Is "Alli" The Holy Grail For Dieters?

Over-The-Counter Pill Promises 50 Percent More Weight Loss For The Same Effort

(CBS)  It's only half as powerful as its prescription-strength predecessor, but the new fat-blocking drug Alli (pronounced "ally") is creating a serious buzz among dieters.

The first over-the-counter weight-loss pill approved by the FDA, Alli works by blocking about one-fourth of consumed fat. The drug's makers don't claim that it's a miracle drug — a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet and regular exercise are necessary companions for it to be effective — but dieters are eager to reap its potential rewards.

In Southern California, where constant dieting is a way of life for many, it hasn't taken long for Alli to catch on. When the drug hit the shelves at a Santa Monica pharmacy on Thursday, all but one box was sold within four hours, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"I have never in my life experienced anything like this," store manager Roe Love, a pharmacist for 20 years, told the paper.

Most of the buyers so far have been women drawn by the promise that Alli will help them lose 50 percent more weight for the same effort than traditional diet and exercise plans.

Alli users must contend with some less-than-glamorous side effects — gas, oily discharge and an inability to control bowel movements — and skeptics of the pill's enduring benefits point out that those aren't the only reasons to think twice before taking the drug.

"There are demonstrable short-term risks and no possibility of long-term benefit," Sidney Wolfe, MD, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group in Washington, told WebMD. "You need to make a mild change in how much you eat and a mild change on how much you exercise. If you walk 2 miles more and eat 300 calories less per day, you will lose a pound a week or one-half a pound a week. It's slow but it works and has no risks."

But that advice isn't likely to dissuade serial dieters who are looking for a less grueling way to lose more weight.

"You have to be careless to use Alli incorrectly, but some people are careless," Arthur Frank, M.D., the medical director of the George Washington University Weight Management Program in Washington, told Web MD. "If you are reasonably careful, it should be reasonably effective."

[jshmks]

Good job on being picked last in gym class mark.

[connapa]

I am willing to bet that most people will stop taking the medication after a short period of time. The reason being that they will not change their dietary habit. You need to eat a low fat diet, otherwise the main side effect- diarrhea- will occur. I'm sure the company is banking on that and will only make it available in packages which will contain about a month's supply so they can reap some hefty profits.

[moosbrth]

markjessup.....

Could you elaborate?

[feelfree1]

markjessup,

Re: "!!!!DO NOT USE!!!!! IT WILL KILL YOU!!!!!
!!!WARNING THIS WILL KILL YOU!!!!!!!!"

As long as this is clearly printed on the bottles, I don't see anything wrong with selling it.

[lambofgoth]

So, um, Markjessup, do you have an advice for us about this particular drug?

[shanev137]

oily discharge and an inability to control bowel movements

-----------

Better package these pills along with some Depends diapers. LOL

I guess we will all know who's taking these pills.

[texas468]

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alli/WT00030

Straight from the Mayo Clinic - enough to make me NOT want to go near this stuff alone!

"You may experience bowel changes when taking Alli. Ads and marketing materials refer to these changes as "treatment effects". These side effects can include"

-Gas with an oily anal discharge
-Loose stools or diarrhea
-more frequent bowel movements
-hard to control bowel movements

These bowel changes result from the undigested fat going through your digestive system. You can limit the side effects by eating a low-fat diet."

Uh.....YUCK! You should hede shanev137's advice if using!!!!! :O)

[feelfree1]

Re: "oily discharge and an inability to control bowel movements"

While CBS Newz donates this free ad space to a new diarrhea pill, we can't help but notice that at least 5 more U.S. soldiers are dead in Iraq today, along with one downed U.S. fighter jet.

#####

In other interesting Newz today, CBS is reporting that "Stocks Close The Week On A Roll- Tepid Inflation Numbers Send Wall Street To Third Straight Big Gain"

CBS forgot to provide a comment section for that article, so I would like to post a URL for a related article here:

"It%u2019s Official: The Crash of the U.S. Economy has begun"

www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=5964

[deadjester1]

pot helps you lose weight. particularly hash. everyone should smooooke bowwls. then everyone will lose some weight.

[feelfree1]

When the Bush regime 'smoke-n-mirror' economy eventually collapses, I think that many people will find it much easier to lose weight.

[sevenveils]

When Feelfree1 gets an *** he'll loose at least 50 percent of his weight.

