Our motto is "Too Many People Use Too Many Drugs." Sometimes I find it difficult to be a pharmacist and hold on to that motto. It seems like a conflict. The fact of the matter is that we often need drugs in order to stay healthy and I'm excited by the benefits available to all of us because the people who work for the big drug companies are usually so dedicated to finding medicines that can heal us.

However, too often the drugs present far greater dangers than the benefits they hope to achieve. Just look at the potential dangers from any statin drug and you'll get an idea what I'm talking about. Muscle aches and joint pains are just the tip of their side-effect iceberg. Those drugs are toxic and they can kill - and I'm not sure that the claimed benefits are worth the risks.

Today's note is directed at another drug - called orlistat, which works by blocking 25 percent of fat from being digested. Fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, and vitamin K, are also blocked. Users of orlistat will have to be aware that their nutritional status can decline while taking it. It's existed as a prescription item named Xenical that was on the FDA track to being approved for non-prescription use. I hoped it wouldn't happen, but it did.

Even if a person uses orlistat according to the instructions, he or she can experience some embarrassing side effects - not to mention the possibility of a nutritional deficiency.

There are many ways to lose weight. Orlistat - whether named Xenical or Alli - isn't one of them. The dangers or orlistat far outweigh the benefits.

Alli was approved by the FDA in 2007. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19587389/) The drug's maker, GlaxoSmithKline, has been up front about the pill's side effects, suggesting that first timers wear dark pants or bring a change of clothes to work until they get used to the diet pill's potentially yucky consequences.

Published Side Effects of Orlistat - ARE THEY WORTH IT?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Stop taking orlistat and call your doctor at once if you have severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, nausea and vomiting, and a fast heart rate. These could be signs of pancreatitis. The following side effects occur commonly with the use of orlistat. They are the natural effects of orlistat's fat-blocking action and are actually signs that the medication is working properly. These side effects are usually temporary and may lessen as you continue treatment with orlistat:

• oily spotting in your undergarments;
• oily or fatty stools;
• orange or brown colored oil in your stool;
• gas with discharge, an oily discharge;
• loose stools, or an urgent need to go to the bathroom, inability to control bowel movements;
• an increased number of bowel movements; or
• stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rectal pain.

Other side effects that may occur while taking orlistat include:

• problems with your teeth or gums;
• cold or flu symptoms;
• headache, back pain; or
• skin rash or itching.

Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.