Appetite Suppressants. (Long post, sorry.)
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MMMendoza007
Posts: 157 Member
I looked though a few ancient threads about appetite suppressants. And generally, what I found was an overwhelming disapproval and dismissal of them. And it felt like there was a touch of, what...arrogance...superiority that came with it. Kind of like a verbal *kitten* slap. So, I'm writing this for all the folks who are desperately wrestling with their appetites. Not the dieting elite, but those of us just starting out and clawing and bleeding for every ounce.
I take an appetite suppressant. There, I said it.
It never occurred to me to take any type of medication to aid me with losing weight. I'd always been strenuously taught that anything of the kind was detrimental and possibly dangerous. So a while ago, when I was in my doctor's office, I was taken aback when an intern suggested I talk to the doctor about getting something to help me.
The suggestion came after she'd taken my blood pressure and I commented dejectedly that try as I might, I just couldn't get myself on track and I was seeing a reversal of all the health benefits I'd enjoyed from my initial weight loss. I told her how ten years ago (I was shocked at the realization that it's been that long) I'd lost 130 pounds through sheer grit and determination but just couldn't seem to get my mojo back. Slowly, over time and through a plethora of stresses and an injury that required months of recovery, I'd regained 70 pounds.
The doctor prescribed Phentermine at what I know now is a standard dose of 37.5 mg. That was a year ago. At first, I was afraid to take it. I over came the fear and lost 10 pounds in short order. But I still wasn't mentally "in the right place" and ultimately, I gained everything back. I should mention that I only took the medication sporadically. When I realized that I wasn't fully in the game, I shelved the meds and drifted for a while.
Fast forward to this past October. I finally got my act together. I realized that I have to approach things differently from my first weight loss experience. I'm older and I have physical limitations now. I joined a gym and met with a trainer who helped me plan a regimen around my back (two herniated discs and a seven hour surgery). Then I got serious about my diet. Because, lets face it, exercise is good, but to lose weight it's all about what you eat.
Phentermine is not a magic pill. It's a tool. What I've learned is that when I take it is key. I can manage my appetite and have control all day long. But when I'm home in the evenings, it's like I'm possessed. I can't begin to describe how hard I've fought and failed. I've wrecked promising progress time and again because of constant, overwhelming, obsessive cravings. I'd wake up in the dead of night and find myself standing in the light of the fridge shoving food into my mouth. So in the evenings, when I'm heading to the gym, I take the pill. By the time I'm out of the gym, about two hours later, it's effects have kicked in. I go home and eat a healthy normal meal and don't obliterate all the progress that I've fought and struggled for all day.
Ultimately, I want to be off of the Phentermine. But I need to reprogram my brain and form the habit of not going nuts in the evenings before I get off it. I've worked it out with my doctor and we're thinking a few months should be sufficient.
My point in all this is, don't let someone shame you from doing whatever it takes to safely get healthy. I'm working closely with my long-time trusted doctor. And so far, I'm cautiously optimistic about my progress. I'm seventeen pounds down and working on it.
I take an appetite suppressant. There, I said it.
It never occurred to me to take any type of medication to aid me with losing weight. I'd always been strenuously taught that anything of the kind was detrimental and possibly dangerous. So a while ago, when I was in my doctor's office, I was taken aback when an intern suggested I talk to the doctor about getting something to help me.
The suggestion came after she'd taken my blood pressure and I commented dejectedly that try as I might, I just couldn't get myself on track and I was seeing a reversal of all the health benefits I'd enjoyed from my initial weight loss. I told her how ten years ago (I was shocked at the realization that it's been that long) I'd lost 130 pounds through sheer grit and determination but just couldn't seem to get my mojo back. Slowly, over time and through a plethora of stresses and an injury that required months of recovery, I'd regained 70 pounds.
The doctor prescribed Phentermine at what I know now is a standard dose of 37.5 mg. That was a year ago. At first, I was afraid to take it. I over came the fear and lost 10 pounds in short order. But I still wasn't mentally "in the right place" and ultimately, I gained everything back. I should mention that I only took the medication sporadically. When I realized that I wasn't fully in the game, I shelved the meds and drifted for a while.
