helps control appetite by increasing the levels of certain hormones in the brain (mainly serotonin) which control appetite and hunger.

Disease Prevention and Treatment The Life Extension Editorial Staff See book keywords and concepts

Dosage is key, yet whether you are slightly overweight or massively obese, whether you eat a little or a lot, you get the same dose of one-size-fits-all Xenical: 120 mg three times a day. A half dose was proven effective in studies, but the manufactuter does not market it. Zyban, widely advertised for smoking cessation, is started at 150 mg, then doubled to 300 mg in three days, but even at this strong dose long-term cessation rates aren't impressive. Some people taking Zyban can tolerate only 150 mg, and others tolerate even less.

The Omega-3 Connection: The Groundbreaking Anti-depression Diet and Brain Program Andrew L. Stoll See book keywords and concepts

In addition, anti-obesity medications that block the absorption of fats, such as xenical, can also interfere with omega-3 absorption. Under no circumstances should you lower or discontinue your medication by yourself. In some cases, individuals, working closely with their clinicians, have been able to lower the dosage of their medication. Also, although omega-3 is essential during pregnancy, I strongly recommend that women work with their health-care provider on using the supplements.

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