What is Xenical? - XENICAL is a prescription medication that can help considerably overweight people lose weight and keep it off. We know that managing your weight can be frustrating, and sometimes you need a little extra support. Support you can't find in a pill alone. To succeed you may have to change the way you feel about food and about your body.
How is Xenical Taken? - The recommended dose is one 120-mg capsule by mouth with liquid at each main meal that contains fat. You should take XENICAL up to three times a day in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet. Each time you take XENICAL, your nutritionally balanced meal should contain no more than about 30% of calories from fat. You should evenly divide your daily intake of fat, carbohydrates and protein over three main meals. Take XENICAL during meals or up to 1 hour after a meal. If you occasionally miss a meal or have a meal without fat, you can omit your dose of XENICAL. Doses above 120-mg three times daily have not been shown to provide an additional weight-loss benefit.
How Does Xenical Work? - If you eat an excessive amount of fat or calories, the excess is stored as fat by the body, resulting in weight gain. When you eat fat, your body breaks it down into its simplest components so that it can be digested.
Unlike other weight-loss drugs you may have heard about that act in the brain or central nervous system to suppress appetite or to speed up metabolism, XENICAL works in your digestive system to block about one-third of the fat in the food you eat from being digested.
Enzymes in your digestive system, called lipases, help digest (or break down) fat. When taken with meals, XENICAL attaches to the lipases and blocks them from breaking down some of the fat you have eaten.
The undigested fat cannot be absorbed and is eliminated in your bowel movements. By working this way, XENICAL helps block about one-third of the fat in the foods you eat from being absorbed by your body.
Xenical Precautions - Patients should be advised to adhere to dietary guidelines set by their doctor. Gastrointestinal events may increase when XENICAL is taken with a diet high in fat ( > 30% total daily calories from fat). The daily intake of fat should be distributed over three main meals. If XENICAL is taken with any one meal very high in fat, the possibility of gastrointestinal effects increases.
Patients should be strongly encouraged to take a multivitamin supplement that contains fat-soluble vitamins to ensure adequate nutrition because XENICAL has been shown to reduce the absorption of some fat-soluble vitamins and beta-carotene (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). In addition, the levels of vitamin D and beta-carotene may be low in obese patients compared with non-obese subjects. The supplement should be taken once a day at least 2 hours before or after the administration of XENICAL, such as at bedtime.
What are the potential side effects of taking Xenical? - Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:
- More common - Bodyache; chills; cough; fever; headache; nasal congestion; runny nose; sneezing; sore throat
- Less common - Tightness in chest; tooth or gum problems ; troubled breathing; wheezing
- Rare - Bloody or cloudy urine; change in hearing ; contagious diarrhea; difficult or painful urination; earache; frequent urge to urinate; pain in ear
Other side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. However, check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome:
- More common - Gas with leaky bowel movements; inability to hold bowel movement; increases in bowel movements ; oily bowel movements; oily spotting of underclothes
- Less common - Anxiety; back pain; menstrual changes; rectal pain or discomfort
After you stop using this medicine, your body may need time to adjust. Side effects caused by Xenical usually disappear within 2 to 3 days after stopping it.
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your doctor.
