by Keiron Audain

Created on: September 22, 2009   Last Updated: September 25, 2009

Over the counter Weight Loss Pill - What's the deal?

For some time now, there has been a massive resistance brewing against the fad-diet industry, by nutritionists, fitness instructors, and dieticians, who relentlessly chant the mantra that a healthy diet and regular exercise is all that is needed to lose weight and maintain good health.

Now the pharmaceutical industry has added their weight (no pun intended) to the fight against obesity, with the licensing of the first ever over-the-counter weight loss pill. That's right; the European Commission has approved its first drug aimed at tackling obesity that is available without prescription.

Anyone living in London would have probably heard of this drug by now, as it made the front page of the Metro, and I'm quite sure it must be really popular in the US, as GSK (Glaxo Smith Kline) has already pocketed $106 million in first six months of the drug being on sale to the public.

With any drug aimed at treating a common condition such as obesity, which is claimed to be responsible for 300,000 annual deaths in Britain, the questions on everyone's mind is whether it's worth the hype, and what's the catch, in other words, what are the harmful effects, if any.

The drug Orlistat belongs to a family of drugs called lipase inhibitors, and gets to work in the small intestines by actually preventing the body from absorbing some of the nasty saturated fats, that may be present in whatever food is consumed. This unabsorbed fat is then excreted as waste in faeces

How does that sound so far?

The plus points about this drug start with the fact that it's recommended for use alongside a low fat diet and an exercise program; basically it's not a drug for lazy people looking for a quick fix for getting slim. Orlistat can also be used by overweight people who suffer from conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or heart disease, which normally tends to be a problem for most obese people anyway.

Yet despite its availability over-the-counter, there are still quite a number of precautions that must be taken, and anyone thinking of taking this drug should DEFINITELY talk to their doctor beforehand. An example would be persons taking any other medications, such as for diabetes, blood pressure, any blood thinners (gingko biloba is a blood thinner), even other weight loss supplements. Actually it would be best to let the doctor know about everything that goes inside your body, from nutritional to herbal to pharmaceutical.

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