Public Service Announcement : Weight Loss & Alli (A pharmacists take on things)

[beversman 0]

My sister will be graduating from Pharmacy school in a few months. She knows her stuff. Here was her recent take on the new "wonder" weight loss drug Alli.

This made me crack up!!! And kind of disgusted me all at the same time!

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Public Service Announcement : Weight Loss & Alli

Warning: This is graphic but someone has to tell it like it is. The news companies and pharmacies are too afraid.

After hearing some non-pharmacist friends talking recently, I decided to write this blog to help everyone out.

Alli is a great new diet pill that is proven to work and is available over the counter. You can lose up to 50% more weight using Alli than just by diet and exercise alone. Great, huh?

No.

Alli makes you poop your pants. Alli's marketers hide this by using the term "fecal urgency." You will have "oily discharge" throughout the day. When you fart, you will shoot out oil. When you start taking Alli, you have to bring an extra change of clothes. When you take Alli, according to the patient information brochure, you may recognize what's in your poop as the oil that is often on the top of your pizza. This statement disturbs me. First it implies that you look at your poop in the toilet and say, "Hey! I recognize that from somewhere!" Second, it implies that all fat people eat pizza and not just pizza, but the greasy, nasty kind. Third, why use the pizza analogy?? A simple "it looks like fat or oil" would have sufficed. Personally, I think Alli's marketing writers should be fired.

And this still happens when you are following the "rules" and only eating the recommended 15 grams of fat per meal. If you eat more than that, may God be with you.

Here is a scenario of what will happen:

You eat:

A turkey sandwich

You:

Poop your pants

You eat:

Low fat chips and salsa

You:

Poop your pants

You eat:

A salad

You:

Poop your pants

You eat:

A salad with ranch

You:

Poop your pants all day and will probably have to sleep on the toilet

You eat:

Taco Bell

You:

Poop you pants for days, and probably will get fired because you skipped work. You'll have to quit if you did go because everyone saw you poop your pants. You will also need to buy a new collection of work pants and maybe a new office chair.

So instead of buying Alli, maybe you should buy stock in Depends or the Tide To Go Pen stain remover.

Just a tip from your neighborhood pharmacist.

[DerickM 1]

um...wow

just...wow

[Betsyjane 2]

Just goes to show you how desparate we all are to lose weight and how hard it is!

[DBAGuy 0]

Sad part about Alli marketing...it only 'encapsulates' part of the fat you eat...so, if you're a carb addict like me, Alli would do very little for you.

Just like every diet aid out there, including bariatric surgery, its more about changing your approach to food than the diet aid.

[musicalmomma 1]

Well, from a person who's been taking Alli for a week now, I can say that MY personal system has NOT reacted in the way described above. I have not had any sense of bowel urgency or pooped my pants, or had any oily discharge of any kind.

Remember, this is HALF the dosage of the prescription medication.

A friend any myself went in halfsies and split the pills, giving each of us a two week supply. He also has had none of the warned possible side effects.

Now, I can not say that it's helped my weight loss, BUT it's TOM and I'm retaining Water for a couple more days.

With all that being said, I don't think I'll spend any more money on it, because it doesn't seem to accelerate loss, but I'm not saving my money because of all the hyped side-affects.

[dotofoz 0]

Well, I experienced all the graphic instances from the first post from the original RX dose. I couldn't tell you if I ever lost any weight or not. I guess it is like the band, if I eat too much, wrong foods, don't chew well, etc, I get a stabbing pain on my breast bone like someone stabbed me w/the end of a metal baseball bat. Needless to say, I try my hardest to follow the band rules.

[Josette 2]

You probably lose the weight from everything running right through you before you can absorb anything from it! Ewwwww

[jennyl 0]

This Alli drug is the over-the-counter version of Xenical, which was prescribed by my doctor and was one of the many drugs I have tried to lose weight with in my past. I never even finished the first month's supply because, OMG, it was awful! I would be shopping at the mall and walking fast, you know....and sometimes when you walk fast you pass a little gas unknowingly......well......it wasn't just gas. It was greasy, yukky, stuff that soaks right into your clothes instantly and shows through!!! And one time I had it running down my leg. Thank God I was at home that day and no one saw! Anyway, I do NOT recommend this avenue of attempted weight loss.

[Sunta 5]

I well remember my xenical days, the frequency, the urgency, the dreaded orange oil...

The thing that I don't get about this drug is that it cuts about 135 calories a day (if one follows the 15 grams per meal rule). This would translate to 14 pounds in a year.

Now, don't get me wrong, 14 pounds is still 14 pounds, and I would love to lose any amount of weight, but is 14 pounds worth the side effects?

My answer is no.

If Alli is half the prescription dose, I'm assuming it would amount to half the weight loss (7 pounds), which is definitely not worth the side effects.

They need to come out with something that delivers ALOT more weight loss than 7 pounds, before I would consider dealing with the side effects this drug produces.

[sharon2u 0]

did your sis tell you that the more fatty food you eat while taking this will give you what your describing, this is why it tell you not to eat high quantities of fatty greasy foods.

[HarleyNana 10]

I took Xenical a few years ago, but didn't have the oily problems, just made me regular ......, but I did take some colon cleansing pills I got at BJ's a couple of months ago, OMG, I thought my butt was leaking, it was awful. I wouldn't recommend anyone take those things.

[areellady 1]

WOW, I am glad I read that Harley, I was going to do a colon cleansing thing...glad I didn't.....