Customer Reviews

Alli Weight-Loss Aid, Orlistat 60mg Capsules, 120-Count Refill Pack

5 star:		(231)
4 star:		(80)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(38)

 

 

I started taking Alli about two months ago to augment my diet and exercise program. I'm active, and with a BMI of 26, I just wanted to lose about 20 lbs that wasn't coming off with my fairly intense cardio routine and low-fat diet. I would take Alli as directed with meals containing some fat but rarely more than the suggested amount of fat. And I did experience the treatment effects with meals within the suggested fat allotment: frequent, oily stools, random oily discharge (very gross), and stomach pain about 45 minutes after eating. However, they weren't severe enough to make me stop taking the med. Over time, I didn't lose an ounce but kept taking the pill as directed, hoping that it would kick in over time. It didn't. And then I had a higher fat meal after taking one Alli pill. I know that the`treatment effects' are supposed to act like aversion therapy, but this was ridiculous. I ended up in the ER with crippling, stabbing stomach pain and dry-heaving. I had such a bad reaction that stomach pumping was treatment of choice. The ER doc suggested I throw the pills out as soon as I got home.

After recovering from the ER ordeal and promptly pitching the bottle of Alli (the aversion therapy didn't work to GlaxoSmithKline's advantage this time), I did a little bit of research and found that I was not the only one with adverse reactions requiring medical care. This med has been linked to pancreatitis, gall stones, and possibly colon cancer (research was kind of spotty on this). Will everyone react this way to the drug? Of course not. Every med has side effects and not everyone can tolerate certain drugs. However, I hope that people will consider the risks and weigh the benefits before spending quite a bit of money on something that may not work.

Overall, I ended up with nasty side effects, a considerable ER bill, and no weight loss. And for those it does work for, you may become dependent on the drug for continued weight loss or even weight maintenance (this is from the actual website)- quite a price to pay to lose 2 to 3 more pounds more than you would have with diet and exercise alone. If Alli works for you, awesome- more power to you. But before you buy, please read the fine print- the pill may cost you a lot more than you bargained for.

I've been taking this product for two years now. It was prescribed by my doctor after I stopped smoking and gained quite a bit of weight. I lost 60 pounds but also dieted vigorously and exercised regularly at the gym on the treadmill for 35 minutes. Oily discharge sometimes? you bet, but only when I ate meals with a high fat content. Couple bits of advice: if you feel like you need to fart, don't. You can't be sure of what will come out. Restrain yourself until you get to a toilet, just in case. Also, not only fried chicken and fried food have fat. Any kind of red meat has fat content. Rule of thumb for me is if calories from fat are high, I take a pill with the meal. This product is a lifesaver but it only works with diet and exercise.

It appears that many Alli capsules are actually empty of contents. I have cut open numerous capsules and found inconsistencies in the amount they contain with some actually completely empty.

I am a 60 year old female, and took the pills for two weeks, only at dinner time. I eat fat-free breakfasts and lunches, so I felt the pill was not necessary at those meals. After two weeks, I began awakening @ 3:00 a.m. with stomach and back pain. The pain worsened with each passing night. I stopped taking the pills, and the pain disappeared! I will try taking the pills once or twice a week, and hope that they will be effective and help with weight loss. I did lose a few pounds during this trial, but not worth the pain!

If you cheat on this diet and have some taco bell for lunch you pay for it by realizing you just shat in your pants. I would suggest a 'man pon' till you know how your body will react with this product. Dont forget that extra pair of undies..... you`ll need them!

I purchased this the day it became available over the counter in hopes it might help me finally lose a bit. I've taken it exactly as the directions state. Yes, there are very unpleasant side effects which can almost be hard to control, which are described in their literature, but luckily I was able to. I also take Metamucil pills with each dose, which lessens the side effects. I've taken them religiously for a whole month now, but it doesn't seem to be having any affect on my body losing any weight. I do know it works for many people, but I guess as with any drug, everyone reacts differently.

I took Alli from July 6th to Sept 5, and lost 15 pounds. Love it EXCEPT I have now developed one of the side effects of Orlistat (ingredient in Alli) which is Arthritis ;(

I have to stop taking for a month to see if it clears up, if so then it's 1 month on one month off. If not, I'm done with Alli. Sad too cause this is a great product.

Trying it for past 10 days. I had already started exercise (Curves), and watching my diet, and was beginning to see progress - slowly.

I think the "treatment effects" are exaggerated as "worst case" - ie if you are stlil going to eat pizza, french fries, and fast food you will see the "effects" of that menu passing through you. And, frankly if you are on that type of a diet (I was) you were likely having similar "effects" already (I was)!

I don't know yet whether Alli will give a boost to my ongoing weight loss, but I have not experienced any of the horror effects discussed. Occasionally some orange oil in my stool - which lets me know I ate something with fat that didn't absorb - and that is, oddly, comforting.

I read an article that links Alli to
pre-cancerous lesions in the colons of mice.
According to Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe, director of Public
Citizen's Health Research Group, "while it is not
known whether these pre-cancerous lesions will lead to
colon cancer, he and other cancer experts do not
believe use of the weight-loss drug is a risk worth
taking." I agree! I would rather find other ways to
lose weight than risk my life taking Alli!

There is something wrong with the current batches of capsules. The last two bottles I got from Amazon did not work. Either the manufacturer has reduced the mg (due to complaints about side effects) without telling anyone or Amazon is purchasing bogus Alli.

Either way, don't buy anymore until the issue is resolved; it's too expensive to buy bottles of empty capsules. Read the other reviews - many people have noticed this!

It used to work really well!! It's a shame!