Thread: Doctor won't give me any xenical...

Hi everyone, this is my first post on here so please be gentle with me lol...I'm really pleased to have found this site (especially this section) as I've been thinking about taking xenical for a while. I've read up on it and know about the side effects if you eat too much fat etc and decided to give it a try and finally plucked up the courage to visit gp yesterday. I've been obsessed with my weight since my late teens and always felt overweight (I'm 5'9 and was a size 14 back then) if only I had realised I was a healthy size/weight and had just been happy with the way I was...anyway, thats a whole new thread lol! I'm now 34, with 2 children and I'm horrified to say I'm now a size 18/22 (bottom half always been bigger than top). I have dieted before, lost the weight-only to gain it again (plus more). I seem to have lost all motivation lately and have been trying on and off to lose weight since christmas. Overall, I've only lost 5 lb so far. Im going on holiday in May and am dreading it to be honest...I cant face shopping for new clothes (hardly anything fits me in my wardrobe at the minute)

Anyway, I went to see the gp yeserday to say how I was feeling and that I wanted to try xenical to get me motivated again ( I ended up in tears as my weight is effecting me so much). Anyway, she refused to give it to me sayiong I had to go back in 3 months and prove I can lose weight on my own first.....ideally 5% of my body weight.(shes also referred me to see a dietician although I could probably teach her a thing or 2 about diets lol!) She then said to me at the end..."go and enjoy your holiday" yeh right!!

Anyway, I was just wondering if any of you have had a similar experience? Or did your gp prescribe it to you straight away? I plan to lose some weight and go back (sooner than 3 months) and try again...I felt so deflated and let down yesterday.

Sorry to moan, any advice would be very much appreciated

Lou

Hi Lou, I am on SF but I was wondering why you wanted to be on Xenical?

But, my friend was on it for a while, and she took her food diary with her when she went to see her GP to prove she had been doing something already.

Also, my GP knows I am on SF and she sent me to see the dietician and when I got there she was bigger than me. I laughed and left!

Hiya Linda, thanks for your reply. Well I'm wanting to start taking it just to help me along basically-I need to lose the weight fast but havent got the will power to do Lipotrim/celebrity slim etc (I've tried and failed). I'm used to weight watchers and counting calories, so figured if I incorporate this with xenical (watching carefully for fat content) it would help with the weight loss. One thing I forgot to mention earlier, is that the doctor is testing me for thyroid problems. I've put over 2 stone on in the pastyear and a half (which is even a record for me!) and am really struggling to lose it this time. maybe Ive just messed things up with yo yo dieting all these years (and as the doctor pointed out-Im not getting any younger grrr), but at least its soemthing that can be ruled out (hopefully!).

Anyway, will wait and see what the dietician says-hope shes not bigger than me lol!

Lou

Hi there

To be honest Xenical WONT speed up the weight loss process. It WILL encourage you to stay on the straight and narrow and not eat un healthy food. If you can stick to a healthy eating plan like WW then you really wont need them.

A lot of doctors 'sell' these as a miracle pill... theyre not!! They wont lose the weight for you. If youre motivated enough to try Xenical then youre probably motivated enough to lose the weight.

If you look at people on here who are on Xenical theyre really not losing any more than people doing WW or SW without them, they wont give you massive weight losses but they will help scare you into sensible choices

You dont want the horrible side effects so you eat low fat healthier meals and cut out on the fat and THAT causes you to lose weight.

Dont be too disheartened with your doctors decision, you may have ended up more disappointed if he had prescribed them and they werent the success you were led to believe they would/could be

Hi Lou, I bet you feel this time is different. The fact that you have joined this web site and talking to people int he same boat as you is a step more positive than before.
I agree with Starlight Xenical wont do that much for you. But which ever way you choose you will get there this time. This is a great website and there is always someone on here to help you when you are having a bad day.
Also, I hate to tell you this but a thyroid problem would only be responsible for about 10 pound of extra weight.
Just think though, you have already made a very positive few steps.

Just really to echo what Starlight and Lind have said, I've been on Xenical since April last year, and yep I've had a good weightloss, but the Xenical hasn't speeded up any weight loss. For me, Xenical was a *last resort* before I sought out weight loss surgery. Well that's what I believed at the time. I was a binge eater, and being on Xenical made me stop binge eating, and also it helped me step back and look at the reasons why I binged. However I also think that if my head hadn't been in a last chance saloon frame of mind, nothing least of all the lovely side effects () would have stopped me binge eating. I have yo yo dieted since I was about 12 years old, and for the first time in my life I've successfully lost weight, dealt with my food issues and am happy with myself.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you think Xenical is a quick fix that will boost a weight loss then I think you're going to be disappointed.
xx

Hiya i am on xenical. my gp doesn't precribe slimming tablets so i ent to boots pharmacy and they prescribe xenical its a bit more expensive £62.oo for 4 weeks but i am hoping it keeps me on the straight and narrow. has done up to now,been on them 2 weeks and lost 5 pounds am happy with that. they definately make me make wise food choices, haven't had chocolate or crisps for 2 weeks!!

