Alli

**lynnzop**[$] · #1 06-14-2007, 10:37 AM

FDA-approved weight loss product available tomorrow.

Have you heard about it? Are you planning to try it? What do you think?

I am going to look into alli further. According to what I've read, there are some side effects, mainly when you eat too many fat grams (+15g/meal). But I'd like to try something. I'm generally pretty good when it comes to lower-fat foods and proportions, and I know how to eat that way from Weight Watchers. Exercise (finding the time for it) is a challenge. I'd just like to try something that might give me an extra boost.

Of course, I can't find anything that tells me the cost. There was a story on the news last night that I thought I heard them say $2/pill (which I believe was one pill per day).

**mtomm**[$] · #2 06-14-2007, 12:37 PM

Anybody that knows me knows I am an advocate of pharmaceutical weight loss. Give me a pill and I am right there, baby. Phen-fen was TEH BOMB! I even wrote an Epinion about bringing back my phen-fen.

But I'm just not convinced that Alli is worth the cost. If you are already eating low fat it won't make a difference. If you are eating higher fat the side effects will not be worth it (my sis learned this while taking Xenical).

Alli is very safe (unlike phen-fen dang it) and so it isn't going to harm you. You should supplement fat soluble vitamins though, I think.

Really you'll get more bang for your buck by getting some bronkaid and no-doz. Appetite suppressant and metabolism boosters.

(Okay, really that is an ephedrine/caffeine stack. Yes, all that hoopla about banning ephedra (herbal) and you can buy ephedrine hcl at your local Walmart. Silly.)

Meanwhile I'm waiting . . .

**mtomm**[$] · #3 06-14-2007, 12:48 PM

Well, crap, they've change bronkaid to pseudoephedrine. Don't bother with that.

But Primatene tablets are good.

**taurusmoon** · #4 06-14-2007, 03:49 PM

Alli is what used to be the prescription drug Xenical.

Several months ago my doctor advised me to give it a try when it comes out. Insurance companies don't pay for weight loss drugs and the OTC version is much less expensive than the prescription.

My order from drugstore.com is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I'll be glad to report back on how bad the side effects, er, "treatment effects" are.

The dosage is one pill with every meal that contains fat. The starter pack I ordered comes with 90 pills and a slew of reading material. The cost was around $63. Refills of 120 pills are available. The cost was somewhere around 65 cents a pill.

**mtomm**[$] · #5 06-14-2007, 04:11 PM

And to temper my negative comments above the following was in my email a few weeks ago:

Quote:

Study says Xenical reduces heart risk
According to a new study, the weight-loss drug Xenical may reduce heart risks in obese patients with Type 2 diabetes. The study analyzed 2,692 overweight and obese people and found that those treated with Xenical had significant improvements in their blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood-sugar levels. Patients taking Xenical also lost twice as much weight as the study participants who took a placebo.

This blurb comes from Pharalive and unfortunately it is subscription based so I can't link to the entire article.

**lynnzop**[$] · #6 06-14-2007, 04:43 PM

Sara, I'll be happy to play guinea pig with you. I wasn't aware that you could get through Drugstore.com, so I'll be looking for it at my pharmacy tomorrow. Will also be curious to see if it's less expensive online or at the brick and mortar stores.

**taurusmoon** · #7 06-14-2007, 05:10 PM

I just did a little comparison shopping online and found that Walgreens has it for $60 ($3 less than what I paid.)

I'm not overly concerned about the difference in price. I pre-ordered mine a few weeks ago so that I couldn't forget (or chicken out

). Small premium to pay for not having to rely on my memory.

**lynnzop**[$] · #8 06-15-2007, 11:50 AM

FYI, Sam's Club has 150 starter pack for $66.46, in store only.

**taurusmoon** · #9 06-15-2007, 12:24 PM

Good deal. I'm guessing Costco must have them too.

I may give it a try tomorrow when I have the luxury of not leaving the house and see how horrific it is.

Of course that means I have a lot of ice cream to eat tonight.

**lynnzop**[$] · #10 06-15-2007, 01:18 PM

hahaha I thought the same thing yesterday when I got one of those chilled sludge drinks at Starbucks. To give me credit, I have only had two in over a year's time.

They do say you should start eating a lower fat diet BEFORE going on the pills. I pretty much do, but I'm thinking I will still wait to start tomorrow when I'm not out and about quite so much.

**lynnzop**[$] · #11 06-16-2007, 05:17 PM

Well, I looked up the chilled sewage (it's actually a Green Tea Frappacino) and aside from the 300 calories

the fat content isn't bad at all if you skip the whipped cream. So I may still have one of those once in a while for a treat. They are yummy, despite the color.

I picked up my Alli at Sam's, a woman noticed I had it in my cart and stopped me in the aisle and we had a long conversation about it. She was very interested but relatively uninformed about it. She walked away knowing a lot more!

Wal-Mart had the 90 cap start up kit for $49.99, so if anyone is interested and doesn't have a Sam's or Costco membership, that's still a lot cheaper than Walgreens.

