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Xenical Patient Information
Orlistat
120mg capsules
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some common questions about
XENICAL capsules.
It does not contain all the available information.
It does not take the place of talking to your
pharmacist or doctor.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your pharmacist
or doctor will consider the risks of your taking XENICAL capsules
against the benefits expected for you.
If you have any concerns about taking this medicine,
talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
Keep this leaflet with the medicine. You
may need to read it again.
What XENICAL is used for
XENICAL contains the active ingredient orlistat.
XENICAL is used to assist with losing weight,
maintaining a certain weight and preventing weight regain.
XENICAL is used to treat adults who are very overweight
(Body Mass Index (BMI) measures 30 or more).
One way to measure if you are overweight, and
how overweight you are, is to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI).
You can calculate your BMI by multiplying your height in metres
by itself (squaring your height in metres), and then dividing your
weight in kilograms by your squared height.
If your BMI is 25 or more you may be overweight,
and if your BMI is 30 or more you may be very overweight. BMI may
vary across different populations due, in part, to different body
proportions. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor if you have any questions
about your BMI.
XENICAL should be taken in conjunction with a low-fat,
well-balanced, calorie-controlled diet and other appropriate measures
such as exercise.
XENICAL belongs to a group of medicines called
lipase inhibitors. These medicines work by preventing the absorption
of dietary fat in your body rather than by suppressing your appetite.
Dietary fats are large molecules that need to be
broken down before they can be absorbed into the body. They are
broken down by enzymes called lipases. When taken with a meal, XENICAL
interferes with the activity of these enzymes and allows about 30%
of the fat eaten in the meal to pass through the gut undigested.
Therefore, your body cannot store these excess calories as fatty
tissue or use them as a source of energy. This helps you to reduce
your weight by burning up fat that you are already carrying, maintain
your weight loss and minimise any weight regain.
Losing even small amounts of weight and keeping
it off can have additional health benefits for you, especially if
you are at risk of other diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
XENICAL can also help to improve risk factors associated with being
overweight, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high
blood sugar. If these are not treated, they may lead to other diseases
such as heart disease or diabetes.
Ask your pharmacist or doctor if you have any
questions about using XENICAL.
This medicine is available only with a doctor's
prescription.
Before you take XENICAL
When you must not take
it
Do not take XENICAL if:
- you have had an allergic reaction to XENICAL or any ingredients
listed at the end of this leaflet.
- your body does not absorb essential nutrients as well as
it should.
This is called chronic malabsorption syndrome.
- you have a blockage of your bile duct (cholestasis).
- the package is torn or shows signs of tampering.
- the expiry date printed on the pack has passed.
If you take this medicine after the expiry date has passed,
it may not work as well.
If you are not sure if you should be taking
XENICAL ask a pharmacist or doctor if XENICAL is right for you.
Use in children
The safety and effectiveness of XENICAL in children
or adolescents under the age of 18 years has not been established.
Before you start to take
it
Tell your pharmacist or doctor if:
- you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
The effect of XENICAL on an unborn baby when taken by a pregnant
woman is unknown. If you are pregnant, XENICAL is not recommended.
- you are breastfeeding.
It is not known whether XENICAL passes into breast milk. If
you are breastfeeding XENICAL is not recommended.
- you have any other health problems, especially the following:
• diabetes, as weight loss may improve the control of
your diabetes and your diabetic medications may need to be adjusted.
- you are allergic to any other medicines, foods, dyes or
preservatives.
If you are unsure about any of the above, talk
to your pharmacist or doctor before you take XENICAL.
Taking other medicines
Some medicines and XENICAL may interfere with each
other. These include:
• cyclosporin (Neoral®, Sandimmun®),
a transplant rejection medicine
• oral anticoagulant medicines such as warfarin (Marevan®,
Coumadin®)
• amiodarone (Cordarone X®, Aratac®), a medicine used
to treat irregular heartbeat
• vitamin supplements containing vitamins D or E, or betacarotene
- these should be taken at least 2 hours after you have taken XENICAL,
or at bedtime.
