Alli coming to the UK
 

Wow, I saw a advert on the Boots site that they will be selling it soon
£50 for 28days supply


For those who don't know what it is, it's over the counter Orlistat.
Prevents fat from food being absorbed, can cause nasty side effects.

Do you think it only works for people with a BMI over 28?

Your post is incorrect. Alli blocks UP TO 25% of fat being consumed. It causes the "nasty" side effects when you eat things that are not prescribed in the plan. The Alli pill will help you zero. The Alli PROGRAM will work for anyone. Weight guidelines for using Alli are available on their website.

ah, sry, yes I know, I didn't mean to say all.
As I understand it people who follow the diet guildlines can still experience side effects, but to a lesser extent.

I really don't get it. Why pay £50 for Orlistat when you can get it legitimately on prescription from your doctor for £7.20 (or free if you get free prescriptions)? Some might argue as their Dr. wouldn't prescribe it for them, if that's the case surely it means its not safe/suitable for them to take.

Kitty
(an Orlistat user btw)

Well yes, but I very much dislike Doctors, same with my Mum.
When I was obese I went to the docs about a problem I was having, she blamed my weight, and didn't give an solution(I was in my late teens)
I did go back a few times when I was older about my weight and the docs never offered me a drug, nor anything else I felt for helpful, just that I should do Cindy Crawfords DVD, no mention any anypoint of reducing portions, eating a lowfat diet etc..

I know it sounds quite ignorant of me but I didn't have a clue about any of these things and I gradually picked up the knowledge I have now from experience, reading books and frequenting forums like this one.

So when people have poor experiences of the NHS, they see something like this as the answer.

My Mum is currently overweight, but she wouldn't spend £50 a month on something like that, I did suggest going to the doctors as you suggested KforKitty, and specifically asking for the drug.
I dont know how well that would work out.

Exactly Kitty - it's a money-spinner, and more worringly it's something with people other weight problems (eg anorexia) may abuse.

I'm not sure if I'm correct here, but I think a person must have a BMI of 30 or over to get Orlistat from their GP, and they also have to show they have made a consistent effort to lose weight, so this means people who are either over-weight, or too embarrassed to visit a doctor are going to be taking these.

At £50 for just a one month supply, it will be an expensive medication. It should also be noted that Alli only provides HALF the dosage of a standard NHS prescription of Orlistat, so if a person wants the full effect they really need to be buying £100's worth a month (obviously not advisable without visiting a medical doctor).

I'm not taking Orlistat but I have considered it, and if I do go down that route (maybe if I plateau) then I'll be going to a local GP rather than forking out £50.

Of all the names in the world, they had to choose my name! I'm Ally on here because Alli was taken, but would you like to be associated with the side effects of this tablet? :o:D

It would be interesting to know how successful it is though.

I can assure you if used correctly it can be very effective (see my stats for proof).

Kitty

Kitty, that's fantastic! Well done you!

Well done! what weight was you when you came off the tabs?(if you have) Did you find a difference to youweightloss afterwards?

Coming off the tablets is my next step. I did hope to get to 170 before I did but not lost anything this month so maybe its time. I see my GP on Friday and will discuss then.

Kitty

Okay neat! :)
If you've hit a plateau maybe it's worth eating a bit more, you have proberly tried that already, but either dropping more kcals or taking on more usually starts it up again for me.

GMTV were covering the Alli story yesterday morning - one of the issues that cropped up was the fact that a person should not take the medication for more than six months (they were interviewing an American lady who had been on the medication successfully for over 12 mths).

Has anyone else heard about this 6 mth limit?

can't say that I have,
I've also seen this advertised at places other than Boots.

i take alli here in the US and i have never heard of the 6 month limit to be honest with you and i do check into stuff with Alli a lot.

I think it works well.. I had lost about 13 pounds in 2 weeks and then i stopped taking it due to be under so much stress at home.

As much as it cost i didnt want to be taking it and not doing what i should have been so i did stop for a while and now i just started back again so we will see how it goes..

Good Luck all and WAY TO GO KITTY!!!!!!!

I take Alli twice MONTHLY now as part of weaning away from it. I am using under strict guidance of my physician. I have not ever been told about the 6 month limit but will be doing some reading on the matter today. If I find anything, I will report back. :)

Well thanks for cheering me on:o

My doctor gave me a 'free pass' this month even though I missed my target by 1kg. She wants me to lose 6kg more (about 13 lb), so I am comfortably below a BMI of 30. I've got a 4kg target for the next 3 months. If I don't achieve that she wouldn't be able to precribe Xenical to me and I understand that. So its my final push and I'm very determined to finish this job.

Kitty

I bought some Alli yesterday in Superdrug. I didn't know about the BMI of 28 rule (my BMI is 25.20) so not sure if it's going to do anything for me.

They also say in the leaflet to eat 15g of fat in each meal and 3g in each snack. Not sure I was eating that much before I started dieting - seems like an awful lot!

Sounds like your calories intake needs to be made from Mars Bars, but then if you eat too much fat you have 'side effects'.

Think I may have wasted my money (although they're on offer in Tescos, which I didn't know until today).

I think your not supposed to eat more than 15g of fat in one meal, if you don't want to get the nasty side effects. That was my understanding anyway.

I've been taking them since Thursday and I am so impressed. I don't have scales at uni with me so it'll be two weeks before I know what I weigh, but I've never eaten as perfectly as I have since I started taking the tablets, just because I've scared myself into eating properly so I don't suffer from the 'effects'. But I've seen the oiliness at the other end (tmi I know) and I feel great because I've eaten so well. It's forcing me to control my portions which is where I struggle, and I really think it's working. I know it's expensive but I'm too self-conscious to go to my doctor and I've had bad experiences with doctors and weight-related issues in the past, so this seemed like a nice chance to kick off my weight loss.

Woot, glad to hear things are off to a positive start!
Best of Luck! x

The Ali website gives all info - 6 months only, BMI 28+ reqired etc etc.

Isn't it scary that the manufacturers recommendations are ignored so soon after it hit the shops?

Mind you, it is likely that the recommendations are part of the UK licence. The USA doesn't have the same rules!!!

Good luck to everyone using it. I am off the the doc to discuss my weight next week!

This looks good for a quick fix, but what happens when you stop taking it?