Xenical is available by prescription only, and is meant for those that have a lot of weight to lose. This makes it different than many of the weight loss pills out there, since they will flat out tell you if it’s something you should be taking or not. But how about the results it gets?
Overview
There are many people that would love just to lose those last pesky 10 pounds or so, and this wouldn’t be for them. It’s geared towards those that are seriously overweight, to the point of being at higher risk for conditions like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other debilitating illnesses. It’s for those that need to make a stark change to their lifestyles or they risk shortening their lifespan.
The Claim
The makers of Xenical claim that they may be able to help you if your BMI falls into the category of being obese, or overweight, and have other problems like high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, or if you already have diabetes.
They also say that their pill is designed to be used along with a low calorie diet, so changes in the foods you’re eating must also accompany this if you want to see the best results.
The Hype
This is a prescription version of the Alli diet system, so it is stronger and should provide better results. It’s important to note that it contains the same drug, Orlistat, so it’s not as if you are getting a different ingredient, you’re just getting it in a higher dose, one so high that it can’t be obtained without a prescription.
The Cost
They say that you may be able to petition your insurance company to cover your weight loss costs, and they even have a form letter than you can print of and sign for just this purpose. We were able to find a one month supply of it for $60, and that’s without any insurance. This puts it at a cost that’s a bit higher than many weight loss pills, but you have to consider that you’re getting a stronger pill than most, and the health care costs as an overweight person are going to be considerably higher over the long term than someone at a stable body weight.
The Commitment
In addition to remembering to take the pills as directed, you’ll need to stick to a reduced calorie diet for effective weight loss. This is going to be the hardest part for most, and if you don’t make any changes to what your eating and only take the pills, you’ll likely experience limited to no results, as half those in the clinical trial that followed the directions completely didn’t lose enough body fat to cal lit a success.
Evaluation
Just like with Alli, it’s no picnic taking Xenical, especially at first when you can expect to have loose stools that are very oily sludge out of you. This effect diminishes over time, but is still something you’ll likely have to contend with for a bit. When Alli was first marketed to the general public it was said to make it so your body doesn’t absorb the fat you eat, which is why it passes through your body and results in oily stools.
It’s always interesting when the results come in from clinical studies, because most products on the market don’t actually have any research conducted on them. Because this is a prescription drug and more regulated, they have to build a case for its effectiveness. What we see is that it does show signs of working, but perhaps not as consistently between different users as you’d like to see if you’re thinking of getting on it. If you’re going to spend more, and change your diet plan in order to have this work out, you’d probably want more assurance that your efforts will not be in vain.
Final Xenical Review
It’s been shown that many people that take Xenical lose weight and reduce their risk of getting conditions like diabetes. You should make up your own mind whether the numbers sound like something worth trying or not. You may be able to experience similar success by just dieting and getting more active alone. There may also be other treatment options out there that are just as effective, yet not as harsh on the system, and available without a prescription.
Our Recommendation
If you have tried several other methods of losing weight and it has been determined after a consultation with your doctor that this is the best course of action for you, then it’s worth giving it a shot. There’s simply not one way to lose weight, and you have to try different approaches until you find the system that works for you. If this doesn’t work out, don’t give up on your quest for a healthy weight. Keep up the fight because being at your goal weight is worth it.