I read all the materials, I took my first pill with a turkey on whole grain, smidge of light Miracle Whip sandwich. Hopefully the "treatment side effects" are very few and far between. We have a huge party to go to next weekend, and I know the only low-fat thing will be the margaritas.

I'm gonna have to really plan out that one.

Sara, did you get started? I'll be your Alli buddy if you want.

**taurusmoon** · #12 06-16-2007, 06:41 PM

I got my package, read the booklets and freaked out.

I found the one bit of information that I couldn't find anywhere else: how long the "treatment effect" window is. Apparently, it's 48 hours. Which means that anything you eat within 48 hours of taking a pill (before or after) can trigger a reaction.

I have the commute from hell and an office far from the ladies room. There's no way I can risk a sneak attack long after having had a meal or long after having taken a pill.

If anyone wants an unopened bottle, I have one.

Leslie2k · #13 06-16-2007, 07:24 PM

I want to give Alli a try, but it is too dang pricey. Especially if you are supposed to take one pill with each meal that contains fat. I asked my doctor about 6 months ago about options and he said that pretty much everything out there at the time was basically speed...

**lynnzop**[$] · #14 06-16-2007, 08:10 PM

Sara.

For goodness sake, don't let it scare you. You just have to eat less than 15g of fat with a meal, and if you read the booklet, you'll see that height and weight wise, it does increase exponentially. If you take care with your fat content, you should be fine. Maybe wait until a long weekend to start, and start eating a low fat diet now to get in the habit.

Sis...maybe something to think about for next year would be to use some flex plan dollars (if your company has it available)...you should be able to for OTC health care products, including weight loss.

I'm going to have meal two with my capsule tonite...salmon steaks, which have been marinated in olive oil. That's the only fat in my meal, so hopefully it will not be too much.

**amykhar** · #15 06-16-2007, 08:19 PM

I just went and bought it for Bob and myself. I also got a book with a program that I hope will help. It's time for change.

mtbat · #16 06-16-2007, 10:23 PM

As much as I want to and NEED to lose weight, I'm not ready to take a suplement, or pill of any kind. I'm trying really hard to change my eating habits, and what I eat and excersize more. I'm hoping that works.

it helps that the new light rail station is a 10 minute walk from my work, it forces me to excersize daily

yes, there is a bus I can catch, but the time I spend waiting is the same time it takes me to walk.

**lynnzop**[$] · #17 06-17-2007, 12:37 AM

I'd like to do a bit of journalling here if y'all don't mind. I just want to keep track (and maybe help someone who's on the fence) of how it's working.

Dinner -
Salmon filets that were marinated in olive oil and lime juice and grilled. 3oz
White rice, about a cup with seasoning, no added oil or butter.
Canteloupe, about a cup.
Before dinner I snacked on a dried apple piece and a dried strawberry piece.
Glass of wine now before bed.

No treatment effects so to speak yet.

I weighed myself this a.m., I'll report on any loss/gain next Saturday.

frazzledspice · #18 06-17-2007, 09:59 AM

In my crystal ball, I see a rebate opportunity for enterprising retailers:

"Buy one 90 pack of Alli and one large package of Depends--receive a $10 rebate by mail!"

*emeleel* · #19 06-17-2007, 10:37 AM

**lynnzop**[$] · #20 06-17-2007, 10:43 AM

I talked to a friend online last night and she was horrified that I was taking the stuff. But she'd taken the prescription strength and her doc told her it was the equivalent of taking two Alli capsules at once. She did have a very bad experience with the prescription version and quit taking it.

Still no treatment effects here though. Maybe the key to the diet is that if you get scared enough, you don't eat so much?

**theworm**[$] · #21 06-17-2007, 01:02 PM

I haven't posted here because my opinion doesn't matter, but I'm with Fridai. I would LOVE a pill that would help me drop some of this bulk, but aside from the price - I don't deserve it. I've been lazy - I'm not eating as carefully as I should. I'm not as active as I should, and it's my own damned fault that I'm overweight.

I'm afraid of this pill. I know it's approved, but phen-fen was approved until it wasn't anymore.

Don't get me wrong. For people with medical conditions, for people who have really tried and done everything right and can't take off the weight, for people who are morbidly obese and are at risk if they don't take off the weight - I think its great - but for me.......I'm overweight and I need to lose 40 pounds - and yes, it probably is having a lot of negative health effects, but until I've done all the right things, I can't even think about using a pill to help.

I admit that I know very little about this, but I don't like the idea of it for me.

**jgibson2**[$] · #22 06-17-2007, 10:36 PM

I won't be taking Alli. The study might not apply to humans, but rats being given (don't know what dose) have a higher incidence of colon polyps. With my history, that's not a risk I can take.

OTOH, for most people who get the recommended screenings, the weight is probably a much bigger risk than any theoretical colon polyps. Just being overweight is a risk factor for many kinds of cancer.