What is orlistat?

Orlistat is a drug used to help overweight or obese people lose weight There are two forms of the drug, prescription and over-the-counter, and they have different brand names Orlistat is classified as an lipase inhibitor that prevents dietary fat from being absorbed by the digestive tract In addition to taking medicine, you need to follow a low calorie and low-fat diet, and stick to exercise in order to finally lose weight successfully In clinical studies, orlistat has been shown to have many benefits for obese people Patients lost significantly more weight by dieting and taking orlistat than by dieting alone This kind of medicine can effectively prevent obese people from absorbing about 20% fat Doctors usually recommend the drug to obese people with a body mass index of more than 30 People with a body mass index between 27 and 30 who have high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol can also consider drug intervention to lose weight Although over-the-counter orlistat is available, it is best to use it under the supervision of a doctor to avoid drug interactions and nutritional deficiencies The most common side effects of orlistat include loose stool and urgent stool Some vitamins, including vitamins A, D, e and K, bind to fat, and orlistat may inhibit their absorption Therefore, patients taking the drug should be given daily multivitamins containing these fat soluble vitamins They should also take drugs and health products separately (at least two hours apart) to prevent interference Blood coagulation involves vitamin K, so patients taking warfarin should monitor blood levels during orlistat administration to prevent abnormal bleeding.