Does it Work? - Xenical

Today I started Xenical as prescribed my doc. If you have insurance and a BMI over 30 there is a good chance your insurance will pick it up. I've been researching it like crazy and have a hard time finding others who have tried it so I'm posting this for people to follow that are interested. One thing that I didn't find was anyone with bad side effects, only great success stories. One woman even 50 lbs in a little over a month. It's been out for years now and has been proven to be able to use it up to two years straight if needed. It's basically a pill that blocks 1/3 of the fat that you eat from being absorbed into the body. HOWEVER, you are forced to eat a low fat diet because if you don't there is a good chance you will ruin your underwear if you know what I mean. If you eat a fatty meal the extra fat has no where to go but out. People have complained of oily discharge with gas or alot of diarreha, but I also noticed those that have complained are those that took the pill then went out and ate McDonalds. It's not a miracle pill, it's a helper pill. Many people that stayed withing 30grams of fat per meal had no adverse side effects at all. My doctor told me to start it over the weekend because it will take a couple days for my body to get used to it so I will have the runs even if I eat only lettuce and water, but so far so good today. I really love the fact that after I pop a pill, I know that I can't go eat a cupcake unless I want to be trapped in my bathroom. It's a great tool for those will little or no will power like myself. I will keep everyone updated on how I do. Also, if you are going to eat like a 0% fat yogurt for breakfast, you don't even have to waste a pill for that meal (since they are costly). You can also use them for weight maintenance and they don't have any horrible side effects like phen phen which controls the nervous system. This only works with the digestive system. DAY ONE DOWN


1-8-05 Started Xenical 143.5

Day 3 on xenical and no side effects at all! I've trapped myself in my house for the last two days afraid that I will have a bathroom attack, but haven't had any problems at all. I even took it with Toxic Hell (Taco Bell) and expected the worse but still everything is okay. I know the whole Taco Bell thing is defeating the purpose, but I'm sort of sneeking and taking this pill without my hubby knowing because of the cost, and he brought Taco Bell home. I've made a pact with a friend to start Weight Watchers again tomorrow, which I tend to do great on. And I promised myself I would hit the treadmill today. So if anyone has any xenical success stories, I could really use the support since I only bought 45 pills ($80) and don't plan on refilling if they aren't working for me.

My doctor prescribed Xenical a couple of years ago and I lost about 60 lbs over a six month period. Don't worry, the side affects will kick in. If I remember right, it took 4-5 days for it to really begin working and that is when you'll have them. Of course, you only have the side effects if you consume an unreasonable amount of fat. I found that it wasn't so much the product that helped me loose weight (it doesn't block enough fat to actually make you loose weight without any other program i.e. diet and exercise). It did, however, keep me honest. Trust me, if you over do the fat and the side effects kick in you will not want to over indulge in too much fat again.
As for the cost, you might consider checking with your insurance company and see if they will cover the cost. Mine did. All it took was a few forms filled out by my doctor verifying my weight and any accompanying medical issues brought on by my weight. After that, I had to report my weight loss to them on a monthly basis. The catch was that I could not gain weight or they would cease coverage. Also, if you gained weight and the coverage stopped I would not qualify for coverage of xenical or any other weight loss supplement for something like 12 months. At any rate, at almost $2 dollars a pill it is probably worth asking.

I tried it for about a month and, believe me, the side effects will kick in and are definitely not worth it. I have a lot to lose and was very careful about what I ate but finally could no longer hack the mess and the surprise oily orange discharge which came without warning.

IMHO, it was definitely not worth the expense or the side effects which seemed to be there no matter how careful I was to avoid fat.

How much do you have to lose, Sugarholic? Weight Watchers is a good plan. I am toying with the idea of starting to go to meetings.

I have never used Xenical but I do take Meridia, it is prescribed by my doctor and I go in once a month for weight check and to go over my food journal, my pills are covered by my insurance so I only pay 20 bucks for one month. I did a lot of research on weight loss and medications before I talked to my doctor about it. I am hypothyroid so first we had to get me started on some thyroid replacement and then I was put on the meridia It does control my appetite without giving me jitters or any side effects.

IMO I wouldn't want to use Xenical because of the side effects, Meridia controls my appetite and helps me lose weight slow and steady. I have a hard time losing weight on my own even when exercising and eating right Meridia proved to be the help I needed. I don't rely on my meds for my weight loss but I do appreciate the help it gives me.

Now, I want to give my medication disclaimer to anyone thinking that these meds sound interesting and want to try them without going to their doctor.
It is very important to consult your physician when taking diet meds, there are many people out there who bypass the doctors visit and order these meds off of the internet, this can be very dangerous and even if you may think you are healthy you could suffer serious side effects if not properly monitored while taking these medications. So please if you are contemplating taking meds and ordering them off the internet, think twice because you could endanger your health. Okay I'm off my soapbox now :soap:

I need to lose about 20-25 lbs, and I was in the process of having my insurance approve the medication, however my husbands company cancelled our insurance without telling us until about a week later. He's a carpenter and if it rains they don't work, if they don't work and get their full time hours in they cancel us. It sucks because now I have a doctors bill hanging over my head thanks to the "NO WARNING" they gave me. I don't even know if it is legal to cancel and then wait a week to tell us. I would have never gone to the doctors if I didn't know that I didn't have insurance. Anyways, my doc did toy with the idea of other drugs like Meridia, however I have high anxiety because I'm currently going to school to become a nurse, so she decided that Meridia would probably make my anxiety worse. I did start Weight Watchers today with a friend. I have done it before and had excellent success. The effects of the xencial started hitting me last night and this morning, but not to bad. No stomach cramps or mad dashes to the toilet, but I did see the "orange effect." I never really have eaten a high fat diet so I don't know if I will refill my script or not. I know about how much weight I'm capable of losing on WW, so if there really isn't a significant difference with the xenical, I'll probably just stop. Once I start a diet I'm compulsive about it, especially since I'm doing it with a friend. It's when I stop the diet, I fall off the wagon like a drug addict and go crazy. That's why I opted for WW, because I can still eat the foods I crave without feeling like I fell off the wagon and then just letting everything go from there. Thanks for all the feedback!!

