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Weight loss · Cork

Orlistat 120mg in Cork, online

An EU-licensed doctor reviews your case and, if eligible, issues an electronic prescription you can collect at a pharmacy in Cork.

From€25/ 28 days

Consultation price. The medicine is paid at your pharmacy.

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  • Doctor-reviewed renewals
  • Full refund if not approved
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Orlistat 120mg

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Valid across the EU

E-prescription accepted at EU pharmacies.

Local facts

Orlistat 120mg consultations in Cork

Available toResidents of Ireland
LanguagesSpanish and English
Doctor replyUnder 2 hours on average
Collected atPharmacies in Ireland · e-prescription (PDF)
About the medicine

What it is and how it works

Orlistat is a lipase inhibitor: it blocks the intestinal enzyme that digests fat, reducing the absorption of part of the fat you eat. Unlike GLP-1s, it does not act on appetite. Its effect depends on keeping an appropriate diet while taking it.

It's a valid alternative for people who cannot or do not want injectables, although average weight loss is usually lower. A licensed doctor proposes the approach that best fits your clinical history.

Who it is for

  • Adults with obesity, alongside a mildly reduced-calorie diet.
  • One 120 mg capsule with each main meal, up to three capsules a day.

Safety summary

Oily stools are very common; yellowing skin can signal serious liver injury.

Read the safety summary
Pricing

One consultation, one clear price

You pay for the doctor's consultation. If a prescription is issued, the medicine is paid at your own pharmacy.

  • Consultation reviewed by an EU-licensed doctor
  • Private follow-up in the in-app chat
  • Full refund if the doctor does not approve
Plan or one-off

Weight loss

Monthly planCancel anytime€25/ 28 daysOne-off28-day treatment€35once
  • First consultation included
  • Renewals reviewed by your doctor
  • Ongoing care in your private chat
  • Cancel anytime
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Full refund if a review is not approved

