I just had something rather interesting happen to me in the last 5 minutes.... a dietician just tried to talk me out of having Lapband and taking the prescription medication Xenical(orlistat). Who here has tried it? What are the pro's and con's to this product? This gal kept pushing the "natural" route for weight loss vs having surgery. Exercise and lifestyle change entered into the conversation. If I could have lost weight with NATURAL EXERCISE AND LIFESYLE change I don't think I would be having this discussion right now! I am truly amazed at the things I hear on this journey. Input needed,

No, I haven't taken it, but isn't that the one that gives you, well, there is no nice way to put this, oily farts/poops that you can't control? I don't think I would take it. eek! Like you said, if I could do the diet and exercise thing I wouldn't be doing the WLS! lol

I took it for only one day and I will never take it again. It has very unpleasant side-effects. I don't recommend it for anyone.

If she's so into the "natural" way, why is she pushing Xenical? Taking a prescription medication isn't the "natural" way to lose weight either.

You're going to receive advice/opinions/etc. from a lot of people. Just remember that what's best for you isn't always the best for someone else. Your dietician needs to understand that she can't lump everyone into the same category. Plus, you have to remember that she's a dietician. She has a different mind-set than someone who has been overweight for a long period of time. I would just trust your instincts. :hat:

I tried that when it first come out on the market. It did absolutely nothing for me at all and I took it for like 4 months. I spent $400 to lose about 15 pounds. Not worth it in my opinon.

I tried it and it did not work. I took it for about six months. Lost a little but the side effects present a problem. I often wondered if it would have been alot cheaper to take laxatives everyday.

Alot of things work-temporarily (cabbage diet, champagne and cigarettes diet, Atkins, etc.). You probably won't take the Xenical forever, then what?

worthless, never did a thing; i am shocked a nurse would talk you out of the lapband, it's healthy, it's easy and it's doctor cared for; go for it

lost 20 pounds with Xenical, spent weeks in the bathroom tho

ruined alot of clothes taking it lol,then when i stopped taking it had trouble going so couldnt win either way

sandra.....

Yeah I wouldn't recommend Xenical. I would recommend finding someone who is supportive of you.

One of the side effects I'm sure she didn't tell you is not being able to control bowel movements of grease and slime, it just comes out even if you aren't expecting it.

Not a good way to lose weight. If you are considering WLS then you are probably somewhere around 100lbs overweight, Xenical is not a real solution for someone who needs to lose that much weight in my opinion.

My advice is to find someone else!

Best of luck to ya!

Hey thanks everyone,

I just wanted to say that I never had the intension of taking Xenical, just completely stunned that a dietician would recommend it! I acted all nice and thanked her graciously for all her priceless information, then promised that I would call back and let her know what I decided. YEAH, RIGHT! The call was to set up an appointment for my follow-up bariactric, not to be talked out of SURGERY. I could tell she was VERY proud of the people that she has talked out of WLS. I'm betting money that insurance companies love this stuff. My original consult was with Jenny and I thought I was done..... then insurance added 2 more followups. Jenny moved or so I thought. By some miracle yesterday I got an appointment with Jenny and I will never need to talk to the Xenical lady again :clap2: . Thanks everyone for sharing. Your stories are invaluable.

Lapband all the way.

Yes, I tried Xenical, had the same results as all the others, lost about 2 packs of underwear, Smelly, oilly, just a mess, as others suggested not worth trying.

I had Lap Band September 2005, 1st Fill in January 06, I'm up to 7.5 cc's now, just starting to grad me, I can see how you will lose weight now, but

I was eating less but not losing much until the fill gets right. I just stops you from doing what you have been use to, eating to much. It will take some time, but you can tell this is the best method, it works

Good Luck with yours

Danno

i have tried xenical.. its ok, if you like oily panties.

I did it. Right before I scheduled my surgery actually! It hardly worked for me. Maybe a few pounds that I gained right back. Plus, it really does have unpleasent side effects. And (I hate to be frank) but things don't just ooze out of your backside either. For us women, then come out of the "entrance" too.. Definitely pretty gross!

I would DEFINITELY DEFINITELY go for the surgery. The longer you wait, the longer it will take to start your new life!

It was my cardiologist that asked me to try a two-month diet with exercise and cholesterol lowering medication before considering WLS. He put me on the South Beach diet and Tricor. It has been almost two weeks and I’ve lost 12 pounds. This is not unusual for me; I’ve always been able to lose weight. My problem is keeping it off. Anyway, I do feel better and am hoping that because the SBD is really not that restricting, I’ll be able to make it work long term.

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Good luck.

Overall, everything you guys have mentioned is AWFUL. Why is this product still on the market? Thanks to the LBT family and I am truly sorry that those of you who took this product had such unfortunate experiences. Just the thought of doing poopie pants..... thats for babies not adults LOL. Here's a bright note: I just came back from my old dietician and I'm back on the lapband journey. I have one(1) more followup and then need to finish up with the psych.

Thanks everyone