Today is day 4 on xenical and day two on Weight Watchers. Oh yeah and I'm starving ha ha. I know I'll adjust in a day or two. Still no bad effects on the xenical, I definately have the orange oily stuff, but no runs or accidents or anything. I only take it with dinner because that is the only meal that I really eat any fat. Breakfast is no fat, and lunch is only about 5 grams of fat, maybe that is why my side effects are so low. I don't know if I'm getting any results from it yet because with WW I can only weigh myself once a week. I'll let you know at the end of the week if I've lost any weight.

I'm just curious what your BMI is? Your doctor must have measured it to put you on a diet med. I'm just wondering because you've got so little to lose. Some doctors just don't care and write scripts like their going out of style KWIM? Have you tried to lose weight on your own? and if so have you had your thryoid function checked? Sorry you are hungry but if you are doing flexpoints you can eat a bunch of veggies for no points!

My BMI in the doctors office was 30, I'm only 4ft 11 and according to their scale I weighed 150, but I was holding my purse, had jeans, two shirts, shoes, and a huge winter coat on. I weighed myself the next day and only weighed 143.5 without all the clothes, putting my BMI at 28, which still should be a little lower to get me out of the overweight category. I do have to admit that I think my doc was being easy on me because I didn't look when I was getting weighed, however when I saw my weight on her chart I started bawling. I am overweight, I look overweight, my knees ache, my back hurts because my boobs are huge, and I really do need to drop some weight. I'm not depending on the xenical, I did start WW again and I have done great on it in the past without diet pills. But I did already pay for them so I might as well use them. Plus I tend to crave things like Taco Bell and Burger King, as a matter of a fact I can't carry any cash at all on me, not even a dollar because I will go and get fast food. Xenical keeps me from doing that because I am scared to death of the side effects I hear about. Plus I am a nursing student and my semester starts again tomorrow, which means I tend to keep my nose in the books and grab whatever I can eat and keep on studying. The xenical will help keep me from doing that and that is another point my doc made. I do have more to lose then just the 18lbs that I have on my weight tracker. However, I find it much easier to set goals that are actually reachable to keep myself from being discouraged. In all actuality I need to be around 110 - 115 to be the weight that is considered healthy for my age and height. I figure if I can hit 125, then I'll set a new goal for 115. I have to use the one day at a time attitude or I tend to get discouraged and fall off the wagon.

It sounds like you've got a good plan going :) My beef with xenical and this is coming from a person with a history of eating disorders, Xenical seems like a laxative to me, if I were on xenical (and this is just how I would act) I would be like oh yeah lets go get some McDonalds because it won't matter cuz I'm gonna sh!t it all out later anyway. For me it would just breed more bad habits and not teach me portion control or how to eat healthy food, I know that this doesn't apply to everyone taking Xenical but it does apply to some.

I commend you for joining up with WW again that's wonderful! One thing you can make and eat a lot of to fill you up especially in these warmer months is a home made soup, I use water and chicken boullion, then I throw in carrots, onions, peas, green beans, some potatoes, corn, and cauliflower, then I bake a chicken breast and then shred it and throw it in my soup along with some brown rice or wild rice and you can eat a ton of this soup for very little calories or points. :) If you like sweets I love to make a microwave apple cobbler, I peel an apple and section it, put it in a microwave bowl, add some splenda and cinnamon and microwave for about 1 minute when you pull it out of the microwave crumble a fat free graham cracker on top and it makes a wonderful substitute for the real thing, and if you like your cobbler to have a buttery taste you can give it a spritz of i can't believe its not butter. :)

I wish you luck and let us know how you progress!

I was on Xenical a couple of years ago and hated it! I ate right and I still had all of the side effects. Every time I had to pass gas, I made sure that I went into the bathroom and sat on the toilet to do it...otherwise I was in trouble. For me, the disgusting side effects, along with that orange, oily liquid, was just not worth it!

Today is day 5 on xenical and 3 on WW. My stomach is adjusting to the WW and I'm not feeling as hungry. Plus I forced myself to job while on the treadmill yesterday. I'm actually excited for Tuesday to hit so that I can weigh myself. One of the hardest things is not weighing myself, I'm a complusive weigher. I've asked my hubby to hide the scale a million times but he hasn't so I just fight the urge now. I still haven't had bad side effects, but then again, I do only use it for dinner and I'm a pretty low fat eater anyways. I really don't even need it because everyone else has me so scared to even fart because of all the horror stories I've been hearing. I did have a couple slices of pizza tonight within my points and popped a pill so tomorrow may be a different story, luckily I have nothing to do and no where to go. I'm going to stop my everyday postings for now unless the bad side effects do hit. Again, I started this xenical thread for those looking for info since I had such a hard time finding info. But I will be back on Tuesday with my weigh in results. Bye for now!!! :smug:

[FONT=Arial][COLOR=DarkRed]Hello, I used Xenical 3 years ago. I was very successful, I lost 70 lbs. in 6 months. Yes there are not so pleasant side effects, the gas, the oily discharge and the smell. But, the pill itself cuts absorption of fat, so if you take to much fat at one particular meal, you will definetely fell the effects. I personally took it for 3 months, so that I could get used too eating differently. One thing I did notice is that I became more sensitive too the cold and was freezing more. It is a wonderful means to help change you eating habits and lower the amount of fat that we eat. But I would not recommend taking it for long periods of time.

Hello, I used Xenical 3 years ago. I was very successful, I lost 70 lbs. in 6 months. Yes there are not so pleasant side effects, the gas, the oily discharge and the smell. But, the pill itself cuts absorption of fat, so if you take to much fat at one particular meal, you will definetely fell the effects. I personally took it for 3 months, so that I could get used too eating differently. One thing I did notice is that I became more sensitive too the cold and was freezing more. It is a wonderful means to help change you eating habits and lower the amount of fat that we eat. But I would not recommend taking it for long periods of time.