Fast forward to this past October. I finally got my act together. I realized that I have to approach things differently from my first weight loss experience. I'm older and I have physical limitations now. I joined a gym and met with a trainer who helped me plan a regimen around my back (two herniated discs and a seven hour surgery). Then I got serious about my diet. Because, lets face it, exercise is good, but to lose weight it's all about what you eat.
Phentermine is not a magic pill. It's a tool. What I've learned is that when I take it is key. I can manage my appetite and have control all day long. But when I'm home in the evenings, it's like I'm possessed. I can't begin to describe how hard I've fought and failed. I've wrecked promising progress time and again because of constant, overwhelming, obsessive cravings. I'd wake up in the dead of night and find myself standing in the light of the fridge shoving food into my mouth. So in the evenings, when I'm heading to the gym, I take the pill. By the time I'm out of the gym, about two hours later, it's effects have kicked in. I go home and eat a healthy normal meal and don't obliterate all the progress that I've fought and struggled for all day.
Ultimately, I want to be off of the Phentermine. But I need to reprogram my brain and form the habit of not going nuts in the evenings before I get off it. I've worked it out with my doctor and we're thinking a few months should be sufficient.
My point in all this is, don't let someone shame you from doing whatever it takes to safely get healthy. I'm working closely with my long-time trusted doctor. And so far, I'm cautiously optimistic about my progress. I'm seventeen pounds down and working on it.
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Replies
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Thank you so much for sharing your journey. Please don't take any judgment you receive on these boards to heart. It seems like your mind is in the right place about taking a supplement - you know there is work to do while on it and that's the key.
I did Jenny Craig (which of course is frowned upon here) almost ten years ago and it truly changed my life. It was just a tool for me to understand portion sizes and build a healthy relationship with food. I think using things like that as a tool instead of a crutch can really have a positive outcome.
My only suggestion is to make sure you are still making healthy choices with food so that when your phentermine days are over, you are used to making good decisions. It's much harder to binge on broccoli than cookies.
best of luck on your journey! 0 -
Surely in all of that reading you came across the distinction between prescribed meds and OTC "suppressants." Surely.0
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I totally agree with you. I am taking Vyvanse, which is an amphetamine, I am taking it for Binge eating disorder. I have been told by soooo many internet people, drugs wont fix the real problem, drugs are bad, etc. Well no *kitten*, but the medication DOES help me to deal with the symptoms WHILE I work with my therapist and work on the issues. In order to work on the issues I need the medication to help me over the hump, I need the medication to quiet the thoughts, urges, impulses. I too am cautiously optimistic about my progress, I just started the med a month ago but I am 6 months into my journey and I have lost 54 pounds. I am working hard to overcome my issues once and for all. Good luck to you!0
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DeguelloTex wrote: »Surely in all of that reading you came across the distinction between prescribed meds and OTC "suppressants." Surely.
I'm afraid I did not. ...and don't call me Shirley.1 -
Frankly, that's hard to believe. Do you have links to the posts you read?
Almost every post on that topic that I've read points out that if it's OTC it's probably not effective and, if it is, it will be taken off the OTC market as dangerous. And that prescription meds can work but they require, well, prescriptions.
I've not seen anyone claim that prescription suppressants don't work or that people shouldn't follow their doctor's advice regarding prescriptions.0 -
Down, Tex! Down! I'm just telling you what my take was when I cruised through some of the posts, ok? Yer gettin a tad rabid here.
The point is, work with your doctor. Understand it's a tool, not a magic cure. Don't think of it as a long-term solution over mastering your habits. And most of all, DON'T be shamed into not trying something because of the disapproval of others who haven't walked a mile in your shoes. Kay? 0 -
What part was rabid, exactly? The asking what you read or the saying that that's not what I've seen?
"Work with your doctor" is pretty standard advice here. I still think you're taking comments about OTC suppressants out of context and applying them globally.0 -
What part?
Dude.