FAQs

Your questions answered

Orlistat 120mg16 questions
How does orlistat work?
Orlistat blocks intestinal lipase, reducing the absorption of part of the fat you eat. It does not act on appetite, so its effect depends on maintaining an appropriate diet while taking it.
It is a valid alternative for people who cannot or do not want injectables, although average weight loss is usually lower. The doctor proposes the approach that best fits your clinical history.
More questions
Mostly gastrointestinal: oily stools, bowel urgency and flatulence, especially after fatty meals. Adjusting the diet reduces symptoms.
Yes, a multivitamin with A, D, E and K taken separately from orlistat is recommended. The doctor tells you how to schedule it in your consultation.
No, and the label is built around that. Orlistat only blocks fat that is already in the meal, so it does nothing to hunger, portion size or carbohydrate. Every trial behind it, including the 4-year XENDOS study, put both groups on a reduced-calorie diet, and the published figures are what orlistat added on top of that diet. The SmPC also asks for about 30% of calories from fat, spread across three main meals, partly because that is what the evidence tested and partly because higher-fat meals make the gut side effects worse.
They come from the fat orlistat stops you absorbing, which then leaves in the stool. For the first year of treatment the Xenical SmPC lists oily spotting from the back passage, wind with discharge, urgent bowel movements, fatty or oily stools and liquid stools as very common, meaning more than 1 in 10 people. The SmPC also records that the overall rate of these gut effects fell year on year over four years. The lever you control is fat: the label warns the risk rises with high-fat meals, so keeping fat near 30% of calories and spread across three meals matters.
No. Orlistat is a lipase inhibitor. It acts only inside the gut, switching off the enzymes that digest fat, and the European Medicines Agency describes about 30% of the fat in a meal passing through undigested at the 120 mg dose. The GLP-1 medicines semaglutide and liraglutide, and the dual-action medicine tirzepatide, are injections that act on appetite and stomach emptying instead. The routes are completely different, which is also why the dosing differs: a capsule at each meal rather than a weekly or daily injection, and side effects that are mostly bowel-related.
Write to your doctor in the private chat in your account: describe what you notice and when it started. The doctor can adjust the plan, pause it or suggest another option. If you have severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing, swelling of the face or chest pain, call 112 or go to an emergency department straight away.
It depends on what you take. List every medicine, supplement and herbal product in the questionnaire, including ones you use only occasionally. The doctor checks for interactions before prescribing, and your pharmacist checks again when you collect Orlistat 120mg.
The doctor can consider another weight-management medicine authorised in the EU, or a plan built on nutrition and activity alone. Some people are better served by an in-person obesity clinic or by their own doctor, and the doctor explains why when that is the case.
Before each renewal the doctor reviews your weight, side effects and how you feel, and decides whether to continue, change the dose or stop. Changes are never automatic. You can also write in the private chat between reviews.
Yes. Hi-Doctor runs 100 % online across the EU, so if you live in Cork you can fill in the questionnaire and receive the medical review without travelling. The electronic prescription issued by the licensed doctor is valid in any EU pharmacy under Directive 2011/24/EU; outside Spain, the pharmacist dispenses the locally marketed equivalent of the same active ingredient.
Adults with BMI ≥ 30, or ≥ 27 with comorbidities (hypertension, type-2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia). The doctor reviews your history, current medication and goals before proposing any treatment. It is not a cosmetic programme.
The private electronic prescription (Receta Médica Privada Electrónica) is issued by a licensed doctor in Spain. It is a PDF carrying every field required by EU Directive 2011/24/EU (patient, prescriber with country of registration, active ingredient, dose), which makes it legally recognised across all 27 EU member states. In Spanish pharmacies it is dispensed from the QR; outside Spain, the pharmacist dispenses the locally marketed equivalent of the same active ingredient.
1) Fill in an online medical questionnaire in about 4 minutes. 2) The plan is €25/month for weight loss or €15/month (billed €45 every 90 days) for hair growth; sexual health is €35 per consultation and a skin consultation is €40. 3) An EU-licensed doctor reviews your case and, if appropriate, issues an electronic prescription. 4) Collect it at any EU pharmacy. If the review is not approved, the applicable fee is refunded in full.
The plan is €25/month for weight loss or €15/month (billed €45 every 90 days) for hair growth; a one-off sexual-health consultation is €35 and a skin consultation covering acne, rosacea, melasma and ageing skin is €40. Each includes a licensed doctor's review and an electronic prescription if approved. If the review is not approved, the applicable fee is refunded in full. Medication is paid for separately at the pharmacy at the price it sets.
Behind the scenes

How your doctor decides

Your answers

A licensed doctor reads your full questionnaire.

Medical judgement

The decision is clinical, never an algorithm.

Clear outcome

Approved with an e-prescription, or refunded in full.

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Medicine information and safety

How does Orlistat 120mg work?

It switches off fat-digesting enzymes. Orlistat binds to lipases, the enzymes your stomach and small intestine release to digest fat. It forms a chemical bond with the active site of gastric and pancreatic lipase and switches the enzyme off inside the gut. It is not an appetite medicine and does not act on the brain.

Dietary fat stays undigested. The inactivated enzyme cannot break dietary fat, which arrives as triglycerides, into the smaller free fatty acids and monoglycerides that the gut wall is able to take up. The fat therefore stays whole, and whole fat molecules are too large to cross into the body.

The blocked fat leaves in stool. The unabsorbed fat passes along the bowel and out in the stool, so those calories never reach you. The European Medicines Agency describes the 120 mg dose as letting about 30% of the fat eaten in a meal pass through undigested.

How to use Orlistat 120mg

Take it with the meal. Swallow one capsule with water immediately before a main meal, during it, or up to one hour after it. Most people end up taking it with breakfast, lunch and dinner, so up to three capsules a day.

Skip meals that have no fat. If you miss a meal, or the meal contains no fat, leave that capsule out. Orlistat only acts on fat that is present in the gut, so a capsule taken without fat achieves nothing.

Keep fat near 30% of calories. The SmPC asks for a nutritionally balanced, mildly reduced-calorie diet with about 30% of calories from fat, rich in fruit and vegetables. On a 2,000 kcal day that works out at roughly 67 g of fat.