I'd say that the cold sensitivity probably had more to do with losing a good deal of fat than it did with the Xenical. It's a common occurrence - happened to me too in 1990 when I started working on losing the 115-120 lbs of extra weight I was carrying around. Even though it was summer, I had to wear sweatshirts, sweaters, etc because I was constantly cold!

It's kind of like being used to wearing a heavy coat all the time, then when you lose the body fat - like whales have that layer of protective blubber - it takes a while to get used to NOT having it, but eventually you do get over that 'chilly' feeling. ;)

Well..........I think I'm done with xenical. Today was my weigh in and I lost 3lbs this week YEAH. But I have to give the credit to Weight Watchers and my treadmill. I never really ate fatty enough foods to take the xenical 3 times a day. And I never really experienced any of the bad side effects, even after eating pizza, Taco Bell, and Sweet and Sour Chicken with it. I did see the orange effect after these meals, but I don't really eat these kind of foods anymore anyways. I haven't even taken the pill since my "Day 5 on Xenical" log in because I'm so greedy and didn't want to eat anything fattening because it would have used up to many of my WW points and then I couldn't have a nighttime snack :lol: . So to all out there looking for info on how people did on Xenical.....would I recommend it?? Yeah if you are having a hard time cutting out fatty meals and foods, it does seem to work, you'll see that in the toilet. If you can do good on something like Weight Watchers, I recommend that. No cutting out the foods that you love and you get good results. I've been on Weight Watchers before and I know that I would have lost 3lbs this week with or without the Xenical. Good luck to all and thanks for the feedback!! ;)

I have also tried Xenical about 6 years ago ... it just wasn't worth it ... what can i say I enjoy food and I like to treat mysel every now and then ... with that pill it was not letting me do that .. my stomach was constantly upset and I made more trips to the bathroom then a pregnant lady .. unfortunately I wasn't going pee. A friend of mine just tried it as well and I think she lasted about a week and it was upsetting hr stomach to much. I guess for people it works, for others it doesn't.
I wouldn't try it again!

I can totally relate. I was on Xenical in 2000.... bad side effects kicked in at work. Let's just say offensively odored anal leakage in knit pants at a law firm in the middle of the day do not a nice afternoon make. LOL and that happened to me twice in one week!

Wow I am so glad I stumbled onto this thread!!! I was feeling really desperate and was going to get my doc to prescribe xenical...I think for the moment I will pass...I work someplace where its not always convenient to run to the toilet...LOL

I was on xenical for 2 months last summer. Two months of stomach cramps, gas, oily stools and a couple of accidents. All because I wanted to lose weight. I lost 10lbs. It promptly found me again as soon as I went off it! It was not worth the agony!!!

um....yeah..."accidents"...I was on it in 2000 and had one IN FRONT OF MY CHURCH while leading worship...how horrible...literally, you will poop your pants.

I have a friend who lost over a hundred pounds on xenical. I have lost thirty so far.

Yes it has some side effects but none that will kill you that I know of. YOu will get gas, bloating and diahreaa. That is what happens to me if I eat too much fatty foods. It is not meant to teach you to lose so much as to teach you to chose your foods wisely.
\
I enjoy food too but I need to lose weight and what is more important? Enjoying food or losing weight when you have health problems. I rarely get the skids when I watch what I eat. My friend got the skids twice in a year but she went from a size 24 to a ten.

I was on Xenical a few years ago and ended up wearing a sanitary pad on occasions so I wouldn't have an "embarrassing moment" in public. After taking them for a few months, I started having blood in my stools. I blamed it on the Xenical, the doctor said no so I had a colonoscopy. they didn't find anything, I stopped taking Xenical and haven't had any problems since. I still think it was the Xenical so I wouldn't recommend it.

It just seems to me that eating a diet low in fat is better and surely less expensive. I've been on a low fat diet for three weeks now, and in TOPS for the same amount of time. So far I've lost 13 pounds. I'm never hungry and feel so much better.

um....yeah..."accidents"...I was on it in 2000 and had one IN FRONT OF MY CHURCH while leading worship...how horrible...literally, you will poop your pants.
THAT would be enough to make me stop taking it! :dizzy:

Hi,
I used xen for several months last year and it worked great for me! I lost 50lbs over those months and felt great. The side effects really only affected me when I cheated, but I felt that was more of an incentive to remember NOT to cheat again. It really did sort of train me not to eat fatty foods and FORCED me to learn to eat healthier. My insurance picked up the cost too.

My experience was that I got to a weight where I was feeling comfortable, then the personal excuses started rolling in (I'm sick, I'm tired, It's been a long week, I'll start again tomorrow, Monday, next week). I stopped taking the pills then gained some weight back. That was through nobody's fault but my own. If I had stuck with it I would not have gained weight back.

I started SBD in Feb this year and lost 30lbs so far with that and regular exercise. I don't regret my xen experience b/c it taught me how to cook and eat lf. What I'm saying is, go for it if it works for you! Good luck and happy xening!!

I'm truly glad that this post exist. I got my Xenical on Monday and started today (Friday 4/8/05)...so let's see how it goes. I'm scared of the discharge, but I'm one of those people who generally eats healthy during the week, little fats, but may indulge on Friday or Saturday. I'm concerned as to why should I take Xenical if I hardly eat any fats... I eat salads w/ regular salad dressing and cheese, a meat, maybe fruits, a little bread, but nothing just right out greasy or fatty. But because I have over 100 lbs to lose, I'm hoping that SOME fat regardless of what type it is will come out through my stool. I feel the same way as the lady above said, that its more of a laxative than anything, but I agree it will make me more conscious of my eating habits. I also do aerobics 5 days a week. Because I way more than most of you guys and I hope to be the BIGGEST LOSER.. I will definitely post my results in the weeks to come!

http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tracker/img/bar-ost/cartoonapple01/lb/285/180/283/ (http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tracker/index.php)

Have you had your thyroid checked? Are you actually exercising? Losing weight has to be a combo of both. Correct cooking, I mean cooking with no fat also helps. I did invest in a george foreman grill too. I have lost some and have much more to go but I am an xenical user. I have lost about 35 lbs on it and have to lose about 80 more, at least or to where I feel better.

um....yeah..."accidents"...I was on it in 2000 and had one IN FRONT OF MY CHURCH while leading worship...how horrible...literally, you will poop your pants.