[sevenveils]

*** = en ema

[notsoshocked]

"Is "Alli" The Holy Grail For Dieters?
Over-The-Counter Pill Promises 50 Percent More Weight Loss For The Same Effort"
The problem is, there is no effort in the first place. They think this is a wonder drug.

[downtowner97]

Oily discharge from where? Notice how it doesn't mention that?

[shanev137]

I have used this for years and no problems.

-----------

Let me guess....your wife's nickname for you is POOPYPANTS. lol

[annd2302]

markjessup

Leave the conversation; you contribute 95% of nothing, nothing, good or bad. Your only contribution is you are possibly alive. Get a life and get a machine that will text in lower case also, and try and use proper writing protocol.

[hypnotoad72]

So what happens when the US economy crashes - a topic not relevant to this so-called "diet pill"?

It's not going to crash.

[shanev137]

Yea, I'll have a Big Mac, a side order of A N A L leakage, and a medium Coke to go.

[michellem99-2009]

I don't use deit pills. They are a waste of money. If a person would watch what is ate,exterise,then blow money on junk that don't work. I hope it gets recalled as the FDA is too greedy to care about our health.

[erasmus6]

Okay, so if this drug just came out on thursday how can people say they have tried it and it doesn't work? How can numbnuts (markjessup) say it killed his sister?

[erasmus6]

I don't get it, if a person is willing to take a pill that is going to cause so much trouble like giving them the sh-ts and they still have to eat low fat and exercise, WHY take the pill? Why not just eat low fat food and exercise? You don't need the pill. DIETS don't work! Rather than go through all that, why not just cut back on the amount you eat? It isn't like you would have to totally do without certain foods. Take jam for instance, some people gob the jam on like 2 inches thick. Instead of putting it on 2 inches thick, try a 1/2 inch thick.:) It's not like you have to do without, just cut back.

[gomanny1]

There's a SUCKER born everyday!!!!
"What a Country! I love it!!!

[mokemorgan]

Excellent Spelling, and grammar usage. What educational system did you attend? I want to make sure my children have the same advantage. I can only hope that someday they will be inspired to comment on subjects they obviously know absolutely nothing about.

[reaper_usa]

"Okay, so if this drug just came out on thursday how can people say they have tried it and it doesn't work? How can numbnuts (markjessup) say it killed his sister?
Posted by erasmus6 at 07:10 PM : Jun 15, 2007"


This drug has been available in other countries for a number of years. Maybe that poster is from one of those countries? Maybe his sister was abusing the pills as well. Teen girls in America have died from over dosage of Ex-lax so it would not surprise me.

[rdpj1]

"Take jam for instance, some people gob the jam on like 2 inches thick. Instead of putting it on 2 inches thick, try a 1/2 inch thick.:) It's not like you have to do without, just cut back."

Thanks erasamus, know I know exactly how to lose that extra 350 lbs!!!

[erasmus6]

rdpj1

You are very welcome! Now if you apply that to everything you eat, you can lose that extra 350lbs.

[cookiemunsta]

Lol at the jam comment. Reminds me of how my super healthy mother would only let me scrape margarine on my toast such that it'd be super super thin and I could barely scrape it out into a 4 in diameter circle. I could barely taste the butter. UGH. It's like why even use butter/margarine if you can't even taste it. Lol who puts 2 inches of jam on toast!? Assuming a piece of toast is 5in square, that's 50 cubic inches of jam! That's nearly a liter!! Isn't that a whole jar? LOL.

FYI, just eating low fat doesn't make me lose weight. My mother keeps saying "low fat low fat", it's LOW CALORIE and low calorie density that matters.

[fllopez32]

First of all saying this drug killed your sister is a lie. The only thing this drug does is bind fat so that it is not able to be absorbed in the digestive system and then you *** it out this is why your *** is oily, secondly the over the counter version is what is new, the drug itself has been on the market for almost 10 years, the prescription version is known as Xenical. When you use it it can be rather uncomfortable at first, in the begining you need to make sure you know where the closest bathroom is because when your body says I gotta go, there is no arguing.

[erasmus6]

When I was talking about putting 2 inches of jam on toast, I obviously was EXAGGERATING! What I was saying is that some people, like my husband, insist on GOBBING things like mayo, jam, etc. on bread. When he goes on a diet, he is constantly whining about having to do without. But I always say you don't have to go without things completely, just cut back on the amount that you eat. Why would someone cut out all the things they like when all you have to do is cut back a little. If you are eating LESS of it you will loose weight, it may take a little longer but if you are feeling deprived, you will just end up giving up.