The Food and Drug Administration has at long last got around to approving a diet pill which is available over-the-counter and which is designed for adults suffering from obesity. But just how effective will this new pill be and is it going to be the answer for the thousands of obese people who find that losing weight is exceptionally hard work?
To some degree we already have the answers because this is not a new drug but one that has been in wide use in the United States for several years. The drug, known as Orlistat, is in reality merely a half-dose version of the currently available prescription drug Xenical.
The normal route for weight loss for obesity sufferers is for doctors to start by recommending a course of diet and exercise and, if this does not work, to turn to assisting dieters with drugs like Xenical. Finally, if this still does not work, individuals might be offered morbid obesity surgery as the ultimate weight loss solution. This brief examination of the background to treating morbid obesity provides us with an indication of exactly how this obesity pill is to be employed.
Regardless of what people might want this is without doubt not a matter of taking a pill each day and magically watching the weight fall off. Orlistat works in part by inhibiting the absorption of fat that is eaten and is most effective when taken three times a day with meals containing around fifteen grams of fat. If taken will meals containing more than the recommended fifteen grams of fat then taking Orlistat can lead to bowel problems.
Use of Orlistat may also impede the absorption of some vitamins and users should take daily multivitamin tablets. The drug is not recommended for individuals taking any type of blood thinning agent or under treatment for thyroid problems or diabetes.
Without an accompanying program of diet and exercise Orlistat will have very little or no affect and you are only going to receive any benefit from using it together with a strict program of diet and exercise. However, even with diet and exercise the weight loss is likely to be minor and many question whether the likely results (which are based upon the known results from Xenical) make the use of Orlistat a worthwhile operation.
Perhaps one additional question we need to ask is just why the FDA has approved the over-the-counter use of this drug now. Obesity rates are rising at epidemic proportions and we see mounting pressure to find an answer to this problem before it runs literally out of control. A lot of people believe that the licensing of Orlistat for over-the-counter use is nothing more than the FDA bowing to public pressure.
If Orlistat proves to be of very little or no use it may in fact do greater harm than good as individuals suffering from obesity turn their attention towards the drug as the answer to their problem and away from the need for a strict program of diet and exercise.
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