My complaint about people talking about the side effects is when they say "poop your pants" because it is very deceiving. It is not BM that comes out (for those of you that don't know this) it is instead, a bright orange (and gross smelling) oil. It stains your toilet, stains your panties. It is gross, gross, gross!

I was on it for 2 months and just hated it. It just soooooooooo wasn't worth it!

Stef

It's day 4 for me on Xenical and the side effects have kicked in but to me they are not THAT bad. I mean I have access to a bathroom, so if I feel it coming, imma runnin...it's that plain and simple. Yes it smells, but doesn't all waste out of our body smell. I've never messed up my clothing b/c I wear large pantyliners for long day wear and they work wonderfully. I'm very impressed by what it has been able to do for me in such a short time. My eating habits have calm down now, at first it was my ticket to eat fatty foods, but I'm back on the healthy kick now while limiting my fat intake as the prescription recommends. If any one else has some good tips, etc. that would be great!

I started xenical this week. I've had side effects a bit, really just once...but it was after eating wings, which honestly I just wanted to see what I could and couldn't eat. Now I know!

All in all i don't mind it, I work from home so the bathroom is not an issue....not that I find myself having 'emergencies' or anything like that, the side effects for me have been generally mild.....I think it's different for everyone.

Hi. I'm new here. I just got word that my insurance has approved Xenical for me. So I will start tomorrow. I'm excited & affraid at the same time. I've lost 10#s in the last month or 2 but have 100 to go to get me satisfied. I really need to hear good things. There arent many message boards that even mention Xenical. Have ya'll found any websites that might help out or offer support/motivation? I really like 3fatchicks...just need more posts! Thanks ya'll. I'll write more later.

Missy

Hi Missy:
There was a book written about 5 years ago called the Xenical Connection or something like that, check out amazon.....

I take both Xenical and Meridia and am having s-l-o-w but steady success, (16.5 lbs. in 3 months, 30 lbs. to go)....xenical will keep you honest about how much fat you eat, but exercise is also necessary. good luck and keep me posted, we can compare notes.

so I've been on it about a week now, no more side effects, I'm staying within 30% of fat and 56 grams and 1700 cals....I need to lose 74 lbs. I have four more pills left before I weigh myself...

Hi. More about me...I'll try to make it quick. Before marriage 10 yrs ago, I was 130-135 wearing about a 10/12. I got pregnant a month later & thought I could eat 2 honey buns a day & not get fat since I was pregnant & that was my 1st downfall. After the birth & my weight evened out I was 160#s. Instead of losing it...I gained. I stayed between 170-190 for a while but after I had baby #2 & went thru depression I got to 226...then baby #3 (surprise baby#2). My weight evened out at 231 after baby #3 was born. I then went on Sugar Busters...that only lasted 2 wks but lost 10#s & gave me the motivation I needed to start Weight Watchers. I loved WW. Although I wasn't always 100%. I lost from 221 to 204 but then my weight started going back up & I felt like crap. Finally went to Dr. & found out I am Hypothyroid. That was a year ago. I would have tried Xenical sooner had I known insurance would cover it. Anyway, I got up to 240.5 :( and couldn't stand it so on Mar. 14 I started experimenting with Slim Fast Optima. I lost 10 #s but I've put 1 or 2 on cuz I've been bad :o . When I was a 10/12, I thought I was fat...wish I were that fat now!!! :lol: My daughters are now 9 yrs, 6 yrs, & 2 yrs & I'm tired of being ashamed to go out to the beach or places like that. I'm only 5'2 & every # SHOWS. I'll post more later....having to take it a little at a time since I'm babysitting my sister's baby!

Take care!
Missy
240.5/231.5/130's someday I hope(longterm goal of course)

Hi, I lost 12 lbs since starting xenical... woooo! :)

Wow! That's Great! I feel like an idiot. We decided to take a little trip to Panama City & I didn't even bother dieting those 3 days. I did weigh before leaving & was down to 229! But I'm not changing my tracker just yet. I'm so busy...just wanted to check the board. How many times a day to you take X? I take in 2x's a day. Also, I looked at the letter my insurance sent & says I'm only covered from 4/28-10/28....anyone know anything about how they decide that & if I'll be able to continue after that? Well, gotta run!

Missy

http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tracker/img/bar-blue2/slider-situp/lb/240.5/135/231.5/.png (http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tracker/index.php)

So yesterday morning I was weighing in @ 231.5...this morning I'm back to 229. So I'll let that be my weigh in. Hopefully next week it will be even lower! YAY!

Congrats!!!! add in some exercise, even if it's just 15 mins. a day and you'll do even better.

Marbleflys,

I forgot to add that I did buy the Xenical Advantage book from Amazon & rec'vd it yesterday. I've been skimming thru it. Hopefully will get a chance to read it soon. Thanks for telling me about it!

So how have ya'll been doing? Well I have been BAD! Seems like I can't get on track, but by the grace of God I lost weight. I have even been bad in the last week...not even taking the xenical. The last time I weighed I was weighing 231.5 again. I got on the scales expecting to see that much or more & nearly fell off. I got on there about 5 times. Then made 2 of my duaghters weigh....it is right. I thanked God & think I got the boost of motivation I needed.

I'm still not going at it 100% but I'm pleased. How are you all doing? Please post!

