Xenical

How can this medicine affect other medicines?

It is important to tell your doctor or pharmacist what medicines you are already taking, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, before you start treatment with this medicine. Similarly, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines while taking this one, to ensure that the combination is safe.

The manufacturer of this medicine recommends that orlistat should not be used in combination with the following medicines:

- acarbose (as this combination has not been studied)
- ciclosporin (as orlistat may decrease the blood level of ciclosporin and make it less effective).

If it is unavoidable to use orlistat in combination with ciclosporin, ciclosporin blood levels should be monitored more frequently.

People taking anti-blood-clotting medicines (anticoagulants such as warfarin) in combination with orlistat should have their blood clotting time (INR) monitored.

Orlistat may decrease the blood level of amiodarone. Your doctor may want to monitor your heart more closely if you are taking amiodarone in combination with this medicine.

If you have diabetes your doctor should monitor your antidiabetic treatment while you are taking this medicine, as your dose of your antidiabetic medicine may need to be altered.

If you take a multivitamin supplement with this medicine, it should be taken at least 2 hours after your orlistat dose, or at bedtime, as otherwise the orlistat will prevent the vitamins being absorbed.

This medicine can cause diarrhoea, which if severe, can reduce the absorption of oral contraceptive pills from the gut and thus make them less effective at preventing pregnancy. Women taking the pill for contraception should therefore use an additional method of contraception, eg condoms, to prevent pregnancy, if they experience severe diarrhoea while taking this medicine.

Other medicines containing the same active ingredient

There are currently no other medicines available in the UK that contain orlistat as the active ingredient.

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