See. I remember now why I'm hesitant to get involved in a community setting. There's always going to be un-deputized board police whose life revolves around monitoring...all. I can see you're a posty fellow. Here's the thing, regardless of what YOU feel was said in previous posts, I'm posting what I felt about previous posts. I don't need you to refer me to subsection B, article 1003 of the board posting rules according to you. Nothing in my post hurt a fly. I spoke about my feelings with regard to taking meds AND how I felt when I checked out previous posts. It's subjective. I felt that way. If you don't agree, cool. But I see nothing in my post that was erroneous or offensive.0 -
OP - I understand tools - no one would tell a person with a leg cast not to use a crutch while they get their strength back.
My reservations for myself would be related to what I might be saying to myself on some level if I took them, that I would be telling myself I did not trust myself to manage without intervention. That is the sort of thing that can be worked through with therapy I suppose - that pills are a bridge - that pills are not pretending to be the long term solution.
The other part of me is fascinated. So how do they work? Do you feel full? I am trying to understand how "not hungry because I took a pill" would feel. I also wonder if that would help me at the times I do fall off the wagon. I was never eating because I was hungry, I was eating for other reasons.0 -
Hi there. I hope you don't mind me asking you questions. My only point of reference is phen-fen (sp?) so my knowledge about phentermine is sorely lacking.
What sort of checks and balances do doctors do to make sure someone is a good candidate? What kind of follow up do they do to make sure they are no contraindications? Does the doctor assist with weaning off of the meds? Coping mechanisms?
My sister had this suggested to her and because of the relationship with fenphen(? Taking another stab lol) I thought it to be a bad idea.
It is interesting hearing the perspective of someone who is on them. Thanks.0 -
So basically you are saying that:
1) people shouldn't self medicate
b) get your diet in order
iii) get your head in order
quarto) get your exercise in order
answer) there are no magic pills, but perhaps tools that a physician my prescribe
....
eleventy) succeed
42) profit
Sounds good to me. Same thing Tex might have said a few times, too.
(ps - don't forget that those pills carry risks, too)
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MMMendoza007 wrote: »What part?
Dude.
See. I remember now why I'm hesitant to get involved in a community setting. There's always going to be un-deputized board police whose life revolves around monitoring...all. I can see you're a posty fellow. Here's the thing, regardless of what YOU feel was said in previous posts, I'm posting what I felt about previous posts. I don't need you to refer me to subsection B, article 1003 of the board posting rules according to you. Nothing in my post hurt a fly. I spoke about my feelings with regard to taking meds AND how I felt when I checked out previous posts. It's subjective. I felt that way. If you don't agree, cool. But I see nothing in my post that was erroneous or offensive.
+1
I was also surprised at the tone of the response, which actually is not the normal tone I see from @DeguelloTex (I read a lot of forums).
Maybe your post hit some sort of nerve based on some fight with someone else back in the day.0 -
Perhaps you can point to as much as a syllable in any of my posts to you that could be even remotely construed by a reasonable person as trying to apply board posting rules to you.MMMendoza007 wrote: »What part?
Dude.
See. I remember now why I'm hesitant to get involved in a community setting. There's always going to be un-deputized board police whose life revolves around monitoring...all. I can see you're a posty fellow. Here's the thing, regardless of what YOU feel was said in previous posts, I'm posting what I felt about previous posts. I don't need you to refer me to subsection B, article 1003 of the board posting rules according to you. Nothing in my post hurt a fly. I spoke about my feelings with regard to taking meds AND how I felt when I checked out previous posts. It's subjective. I felt that way. If you don't agree, cool. But I see nothing in my post that was erroneous or offensive.
I haven't said thing one about your feelings.
You said you read some posts that said a certain thing. I asked which posts those were. Quelle horreur!!
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MMMendoza007 wrote: »What part?
Dude.
See. I remember now why I'm hesitant to get involved in a community setting. There's always going to be un-deputized board police whose life revolves around monitoring...all. I can see you're a posty fellow. Here's the thing, regardless of what YOU feel was said in previous posts, I'm posting what I felt about previous posts. I don't need you to refer me to subsection B, article 1003 of the board posting rules according to you. Nothing in my post hurt a fly. I spoke about my feelings with regard to taking meds AND how I felt when I checked out previous posts. It's subjective. I felt that way. If you don't agree, cool. But I see nothing in my post that was erroneous or offensive.
