selling orlistat without a prescription could foster a ‘false credibility’

The respected medical journal, The Lancet has raised concerns that the sale of the weight loss medication orlistat in the form of Alli over the counter in pharmacies could be creating the mistaken idea that by simply taking a tablet you can get thin and cure obesity.

The Lancet warned that selling orlistat without a prescription could foster a ‘false credibility’ to the perception that using weight loss drugs makes losing weight easy and simple. They said that by making access to orlistat easy and by removing the previous prescription only status of the drug, less emphasis would be given to encouraging and advising men and women about change of lifestyle, healthy diet and regular exercise. The article even went as far as to say that “better accessibility” did not always mean that the “best interests” of the general public were being served.

While it is true that pharmacists will be required to individually assess everyone who asks for the drug in the pharmacy this may not be practical. In Australia where the Alli drug has been on sale for some time and where Xenical was once available over the counter there have been numerous reports of perfectly healthy looking men and women being given the drugs without being given any advice or being weighed and measured.

The orlistat drug which is available with a prescription in the UK in the form of Xenical is effective in reducing the amount of fat which is absorbed into the digestive tract. This means that people who are losing weight already on a low fat diet will benefit from even less fat making its way into their bodies.

People who continue to eat unhealthily and take the Xenical drug suffer from side effects such as excess flatulence, stomach cramps and oily stools. The Xenical drug has helped thousands of men and women to lose weight and the best results are achieved when proper counseling advice is given alongside the use of the medication.