We knew this weight loss drug was trouble — but now we know the real dangers
Farewell to arm
“Would you rather be fat, or lose an arm?”
That might sound a bit harsh. But that was one of the questions put to a group of 5-year-olds in a poll I saw a few years ago.
Here’s the shocker… More than half said they would rather lose an arm.
As it turns out, losing an arm might be one of the few conditions that ISN’T a side effect of Alli.
Don’t blame the drug, blame the diet
Alli, of course, is GlaxoSmithKline’s wildly popular, over-the-counter weight-loss drug. And it has an infamous side effect.
If you go to the Alli website, you’ll see a tab that says, “Diet-related side effects.”
Someone at GSK should be bull whipped for that one. It suggests that Alli doesn’t cause these side effects. No, no, no. You see, the side effects are “DIET-related.”
That’s cute.
Of course, these diet-related side effects are the opposite of cute. You’ve probably heard about them. They have a powerful “ewwww” factor…
If you take Alli, you have to severely restrict fat intake. That’s because Alli blocks fat absorption in your bowels. When excess fat isn’t absorbed… Well, it has to go somewhere. And you’ll have to deal with that significant problem on a moment’s notice, whenever or wherever you might be.
Yeah! Ewwww!
But with that side effect addressed, the rest of the Alli site is all about health and weight loss tips and encouragement. Heck, you might easily get the idea that the sudden-fat-ejection is the only side effect to worry about.
Don’t believe it.
If you search the site — and I mean REALLY search it — you’ll find that the FDA has linked Alli to liver failure.
I first told you about this two years ago. At the time, the FDA issued a warning. Of course, the Good Ol’ Boy agency emphasized that the handful of cases were isolated and unconfirmed.
But a couple of years later, everything has changed.
A recent study from drug interaction researchers finds that the danger is more serious than we thought. In a press release, they note that there’s been a sharp increase of organ toxicity among Alli users.
Reports link Alli to cases of severe liver failure, acute pancreatic failure, and acute kidney failure.
The study also reveals why this happens. Alli inhibits a key enzyme. And here’s a chilling quote from the press release… “The inhibition is irreversible and can be caused by a low level of the drug.”
That alone would be reason enough to start reeling in Alli, coast to coast. But the inhibition also produces two more side effects…
* Alli may reduce the effectiveness of certain cancer drugs
* Alli may increase anti-clotting effects of aspirin, which can increase internal bleeding risk
Suddenly, that ewwww side effect doesn’t seem so bad.
Every Alli user needs to be notified immediately about the warning signs for all these side effects.
Of course we know the FDA will do the opposite and downplay the dangers.
But in a world where we’re taught it’s better to lose an arm to be fat, they’ve just upped the ante. And losing a liver is too big a gamble for anyone.
Sources:
“Carboxylesterase-2 is a highly sensitive target of the antiobesity agent orlistat with profound implications in the activation of anticancer prodrugs” Biochemical Pharmacology, 12/7/12, journals.elsevier.com/biochemical-pharmacology
“Pharmacy researcher finds most popular weight-loss drug strongly alters other drug therapies” University of Rhode Island press release, 12/10/12, uri.edu
