The things you should know before using orlistat to loss weight

How should I take Orlistat?

Orlistat Dosage

To get the best out of this drug, you have to adhere to the right Orlistat dosage. Coming in capsule form, you can always pop one and take three times a day. To achieve the desired Orlistat results, you need to take it immediately after a meal that contains fats or a maximum of one hour after. In case you consume a meal that does not contain any fat, you are advised to skip your dose. Also if you skip a meal, you should miss the dose too.

Despite being a weight loss supplement, you don’t have to eat greasy burgers all the time. Eating foods with excess fats may make you undergo uncomfortable digestive side effects. If you want to experience the Orlistat benefits, you should consume low-fat dairy products and lean cuts of meats. Generally, a meal that has more than 30% of fats is a no-go zone. For instance, if you take 1000 calories per day, not more than 330 of them should be in the form of fats.

To be sure that you are on the right path, keep track of all the fats you take in everymeal. How do you do this? Ensure that you read the labels on all the food items you

consume. By paying attention to the number of servings you take, you can easily

calculate the amount of fats you’ll take. If interested in coming up with a healthy dieting plan, a dietician, nutritional counselor or doctor could help you.

Another thing that you need to note is that the fat-blocking properties of this drug make your body unable to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins. To prevent your body from having a deficiency in vitamins, take daily multivitamins that have K, E, D, A, and beta-carotene while on treatment with this drug. To know the best type of multivitamins to take, you should consider talking to your doctor. However, you should not take Orlistat and these vitamins at the same time. Take the vitamins two or more hours before taking the medication.

What happens if you miss a dose?

Avoid missing a dose. You should not, however, worry if it happens; take it soonest possible. If its past one hour since you ate food, avoid taking the missed dose and take the next as scheduled. Never get tempted to take extra medicine with the aim of making up for a missed dose. You might end up poisoning yourself.

Sometimes you might find out that you crave eating vegetable or fruits only. There isno concern in enjoying this fatless meal; all you have to do is to miss the Orlistat doseafter the meal.

What happens if I overdose?

A higher Orlistat dosage does not give you additional benefit. Instead, it could wreak havoc on your body. In case you take more than the recommended dose, you are likely to experience the usual gastrointestinal-related effects. They are inconstinence in feces, oily feces, abdominal distress, gas, diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea. The side effects might be severe if you ate a high-fat meal and took an Orlistat overdose.

If this happens, you ought to bring it to the doctor’s attention or call a poisonhelpline.

What to avoid while taking Orlistat?

Once you are on Orlistat treatment, you need to avoid taking a few things. The first is a very high-fat meal. The reason for avoiding this is because it could lead to unpleasant side effects on your intestines and stomach. It doesn’t mean that you avoid consuming any fats; here are tips on how you can reduce the amount of fat you consume:

You can choose to use a lower-fat cook-in sauce that has less than 5 grams offat per 100 grams of sauce.

Go for low-fat spreads, reduced-fat cheeses, low-calorie yogurts, and low-fatdairy foods, e.g., skimmed or semi-skimmed milk.

Avoid adding fat when cooking; instead, you could microwave, bake, poach or

grill.

Avoid consuming chicken skin and the crackling on pork. You could instead go for lean cuts of meat and remove any visible fat.

Choose a low-fat spread instead of regular/butter spreads.

Cyclosporine should also not be taken together with Orlistat. If you need to take it, itshould be three hours before or after taking Orlistat.

Also, Levothyroxine (such as Synthroid) should be avoided while on this medication.You can take it four or more hours before and after taking Orlistat.

Is Orlistat right for me?

Being a weight loss supplement, it will work for you if you are aiming at losing weight. Dieting and exercise may seem futile, but a weight management program that involves the use of Orlistat is the real deal. If you use Orlistat, it doesn’t mean that you have to sit down and wait for the results. Following a healthy lifestyle that involves eating healthy and having regular exercise will help you lose weight fast.

Is it right for you to takeOrlistat? It is the best weight loss drug but how do you know that it is time for you to lose weight. Once you understand how to check whether you are overweight, you can know when to take a step in losing weight. While the perfect way to tell if you are overweight is by seeing the doctor, a few indicators could help you tell if you’ve crossed the line. The first thing that could give you a wakeup call is a high BMI. The BMI number indicated shows the weight of your body tissue per meter squared or height. In a snap, you can be able to check your height and weight to

determine whether your body mass index (BMI) is okay. If your BMI is 18.5-24.9, it is

considered to be normal while that of 25-29.9 indicates that you are overweight.

