Interesting Facts About Xenical: Drug Against Obesity
The drug Xenical is used for weight loss in obese people. It breaks down fat instead of decreasing your appetite. Around 30 percent of the fats ingested through diet are excreted without being metabolized.
Xenical is a drug that is used for obesity, i.e. if you are overweight. The active ingredient orlistat it contains reduces fat absorption after eating food by 30 percent. Find out more about this drug and how it works today.
How does Xenical work?
This medicine is a lipase inhibitor that works by reducing the digestion of fat but not affecting appetite like other drugs used for obesity.
After ingesting fats through food, the stomach and pancreas release fat-splitting enzymes called lipases. Xenical acts on these and prevents the absorption of an important proportion of the fats. As a result , 30 percent of the fats consumed are not metabolized and are excreted when the bowels are emptied.
In this way, the drug helps with weight loss and also makes it possible to maintain the weight in the long term. It also has a positive effect on cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
When is Xenical used?
This drug is of interest to obese people with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30kg / m2. The drug can also be used in overweight people with a body mass index of at least 28kg / m2 if they have associated risk factors in addition to being overweight.
If the patient does not lose at least 5 percent of their initial weight after three months of treatment with orlistat, this drug will not be able to help.
Ingestion
The dosage for adults is usually 120 mg, with the drug being taken just before, during, or up to an hour after the main meal.
Studies on the active ingredient orlistat show that almost 100 percent of the active ingredient is excreted in the stool in unchanged form. The medicine works to increase fat in the stool for the next 24 to 48 hours.
However, treatment with Xenical must be accompanied by a balanced, moderately hypocaloric diet. The daily intake of fats, carbohydrates and proteins must be divided between the three main meals.
When can Xenical not be used?
As with all medicinal products, various contraindications must also be taken into account for the active ingredient orlistat:
- Allergy to the active substance or other components of the drug
- Malabsorption Syndrome
- children
- Breastfeeding
Studies of the possible effects of this drug have not been performed in obese patients with kidney or liver problems, the elderly, and children.
Counteractions
Xenical can cause adverse effects in combination with other drugs because it changes the absorption of certain active substances and therefore the drugs do not work as intended.
Very rarely, hypothyroidism and changes in the thyroid gland can occur. This is due to the fact that orlistat reduces the absorption of iodine and levothyroxine.
also This medicine reduces the absorption of anti-epileptic drugs, which could lead to convulsions. In addition, it inhibits the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin E and beta-carotene. Therefore, a dietary supplement with vitamins is recommended while taking Xenical. However, it is also important to have a balanced diet that should contain plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Xenical potentiates the effects of various drugs that reduce cholesterol. Therefore, these must be adapted to the new treatment as required. Orlistat can cause severe diarrhea, so oral contraceptives may not work. So additional methods should be used.
Final remark
Xenical helps in weight loss and improves cholesterol levels as well as the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, a low-calorie diet is also essential during treatment. In addition, regular exercise is extremely important. Get good advice from your doctor or pharmacist!
