Downsides of diet pill Alli include high price, possible side effects
Paula Hadwin dropped 30 pounds cutting carbohydrates and using the Atkins diet.
"But then I hit a plateau," said the Minden resident, who still wanted to lose 10 more pounds when Alli, the first over-the-counter Food and Drug Administration-approved diet aid, hit shelves June 15. "I decided to try it."
Alli (pronounced "ally"), sold by GlaxoSmithKline, is a half-dose of the drug Orlistat, which has been marketed in prescription form by Roche Holding AG under the brand Xenical since 1999.
Alli aids in weight loss by preventing the body from absorbing part of the fat you ingest. The claim being you lose almost 50 percent more weight than you would without it.
"We've had a lot of people asking about the product, but I wouldn't say it's flying off the shelf," said Youree Drive Kroger Store manager John McNeil.
Downsides to the product are the price — a 30-day supply (90 pills) costs about $60 — and possible side effects of alli. The product comes with several warnings on what to expect, including the caution to wear dark pants and bring a change of clothes with you to work until you have a sense of any treatment effects.
"If you're not absorbing fat and you're still eating fat, it will go in the stool," said Dr. Anthony Stuart, an internal medicine physician and the weight and wellness director for Willis-Knighton Health System. "Some patients will experience gas, frequent and possibly urgent and unpleasant GI (gastrointestinal) side effects. In that respect, it also acts as a deterrent to eating fat."
The product recommends a multivitamin to offset a potential deficiency.
Side effects and all, Stuart supports the product as long as it's used as a tool.
"It's been well studied. And a third of the adults in the country are obese, not just overweight. If it gets people thinking about weight, then that's a good thing," said Stuart, who doesn't recommend any of the plethora of food supplements on shelves that claim weight-loss magic. "Those products are food supplements and haven't been studied. Ephedra is an example. That had problems and they took it off the market."
There are very few FDA-approved diet aids for long-term weight loss; Meridia an appetite suppressant being the only other one besides Orlistat, both of which are recommended only for people who are obese (having a body mass index of at least 30.)
"Even mild or moderately overweight individuals can take Alli," Stuart said. "But at the end of the day, if you are trying to lose weight, you need to do things that are part of a lifestyle change and then maintain those changes. This is just a boost."
Hadwin, 55, has been a perfect example of how the product should be used.
For a few days before she bought it, she did a little research to ensure it would fit her needs. Then with store specials and coupons, she got the product for $32 and has a second coupon to use if she decides to buy it again.
"I've lost three pounds and I've had none of the side effects," said the retired teacher who's been careful to follow the recommended low-fat diet. "The product comes with a lot of good information on a low-fat diet and comes with a journal."
The Web site MyAlli.com provides customers with even more information, tips and motivational tools to use once they register their product on the site.
"I got an e-mail in the middle of the week with information about internal and external hunger pains," said Hadwin, whose not expecting at this point to need another 30-day supply. "I'm going to try and maintain the low-fat diet even when I'm through and I've tried to stay more active.
"For me, it's going to serve my purpose."
Src: http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070701/NEWS01/707010332/1002/NEWS
"But then I hit a plateau," said the Minden resident, who still wanted to lose 10 more pounds when Alli, the first over-the-counter Food and Drug Administration-approved diet aid, hit shelves June 15. "I decided to try it."
Alli aids in weight loss by preventing the body from absorbing part of the fat you ingest. The claim being you lose almost 50 percent more weight than you would without it.
"We've had a lot of people asking about the product, but I wouldn't say it's flying off the shelf," said Youree Drive Kroger Store manager John McNeil.
Downsides to the product are the price — a 30-day supply (90 pills) costs about $60 — and possible side effects of alli. The product comes with several warnings on what to expect, including the caution to wear dark pants and bring a change of clothes with you to work until you have a sense of any treatment effects.
"If you're not absorbing fat and you're still eating fat, it will go in the stool," said Dr. Anthony Stuart, an internal medicine physician and the weight and wellness director for Willis-Knighton Health System. "Some patients will experience gas, frequent and possibly urgent and unpleasant GI (gastrointestinal) side effects. In that respect, it also acts as a deterrent to eating fat."
The product recommends a multivitamin to offset a potential deficiency.
Side effects and all, Stuart supports the product as long as it's used as a tool.
"It's been well studied. And a third of the adults in the country are obese, not just overweight. If it gets people thinking about weight, then that's a good thing," said Stuart, who doesn't recommend any of the plethora of food supplements on shelves that claim weight-loss magic. "Those products are food supplements and haven't been studied. Ephedra is an example. That had problems and they took it off the market."
There are very few FDA-approved diet aids for long-term weight loss; Meridia an appetite suppressant being the only other one besides Orlistat, both of which are recommended only for people who are obese (having a body mass index of at least 30.)
"Even mild or moderately overweight individuals can take Alli," Stuart said. "But at the end of the day, if you are trying to lose weight, you need to do things that are part of a lifestyle change and then maintain those changes. This is just a boost."
Hadwin, 55, has been a perfect example of how the product should be used.
For a few days before she bought it, she did a little research to ensure it would fit her needs. Then with store specials and coupons, she got the product for $32 and has a second coupon to use if she decides to buy it again.
"I've lost three pounds and I've had none of the side effects," said the retired teacher who's been careful to follow the recommended low-fat diet. "The product comes with a lot of good information on a low-fat diet and comes with a journal."
The Web site MyAlli.com provides customers with even more information, tips and motivational tools to use once they register their product on the site.
"I got an e-mail in the middle of the week with information about internal and external hunger pains," said Hadwin, whose not expecting at this point to need another 30-day supply. "I'm going to try and maintain the low-fat diet even when I'm through and I've tried to stay more active.
"For me, it's going to serve my purpose."
Src: http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070701/NEWS01/707010332/1002/NEWS
