Dear Pharmacist,

Is it safe to assume that if I don't have any treatment effects within 2 hours of taking alli that I won't have any until I take the next pill?

I know that if I stay within my fat grams that TE's should not occur, but hidden fats show up in food I don't prepare.  I will be traveling in two weeks and I want to be sure I don't have any TE's while in route.  So if I take the pill, eat, and wait two hours before getting on the plane, can I be sure not to have TE's until I take the next pill or could I still get TE's if I eat too much fat?  

If you take your Alli and eat WAY over your fat grams .. a TE probably won't happen for anywhere between 24 - 72 hours AFTER that particular meal.  Nothing will happen as soon as 2 hours.

Good luck on your trip.

dv2561:

 

Dear Pharmacist,

Is it safe to assume that if I don't have any treatment effects within 2 hours of taking alli that I won't have any until I take the next pill?

I know that if I stay within my fat grams that TE's should not occur, but hidden fats show up in food I don't prepare.  I will be traveling in two weeks and I want to be sure I don't have any TE's while in route.  So if I take the pill, eat, and wait two hours before getting on the plane, can I be sure not to have TE's until I take the next pill or could I still get TE's if I eat too much fat?  

 Hi,

A treatment effect can occur at anytime.  It depends on your digestive system. If you take a dose and eat a meal very high in fat an effect is possible from the time of the dose to up to 72 hours later. Note that some foods can just make you run once you have eaten them.  With Alli is is most common to see an effect between 12-24 hours later. The 2 hour time frame is the food that is eaten with that meal only.

What you need to do is to make sure what you are eating the day of your flight or even the night before is low in fat or just skip the dose of Alli. The good thing is you will already have been on the plan for a couple of weeks and will have seen the effects or non-effects on your body.

Hope this helps.

Enjoy the trip!

Sophia De Monte RPh

This website says that if you want to enjoy a higher fat special meal (for example a holiday)  just skip the pill for that meal and then continue the plan with your next meal.  It is on the home page under "the truth about treatment effects."  I also know that I had to be on a low fat diet for three days BEFORE I could start taking alli.  Also, you say in your response that a TE could occur up to 72 hours after taking alli.

So let's say I take an alli with my breakfast that is under 12 grams of fat.  Then I skip the lunch and dinner dose because these meals are too high in fat.  The next day I keep my fat intake within the required range.  So I take alli with each meal.  Will the fat in yesterday's meal catch up with me?

FYI: I have taken alli for about one month and have not had any TE's to date.  So my bowel is adjusted to the product.

Hi dv2561,

Let me put you at ease and clarify the answer to your question.

First, since you have been taking Alli and following the program with no problems there is no reason that it should be any different when you are traveling.

Alli will block the absorption only of the fat that has been consumed in that 2 hour window of effectiveness.  The duration and onset of treatment effects, if any, is dependent on the speed of your digestive tract.  If you have daily bowel movements you may notice grease in that day's stool or and increase of frequency in movements.  For people who have a bowel movement every 2nd or 3rd day, the increase in movement is more noticeable and is why a treatment effect can occur so long after a high fat meal.

If you skip a dose with a high fat meal there will be no residual effect.  

Having an effect within 2 hours of the dose means you have eaten something that doesn't agree with you regardless of the fat content.

Enjoy your trip.

Sophia De Monte RPh

Thank you for clearing this up!