These medicines may be affected by XENICAL, or
may affect how well it works. You may need to use different amounts
of your medicine, or you may need to take different medicines. Ask
your pharmacist or doctor for advice if you are taking any of these
medicines.
Because weight loss has many beneficial effects,
it may also affect the dose of medication taken for conditions influenced
by being overweight such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure
or diabetes. Be sure to discuss these and other medicines you may
be taking with your pharmacist or doctor. Losing weight may mean
you need adjustments to other medicines you are taking.
Your pharmacist and doctor have more information
on medicines to be careful with or avoid while taking XENICAL.
Ask your pharmacist or doctor if you are not sure
about this list of medicines.
How to take XENICAL
How much to take
The usual dose is one 120 mg XENICAL capsule three
times a day. Each XENICAL capsule should be taken with a main meal.
Taking more than the recommended dose will not provide additional
benefit.
How to take it
Swallow capsules whole with a glass of water.
Do not open the capsules and do not take any
capsules that are damaged.
XENICAL should be taken with a well-balanced diet
that is rich in fruit and vegetables and contains an average of
30% calories from fat. Your daily intake of fat, carbohydrate and
protein should be distributed over three main meals. To gain the
most benefit, avoid eating food high in fat between meals, such
as biscuits, chocolate or savoury snacks.
When to take it
One XENICAL capsule should be taken with each
of the three main meals per day. Usually this is one XENICAL capsule
at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The capsule can be taken during
the meal or up to one hour after the meal is eaten.
XENICAL should be taken every day to be effective.
XENICAL only works in the presence of dietary
fat in your body. You do not need to take a XENICAL capsule if you
miss a meal or if you know that your meal contains no fat (however,
most meals contain some fat). If you are unsure of the amount of
fat in your main meal, you can contact the XENICAL Support Programme
(0800 256 739) for more information.
How long to take XENICAL
XENICAL will usually be taken for several months
depending on your individual needs, to help you to reduce your weight,
maintain your weight loss and help prevent the weight being regained.
For more information talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
If you forget to take
XENICAL
Provided you remember within one hour of your
last meal, take your XENICAL capsule and then go back to taking
it as you would normally. If it is more than one hour after your
last main meal, skip the dose you missed and take your next dose
when you are meant to.
If you are not sure whether to skip the dose,
talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
Do not double a dose to make up for one you
have missed.
If you have missed several doses just go back to
taking XENICAL as you would normally.
In case of an overdose
Immediately telephone your doctor for advice
or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital if you
think that you or anyone else may have taken too much XENICAL, even
if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. You may need urgent
medical attention. Keep telephone numbers for these places handy.
If you are not sure what to do, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
While you are taking
XENICAL
Things you must do
Tell all doctors, dentists and pharmacists who
are treating you that you are taking XENICAL.
Tell your pharmacist or doctor if you become pregnant
while taking XENICAL.
As with any weight-control programme, over-consumption
of fat and calories may counteract any weight loss effect.
Thirteen Low Fat Tips:
• Try to eat three regular meals each day
- breakfast, lunch and dinner. This helps to prevent hunger and
reduce unnecessary snacking.
• Eat more fruit, vegetables, grains and cereals.
• If you use butter or margarine, scrape it on thinly.
• Choose low-fat substitutes i.e. trim milk, low-fat cheese,
low-fat yoghurts, etc.
• Become a label reader. Look for foods that have less than
5g of fat per 100g of product.
• Eat less high-fat snacks and takeaways (i.e. potato chips,
sausage rolls, meat pies).
• Cut all visible fat off meat, remove skin from chicken.
• Aim for palm size servings of lean meat. Have skinless poultry
and fish at least once or twice a week.
• Grill, bake, stir-fry, microwave - TRY NOT TO FRY.
• Use less creamy sauces, mayonnaise and dressings.
• Aim to eat less than 40g - 50g of fat per day.
• Watch portion sizes - try using a smaller plate.
• Be careful not to replace the fat in your diet with large
quantities of other foods, such as sugar and alcohol.
and try to do some physical activity daily.
Start by walking for 10 minutes. Build up to 30-40
minutes per day.
