Xenical 120 mg Capsules

Order Xenical Weight Loss Pills Online

Written by Clinical Pharmacist Hywel McGlinchy

You can request to order Xenical (orlistat) weight loss medication online, from our UK registered online pharmacy and doctor service. After completing your assessment and checking out, your order will be passed to our UK registered doctors for review. If approved, our pharmacy team will dispense and dispatch your medication to your chosen address via Royal Mail. Delivery options include next working day delivery.

What is Xenical?

Xenical capsules are a weight loss treatment for people with a BMI over 30 containing 120mg of orlistat. It can also be used by people who have a BMI over 28 with weight-related conditions such as high blood pressure. 

Xenical is recommended to assist with weight loss while you are making a significant effort to lose weight through diet, exercise or changing your lifestyle. Treatment must be combined with a low-fat diet and other weight-loss strategies, such as increasing physical exercise. 

Xenical is a branded medication that contains the active ingredient orlistat 120mg. Generic orlistat is also available from our online doctor service and is cheaper than the branded version. You can also buy similar over the counter medicines containing 60mg orlistat from our online pharmacy shop: Alli 60mg or Orlos 60mg.

How does Xenical work?

Xenical 120mg works by preventing about 30% of the dietary fats you eat from being digested. The undigested fat is not absorbed and is passed out of your digestive system with your bowel movements. Specifically, orlistat prevents the enzyme lipase in the digestive tract from breaking down the fats so pass through the body unabsorbed.

This helps you avoid gaining weight by preventing the intake of excess fats and assists in lowering overall calorie intake. This alone is not enough to lose weight. To lose weight your body must consume more energy than you take in through food and drinks. Xenical helps to tip the balance by lowering daily calorie intake so you remain at a calory deficit. This is what results in weight loss.

Therefore, it’s still important to stick to your recommended diet and exercise plan. See our article on how to get the best results from orlistat for more information.

How effective is Xenical?

It helps to reduce fat absorption by 25-33%. In clinical trials, patients on Xenical are twice as likely to lose over 10% of their body weight over a year, in comparison to someone using diet alone. It should be noted, when taking Xenical, diet and exercise are still key in achieving the best results. 

How to take Xenical

It should be taken exactly as your doctor has told you to. Typically, the dose is one capsule taken immediately before, during or up to one hour after a meal up to three times a day. You should not take more than 3 Xenical capsules a day.

Xenical works by reducing the amount of fat absorbed by your body. This means that if you eat a meal that contains no fat, there is no need to take a dose of Xenical. Be aware that even healthy foods will usually contain some fats. If you are unsure about your diet plan, read ‘How to get the best results from orlistat’.

Usually, your doctor will see how you progress with Xenical over 12 weeks. If Orlistat is successful after three months, your prescription may be continued for up to a year. After that, your GP will review your condition and decide whether you should continue with Orlistat.

Xenical 120mg Summary

Xenical Prices

Alternative treatments

Like with all medicines, some people may find Xenical is not the right treatment for their weight loss and diet plan. Alternative treatments for weight loss in the UK are the appetite suppressant injections Wegovy and Saxenda. 

These are weight loss pens that are injected into the upper arm, thigh or abdomen. Wegovy (available early to mid 2022) is injected once weekly while Saxenda (available now) is injected once daily. These may be suitable alternatives if you experience side effects from Xenical. Like Xenical, Wegovy and Saxenda are prescription-only medicines and is available only after an online assessment.

Visit our Wegovy page to find out more

Visit our Saxenda page to find out more

What to eat when taking Xenical?

Xenical treatment is recommended alongside a low-calorie intake diet. One of our pharmacists has written a recent article that discusses an ‘orlistat diet’ and how to optimise Xenical (orlistat) treatment. It is important to try to spread your daily intake of fat across all three meals of the day.

Who can use Xenical?

Xenical 120mg capsules are indicated in people with a BMI over 30. It can also be prescribed to people who have a BMI over 28, with another weight-related condition, such as diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

What is the difference between Xenical and Orlistat?

Xenical is the branded version of the drug, orlistat. Medically, they are the same drug and contain the same strength (120mg orlistat).

What is the difference between Orlistat / Xenical and Alli?

Alli is an over the counter version of Xenical, which is half the strength of the prescribed version. Alli contains 60mg of orlistat, compared to 120mg in Xenical and generic prescription Orlistat.

Can you buy Xenical online or over the counter?

You cannot buy Xenical in the UK over the counter, you need a prescription for it. At Simple Online Pharmacy, our online doctors can prescribe Xenical online for our pharmacy to deliver. You will need to fill in an online assessment for our doctors to review. This helps them decide if it is suitable for you.

Although over the counter Xenical buying is not possible, you can buy Orlistat over the counter as a different brand. This is called Alli 60mg and you can speak to a pharmacist to purchase it over the counter. It can also be ordered from our online shop.

Xenical side effects

Every medication has the possibility of causing side effects, some are more common than others. Sticking to a low-fat diet will significantly reduce the number of side effects you will experience on Xenical.

Common Xenical side effects include:

• Fatty or oily stools
• Needing the toilet urgently
• Passing stools frequently
• Oily discharge from your rectum (you may have oily spots on your underwear)
• Flatulence (wind)
• Stomach pain or discomfort
• Headaches

The majority of these side effects are mild and generally happen at the start of treatment. Usually, these side effects subside after continuing treatment with a healthy diet. Some of these side effects are more common if a dose is taken with a very high-fat meal.

Further information on side effects can be found in the patient information leaflet. If you experience any unusual or bothersome side effects, speak to your pharmacist or doctor for advice.

Before taking any medication, it is important to read the Patient Information Leaflet.

• Xenical Patient Information Leaflet

Warnings & Precautions

Medical conditions and Xenical

It is not suitable for everyone. People with the following should not take Xenical:

• An allergy to orlistat or any of the ingredients in Xenical
• The liver disorder cholestasis
• Chronic malabsorption syndrome 

See the patient information leaflet for further details.

Interactions with other medicines

Xenical can affect some medicines such as warfarin and levothyroxine. See the patient information leaflet or speak to your doctor or pharmacist for advice. The dose of some medicines may need to be changed if you lose weight. 

Xenical can cause severe diarrhoea as a side effect and if this occurs, it can reduce the effectiveness of the contraceptive pill. If this is the case, you should use additional contraceptive methods (e.g. condoms).

Xenical can reduce the number of certain vitamins your body absorbs. Due to this, your doctor may recommend you take a multivitamin supplement.

Xenical in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Xenical capsules should not be used in pregnancy as it has limited data about the medicines safety and may reduce the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins which could restrict fetus nutrients.

It is currently known whether orlistat passes into breast milk. For this reason, Xenical should not be used by breastfeeding mothers.