Orlistat
Orlistat, sold as Xenical, is the only product on this shelf. It comes in 60 mg and 120 mg capsules and is listed for Obesity Management alongside a reduced-calorie diet.
Key points
- Orlistat is a lipase inhibitor: it blocks the enzymes that break down dietary fat, so a portion of the fat you eat passes through undigested.
- The label also indicates orlistat to reduce the risk of weight regain after prior weight loss.
- For anyone taking ciclosporin alongside orlistat, the label specifies administering ciclosporin 3 hours after the orlistat dose.
How orlistat affects vitamin absorption
Because orlistat blocks fat absorption, it also limits how much of the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) your body takes in. The label advises taking a multivitamin containing these vitamins to ensure adequate nutrition. This is the practical consequence of the mechanism: the same block that stops dietary fat from being broken down also slows the uptake of vitamins that need fat to be absorbed. For anyone in the Weight Management category, this timing point is easy to overlook.
Further reading
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