Question:
Has anyone used Xenical after gastric bypass surgery to help get over a plateau?
I am 17 months post op and am considering Xenical to get me over my long long long plateau? I can't seem to get under 145lbs. I am 5'1 and am not close to my ideal weight..... Has anyone tried it post gastric bypass? — michellemark2764 (posted on March 19, 2003)
March 18, 2003
Here is what I took from the Xenical web site:
"XENICAL At Work
If you eat an excessive amount of fat or calories, the excess is stored as
fat by the body, resulting in weight gain. When you eat fat, your body
breaks it down into its simplest components so that it can be digested.
Unlike other weight-loss drugs you may have heard about that act in the
brain or central nervous system to suppress appetite or to speed up
metabolism, XENICAL works in your digestive system to block about one-third
of the fat in the food you eat from being digested.
Enzymes in your digestive system, called lipases, help digest (or break
down) fat. When taken with meals, XENICAL attaches to the lipases and
blocks them from breaking down some of the fat you have eaten.
The undigested fat cannot be absorbed and is eliminated in your bowel
movements. By working this way, XENICAL helps block about one-third of the
fat in the foods you eat from being absorbed by your body."
So, with that being said, since your surgery already prevents a very
significant portion of fat malabsorption in our bodies, I am not sure that
Xenical would add much benefit.
LEt me know if anyone else thinks differently
— Vicki L.
March 19, 2003
My PCP put me on this medication prior to surgery. It worked, I shed about
20 lbs over a 3 month period. However, I will tell you that you will have
oily stools, the more fatty, greasy foods you eat the worse the stools, to
the point that I had to wear a pad to prevent greasy stains on the
underpants when passing gas. Not to be overly graphic, but I wish I had
known this in advance. Good Luck.
— Jeana S.
March 19, 2003
I am pre-op, but my doctor did offer to prescribe Xenical if I wanted to
try it. Then I did some research. Here are the side effects (as stated by
the manufacturer): Gas with oily discharge, frequent bowel movements, an
urgent need to have them and an "inability" to control them. In
other words, eventually you are going to crap your pants in front of
someone! :) I'm not trying to make light of your question, but for me
those are not side effects I was willing to risk having!
— beeda
March 19, 2003
I would go back on broth and sugar free jello before I would EVER touch
Xenical again. It doesn't teach you eat it just scares the crap
(literally) out of you to eat fat. More power to anyone that does well
with it, but it will never cross my lips again. That I can promise.
— zoedogcbr
March 19, 2003
Has anyone ever NOT gained back the weight they lost using diet pills?
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
— Suzy C.
March 19, 2003
My biggest concern with Xenical post op would be that it lessens absorption
and we are already not abosorbing with our bypasses. If it blocks fat
absorption I am sure we are loosing some nutrition and vitamins along with
it. For a normal person that may be great but for the bypass patients I am
thinking it may be to much. That said in case any preops are considering
it. I took Xenical for awhile a few years preop. Honestly I didn't loose
any weight and I blame me not the Xenical. But the problems or side effects
stated weren't as awful as they sound. By that I mean I never crapped
myself and I am confident that I would not have. I did listen to the
warnings though and with Xenical the biggest advice you can follow is don't
even dare think you are only going to pass gas! Get your behind on the
toilet cause more will pass then gas. I found I'd eat things I normally
would not have thinking well the Xenical will help block the fat. Dumb huh.
— Carrie D.
March 20, 2003
Pooled data showed overall mean weight loss from randomization was 13.4 lbs
for XENICAL plus
diet versus 5.8 lbs for placebo plus diet.
from xenical.com under proffesionals tab efficacy section.
why take the risk with such a small difference in weight loss
— **willow**
Click Here to Return