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Other Medicines
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to c
hange the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking orlistat, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking the following:
- Warf
arin¡XOrlistat may decrease the absorption of vitamin K and may change your bleeding time
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What side effects can this medication cause?
The most common side effect of orlistat is changes in bowel movement (BM) habits. This generally occurs during the first weeks of treatment; however, it may continue throughout your use of orlistat. T
ell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
- oily, spotting BMs
- gas with discharge
- urgent need to have a BM
- oily or fatty stools
- an oi
ly discharge
- increased number of BMs
- inability to control BMs
- orange or brown color of a BM
- stomach pain
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If you experience any of the following symptoms, c
all your doctor immediately:
- itching
- redness of skin
- skin rash or hives
- swelling
- chest pain
- difficulty breathing
- fever
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How should this medicine be used?
Orlistat prevents the absorption of some of the fat you eat. Therefore, you should take it during the meal or within 1 hour of eating. If you occasionally miss a meal or eat a meal that contains no fa
t, you should skip the dose of orlistat.
Because orlistat may decrease the amount of some vitamins that your body can absorb from food, you will need to take a multivitamin supplement once a
day. Take the vitamin supplement at least 2 hours before or after taking orlistat
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What special precautions should I follow?
Before taking orlistat,
tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription drugs you are taking, especially anticoagulants (''blood thinners'') such as warfarin (Coumadin);
medications for diabetes, such as glipizide (Glucotrol), glyburide (DiaBeta, Dynase, Micronase), metformin (Glucophage), and insulin; other medications for weight loss; pravastatin (Pravachol); vitam
ins such as beta-carotene and vitamins A, E, and K; and herbal products. If you are taking cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), take it 2 hours before or 2 hours after orlistat.
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Precautions while Using this Medicine
It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to make sure that this medicine is working properly and to check for unwanted effects.
For patients with diabetes:
Weight loss may result in an improvement in your condition, and your doctor may need to change your dose of oral diabetes medicine or insulin.
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What is this medicine
Orlistat is used with a low-calorie diet to help you lose weight and to maintain your weight after weight loss. Orlistat is used in patients with a certain weight who may also have high blood pressure
, diabetes, high cholesterol, or heart disease.
- Orlistat is in a class of drugs called lipase inhibitors. It works in your intestines, where it blocks some of the fat you eat from being abs
orbed and disgested. This undigested fat is then removed in your bowel movements (BM).
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