If you have a BMI of 30 and over (or 28 and over with other risk factors), Orlistat tablets could be an effective treatment to support your weight loss journey.

Orlistat is the generic version of Xenical
Orlistat is the active ingredient in Xenical
It works in the same way
It’s a form of medicated weight loss
Orlistat helps overweight people lose weight

Orlistat starts to affect how you digest fat within 1 to 2 days. When taking Orlistat you need to follow a calorie-reduced diet plan and regularly exercise for the best results. The more lifestyle changes you make the more weight you may lose. Look for non-scale signs of weight loss rather than focusing on the scales to help track your progress.

Orlistat doesn’t burn any existing body fat you may have. Instead, it stops your body absorbing around a third of the fat in the foods you eat. When taking Orlistat or Xenical it’s important to follow a low-fat diet.Orlistat doesn’t burn any existing body fat you may have. Instead, it stops your body absorbing around a third of the fat in the foods you eat. When taking Orlistat or Xenical it’s important to follow a low-fat diet.

When taken three times a day for 12 weeks you should aim to lose about 5% of your weight. Studies have shown that over 6 months some people may lose over 10% of their body weight. However, the speed and quality of Orlistat’s effects depend on your lifestyle.

While Orlistat does help reduce the amount of fat your body absorbs, it is only effective if you make complementary lifestyle changes. These include increased exercise, moderating calorie intake, eating a balanced diet, and reducing alcohol consumption. The results are also dependent on your personal commitment and motivation to losing weight. As well as lifestyle factors such as stress or your age.

You should take one capsule with water three times a day
Take one capsule immediately before, during, or up to an hour after each main meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
If you miss a main meal or if you have a meal containing no fat, Orlistat does not need to be taken. As there is nothing for the treatment to work with.

If you do take Orlistat on an empty stomach, you may experience side effects such as wind and oily stools.

Orlistat only works in the presence of dietary fat - the fat in foods and drinks. Dietary fat fall into three categories; saturated fats, unsaturated fats and trans fats. Fatty foods include cooking oils, cream, nuts and fatty cuts of meat.

The recommended dose is one 120mg capsule three times a day. Each 120mg capsule is to be taken with one meal. Taking more will not make it work faster.

Available courses of Orlistat from the Goodcure Online Clinic

Dosage Length of treatment:
120mg 28 days
120mg 84 days

You should only take Orlistat as prescribed and never exceed the stated dose. Your prescription is for you – you should never share prescribed medicines with anyone.

Orlistat is suitable for people who are medically overweight. We can only prescribe it if you have a:

BMI of 30 and over
BMI of 28 and over only if you have any other associated risk factors or weight related conditions such as high blood pressure
You will not be suitable for this treatment if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Orlistat must be taken under the supervision of a healthcare professional. Speak to your doctor or complete an online consultation if you’d like to take this treatment.

Orlistat is only available with a prescription from your doctor or one of our clinicians. Lower strength medications like alli can be bought at a pharmacy. However, you will need to answer a health questionnaire to get this treatment.

As with all medicines you may experience side effects. Side effects are more prevalent if you take Orlistat following a fatty meal.

Side effects could include:

Very common side effects (more than 1 in 10 people)

Headache
Abdominal pain/discomfort
Urgent or increased need to open the bowels
Flatulence (wind) with discharge
Oily discharge
Oily or fatty stools
Liquid stools
Low blood sugar levels (experienced by some people with type 2 diabetes)

Common side effects (1 to 10 people)

Rectal pain/discomfort
Soft stools
Incontinence (stools)
Bloating
Tooth/gum disorder
Irregular periods
Tiredness
For full information on side effects and correct use, see the patient information leaflet. If any side effects concern you, contact us via your Patient Record.

This medicine can only be supplied against a valid prescription and cannot be bought over the counter. However, thanks to our prescribing service, you can obtain this treatment from Goodcure without having to go to your GP for a prescription.

When you purchase this treatment, one of our prescribers will review the answers that you have provided in the safety questionnaire, and will likely get in touch with you for further information. If appropriate, they will issue the prescription and the treatment will be prepared and delivered straight to you.

Once you completed the Goodcure safety form that appears automatically when you click on your desired treatment, you can close the pop up window and continue with the purchase. A Goodcure clinical prescriber will review your answers to ensure that this treatment is safe and suitable for you. The prescriber may be a prescribing pharmacist or a qualified doctor. 

It is required to provide your contact details when completing the safety form and when making the online purchase so that our prescriber can get in touch with you should they need to get in touch with you for a consultation. Likewise, this enables our team to link the submitted safety questions with the appropriate purchase.

Patient confidentiality is one of our top priorities. Any information you provide as well as the phone/ video consultations are strictly confidential. We do not share your information with anyone.

The price you see is inclusive of the consultation fee, so you will not have to pay anything extra and there are no hidden fees.