Compare Supplements

Investigational / China-only dosing: once-weekly subcutaneous injection, dose-escalated over several weeks. Trial maintenance doses studied were 4 mg, 6 mg, and 9 mg once weekly (lower doses used during titration to limit GI effects). There is no FDA-approved regimen.

Any time

Once-weekly subcutaneous injection (investigational; China-approved as Xinermei)

Prescription Xenical: 120 mg three times daily (360 mg/day), taken with or up to 1 hour after each main fat-containing meal. Over-the-counter Alli: 60 mg three times daily (180 mg/day). Skip the dose if a meal is missed or contains no fat. Used alongside a reduced-calorie diet in which fat supplies roughly 30% of energy — a higher-fat meal makes the gastrointestinal side effects markedly worse, not the weight loss better.

With meals · with food

Xenical 120 mg capsule three times daily with meals (prescription)

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2 (class-level precaution for GLP-1-based agents)
• History of pancreatitis (use with caution / avoid)

• Insulin and sulfonylureas
• Oral medications generally

• Chronic malabsorption syndrome
• Cholestasis
• Pregnancy — intentional weight loss is not a therapeutic goal in pregnancy, and orlistat measurably lowers vitamin D and impairs vitamin E and K absorption (McDuffie 2002)

• Warfarin
• Levothyroxine (thyroxine)
• Ciclosporin (cyclosporine)