My family dr who I adore, mentioned when I went to see her last week concerning trying to get a COX-2 inhibitor for my bad left knee so I could get back into the swing of walking on the office treadmills for exercise that she thought I should give Alli (used to be Meridia, a prescription fat blocking pill) a go.
Uhm…let’s see. Anal leakage? Yes. Unexpected, sudden bowel movements? Yup, still there despite the OTC version being a lower dose than when it was Rx only. Hmm.
No. Not on your life, doc.
I have no trouble with the idea of having to be on a really low-fat diet for the medicine to not cause me problems. I’m trying to watch fat and calories now, cut back on the junk food, etc, exercise more, the whole schmeer. But when there’s a good chance that even after being very, very careful about the fat in what I eat else I’ll have to wear Depends for the next zillion years, no thank you.
She knows I have a very touchy stomach and GI tract, the one reason why we’re trying to convince the insurance company I’d be better off on a COX-2 inhibitor instead of major doses of Rx only NSAIDs, but for her to bring that up? Meh!
You’re pitting your doctor for making a suggestion you don’t like? She didn’t insist you take it, did she? Force it down your throat? Mock you for declining it?
Well yeah, I wasn’t trying to bandwagon the OP, just kind of thinking that would have been my answer. My doc is very good at telling me all about any medication’s side effects, then letting me decide if I want to try it.
I think you’re looking at this all wrong. Sure, “unexpected, sudden bowel movements” would have some downsides, but they’d also add a thrill of unpredictability and excitement to otherwise routine days. A quick trip to the grocery store would no longer be a mundane chore but rather a daring spin at the stinky wheel of chance.
Well, I’ll chime in. I use Alli. I have no idea how much it’s helped, as I’m exercising tons and eating right, but I figured, what the hell. I guess I use common sense - if I’m going to eat a high fat meal, for instance, I don’t take it. I don’t take it with restaurant meals, just in case. So far I’ve lost over 25 pounds since Jan 1. I don’t know if I’ll keep taking it, but we’ll see.
Oh, yes, and just to verify, no I have not had anal leakage, and I have not shit my pants. I feel good telling you all that… sort of proud. I’m an Alli-using-non-pants-shitter. Go me!
Thanks. Yeah, I have never had any problems with Olestra either, despite the fervent fun-making I’ve read. However… for those of you who are idiots, like a certain nameless friend of mine, please do not feed lots of Olestra Pringles to a basset hound puppy. Ever.
Heh. I was working at Monsanto back when they were trialing the very first fat-substitute products. They sent everyone at the HQ some sort of sample chips – Doritos, maybe?
Meetings at HQ were very, very amusing that month. For those of us from the plant, who didn’t get the pooping chips, and probably could have read the warning labels.
I’ve used Alli. Honestly, all the shrieking about anal leakage is overkill. I never, ever had a problem with it. You’re supposed to limit your fat intake at each meal to around 15 grams. Like fluiddruid said, if you eat a fattier meal, don’t take it.
Like I said, just something that irritated me, nothing else. And I apologize for screwing up what medicine Alli is called. Had the damn name written down correctly and still got it wrong.
