The FDA has at long last approved a diet pill that is available over-the-counter and that is aimed at adults who are suffering from obesity. But just how effective is this new pill going to be and is it going to be the answer for the many thousands of obesity sufferers who find that losing weight is awfully her?

To some degree we already know the answers to these questions because this is not a new drug at all but one which has been in wide use in the United States since 1999. The drug, known as Orlistat, is in fact simply a half-dose version of the presently available prescription drug sold as Xenical.

The usual route to weight loss for obesity sufferers is for doctors to begin by recommending a course of diet and exercise and, when this does not work, to turn to assisting dieters with a variety of drugs including Xenical. In the end, if this proves unsuccessful, sufferers might be offered gastric bypass surgery as the ultimate weight loss solution. This brief insight into the background to treating morbid obesity provides us with an idea of exactly how this obesity pill is to be employed.

No matter what people might wish this is most certainly not a case of simply taking a pill daily and miraculously watching the pounds drop off. Orlistat works by partially inhibiting the absorption of fat which is eaten and is most efficient when taken three times a day with meals which contain in the region of fifteen grams of fat. If taken will meals which contain more than fifteen grams of fat then taking Orlistat can cause bowel problems.

The use of Orlistat can also interfere with the absorption of some vitamins and users need to take daily multivitamin tablets. The drug is not recommended for individuals who are taking any type of blood thinning medicine or who are being treated for diabetes or thyroid problems.

In the absence of an accompanying diet and exercise plan Orlistat will have very little if any affect at all and you are only likely to get benefit from its use together with a strict diet and exercise plan. Nevertheless, even with diet and exercise the results are likely to be marginal and a lot of people question whether the likely results (which are predicted from the known results experienced with Xenical) make taking Orlistat worthwhile.

Perhaps one further question we have to ask is exactly why the FDA has chosen to approve the over-the-counter use of this drug now. Obesity rates are growing at epidemic proportions and we are witnessing considerable pressure to find a solution to this problem before it runs out of control. A lot of people believe that the approval of Orlistat is nothing more than the FDA's reaction to public pressure.

If Orlistat turns out to be of very little if any use at all it could in fact do more harm than good as individuals who are suffering from obesity turn their attention towards the drug as the answer to their problem and away from the need for a strict plan of diet and exercise.