Continued from Alli Diet Pills. Some contend that Alli’s benefits – Alli’s maker GlaxoSmithKline claims 50 percent more weight loss than with a low-calorie diet and exercise alone – aren’t worth potential risks.

Dr. Sidney Wolfe, of Ralph Nader’s watchdog association Public Citizen, petitioned the FDA to deny Alli’s approval, citing a study linking Orlistat to “precancerous colon lesions” in rats. Says Wolfe: “This is the height of recklessness.”

In its response the FDA wrote, “evidence … does not support a causal relationship between Orlistat and colorectal carcinoma.” Since going on sale June 15, Alli ($50 for a two-month supply) is, anecdotally, an early hit.

“Sales during the first days were ahead of expectations,” says Steve Burton, a VP at Alli maker GSK. Confirms a Pacific Palisades, Calif., pharmacist: “We’ve had it a week and can’t keep it on the shelf, it’s so popular.”

Caryn Eyring, who started at 167 lbs. and aims to be 135, says that since April (when she joined a drug trial in which Alli was provided to her free), “I’m down 21 lbs.” In part because the threat of episodes (like the post-chicken-and-crispy-noodle one) “is forcing me to cook healthier.”

Cherie Dager of Northridge, Calif., on the other hand, tried Alli and has already given it up. Before she understood how to eat with the pill, she popped one along with a bag of potato chips. “I had the most incredible pain. I literally dropped to my knees,” says Dager, 39.

Her side effects “were disgusting. And I didn’t lose any weight.” Others such as Paula Miguel, 35, who was also part of the Alli trials, are sticking with it.

The Sussex, N. J., accountant has lost 23 lbs. in three months with the pills, low-fat foods and walking daily. “But,” she says, “if I stopped taking Alli today, I would still keep those new habits.”