For those who are fighting long-term obesity the medication Xenical may be the answer. Tests have been conducted to determine just who would benefit from this drug and when Xenical was first developed, studies were conducted in rats and rabbits at doses up to 800 mg/kg/day. None of these studies showed embryo toxicity or teratogenicity. The doses given are 23 and 47 times the daily human dose calculated on a body surface area basis for rats and rabbits, respectively. This was done to determine the effect the drug would have on humans at higher does. Studies deemed Xenical was safe for human consumption within adults and teens. Xenical can not be taken by pregnant women due to the fact that there are no adequate and well-controlled studies of Xenical in pregnant women. It is for this reason that Xenical is not recommended for use during pregnancy. For nursing mothers, it is not known if Orlistat also known as Xenical is secreted in human milk and Xenical should not be taken by nursing women either.

The safety and efficacy of Xenical has been evaluated in obese adolescent patients aged 12 to 16 years and use of Xenical in this age group is supported by evidence from adequate and well-controlled studies of Xenical in adults with additional data from a 54-week efficacy and safety study and a 21-day mineral balance study in obese adolescent persons aged 12 to 16 years. Company studies have revealed that people treated with Xenical had a mean reduction in BMI of 0.55 kg/m 2 compared with an average increase of 0.31 kg/m 2 in placebo-treated patients. During both adolescent studies, adverse effects were generally similar to those described in adults.

Xenical studies did not include sufficient numbers of patients aged 65 years and older to determine whether they respond differently from younger patients, so in the case of those in this older age group it is advisable that you talk to your doctor to determine if Xenical is suitable for you.

Xenical only works properly if the entire program is followed and patients should be advised to adhere to dietary guidelines.  It is possible that gastrointestinal reactions may increase when Xenical is taken with a diet high in fat and the daily intake of fat should be distributed over three main meals.

Because Xenical has been shown to reduce the absorption of some fat-soluble vitamins and beta-carotene it follows that people on the controlled diet using Xenical should be strongly encouraged to take a multivitamin supplement that contains fat-soluble vitamins to ensure adequate nutrition

 The levels of vitamin D and beta-carotene may be low in obese patients compared with non-obese subjects and the supplement should be taken once a day at least 2 hours before or after the administration of Xenical.