What is orlistat?

[Firefly77]

What is orlistat? Is this prescription drug like phentermine? I know that phentermine is the generic name for brand name prescription diet pills like Adipex-P, is orlistat the same thing or is this something else altogether?

[TinaDancer]

It's a generic drug that isn't like phentermine at all. It's in Xenical, in case you know what that is. It's a pretty famous one. It's a fat blocker. So essentially it stops your body from absorbing some of the fat that you eat. The thing is, if you eat too much fat you end up with a lot of horrible side effects like abdominal cramping and gas and ...let's just say you should be near a bathroom at all times.

[Bethie]

It's a fat blocker drug. USually it's prescription but you can get it in Alli too and that pill doesn't need a prescription.

[TaraNorth]

It's the generic name for a medication that acts as a fat blocker. Its brand names are Xenical (prescription) and Alli (non-prescription). As TinaDancer said, it’s nothing like Phentermine at all.

[Firefly77]

Thanks for the info. While I do understand now that Orlistat is clearly different from Phentermine, I don't quite understand how it can be used in non-prescription pills. Isn't Orlistat a prescription drug?