Hi Missy:

I doing well on the combination of both Xenical and Meridia....I'm still fearful of the scale (paranoid actually), but i am down a pants size and the visual in front of the full length mirror seems smaller. Every ounce counts!

I am trying to start xenical but my insurance does not cover it . but with as much weight i have to lose i didnt give up and i found a sight where you can apply for prescription help from the makers of xenical its called roche labs. they send an application to your doctor if you have no covereage for xenical you pretty much get approved,anyways they send the pills to your doctor for free if you get approved.just thought i would share the info since they cost about 200. a month the web site is http://www.needymeds.com/programs/roche.html

Hi folks I've been on Xenical since August and haven't had tremendous loss (15 pounds) but I'm still happy. I am looking at this med to help me maintain my caloric intake appropriate for my weight (as I lose that caloric intake will go down) rather than try to do restricting on my own. Digestion of all that food keeps your metabolic rate very high!

I've recently gone back to work and believe that will help some since I won't be surrounded with opportunities to eat constantly as I was as a stay-at-home parent. I will be part-time for the first couple months so the temptation will still be there most days.:devil:

Regards everyone, nice to see there was a recent post last month, Xenical is out of style compared to Meridia these days.

Heidi

Meridia and Xenical are two completely different drugs. Meridia does not work for everyone and the higher dosages can cause elevated BP....(my doctor will not give more than a 6 month scrip). i like the secondary mild anti -depressant effect it had on me (but that's just my brain chem. levels, everyone is different)

Xenical only acts on your GI tract....(ahem, keeps you VERY honest about what you eat)...and is also helpful to some folks with high cholesterol. I was concerned about how much other fat soluable vitamins it might be blocking from my poor old body....I stopped it as I had an accident this past Oct. and had 3 fractures to repair.....JMHO, but I didn't want to mix it with all the other stuff I had to take.

my doc. gave me a scrip for old phentermine but I never filled it.

Can I just say that this thread scared the crap out of me?? (no pun intended :)) I just started taking Xenical 2 days ago and I wanted to see what others who have taken it thought. I saw lots of horror stories here and questioned whether or not I should take it. I did take it and I had a little bit of an overactive urge to "go" but nothing major. I have had no side effects today. I asked my doctor and he said that the side affects take a week to 2 weeks to disappear and that in some cases it can take a few months but that is rare. My BM's are fatty but that is what Xenical does, it blocks the fat from being absorbed by the body and carries it out through your stool.

I kind of wanted to post this in case there are others like me out there who have seen lots of horror stories and question themselves. I will post more later on this thread once I get a few more weeks under my belt (which will hopefully be smaller ;) ) and let you know how it goes as far as weight loss.

OK I am on day 6 of the Xenical and the side effects are gone. my stools are still a little fatty but not loose or runny and I have not had strong urges to go. I am thinking that if this works then it is definately worth it!! Will keep this thread posted on the results.

Xenical DOES work! I have read this thread and have completely lost my appetite :barf:. I think I'll bookmark it and read it every time I have the urge to start snacking :rofl: (a lot cheaper too!) No offense intended - the image of someone pooping themselves in front of the congregation had me in stitches :D

If it works for you - great - but I couldn't imagine anyone taking it for more than a few months. I wonder if the manufacturers have any stats on how many patients kept the weight off for more than a year after using this drug?

yes i am taking the pills right now with my low carb high protein plan,its really helping alot.

Xenical was suggested by my doctor on Friday as a booster to help me with my initial weeks of weight loss. I was going to get the pills next week and probably still will but am very nervous of the side effects. My doctor told me just to make sure I keep under the 30% fat range and I should be OK. He said not to bother taking it at breakfast time becuase my fat intake for that meal should not be much at all. Because I work full time, I'm not going to take the pill at lunch time - only at dinner time when I'm at home. I would be absolutely horrified if 'something' happened at work after my lunch.

So after reading this thread, I'm thinking I will do the WW thing as well. My hubby has to lose weight too but his doctor did not talk to him about Xenical and hubby is not a fan of taking anything like this. So, I'm going to get back into WW, think about Xenical to help me along for the first 4 weeks and see how I go.

I got put on Xenical two weeks ago and haven't had any accidents, I've also had a 10 lb. weight loss, but I don't know if that's the Xenical or the Metformin (I'm insulin resistant and I have PCOS, so if any of you ladies have PCOS and have a large amount of abdominal weight, have a c-peptide blood test done, the insulin and ovary problems are usually intertwined). But by god does it work though, I used it when I ate spaghetti the other night and oh lord, I didn't realize how much fat was in the foods I was eating. But with this stuff, as my doc said, "dont trust a fart".

hi,
I just heard on the Today's Show news that Xen is being considered as an over the counter drug in half of it prescription strenght.
wdls46

I heard about that and think it's a horrible idea. Imagine the potential for abuse by people with eating disorders such as anorexia.

I disagree.....Xenical only blocks about 1/3 of your fat intake (this is the 120 mg. dosage per pill)...taking more (abuse) will not affect the fat intake and make you lose more weight.....it has no effect on carb. intake whatsoever (according to CNN). it only works on your GI tract and has no other side effects to raise BP, HR, etc.

If you eat low-fat and modify your diet, it's a helpful tool and the side effects are minimal....if you eat a bacon cheeseburger and fries and hope to stem the damage....well, you'll spend the next 2 hours in the bathroom....and have to worry about.....*anal leakage* as the directions say.

When I've taken it, the fear factor keeps me honest about my diet....

If you eat low-fat and modify your diet, it's a helpful tool

If you eat low fat then why would you need this drug in the first place? :shrug:

I heard today that Xenical may become available over the counter. I sure hope people understand the side effects and take it with caution.

i use xenical and i am sooo happy its going over the counter,now maybe i can afford it!