Another good way of knowing whether you are overweight is by measuring your waist circumference. A waist circumference that is higher than 35 inches in women or 40 inches in men is termed unhealthy. The reason is that once you have excessive belly fat; there is a lot of fat surrounding your vital organs hence increasing the risk of suffering from metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. The visceral fat also produces toxins that negatively affect your body functions. An example of these chemicals is cytokines which could lead to cardiovascular diseases. Surprisingly, all you need is a tape measure, and you can always do it yourself. You might be tempted to suck in your tummy, but this will only give you inaccurate results.

Having a BMI of over 25 and a waistline that is above 40 inches for a man or 35 inches for a woman shouldn’t make you feel low. The good news is that once you use orlistat, check your diet and start exercising you will shed the extra pounds sooner than you think. And the sooner you will begin, the better it will be for you. The Orlistat results start kicking in as soon as you start the medication.

What are the side effects of taking Orlistat?

It is normal to notice side effects of Orlistat once you use it. You may experience some of the side effects or not just like after taking any other medication. Most of the effects that come with the use of Orlistat are related to the way it functions in your digestive system. They are usually mild and regularly occur when you start the treatment. They also happen after you’ve taken a high-fat meal. Luckily, the majority of them go away as the treatment continues and after following the right diet.

The most frequent side effects that affect more than one person in every ten peopleare:

Headache-If your head pains, there are ways that you could reduce it. Itincludes taking meds that relieve pain. Also, you could try taking ginger tea orcaffeine. Massaging your head and practicing relaxation could help you ease

the pain. Another way that you could deal with a headache is by using a hot

compress or heating pad to lessen the pain.

Abdominal pain/discomfort- Abdominal pain should not worry you. In case it isaffecting your daily activities you may opt to place a heated wheat bag or a hotwater bottle on your abdomen. Also, you could soak yourself in a warm bath. Ifthis doesn’t seem to work, try drinking clear fluids, e.g., water.

Increased need to visit the loo- If you find yourself defecating more than youusually do, ensure that you do not ignore the urge to do so. Ignoring the callwill only worsen the symptoms. It should not cause alarm but if it persists, seekthe attention of a doctor.

Oily discharge- Once you are on Orlistat treatment, you may notice that you arestaining your undergarments or having a feeling that the area around your anusis damp. To prevent getting embarrassed, you could wear dark pants and carryan extra pair of clothes when out of the house.

Fatty stools-Having a fatty stool means that the body didn’t digest the fat andinstead eliminated it. By avoiding foods that are very fatty, you can preventyour body from excreting the much fat.

Mild skin rash- Everyone loves having clear skin, but if a skin rash develops,

here are ideas to ward it off. The first is cleaning your skin with a mild soap without scrubbing it. Scrubbing and using scratchy materials may do more harm than good. If you feel any itch or pain, you could place a wet cloth on the rash. An over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream would also help you.

Back pain- Here are ideas on how to alleviate back pain; apply heat or ice on parts of your back that are paining, take painkillers such as naproxen, ibuprofen, and aspirin. Exercising can also help reduce pain but if it gets out of hand, seek medical attention.

Having flu symptoms, sore throat, chills, and fever. You may consider stayingwarm to prevent them from getting severe, and if you experience any pain, youcan buy over-the-counter painkillers such as acetaminophen.

Cold symptoms such as a cough, sneezing, and stuffy nose- Cold symptoms maysometimes be associated with the use ofAs uncomfortable as it might make you, here are the hacks to dealing with the feeling. Soothe your throat, gets lots of rest and drink a lot of fluids to prevent yourself from getting dehydrated. You can also use nose drops to assist in relieving nasal congestion. Seek the attention of a doctor if the cold symptoms affect your daily activities.

Problems with the gums or teeth- To deal with this problem you need to brushyour teeth regularly, massage your gum line and use mouthwash often. You canmake your mouthwash at home by mixing a quarter teaspoon of baking soda,an eighth teaspoon salt and a cup of warm water.

Rectal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain- Drink lots of clearfluid to avoid dehydration-avoid alcohol or caffeine. Try eating probiotics but ifthis doesn’t help you, seek the attention of a health provider.

If you go through any of these side effects, you should treat it as an emergency andcall the doctor immediately. They are;

Extreme stomach pain that doesn’t go away. Hives or excessive itching Difficulty swallowing Difficulty breathing

Phc14@phcoker.com