Description and Brand Names

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

US Brand Name

  1. Alli
  2. Xenical

Descriptions


Orlistat is used together with a reduced-calorie diet to help you lose weight and to help keep the lost weight from returning. It is also used in overweight people who may also have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease.

Orlistat works by keeping your intestines from absorbing some of the fats from the food that you eat. The undigested fat goes out of your body in your bowel movements.

This medicine is available both over-the-counter (OTC) and with your doctor's prescription.

This product is available in the following dosage forms:

  • Capsule

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.