Do not take Xenical if you are pregnant. Weight loss is not recommended during pregnancy.

You should not use this medicine if you have a digestive disorder (problems absorbing food). You should not use Xenical if you have gallbladder problems, or if you are pregnant. Do not use alli if you have had an organ transplant, if you use cyclosporine, or if you are not overweight.

Xenical is only part of a complete program of treatment that also includes diet, exercise, and weight control. Your daily intake of fat, protein, and carbohydrates should be evenly divided over all of your daily meals. Follow your diet, medication, and exercise routines very closely.

Avoid a diet that is high in fat. High-fat meals taken in combination with Xenical can increase your risk of unpleasant side effects on your stomach or intestines.

You should not use Xenical if you are allergic to orlistat, or if you have malabsorption syndrome (an inability to absorb food and nutrients properly).

You also should not use this medicine if you have:

• gallbladder problems; or

• if you are pregnant.

Do not use alli if:

• you are not overweight;

• you have had an organ transplant; or

• you use cyclosporine (to prevent organ transplant rejection).

To make sure Xenical is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• kidney stones;

• gallbladder disease;

• pancreatitis;

• underactive thyroid;

• liver disease;

• kidney disease; or

• an eating disorder (anorexia or bulimia).

Do not use Xenical if you are pregnant. Weight loss is not recommended during pregnancy, even if you are overweight. Stop taking orlistat and tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant.

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction to Xenical: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using Xenical and call your doctor at once if you have:

• severe stomach pain;

• severe pain in your lower back;

• blood in your urine, painful or difficult urination;

• kidney problems - little or no urinating; swelling in your feet or ankles; feeling tired or short of breath; or

• liver problems - nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, tired feeling, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).

Common Xenical side effects are caused by orlistat's fat-blocking action. These are signs that the medicine is working properly. These side effects are usually temporary and may lessen as you continue using Xenical:

• oily or fatty stools;

• oily spotting in your undergarments;

• orange or brown colored oil in your stool;

• gas and oily discharge;

• loose stools, or an urgent need to go to the bathroom, inability to control bowel movements;

• an increased number of bowel movements; or

• stomach pain, nausea, rectal pain.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

See also:

Xenical side effects (in more detail)