Hi everyone, thanks for your replies. I think you've misunderstood me though, I know they wont "speed up" my weight loss-but any weight loss would be a bonus at the minute . Like I said in my first post, I seem to have lost my motivation and have been trying to lose the weight since christmas on and off (with more off days) thats why I thought if I start xenical it will help to keep me on the straight and narrow. I like the ww diet (doesn't mean I always stick to it though) so I thought xenical would "help". Which is why I went to see the gp, but as you know she wouldn't give me any anyway. I just thought it was odd that she told me to go back in 3 months when I had lost some weight-surely I wouldn't need them if I was losing weight ok on my own . It seems doctors vary alot, as she certainly wasn't telling me they were a miracle pill, she was trying her best to put me off. Anyway, I'm going to give myself a kick up the back side and carry on with my ww (and try and stick to it!)...or I might pay my local Boots a visit (thanks for the tip wobbly ).

Well done alibalibee on your weightloss, nice to read some positive stories.

Thanks again ladies

Lou, your motivation is obviously getting there. You have come onto this website and you really want to change.
For my motivation I stick post it notes every where. They are all positive and say things like how much weight I have lost already and that sort of thing. I put them on the inside of the kitchen cupboards and the fridge and round the bathroom mirror. The other thing I do is really look after my skin. I spend time on myself as often as I can and then I really pamper myself. It makes me feel good about myself, I think to myself that I feel good on the inside because I am loosing weight and I feel good on the outside because I am looking after me. That one is the best motivation.
You will get your head into the right place.

Thanks for that Linda-I need all the encouragement I can get lol! Its nice to be among people who understand what its like. The post it notes sound a good idea. I "forget" how much I want to lose weight when I'm bored at night and reaching for the biccy tin, so a little reminder here and there would help. I know what you mean about needing to spend time on yourself....with 2 young children and a husband who works long hours (I also work part time) I often dont get time for "me" (even though I should make the time). I've been feeling generally rubbish about myself for a few months and have noticed that I dont do little things like paint my toe nails anymore (and I cant remember the last time my legs saw the epilator!)...all thats going to change though, you're right you need to feel good about yourself. Thanks Linda. I'm off to find some post it notes now lol!

I got xenical from my doctor but had to prove that I'd tried to lose weight first and that I had lost a few pounds over a couple of months.

But the tablets on their own did not make me lose weight it was my diet plan. They are not a miracle cure

Irene xx

I also had to prove i could lose a little bit of weight before my doc prescribed Xenical but i didn't manage to do it and then when she see how emotional i was about my weight she decided to let me try them. I think most docs like to see that a patient is trying themselves because ultimately you will still need to try when taking these pills to lose weight.

I have been on them for about a month now and i was hoping for some miracle pill but they are certainly not that and i do think they are more of a deterrent if anything. My weight loss on Slim fast hasn't changed or increased since going on them, but then on the other hand i also understand someone needing a weight loss boost which is what i was hoping for but at the end of the day it will always come down to your hard work, commitment and will power.

Good luck with your diet at mo and i hope you do get the chance to try Xenical so you can make up your own mind about them.

i had to loose 3lbs before they pescribed me xenical... since then i have lost weight .. but if you exercise regualy and cut sum fat from diet you can loose quickly at first due to water weight.

Hi, I just wanted to tell you of my experience with Xenical. I first found out about it when my friend was prescribed it and called it a miracle pill. I cant take any tablets that speed up my motabalism due to heart probs, so this sounded ideal...takes the fat straight out of the food, sounds amazing right? So I desperately wanted to try it, reasearched it for ages, then with my friends advise went to the docs...my friend advised me to "make out like your depressed" about your weight, which i was anyway, so that part wasnt hard. The doc didn't want to give them at first went on about healthy eating etc etc...but when i told him im depressed tried it all he gave me them. But they are absolutely awful!!! I defo agree with earlier comments about how it makes you realise how much fatty things you eat, I think the only thing it made me do was terrified to eat anything with fat...and even at that the side effects were drastic, i had to take time off work..lets put it this way, i couldnt control my bowels.

I lost no weight on them at all, and still have 2 months worth left. (if anyone wants them im more than happy to get rid)

It definately opened my eyes to the fat content of my food and I have now went on to lose a stone and a half in 2 months by calorie counting and WW.

Hi littlemiss I think that Xenical is like every other weight loss aid, be it Lipotrim, Weight Watchers or Slimfast. It's not for everyone, and what works for some people, might not work for another. I had yo yo dieted for over 20 years, and been to Slimming World, and Weight Watchers. Lost weight, and then put back on ( with added extra's too). Xenical for me was at the time, I felt my last chance before I approached my GP for weight loss surgery.
Xenical hasn't been a miracle wonder weight loss drug for me, but it has helped me in my weight loss journey. Its allowed me to step back and examine my reltionship with food, and to fix that.

Well done on your weight loss with WW hun
x