+1
I was also surprised at the tone of the response, which actually is not the normal tone I see from @DeguelloTex (I read a lot of forums).
Maybe your post hit some sort of nerve based on some fight with someone else back in the day.
Seriously, what tone? OTC suppressants are constantly, and rightly, looked down upon here. Prescription ones, under a doctor's supervision, aren't. I was pointing out that those are two separate issues and that I don't recall ever seeing anyone credible on these boards tell someone not to work with her doctor or not to take prescribed medications.
I think the OP is taking comments about OTC suppressants as if they were meant to apply globally. That's why I asked what she'd read, so I could read it, too.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »MMMendoza007 wrote: »What part?
Dude.
See. I remember now why I'm hesitant to get involved in a community setting. There's always going to be un-deputized board police whose life revolves around monitoring...all. I can see you're a posty fellow. Here's the thing, regardless of what YOU feel was said in previous posts, I'm posting what I felt about previous posts. I don't need you to refer me to subsection B, article 1003 of the board posting rules according to you. Nothing in my post hurt a fly. I spoke about my feelings with regard to taking meds AND how I felt when I checked out previous posts. It's subjective. I felt that way. If you don't agree, cool. But I see nothing in my post that was erroneous or offensive.
+1
I was also surprised at the tone of the response, which actually is not the normal tone I see from @DeguelloTex (I read a lot of forums).
Maybe your post hit some sort of nerve based on some fight with someone else back in the day.
Seriously, what tone? OTC suppressants are constantly, and rightly, looked down upon here. Prescription ones, under a doctor's supervision, aren't. I was pointing out that those are two separate issues and that I don't recall ever seeing anyone credible on these boards tell someone not to work with her doctor or not to take prescribed medications.
I think the OP is taking comments about OTC suppressants as if they were meant to apply globally. That's why I asked what she'd read, so I could read it, too.
Must be your use of "frankly" and "surely"?
Now "seriously"?
lack of "WTG"?0 -
Perhaps OP and I had the same experience, but seeing "surely" twice in your first post seem aggressive and condescending. That was how it came across anyway, and out of nowhere. It is not the point being made, it was the way it was done, that seemed surprising.0
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That's fair. I don't agree that it was aggressive or condescending, though. It was more an expression of surprise that the near constant refrain against OTC suppressants was apparently being applied to prescriptions.Perhaps OP and I had the same experience, but seeing "surely" twice in your first post seem aggressive and condescending. That was how it came across anyway, and out of nowhere. It is not the point being made, it was the way it was done, that seemed surprising.
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MMMendoza007 wrote: »What part?
Dude.
See. I remember now why I'm hesitant to get involved in a community setting. There's always going to be un-deputized board police whose life revolves around monitoring...all. I can see you're a posty fellow. Here's the thing, regardless of what YOU feel was said in previous posts, I'm posting what I felt about previous posts. I don't need you to refer me to subsection B, article 1003 of the board posting rules according to you. Nothing in my post hurt a fly. I spoke about my feelings with regard to taking meds AND how I felt when I checked out previous posts. It's subjective. I felt that way. If you don't agree, cool. But I see nothing in my post that was erroneous or offensive.
You are overreacting to his comments. You were expecting to be attacked and you read his comments with that context. Coming from outside the conversation, his comments seem pretty level.0 -
Yet many try to tell someone with a brain disease "just get over it", "think positive", "don't take (prescription) drugs".Soopatt wrote:I understand tools - no one would tell a person with a leg cast not to use a crutch while they get their strength back.
And many tell people with uncontrollable appetite "just use willpower".
.
Well, yeah... that's what got us to this point in the first place, not being able to manage our calorie intake.I would be telling myself I did not trust myself to manage without intervention
.
Again, yeah...pills are a bridge - that pills are not pretending to be the long term solution
I don't see why people can't understand this.
Unlike many chronic diseases, appetite suppressants are short-term aids.
.
If you're eating because you're bored, or stressed, no, it won't help you.how do they work? Do you feel full? I am trying to understand how "not hungry because I took a pill" would feel. I also wonder if that would help me at the times I do fall off the wagon. I was never eating because I was hungry, I was eating for other reasons.
