No stock of orlistat !!!!

Hi, My mum has tried to get hold of some for me in a different county. She told me her friend who works at Boots that the manufactures have sold the product abroad that is why there is no stock. She has also mentioned that supply is likely to be at least July not June like I have been lead to believe from my chemist. She mentioned that Boots do their own equivilant to Alli(orlistat) which is cheaper. I am going to do as suggested and save the tablet for my main meal.

I have been told by boots it is six months. Yes, had a thyroid test.

So how come you can get it when the manufactures are not even making it at present. This is just a way to get people to buy them. If people have any sense you would wait till the nhs have them in stock at least we no they are safe to take, According to a previous post alli is not being out back on shelfs in usa so how can you get these. I for one will be waiting for my chemist to me get them.

I wonder how easy it would be to have you kicked off eBay

Emis Moderator comment: I have deleted all of the posts re eBay, thanks to all who reported it. I will deactivate the account when back in work.

I don't need Orlistat guess I am one of the lucky ones who can eat anything. If I did need them I would certainly not buy them from the internet. 8)

Yes Jenny you are one of the lucky ones. I think some peoples metabolism is faster then others .. my digestion is also sluggish in spite my eating fruit and veg every day.

I first gained weight after having my children I managed a couple of times to get slim again but it gradually creeps on ..I kept a diet diary (totally honest) for my GP and she agreed I am not overeating or having too much fat in my diet.. when I took orlistat two years ago I lost 2 stone in 8 weeks (it also made me more regular but not in a bad way) and my cholesterol level came down ..so healthwise its a good deal all round for me.

Exercise is difficult as I have painful joints and back ..but walk briskly every day at least a mile to shops and back and a gentle stroll with my dog after that.

I dont sleep at all well and never have..Im always waking early usually around 5am and I wake and turn over several times a night.. this has got worse with hot flushes disturbing my sleep (and I cant take HRT)

My GP has again prescribed orlistat 120mg x 84 tablets about 3 weeks ago and I havent yet been able to get them.. I find presciption charges of over £7.00 a month enough to cope with so No Way could I afford to buy off the internet even if I wanted to and however genuine they were!

One of the chemists I phone did have a small amount about a week ago they came in on the Friday and when I phoned Saturday morning they had just 48 left and someone was on their way to get them..

Another one here in Essex has told me they have a constant twice daily order going in for them and they have been told to expect a delivery at the end of this first week in june.. but she did say that they have been told this by the company before.. all the pharmacies I have spoken to have said it is a manufacturing problem obtaining one of the ingredients.

Good luck to all !

Oh Fliss I do feel for you. The only time I put on a lot of weight was when my Thyroid packed in working, went on Thyroxine and within a year I had lost it all again.

I think that losing weight must be one of the hardest things to do to be honest.

I have trouble getting Eltroxin (Thyroid meds and can't take the generic ones) every now and again and I was told by me local chemist that the drug companies (Goldshield in this instance) hold back supplies in order to push the price up. In fact Goldshiled were fined a few years ago for doing this!!!! Makes me wonder if the same is happening here?

Oh just found this: from prescriber org

Orlistat stock shortage [updated]

January 20, 2012 at 3:42 pm | In Prescribing Extra - Drugs | Print Orlistat stock shortage [updated] Print | 214 Comments

The manufacturer of orlistat (Xenical®) has written to healthcare professionals advising that there is a stock shortage of this product.

The shortage is due to manufacturing issues and the manufacturer has now exhausted supplies in their distribution centres. There are likely to be some supplies currently in the wholesaler chain and on pharmacy shelves. The letter does not give an explicit indication when supplies will resume but the manufacturer states it "will issue further communications over the next few weeks".

Action: Clinicians should be aware of this expected shortage. Alternative treatment options are limited so it may be prudent to limit new initiations and to advise existing patient to try alternative outlets when caching prescriptions.

Update: The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee have reported on this same issue but have noted that generic alternatives are available. This may limit any impact of this shortage.

Update 2: As of 21 March 2012, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee have added an update to their site advising that Xenical® is expected to be out of stock for several months.

Hi Jenny ..Thank you ...I had a blood test 2 weeks ago thyroid was fine..

I hope you manage to get your thyroid meds OK .

It does make you wonder if they hold back to put the OTC drugs up ..however the generic ones will stay be same price as the prescription charge..but may cost more to the NHS .

I was told by the pharmacists I have spoken to that there is no other slimming drug on the market that works in exactly the same way as Alli, Xenical, Orlistat, (all the same drug).

Hello I have had a lot of problems trying to get ORLISTAT as well, it has been months, probably since the the end of 2011. all the chemists I have tried over the months have been saying it will be here mid March, then it was mid May now I have just look on this site and it is saying it wont be available until July, so I am not holding my breath. I am a diabetic with and under active thyroid problem, so my weight has always been a terrible problem for me.

My husband told me that a few months ago on the television program THIS MORNING was discussing how people have started using drugs to loose weight, and apparently it is costing the government a fortune and that they are planning to resolve this problem. This is really unfair for ALL OF US. We have reasons to be on these drugs and it is DISGUSTING that we are all being treated in this disgusting way.

NO PHARMACISTS IN THE UK WILL BE SUPPLYING ORLISTAT/ XENICAL TO ANYONE, BECAUSE OF COST.

this is the latest info i have found.dated 30th may 2012

News story: MyOnlineDoctor has been informed that Roche has resumed production of the weight loss drug Xenical (orlistat) at its US plant. This is good news for weight loss patients, in particular those whose weight loss efforts have sadly been compromised by the on-going Xenical supply shortage.

Analysis:

The news that Roche has resumed manufacture of Xenical is very promising and this will hopefully signify the end of the worldwide supply shortage. We understand that patients will be eager, however they will need to be patient as it will take some time before the supply chains are replenished and the medication is available in high street pharmacies. MyOnlineDoctor works in collaboration with one of the UK biggest pharmacy stakeholders, so we can be confident in our ability to source the treatment as soon as UK stocks are made available

@del1954 - What fantastic news ! Thanku 4 sharing that with us

x

your welcome amanda,lets hope its true but at least its given us some hope that we may

be able to get it back againid only been taking it a month before it became unavailable

and lost 10lbs in that time so was very disappointed when i couldnt get anymore,i have

4 stone to lose so heres hoping

@del1954 - that's great, well done ! I have been on it for 2 yrs and have lost 3stone, another 3stone to go, really hope they are back on our shelves soon.

I just phoned my chemist and they have been told - date to be confirmed ! for the last few months they were told june but in the last week it has changed to date to be confirmed, i'm not sure if that is a negative or a positive ??

We will just have to keep our fingers crossed

x

I spoke to my local "Boots" this morning and they said that there was still a manufacturing problem with supplies but Teva said they will be supplying them with xenical from the 11th June so fingers crossed.