Overweight people need to lose fat, and they need to lose it as quickly as possible. Typically, there are two common types of drugs available for this purpose - appetite suppressants and fat blockers. Xenical (orlistat) belong to the category of drugs known as fat blockers.

Orlistat

Orlistat is a drug that is available both in the prescription form, as well as, a non-prescription form. In both cases its use is that of anti-obesity or a weight loss drug. The drug must be used in conjunction with a customized diet that is low in fat and also low in calories. Moreover, a person who is taking orlistat must also adopt a stringent exercise routine to optimize the use of the medication. Orlistat belongs to a family of lipase inhibitors, which as the name suggests, inhibits the functions of the lipases, a type of gastric and pancreatic enzymes. Orlistat attaches itself to the enzymes and prevents them from functioning properly; as a result they cannot breakdown the fat eaten by the body, and this undigested fat is disposed by the body in the form of faeces.

Orlistat - Trade Name - Xenical

Orlistat is marketed by Roche under the brand name Xenical. This is a prescription medication that is only prescribed by doctors after performing a detailed diagnosis of the patient. The difference between Xenical and other commonly available medications available for weight loss is that it does not affect the brain. It performs its role by working in the digestive system of the person. Through its actions Xenical blocks around a third of fats from being digested in the body. This eventually leads to the person losing weight as the accumulation of fat in the body is minimized to a great extent.

Xenical - Functioning

The working of Xenical is novel and dissimilar to that of other weight loss medications. It's essentially a reversible lipase inhibitor. This prescription diet pill is potent and specific and inhibits the action of gastrointestinal lipases, specifically those present in the stomach and the pancreas.

Xenical forms a covalent bond with the lipases; this action helps in the prevention of hydrolyzing of the triglycerides by these enzymes. This means that they are not broken down into free fatty acids that can be absorbed by the body. These triglycerides are eliminated by the body using the faecal route. Xenical decreases the absorption of fat by the body from the food, which in turn reduces the calories in the body. Eventually, people prescribed this medication will start showing results provided they are taking in a reduced-calorie diet and have also increased their physical activity.

The Prescription

The standard prescription for orlistat (Xenical) will ask patients to take a 120mg of Xenical 3 times a day. This is the recommended dosage and, typically, you need to take this medication before meals. You could also take it during the meal. A case can also be made for taking Xenical within an hour of you having taken the meal. An important fact associated with the dosage is the fact that taking higher doses of Xenical won't help you reduce more weight.

Also, you need to follow a few instructions that won't be a part of the prescription but are important all the same. The patient must eat a nutritionally balanced meal, and embark on a diet plan that has reduced calories. It's necessary that this diet must contain only 30% calories from fat. If one has taken a completely fat free meal, it's not necessary to take Xenical for that particular meal. Also to take notice of is the fact that some fat soluble vitamins might not be absorbed as a result of the action of Xenical. In such cases a patient is also prescribed a tablet containing all the necessary fat soluble vitamins.