I agree with 2BFit1 ... if the only purpose of xenical is to block extra fat, then why not just eat less fat and save the money on the xenical for a great new workout outfit! :)

Ok, I went beyond 2Bfit's point. I have a pretty open mind about these pills when under a doctor's supervision and I realize this discussion is ongoing on this forum ... which is good, because we all have differing opinions ... but honestly I don't see the point of xenical. If it makes one ill when eating a bacon cheeseburger, well, why not just NOT eat the bacon cheeseburger and skip the xenical? Or have a small turkey burger on a whole wheat bun with bacon bits sprinkled on and a nice slice o' tomato on top ... and skip the xenical.

And if one has to eat something really high in fat, which sometimes I do, then why not just have a smaller portion, save the rest for another meal ... and skip the xenical?

I can see the point of a prescription drug that might help people with major obesity problems control appetite long enough to get some weight off for medical reasons. But personally, from what everyone says in these discussions, the purpose of xenical seems to be to hand out a license to eat fat ... OR is it that it's like some meds for alcoholics (which I don't actually know if they use anymore) ... knowing that it makes them sick if they take the drug and drink, the theory is that they avoid drinking ... the problem is that the theory usually doesn't work ... people tend to avoid taking the medication rather than avoid the drinking.

I guess I don't understand.

If there were a pill that actually allowed me to eat and drink as much as I wanted of anything at all, without any pesky consequences, such as weight gain, diabetes, heart disease ... or in the case of xenical, this possible digestive thing ... I'd be in line with my credit card out ... but guess xenical isn't it ... :)

IMO it doesn't matter whether they sell it over the counter or not, it still sounds not very useful.

All this is just my opinion and not meant to sound combative. :) I am just late for work and cranky.

I still think the best way is the no pill way - lost 200 pounds without them, just WW and I've kept it off. What happens when you quit taking the pills?

reading the article about the over the counter prescription form of Xenical said that it is only effective for 6 months and they do not recommend consumers using it for more than 6 months.

Other than having a greasy butt from the fat disposal, how does it help? Do you have to stay on it forever? What is the maintenance program?

Please be careful taking these pills. It seems like every pill that has been put to use has been taken off the market not long after for unbelievable long term health risks. Just be wise. You know your body. What works for me, may not work for you. I am in favor of losing weight and if that is what it is gonna take for you, then do it, just be mindful of what you are putting in to your body.(and in this case, of what is coming out!;) ;) )

reading the article about the over the counter prescription form of Xenical said that it is only effective for 6 months and they do not recommend consumers using it for more than 6 months.

Other than having a greasy butt from the fat disposal, how does it help? Do you have to stay on it forever? What is the maintenance program?

Please be careful taking these pills. It seems like every pill that has been put to use has been taken off the market not long after for unbelievable long term health risks. Just be wise. You know your body. What works for me, may not work for you. I am in favor of losing weight and if that is what it is gonna take for you, then do it, just be mindful of what you are putting in to your body.(and in this case, of what is coming out!;) ;) )

Don't know if you've already found it, but Roche still has their Xenical support site (http://www.xenical.com/default.asp)up (written for the prescription product).

About the "not effective after six months" what I remember hearing is that it's not RECOMMENDED to take it for longer than six months - and that was said by doctors and other authorities who were being interviewed by CNN or the Today show. And even if it IS an OTC product, I'd still discuss it with my doctor, if I were considering using it. I've skimmed over the Complete Product Information (http://www.rocheusa.com/products/xenical/pi.pdf) and don't see anything about a six-month effectiveness limit, but I imagine that at some point, one could become immune to the effects. There don't seem to be a whole lot of fatal side effects either, unless you count the people around you getting hit by a fatal whiff of gas. :o

I do see that the PI mentions 1 year, 2 year and 4 year studies of Xenical...interesting reading to say the least!

I think I will stay away

This really sounds like an awful idea. I heard about this as well. Like someone else up thread said, though I think it bears repeating, the potential for abuse of this product seems far too great to allow this to be an otc med without the supervision of a doctor!

Yikes, I really hope this is not made otc.

I'm truly concerned to hear that Xenical may be considered OTC. There are some serious contraindications to taking the medication, and some long term deleterious effects (ie loss of absorption of fat soluble vitamins). Which is fine as long as the situation is being monitored appropriately by an MD. It's kind of like eating disordered people taking large doses of OTC laxatives. I've seen some serious electrolyte imalances as a result.

It does seem as though this really is going forward, judging from news reports.

Boarderchick, I'm glad you brought up the fat soluble vitamin problem. I've wondered about that with people taking Xenical ... and also with these "fake" fats like Olestra or whatever it is they've done to Enova.

Fat is actually a necessary macronutrient that nature intended us to eat (in my opinion). There are good fats and bad fats, I guess, but it seems crazy to me to, as you say, do something to the body that amounts to taking mega doses of laxatives in order to remove fat from the diet.

If people don't want to eat so much fat, why don't they just not eat it?

Xen is insane in my opinion. I already worry about my bowl movements enough at times and this would send me into hell. As for meridia (is that spelled right?) I hear good things but the one neg. I didn't like was the possibility of irregular heart beat, this is insane too. I looked up adipex and it seems good except it is amphed. based. The safer one due to how long it's been on the market and side effects seems to be the adipex. If anyone has anything to add about the side effect on meridia that I mentioned, please do so, as if it only always applies to those with some heart histroy in the family then I might change my mind on the safer one.

I took xenical 4 months ago I lost 12 pounds I went off it for 2 months and 2 weeks ago I started again.. I have the bad side effects but I deal with it. I have been eating better and when I dont I just dont take a pill. I also take green tea supplements instead of drinking it I do 30 minutes on the treadmill and then use my ablunge 3xs a week I do 3 sets of 12 I started doing tebo last week I did that 4xs (real hard) Im looking to lose 10-15 pounds My scales never seem to move and its gets very upsetting. I have a Drs. appointment next week I hope I lose something or at least stay the same as I did the last time I was weighed. Im going on vacation in August and I want to lose weight .. I did measure today and I lose .o5 inch on my thighs and .05 inch on my hips possibly from running on th etreadmill I really lik e teabo once i get started but I dont ever have motovation to do anything so its hard for me to get started Im 5'4 142 36-38-36.5 thighs are 20.5 I want to lose 2 inches on my waist... any help would be great

Kim

I just thought I would post here since I am taking xenical. I'm hoping for support. So far so good. No bad side effects here. Sounds like to me that it effects some people more than others. I have lost 9 pounds in 9 days.;) I will try to keep everyone posted on my progress and I hope you will keep posting so we can all help each other.