Spread the fat across three meals. Do not save your fat allowance for one large meal. The SmPC warns that taking orlistat with a meal very high in fat makes the gut side effects both more likely and more intense.

Take any multivitamin at bedtime. Orlistat can reduce absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K and of beta-carotene. If a multivitamin is recommended, take it at bedtime or at least two hours away from an orlistat capsule.

Expect changes within two days. Fat in the stool rises within 24 to 48 hours of the first dose, so oily stools can start quickly. After stopping, stool fat usually returns to its previous level within 48 to 72 hours.

Keep the 12-week review. Attend the review your prescriber arranges. The SmPC says orlistat should be discontinued after 12 weeks if you have not lost at least 5% of the body weight you had when you started.

Tell every prescriber you take it. Orlistat changes how some other medicines are absorbed. Mention it before starting anything new, especially thyroid tablets, anticoagulants, epilepsy medicines, ciclosporin, HIV treatment or contraception, so doses and monitoring can be adjusted.

Common side effects

Stop and get urgent medical help if (seek medical help immediately): Yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, itching or unusual tiredness, which can signal serious liver inflammation, Severe stomach pain that spreads through to your back, which can signal inflammation of the pancreas, Rash, hives, swelling of the face, lips or tongue, wheezing or difficulty breathing, Bleeding from the back passage, or blood in your stool, Passing much less urine than usual, or new pain in the side or lower back, Widespread blistering of the skin, More seizures than usual, or more severe ones, if you take medicine for epilepsy

Very common (very common (≥1/10)): Oily spotting from the back passage, which can mark underwear, Wind, sometimes passed with a small amount of oily discharge, A sudden, urgent need to open your bowels, Fatty or oily stools, Loose or liquid stools, Opening your bowels more often than usual, Stomach pain or discomfort, Headache, Colds and other upper respiratory infections, including flu, Low blood sugar, in people who also have type 2 diabetes

Common (common (≥1/100 to <1/10)): Pain or discomfort around the back passage, Soft stools, Leaking stool, or not reaching the toilet in time, Chest infections, Urine infections, Tiredness, Irregular periods, Anxiety

Reported, frequency not known (frequency not known): Bleeding from the back passage, Diverticulitis, inflammation of small pouches in the bowel wall, Pancreatitis, inflammation of the pancreas, Gallstones, Hepatitis that may be serious, including fatal cases and cases needing a liver transplant, Oxalate nephropathy, kidney damage that can lead to kidney failure, Blistering skin eruptions, Allergic reactions including itching, rash, hives, swelling, wheeze and anaphylaxis, Raised liver enzymes on blood tests, Changes in clotting test results in people taking anticoagulants

Do not use Orlistat 120mg if

  • You are allergic to orlistat or to any of the other ingredients in the capsule
  • You have chronic malabsorption syndrome, a long-standing problem absorbing nutrients from food
  • You have cholestasis, a condition in which bile cannot flow normally out of the liver
  • You are breastfeeding
  • You are pregnant: the 60 mg pharmacy product is contraindicated, and the 120 mg label tells prescribers to exercise caution
  • You take ciclosporin: contraindicated with the 60 mg product, and not recommended with the 120 mg product
  • You take warfarin or another oral anticoagulant: contraindicated with the 60 mg product, and clotting must be monitored on the 120 mg product
  • You have chronic kidney disease or are dehydrated, because the risk of oxalate kidney damage is higher
  • You are under 18: safety and effectiveness in children have not been established

