The First Non-prescription Diet Pill For Obesity Has Been Approved

By Author: Donald Saunders
Total Articles: 84
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The US FDA has at long last approved a diet pill which can be bought over-the-counter and which is designed for adults suffering from obesity. But will this new drug be effective and is it going to be the solution for the thousands of obese people who find that losing weight is exceptionally her?

To some extend we already know the answers as this is not a new drug at all but one that has been in wide use in the United States for several years. The drug, which is known as Orlistat, is in actuality nothing more than a half-dose version of the currently available prescription drug known as Xenical.

The time honored route for weight loss in cases of obesity is for doctors to start by recommending a regime of diet and exercise and, if this does not work, to move on to help dieters with drugs like Xenical. In the end, if this does not do the trick, sufferers might be offered morbid obesity surgery as the ultimate weight loss solution. This brief look at the background to treating morbid obesity gives a clue to just how this new obesity pill is to be employed.

Regardless of what people may want this is without ...
... doubt not a case of taking a pill daily and miraculously losing weight. Orlistat works in part by inhibiting the absorption of fat that is eaten and is at its most effective when it is taken three times a day with meals containing approximately fifteen grams of fat. If it is taken will meals containing more than fifteen grams of fat then taking Orlistat can cause bowel problems.

Using Orlistat can also interfere with the absorption of some vitamins and users have to take daily multivitamin supplements. Orlistat is not recommended for individuals taking any sort of blood thinning medication or under treatment for thyroid problems or diabetes.

In the absence of an accompanying diet and exercise program Orlistat will have little if any affect at all and you are only going to receive any benefit from using it together with a strict diet and exercise program. However, even with diet and exercise the results are likely to be marginal and many individuals question whether the likely results (which are based upon the known results seen with Xenical) make the use of Orlistat worthwhile.

Possibly one further question we need to ask is exactly why the FDA has approved the over-the-counter use of this drug at this time. Obesity rates are now rising at epidemic proportions and we see considerable pressure to find an answer to this problem before it runs out of control. A lot of people feel that the licensing of Orlistat for over-the-counter use is nothing more than the FDA bowing to public pressure.

Should Orlistat turn out to be of little if any use at all it may in fact do more harm than good as individuals suffering from obesity turn their attention towards Orlistat as the solution to their problem and ignore the need for a strict program of diet and exercise.