Eww.. The most disgusting phase of my life is when I was prescribed with Xenical. I hated myself! Everytime I need to go to the bathroom I have to wash up afterwards with soap and sometimes thats not enough.
I felt disgusted that I always wore a pad in my undies just in case I "leak". It was soooo sick I stopped it two weeks later. And I was on a low-fat diet!

Like I said, I guess it effects some people more than others. I haven't had any side effects that have been much different than a regular BM ( just a different color). I am down 2 more pounds though!!!! Somebody celebrate with me!!! go me!!!:carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :D

Go you! Orange carrots are very appropriate! I still have some of my old prescription but don't have the nerve to start taking it again.

Thank you very much! I really want to talk with others trying to lose weight for support. Do you have a certain group you are a part of? Did you take xen before? Results? I know, I'm nosy.:o

Just logging on for first time.. Will be starting my xenical as soon as I pick up the script. I see some mixed reviews, but will give it a try. Glad I found this forum!

Hey, hope you like it. I do. It has really helped me turn all my bad habits around. :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: Write back and tell me what you think?

Goals for today:

64 oz. of water

30 min. treadmill
around 1600 calories

Losinwt and Renejo, how are you both doing? My DH has been taking xenical for about a month. He has lost about 10 pounds. I have only been taking it for about 2 weeks and I have lost 4 pounds. I hope it goes ovc soon as it is very expensive for both of us to take it.

I think the pill is incentive. Incentive to make the best choices in food. I think of it like the pill alcoholics take to keep themselves from drinking. This is a pill I take to keep myself from eating food that is high in fat. Some people may not need that incentive but some people do.

I am so glad to find this forum. I have searched for people who are taking xenical to get inspiration and share experiences and have had a hard time finding it. I am so happy to find a forum that has people who can share their experiences with me.

I look forward to hearing from y'all.

I have been taking xenical now for 3 weeks and am doing very well. I was down 14 pounds on Friday's weigh in. I am very happy with this pill but more so with the control that I have shown because of it. :carrot: :carrot: If you would like to talk to others taking xenical - there is a group called "Xenical Users" on MSN Groups. Apply to join this group. There are message boards there. Good Luck!:hug:

I have just updated my weight because I have lost since the last time I was here!! Now I'm down to 225.8!!! I weigh in again tomorrow so maybe I will lose more:carrot: :carrot:

http://www.3fatchicks.net/img/bar-chicks/flower02/lb/242/199/225.8/.png (http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tracker/)

Hi, I just started Xenical this week and you have inspired me, nothing can be more worse than that Chinese dieters tea. I lost weight on it but Xenical seems more gentle to me. I have not seen any runny stools, it is day 3 for me, when will I see stools? I already do not eat a lot of fat but I ate fat to see if it works. Thanks you so much for your honesty and courage to step out on faith even though many on here are very much against it. You are an inspiration to me! i lost weight by cutting out sugar went from 250 to 225 now i am hoping to lose the rest with the help of Xenical, I gained weight through pregnancy, my son is three, I lost before with my daughter and I know that I can lose this weight too! Just need a little help and encouragement from people like you! I have had congestive heart failure with both children at birth, I am completely healed now but I must get this excess weight off. thanks for your ecouragement!

I found out to if you limit your drinking and switch to Wyler's sugar free raspberrk drink, ooh! ooh! delicious, taste better than the rest of the sugar free products, that also helped me drrop 25lbs. Fruit flavored sparkling water also and drinking more regular water. Just wanted to add that. With my daughter I lost over 80lbs on phentermine but I can barely tolerate the depression and nervousness which is a side effect. I was down to my teenage weight 160, I am 5' 10" so I was wearing an 8, I am now 35, had another baby gained 90lbs with him and need I was 272 after having him now I am 225 so I have had success but it has been a challenge. You must pray and God will help all of us.

pwhitechurch, welcome and that you for sharing your story. I am so glad that your have beaten the congestive heart failure and I am sure you will get back to your pre-baby weight as well.

Losinwt, GREAT to see your progress! I would love to see your daily menu. I have lost about 8 pounds but obviously not losing a quickly as your are. If you don't mind, what is an average day of food like for you? Do you exercise and, is so, how much? You said earlier in the thread that you were nosy. As you can tell , you are not the only one! Please tell me everything you would want to know about someone who is losing so much faster than you are. :D Thanks for sharing the xenical users site but it seems VERY slow to me. I have visited several times and there just doesn't seem to be that much traffic there.

Have a great day, everyone!

After a minor illness set back, I was finally able to start the Xenical on Monday, 3/20. I've lost 3 pounds and I'm even pms'ing! :dizzy: It isn't as bad as I thought it would be, depending on what I eat, of course. Will start with the exercise regimen this Monday. I bought a power walking DVD.. anyone ever try that? :carrot: It's great to have somewhere to go where there are others going through the same thing. It helps to compare and relate!
:goodluck: To All!
Renee

Congratulations on your 3 pound loss, Renee! That is great. Also great that you a starting to exercise. That helps me a lot. Good luck and keep posting!

Karen

Hi, I have never tried the dvd but i powerwalk and it worked without any medicine, its just too cold here to walk now. I lost about 25lbs including watching sugar intake and eating higher fiber foods.

Hi, when did you start to see weight loss? Also what are you adding in to lose more? How much have you lost now? Please let me know, I would like to hear from you. God bless!

I have been on Xenical for a week, I see not much weight loss but I am noticing that I am getting very toned. Not as flabby around the thights and midsection. The weight I will have to check after my PMS because I can swell about 10lbs during this time. I like Xenical, no shakes not nervousness. Its alright with me.

