What is Orlistat?

Orlistat is a medicine licensed in the UK for treatment of obesity.

It works by preventing your body from absorbing the fat from the food you eat. This treatment does not involve a change in diet as you can continue to eat as you do, however changes in diet are recommended for optimum results.

If you have tried to lose weight though diet and exercise and have not met your intended goals, you may wish to try using Orlistat which has been clinically proven to help you lose 50% more weight than through dieting alone.

Orlistat is only suitable for patients with a BMI of 30 or greater, or with a BMI of 28 or greater with a condition such as diabetes or heart disease.

Cautions & Warnings

You should not take orlistat if you:

Are allergic or have a known hypersensitivity to the active ingredient (orlistat) or any of its excipients (see patient information leaflet for full list of excipients)

Pregnant or breastfeeding
Suffer from chronic malabsorption syndrome
Suffer from a condition known as 'cholestasis'

If you have any concerns or are unsure, feel free to get in touch with us where one of our team will be more than happy to help.

How to take

One capsule of Orlistat is taken with water before during or upto one hour before each main meal, up to a maximum of three times daily. If you consume a meal containing no fat or if you miss a meal, then you shouldn't take the orlistat capsule.

Similarly, if you are knowingly consuming a meal high in fat you may wish to omit the dose as the side effects can be unpleasant.

Side Effects

As with all medications, Orlistat has the potential to cause certain side effects in a small number of patients.

The most common side effects experienced by patients who take orlistat are:

Wind (with or without oily discharge)
Oily discharge (as your body has reduced fat absorption, you will simply excrete it)
An increase in bowel frequency
Changes in stool consistence

Remember, orlistat reduces the amount of dietary fat which is absorbed - any dietary fat intake will then be excreted typically as an oily discharge.

If you are knowingly having a meal high in fat you may wish to omit your dose of orlistat to reduce the risk of experiencing this side effect.

Patient information Leaflet

Click here to access the patient information leaflet for more information.