Because increased exercise will help weight loss,
it is advisable to follow a regular exercise programme eg; walking,
swimming.
A realistic weight loss to aim for is 0.5 - 1 kg
(1 - 2 lb) per week.
Talk to your pharmacist or doctor about what would
be a healthy weight for you.
If you are concerned that XENICAL is not working,
talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
Things you must not do
Do not give XENICAL to anyone else, even if
they have the same condition as you.
Do not use XENICAL to treat other complaints.
XENICAL is only for weight control.
Do not take any other medicines whether they
require a prescription or not without first consulting a pharmacist
or doctor.
Things to be careful of
People on a weight reduction diet may become deficient
in some vitamins and minerals. To avoid this, you should eat a well-balanced
diet rich in fruit and vegetables. Because XENICAL works by preventing
the absorption of some of the fat from the diet, it may affect absorption
of some fat soluble nutrients. Although most people taking XENICAL
will still have normal vitamin levels, a vitamin supplement may
be taken. If you do take a supplement, then it should be taken at
least two hours after you have taken a XENICAL capsule, or at bedtime.
XENICAL can cause changes in your bowel habits,
such as fatty or oily stools. This is due to the removal of undigested
fat in your faeces. The possibility of this happening may increase
if XENICAL is taken with a diet high in fat. In addition, your daily
intake of fat should be distributed over three main meals. If XENICAL
is taken with any one meal very high in fat, the possibility of
unwanted effects on the digestive system may increase.
Side Effects
Tell your pharmacist or doctor as soon as possible
if you do not feel well while you are taking XENICAL.
XENICAL helps most people who are very overweight
but it may have unwanted side effects.
All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes
they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical
treatment if you get some of the side effects.
The majority of unwanted effects related to XENICAL
result from its local action in your digestive system.
Ask your pharmacist or doctor to answer any
questions you may have.
Tell your pharmacist or doctor if you notice
any of the following and they worry you:
• increased flatulence (wind) with or without
discharge
• abdominal pain
• urgent need to open the bowels (defaecate)
• need to defaecate more often
• oily, fatty, soft or liquid stools
• oily discharge from anus
• rectal pain or discomfort
• tooth and gum problems
These are the more common side effects of XENICAL.
They normally occur at the beginning of treatment and usually go
away if you continue treatment and keep to your recommended diet.
These symptoms are generally mild and are usually experienced after
meals containing high levels of fat.
Other less common side effects include:
• anxiety
• menstrual irregularities
• tiredness/fatigue
• headache
• signs of respiratory infection such as coughing, runny nose,
shortness of breath, and/or fever
• signs of urinary tract infection such as going to the toilet
more frequently, burning sensation when passing urine and/or lower
back pain
• blistering of the skin
Tell your doctor immediately, or go to your
nearest Accident and Emergency Centre, if you notice any of the
following:
• symptoms of liver disease (hepatitis) such
as nausea, vomiting, loss of apetite, feeling generally unwell,
fever, itching, yellowing of the skin and eyes and dark coloured
urine
• sudden signs of allergy such as rash, itching or hives on
the skin, swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the
body, shortness of breath, wheezing or trouble breathing
• unexplained bleeding or bruising
These may be serious side effects. You may need
urgent medical attention. Serious side effects are rare.
This is not a complete list of all possible side
effects. Others may occur in some people and there may be some side
effects not yet known.
Tell your pharmacist or doctor if you notice
anything else that is making you feel unwell, even if it is not
on this list.
Ask your pharmacist or doctor if you don't understand
anything in this list.
Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side
effects. You may not experience any of them.
After taking XENICAL
Storage
Keep your capsules in the blister pack until
it is time to take them.
If you take the capsules out of the packaging they will not keep
well.
Keep the blister pack in a cool dry place where
the temperature stays below 77°F ( 25°C)
Do not store XENICAL, or any other medicine,
in a bathroom or near a sink.
Do not leave it in the car or on window sills.
Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.
Keep XENICAL where young children cannot reach
it.
A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground
is a good place to store medicines.
Disposal
If you to stop taking XENICAL, or the capsules
have passed their expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with
any capsules that are left over.
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