Medicines and substances that interact

  • Ciclosporin, an immune-suppressing medicine: Orlistat lowers ciclosporin blood levels, which can weaken its immune-suppressing effect The combination is not recommended; if unavoidable, ciclosporin levels are monitored more often
  • Levothyroxine, for an underactive thyroid: Absorption of levothyroxine and iodine salts may fall, so thyroid control can slip Doses are taken apart and thyroid blood tests are repeated by the prescriber
  • Warfarin and other oral anticoagulants: Less vitamin K is absorbed, so clotting results can shift and bleeding risk changes INR is monitored; the 60 mg pharmacy product must not be used at all
  • Antiepileptic medicines such as valproate and lamotrigine: Absorption may fall, and convulsions have been reported with the combination The prescriber watches for any change in seizure frequency or severity
  • Combined oral contraceptives and emergency contraception: Severe diarrhoea can carry the pill through before it is fully absorbed An additional contraceptive method is recommended while severe diarrhoea lasts
  • Amiodarone, for heart rhythm problems: A slight fall in amiodarone blood levels was seen in healthy volunteers Clinical review and ECG monitoring are stepped up by the prescriber
  • HIV medicines, antidepressants, antipsychotics including lithium, benzodiazepines: Case reports describe reduced effect after orlistat was started in previously stable patients Orlistat is only started after the prescriber weighs this risk
  • Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K and beta-carotene: Absorption of these vitamins can fall while orlistat is being taken A multivitamin is taken at bedtime, or at least two hours from the capsule

References

  1. Xenical 120 mg hard capsules: EU Summary of Product Characteristics (Annex I) European Medicines Agency, 2023
  2. Xenical: EPAR medicine overview European Medicines Agency, 2026
  3. alli 60 mg hard capsules: EU Summary of Product Characteristics (Annex I) European Medicines Agency, 2024
  4. Alli: EPAR medicine overview European Medicines Agency, 2026
  5. XENical in the prevention of Diabetes in Obese Subjects (XENDOS): a randomized study of orlistat as an adjunct to lifestyle changes Diabetes Care (via PubMed), 2004
  6. Randomised placebo-controlled trial of orlistat for weight loss and prevention of weight regain in obese patients The Lancet (via PubMed), 1998
  7. Orlistat: NHS medicines A to Z National Health Service (UK), 2026
  8. Xenical 120 mg hard capsules: Summary of Product Characteristics electronic medicines compendium (emc), 2026
  9. alli 60 mg hard capsules: Summary of Product Characteristics electronic medicines compendium (emc), 2026
  10. Arzneimittelverschreibungsverordnung (AMVV), Anlage 1: entry for orlistat Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de), 2026
  11. Section 34 SGB V: medicines excluded from statutory health insurance, including weight-reduction medicines Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de), 2026
  12. CIMA: Spanish medicines information centre, orlistat and Xenical records Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios (AEMPS), 2026
  13. Nomenclátor de Facturación, July 2026: products included in national health service pharmaceutical provision Ministerio de Sanidad (Spain), 2026
  14. Base de données publique des médicaments: Xenical and Orlistat EG records, liste I ANSM / HAS / Ministère de la Santé (France), 2026
  15. Medicijnkosten.nl: orlistat, Xenical and alli entries with reimbursement status Zorginstituut Nederland, 2026
  16. Lista de Medicamentos Não Sujeitos a Receita Médica: alli, Orlistato Beacita and Sthen 60 mg INFARMED (Portugal), 2026
  17. AIFA Medicinali: Xenical, alli and Beacita orlistat records Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco, 2026
  18. Répertoire Commenté des Médicaments: orlistat, Belgian products CBIP / BCFI (Belgium), 2026
  19. Xenical 120 mg hard capsules: authorised medicines list Health Products Regulatory Authority (Ireland), 2026
  20. Xenical, Alli (Orlistat): official notice on authorised orlistat products in Austria BASG / AGES (Austria), 2011
  21. Rejestr Produktów Leczniczych: Xenical (Rp) and Alli (OTC) orlistat records Ministry of Health / Centrum e-Zdrowia (Poland), 2026
  22. Wegovy: EPAR medicine overview and product information European Medicines Agency, 2026
  23. Mounjaro: EPAR medicine overview and product information European Medicines Agency, 2026
  24. Saxenda: EPAR medicine overview and product information European Medicines Agency, 2026

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All content on this page has been medically reviewed by: Dr. Alejandro Infante, General medicine, on 27 July 2026. Registration: 080869277 View profile

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