Question:
Has anyone used Xenical after gastric bypass surgery to help get over a plateau?

I am 17 months post op and am considering Xenical to get me over my long long long plateau? I can't seem to get under 145lbs. I am 5'1 and am not close to my ideal weight..... Has anyone tried it post gastric bypass?    — michellemark2764 (posted on March 19, 2003)

March 18, 2003
Here is what I took from the Xenical web site: "XENICAL At Work If you eat an excessive amount of fat or calories, the excess is stored as fat by the body, resulting in weight gain. When you eat fat, your body breaks it down into its simplest components so that it can be digested. Unlike other weight-loss drugs you may have heard about that act in the brain or central nervous system to suppress appetite or to speed up metabolism, XENICAL works in your digestive system to block about one-third of the fat in the food you eat from being digested. Enzymes in your digestive system, called lipases, help digest (or break down) fat. When taken with meals, XENICAL attaches to the lipases and blocks them from breaking down some of the fat you have eaten. The undigested fat cannot be absorbed and is eliminated in your bowel movements. By working this way, XENICAL helps block about one-third of the fat in the foods you eat from being absorbed by your body." So, with that being said, since your surgery already prevents a very significant portion of fat malabsorption in our bodies, I am not sure that Xenical would add much benefit. LEt me know if anyone else thinks differently
   — Vicki L.

March 19, 2003
My PCP put me on this medication prior to surgery. It worked, I shed about 20 lbs over a 3 month period. However, I will tell you that you will have oily stools, the more fatty, greasy foods you eat the worse the stools, to the point that I had to wear a pad to prevent greasy stains on the underpants when passing gas. Not to be overly graphic, but I wish I had known this in advance. Good Luck.
   — Jeana S.

March 19, 2003
I am pre-op, but my doctor did offer to prescribe Xenical if I wanted to try it. Then I did some research. Here are the side effects (as stated by the manufacturer): Gas with oily discharge, frequent bowel movements, an urgent need to have them and an "inability" to control them. In other words, eventually you are going to crap your pants in front of someone! :) I'm not trying to make light of your question, but for me those are not side effects I was willing to risk having!
   — beeda

March 19, 2003
I would go back on broth and sugar free jello before I would EVER touch Xenical again. It doesn't teach you eat it just scares the crap (literally) out of you to eat fat. More power to anyone that does well with it, but it will never cross my lips again. That I can promise.
   — zoedogcbr

March 19, 2003
Has anyone ever NOT gained back the weight they lost using diet pills? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
   — Suzy C.

March 19, 2003
My biggest concern with Xenical post op would be that it lessens absorption and we are already not abosorbing with our bypasses. If it blocks fat absorption I am sure we are loosing some nutrition and vitamins along with it. For a normal person that may be great but for the bypass patients I am thinking it may be to much. That said in case any preops are considering it. I took Xenical for awhile a few years preop. Honestly I didn't loose any weight and I blame me not the Xenical. But the problems or side effects stated weren't as awful as they sound. By that I mean I never crapped myself and I am confident that I would not have. I did listen to the warnings though and with Xenical the biggest advice you can follow is don't even dare think you are only going to pass gas! Get your behind on the toilet cause more will pass then gas. I found I'd eat things I normally would not have thinking well the Xenical will help block the fat. Dumb huh.
   — Carrie D.

March 20, 2003
Pooled data showed overall mean weight loss from randomization was 13.4 lbs for XENICAL plus diet versus 5.8 lbs for placebo plus diet. from xenical.com under proffesionals tab efficacy section. why take the risk with such a small difference in weight loss
   — **willow**