If you're eating because you feel hungry, it will help. (Or at least, it has a strong possibility of helping.)
It's not magic. It does nothing to cause weight loss, only suppresses appetite.
How does it feel? It feels like not being hungry. Not full, just not hungry.
(Sort of like how if you're in pain and are given morphine you're not in pain. Not that strong a reaction though.)
For me, it was absolutely amazing.
One day I was hungry pretty much all the time, unless I'd just eaten a large meal. (I have eaten half of a large pizza,
then gone back in a couple hours to finish it because I was hungry. Not bored, hungry. No, I'm not proud of that.)
The next, when I started taking phentermine, I simply was not hungry.
I took it in the morning, with breakfast, and didn't start feeling hungry until dinner time.
Yes, I had lunch, and I had dinner, but they were normal, reasonable portions, and I didn't eat in between.
The appetite suppressant let me learn what normal portions were, and allowed my body to get used to them,
without the pain of constant hunger. (And yes, it's just as difficult to deal with as actual pain. Nobody would
tell someone with a serious burn "just use willpower to get over it". They'd get morphine.)
After a couple months, I started skipping it if I'd lost weight the day before, taking it it I hadn't.
Eventually I wasn't taking it at all, but still lost weight, still was eating healthy portions.
And my doctor says my appetite is now 'normal'... if I haven't eaten for 6-8 hours, I'm hungry.
Not ravenous (usually), but ready to eat. So it's been reset, which is what I hoped would happen.
I did a blog post about prescription weight loss drugs.
.
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Yet many try to tell someone with a brain disease "just get over it", "think positive", "don't take (prescription) drugs".Soopatt wrote:I understand tools - no one would tell a person with a leg cast not to use a crutch while they get their strength back.
And many tell people with uncontrollable appetite "just use willpower".
.
Well, yeah... that's what got us to this point in the first place, not being able to manage our calorie intake.I would be telling myself I did not trust myself to manage without intervention
.
Again, yeah...pills are a bridge - that pills are not pretending to be the long term solution
I don't see why people can't understand this.
Unlike many chronic diseases, appetite suppressants are short-term aids.
.
If you're eating because you're bored, or stressed, no, it won't help you.how do they work? Do you feel full? I am trying to understand how "not hungry because I took a pill" would feel. I also wonder if that would help me at the times I do fall off the wagon. I was never eating because I was hungry, I was eating for other reasons.
If you're eating because you feel hungry, it will help. (Or at least, it has a strong possibility of helping.)
It's not magic. It does nothing to cause weight loss, only suppresses appetite.
How does it feel? It feels like not being hungry. Not full, just not hungry.
(Sort of like how if you're in pain and are given morphine you're not in pain. Not that strong a reaction though.)
For me, it was absolutely amazing.
One day I was hungry pretty much all the time, unless I'd just eaten a large meal. (I have eaten half of a large pizza,
then gone back in a couple hours to finish it because I was hungry. Not bored, hungry. No, I'm not proud of that.)
The next, when I started taking phentermine, I simply was not hungry.
I took it in the morning, with breakfast, and didn't start feeling hungry until dinner time.
Yes, I had lunch, and I had dinner, but they were normal, reasonable portions, and I didn't eat in between.
The appetite suppressant let me learn what normal portions were, and allowed my body to get used to them,
without the pain of constant hunger. (And yes, it's just as difficult to deal with as actual pain. Nobody would
tell someone with a serious burn "just use willpower to get over it". They'd get morphine.)
After a couple months, I started skipping it if I'd lost weight the day before, taking it it I hadn't.
Eventually I wasn't taking it at all, but still lost weight, still was eating healthy portions.
And my doctor says my appetite is now 'normal'... if I haven't eaten for 6-8 hours, I'm hungry.
Not ravenous (usually), but ready to eat. So it's been reset, which is what I hoped would happen.
I did a blog post about prescription weight loss drugs.
.
Thanks for this - it explains a lot for me. I can see that this medication would never have helped me based on my problem being more about habitual eating and eating things just because they are delicious.
I get hungry, but never the painful debilitating kind you describe. My hunger is little more than mildly irritating.
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