Shelli Smee Six Inches of News

Alli, Friend or Foe


Misty Adams is a 20 year old who has been fighting obesity most of her life. She’s heard all the hype and seen all of the gimmicks when it comes to losing weight. When asked what she thought about the new diet aid, Alli, she said, “I was told it was a tapeworm in a pill and then three months later you took another pill to kill the worm.” Not a worm in a pill, Alli is the first FDA approved weight loss medication to be sold over the counter and is available at pharmacies nation-wide. The start up kit costs about 60 dollars then between 12 to 25 dollars per week.

Alli is the trade name for Orlistat, the medicine in the prescription drug Xenecal. In lower doses, 60 mgs taken three times a day, Alli prevents the absorption of 25 percent of dietary fat intake. “It is supposed to be used as an adjunct with a low fat diet and exercise,” said a local pharmacist who prefers to have his name withheld. “For every five pounds you lose through diet and exercise, using Alli can help you lose an additional two or three pounds,” he said.

Alli does have its drawbacks though. Since the medicine it uses is a fat-blocker, fat soluble vitamins D, E, K, and beta-carotenes, are also blocked. Side effects include: loose, oily stools and anal seepage. Serious side effects can occur with people who take the blood thinner Coumadin, or the immunosuppressant cyclosporine, used by organ transplant recipients.

When she found out how Alli really works, Adams, asked, “Does it have ‘bring extra pants’ printed on the side of the pill?” Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, she said, “I don’t think I’d use it.”