Hi my doctor has prescribed Xenical for me this week. I need a little help and hope that this little blue capsule can help me to loose a bit of weight. Has anyone tried them and if so what did you think of them. And what side effects if any did you experience.

I haven't tried them personally...I did consider them but the potential side effects are more than enough to scare me off. You have to be committed to a very low fat diet as, one slip, and you'll very quickly (and unexpectedly) find out what the term 'an@l leakage' means

I've lost 5 stone going the conventional route...a healty diet and increased exercise. 

My friend was prescribed them as she became ill and needed to shed lots of weight to help her condition. The tablets worked but the effects on her, lets say 'bathroom habits' was awful. She lost weight initially but quicky became wise to the foods that were affected by the tablets so it was pointless (she still ate what she wanted, but depending what it was she wouldn't take a tablet !). She now weighs more than ever before and it makes me really cross. They are a quick, and not very nice fix. Basically they allow you to eat the same fatty foods but then you pass it. Much safer and easier not to eat so much of it in the first place.
I'm sure your GP has given them for a reason, but if it's long term weight loss you want then I don't think they are the answer.
Good luck though with whatever you decide to do.

horrible side effects- one pill and you have yellow anal leakage weather you eat fat or not. dont take them. just eat less of your normal food- you need to want to do it- for life not just five minutes or you regain it all

i have to disagree dave takes xenical and has done for 6 months and have never had leakage its all aout eating the correct diet and they do work
obviously not everyone is the same
i took champix to stop smoking and obviously that doesnt suit everyone but it worked for me

I used Xenical for almost a year and as long as you follow the advise given then you should loose weight i managed to loose 3 stone. I only had the side effects (terrible tummy pains and sudden urgency to go to the toliet) twice and both times my fault as I did eat fatty food, the one good thing I found was that once I stopped taking them I had altered my diet and I seem to stick to that for a good while and have kept the weight off for a few years now and even managed to lose a few lb on my own

Thankyou for a positive reply. I have started them and so far so good no side effects as yet. Three days in and i seem to be doing ok I have not eaten rubbish the thought of a bad bottie puts me off so they are having a phsycological effect already and thats ok by me. I have to go to the nurse once a month so will keep you all updated. I am fourty in one years time and hope to be a good few stone lighter. I will take each day as it comes and maybe this is the year I get to ride The Big One at Blackpool.

good luck my lovely,
joanne

My husband used them for a few months, started off good, but eventually it was like his body adjusted to them and he stopped losing weight.

He was then put on Reductil 10mg, took them for a couple of months and yes they worked great, until he had an urgent call from our GP telling him to stop taking them immediately as the company that made them had had their license revoked, no reason why, but that was enough for him to stop taking any pills and is now doing slimming world and is 7.1/2 stone lighter.........he still worries now about any long lasting effects of these pills.  Upon checking the internet for information about this medication it seems there is an increased risk or heart attack or stroke, he worried that because it's a weight loss tablet that possibly all medication of this sort could have the same result. :-(

Good luck and I hope you manage to lose the weight

What do these tablets actually do?

If you can't eat fatty food when you're on them, wouldn't you be better not taking them and just not eating fatty food?

I've never heard of them so please pardon my ignorance....

If you can't eat fatty food when you're on them, wouldn't you be better not taking them and just not eating fatty food?

agree entirely

wouldn't you be better not taking them and just not eating fatty food

Also agree .
Why risk the side effects of a pill when you can learn to eat healthy food which nourishes your body .  Exercise is important not only for weight loss but for disease prevention and keeping you healthy and active into your old age .

Eat less - move more !

Xenical prevents a percentage of fat consumed from being absorbed by the body, so it is passed as waste.  When taking it, you must restrict your fat intake to no more than 15g in any one meal (all food should be less than 5% fat in total).  In eating a low fat diet, a person will naturally lose wight and the Xenical increases the weight loss - for example, if a person would naturally lose 2lbs a week through dieting alone, then Xenical could help them to increase that to 3-4lbs a week just by taking the tablet along with their restricted diet.

However, if a person consumes more than the recommended amount of fat, the tablets cause hideous side effects as alluded to above (chronic diahorrea, uncontrollable leakage etc).  If they consume no fat at all, the tablets have nothing to bind to and therefore are ineffective. 

I guess it works because it's like a gun to the head - do I really want this piece of chocolate if it means I'll be on the toilet for the rest of the day (or worse!)??

They seem to work extremely well for some people, as long as they can be disciplined about sticking to the rules.  Although, as has already been pointed out, if you can be discilpined about sticking to a low fat diet, then you will lose weight anyway - just a little bit more slowly than with Xenical.

>If you can't eat fatty food when you're on them, wouldn't you be better not taking them and just not eating fatty food?

Of course that's true, in theory.  However losing weight isn't always that easy for the person concerned and the battle can be as much of a psychological one as a physical one.

Taking a tablet like this can accelerate weight loss which, as long as it is within safe levels, can be a good thing.  It may be necessary for health reasons, ie to prevent injury or to prepare for an operation of some kind, or it can motivate the person to stick to the plan.  If they can see that the changes they are making actually work, then it will be easier to stay on target.

To daisysmum, whatever you decide to do - good luck to you :)