I am thankful for your posting. I have been on xenical for about a week and have had the nasty side effects. My problem is though that I feel that I can eat all the high fat stuff cuz i'll just poop it out ne ways, but I think i'll just stick with weight watchers i've noticed i've gone over my points all this week because of that messed up thinking. Next week for me will be better hopefully

mommyof 1, I livein Pearland!

After what happened tonight, my wife suggested I read up on other people's XENICAL experiences to see if anyone else had the same problems I had.

I had no idea about Xenical until I read about it in the newspaper regarding it going over the counter. I have struggled with my weight for years and suffer from both IBS and sleep apnea. I was unaware of the apnea condition. Sleep apnea made it very extremely difficult to function and it was discovered by a friend even though my doctor could find nothing wrong for ten years! In fifteen years I ballooned from 185 lbs to 299 pounds and suffered massive chronic headaches as well as sheer chronic exhaustion. My doc told me there was nothing wrong with me and to simply get off the couch and stop eating chips!!!!

When I approached him with the possibility of sleep apnea, he told me I had all the symptoms. We did a sleep test and let me tell you the hospital admitted me the same week for an operation at which time they put me under also discovered my trachea was way too small! The operation was an anesthesiologist's worst nightmare to keeping me alive! The apnea problem was addressed with surgery and a CPAP machine. I finally found I had been able to recover enough energy to start working on the weight problem which would also alleviate the apnea problem.

Anyway, I had asked the doc over the phone if Xencial could help me (after reading about it in the paper.) I had already started a treadmill regimen of 1 hour a day for a month prior to that. It was working slowly but I wanted faster success as I wanted to simply recover from years of misery. (I had also tried Meridia with success but the heart issues caused him and my insurance to take me off it.)

My insurance didn't cover Xenical and it cost me $750 for a three month supply. He made NO MENTION of the side effects! When I went to see him after two months, he was absolutely thrilled with the success I had; I had lost 21 pounds. I told him I was pretty surprised that he didn't counsel me on the side effects. He said he counseled me in his office and even told he he had "crapped his own pants" when he used it for a few days. I reminded him we never met, and that he prescribed it over the phone. Anyway, he insisted that the Xencial was working and insisted I stay on it. I told him the positive effect was more the daily treadmill exercise than the Xencial, and the Xenical had horrible effects on me. I told him I ruined my office chair ($800 leather swivel chair embarrasingly stained without me being aware of it).

Speaking of ruining things: one other time, I helped my son move. Against my advice, he insisted on driving the Uhaul without having a drivers license. There was no way I was riding with him and followed him by driving my wife's car which we also packed with his and his wife's belongings. Well, you guessed it- he got pulled over, my stomach did a complete rollover and I messed up my wife's driver's seat pretty badly. Being in the health care field, she simply put me in diapers after that and insisted I wear them until I could get the accidents to stop.

Anyway, I told my doc about the problems I was having and that I was wearing them when I went out in public-even to his office. He actually told me that NO ONE WOULD KNOW UNLESS I TOLD THEM and that I should stick with the drug, but watch what I eat! I could not believe what he was saying!

Well, needless to say, I sure did learn by trial and error what I really needed to stay away from. Having IBS, my wife insisted that I continue to wear protection because I had very sporadic problems anyway. The only good thing is that I run a professional practice from my home and afforded me the luxury to get to a bathroom very quickly if an eposide occured. Otherwise, I would not even be posting now or dealing with this issue at all.

Needless to say, I am pretty careful about what to eat, but still seem to suffer more than the average Joe. So I follow the wife's regimen and have been quite thankful on a few occasions. Oddly, the best "underwear" is not detectable under clothing and not even self-noticable after a few days. And I stress only the BEST ones-every other lesser product is truly a nightmare to wear. It makes you itch and the noise makes you completely paranoid.

Well, today was the last straw. My wife and I had the grandchildren (twin 1 1/2 year old girls) for the day. We NEVER eat at McDonald's because we outgrew it a loooong time ago. Well, my wife and I had a salad and the kids split a happy meal for lunch. Well, they didn't eat many of the fries, so not thinking about it, I ate them as I was pretty damned hungry even after that salad. Since we are on vacation this week, I took my wife out to our favorite restaurant for dinner. Mind you, I have eaten the same meal there plenty of times before while on the drug without side effects.

Not this time. Right after we left, I was in a Home Depot and without any warning, had a MAJOR problem. We left immediately so I could get home and clean up. No warning at all. Just a huge embarrasment that would have been far worse had I not been prepared for an emergency. My wife and I were trying to figure out what I ate different at the restaurant when it dawned on her that I had eaten the french fries from Mickey D's that day.
Let me tell you I have had other "better" restaurant fries without a reaction like that!

Let me also tell you, my doctor and I are going to have a a long talk about this because I am done with this baloney. THis is NOT normal as far as I am concerned and I am not sure where his thinking lies. Is my mental stress less important than my physical health at this point? He tells me I am simply going to die if I can't get my weight under control. I have lost 35 pounds in 4 months but an occasional mistake like today is nightmarish for me.

I am quite confident that I will be looking for a new doctor after our next (last?) meeting.

If you are considering taking this drug:

Be VERY prepared- my studies are telling me that this drug affects people in a wide variety of ways,

DO NOT be a sufferer of any type of colon problem like I have had since a young child,

Make sure your doctor as well as yourself is aware of your other medical conditions,

Watch what you eat VERY carefully,

READ every damned package for the fat content before you put anything in your mouth, (which I learned to do very quickly),

Ask the waitress about dietary concerns-most chefs and waitresses will understand and help you make informed choices,

and above all, make sure you have a doctor who cares about your mental well being as well as your physical one. I've had just about enough of mine, and will be looking for one that will be a little more sensitive. I am thinking that mine is either a quack or simply not interested in the Hyppocratic Oath!