How does Xenical Compare?

This representing why I am loving this forum!  Nothing is off limits, the discussions are frank and honest, good or bad.

Thanks for sharing very personal information!

Kim

I was on Xenical for about 2 months or so. For me, the oil slicks are NOTHING compared to what i got with Xenical. I've never had a mishap like you can with Xenical. If you eat a lot of fat, you might get a slick in the toilet. But no underwear issues like that med did. no leakage.

Dana

Awww HELL NO.
Tell that doc to pound sand.

Hi Valerie,

I had never heard the term "pound sand".  A quick internet search made me laugh!  Thanks for the chuckle!

Kim

I'll have oil slicks if I eat too much white flour/sugar.  I can eat fat out the wazoo and nothing happens.  They're not uncontrollable, though, and they deter me from eating too many empty carbs.  For the most part, they're a rare occurrence.

 I just wanted to add that I too have never had any uncontrollable oily discharge, even as a new post-op.

Good luck and keep asking lots of questions until you are 100% sure of your decision!

, Jules

I'm 9 1/2 months out from my DS, and have not yet experienced an oil slick. The first responder to your post is the first person I've ever heard of who had Zenical-like uncontrollable oil slicks with DS. Most people who have them say that they notice them in the toilet, not on their clothing.

Bowel issues were very important to me when I was deciding whether to have a DS. Overwhelmingly, people who have had DS surgery will tell you that (after sufficient time) any true unpleasantness (gas, diarrhea, etc) is 100% controllable by what they eat. Foods affect different people in different ways, but everyone learns what their trigger foods (if any) are.

Furthermore there is a distinction that should not be lost in this thread. I don't know of anyone with a DS who says they have leakage, meaning just uncontrollable oil flowing out of their backside. There are some who say that higher-fat meals will leave oily substances *in their stool*. Very big difference.

I was kind of idly wondering that myself.   I had my sleeve gastrectomy for a year before I could have the switch.   I didn't think it would end up being the same, and I didn't want to deal with the issues.

My switch was in February, and I've never had an oily discharge.   When I was very newly switched, if I overdid the fats, then I'd have diarrhea, but no oily discharge.   That sounds horrid.    Now, I'm almost 5 months since the surgery, and I've been judiciously increasing the fats that I eat.   My friend told me that I'd start losing weight faster when I could eat more and eat more fats.    An example for me was I used to eat an avocado for fat before my sleeve to try to fight constipation.   A couple of months after the sleeve, a couple of slices of avocado would really "set me free."   Now - not so much.   I'm glad, I miss my old friend avocado!

It just seems like issues like you mentioned are just not so common after you've had the switch for a while.   I think that a) you learn what works well for you and then b) time goes by and things smooth themselves out inside your system.

Dennie