How long does it take phentermine to work?

Lizchan

How long did it take you guys to drop any weight at all with phentermine after starting?

I just started my first dose today.

I would not be taking this if dieting and exercising were helping me. The doctor suggested that I try this before giving up.

Today, the only side effects I noticed were slightly elevated blood pressure and dry mouth. The dry mouth is easily fixed by drinking a lot of water, which I tend to do anyway. It's also helped me focus a lot better. I had a headache all the time before taking it. I haven't had a headache all day since I took the pill. My bones don't seem to be in as much pain, either.

The good things I noticed are that I have energy when I had zero before.

Please read this -- I took Depo Provera before. There are other women like me who have not lost weight despite there efforts to lose weight. If you look for Depo Provera weight gain on Google, you'll find a LOT of stories about it from real people, even personal trainers with this SAME problem. Their only help was diet pills and/or B12 shots for an extended period of time. The Depo Provera ended up making them gain a lot of weight fast, making them look very bloated and puffy. It turns out that it was water weight. Also, a lot of them became depressed due to their energy shortage, meaning not enough B12 was being naturally produced. Depo Provera has also harmed my bones and caused me to lose hair from time to time. I no longer take Depo Provera. I have been trying hard for well over a year to lose the weight it made me gain, which is about 60 pounds. I used to be a size 2/4, I am now a size 12/14. I would be happy at a size 6/8.

irisheyez718

Honestly, I'm sure it takes as long as any other time that you eat at a good calorie deficit. It's not a magic pill. You still have to do the same things you always have to do to lose weight. It might give you a bit more energy, and reduce your appetite, but that's it. Also, I took the birth control shot for years. Did it make me gain weight? Maybe, some. But its not preventing me from taking it off now.

briggsl23

I started Phen back in October, and I started losing the weight the first week...I changed my complete diet, and work out 60-90 minutes 6 days a week,. My one month weigh in, was 13 pds down.. my doctor told me the second month I wouldnt lose as quickly as I did the first month, which has been correct.. if you dont eat right and workout, you will not lose the weight.. I noticed an huge endurance increase with working out when I started taking the Phen, I also had headaches and dry mouth the first week or two, but after that I dont even notice the side effects anymore...only if I dont drink alot of water, I tend to get nausea..

Good luck and just remeber to drink as much water as you can..

Dona_Maria

I've taken phentermine in the past and started losing weight fairly quickly. I think I lost 40 pounds, I wasn't hungry but had very dry mouth, I stopped taking it because it felt like I was having a heart-attack. All, I can say it wasn't for me once I stopped taking them I started eating again and well the weight came back and more.

If you are going to take these I suggest you take some nutrition classes, because the key to losing weight is learning how to eat and exercising. These are just a tool to get you started but it isn't a permanent fix.

Best of luck to you!

hazelnut861

I lost within a few days, not much though. I lost 17 pounds in 2 months. I couldn't eat so basically I starved myself. The second time I tried it I lost nothing and that was after 3 weeks. I hated phen but was desperate. I ate decent, exercised regularly and hard, had a physically demanding job, and nada so I tried it. Ehh it was mu thyroid after all and I feel so much better now. The phen did nothing for energy for me; I could go to sleep all day after taking it.

amsandin

I started phentermine back in May on the smallest dosage, I felt a difference in my appetite almost immediately. They really assisted me in being able to change my diet by eating smaller portions and less snacks. I lost about 10 lbs in the first 2 months and then when I added regular exercise into the picture I started losing even quicker and began dropping jean sizes. They key is definitely to use phentermine to help you change your regular diet and then keep with it. Consistent exercise is also very important and a must if you want to maintain the weight you lose. I'm still taking it, but I don't feel its effects as much anymore and I've completely changed my view on food especially since I've lost a total of 37 lbs now. After you lose a significant amount the lure of food becomes way less strong.

Lizchan

I started Phen back in October, and I started losing the weight the first week...I changed my complete diet, and work out 60-90 minutes 6 days a week,. My one month weigh in, was 13 pds down.. my doctor told me the second month I wouldnt lose as quickly as I did the first month, which has been correct.. if you dont eat right and workout, you will not lose the weight.. I noticed an huge endurance increase with working out when I started taking the Phen, I also had headaches and dry mouth the first week or two, but after that I dont even notice the side effects anymore...only if I dont drink alot of water, I tend to get nausea..

Good luck and just remeber to drink as much water as you can..

I really hope that it can help me. I exercise and don't eat over a certain amount of calories. I drink as much water as I can. I want to be able to exercise for more than 30 minutes at a time without sweating horribly and being out of breath. It's hard to me. But maybe I can do it with these.

Lizchan

I've taken phentermine in the past and started losing weight fairly quickly. I think I lost 40 pounds, I wasn't hungry but had very dry mouth, I stopped taking it because it felt like I was having a heart-attack. All, I can say it wasn't for me once I stopped taking them I started eating again and well the weight came back and more.

If you are going to take these I suggest you take some nutrition classes, because the key to losing weight is learning how to eat and exercising. These are just a tool to get you started but it isn't a permanent fix.

Best of luck to you!

I agree that the diet pills are not a permanent solution.
But I need something to jumpstart my weight loss journey. I have been trying to lose weight for ages.
These made me lose a tiny bit of weight already... but... I want to lose more.
I am hoping that if anything, these will at least expel my water weight, which is a significant amount.

For fat loss, I am pretty sure aerobic exercises like walking, jogging and jumping jacks to start during the course and even after these pills are good.

I would like to try Zumba, too.

Lizchan

I lost within a few days, not much though. I lost 17 pounds in 2 months. I couldn't eat so basically I starved myself. The second time I tried it I lost nothing and that was after 3 weeks. I hated phen but was desperate. I ate decent, exercised regularly and hard, had a physically demanding job, and nada so I tried it. Ehh it was mu thyroid after all and I feel so much better now. The phen did nothing for energy for me; I could go to sleep all day after taking it.

Aww, sorry to hear. Everyone at first thought that my thyroid was the problem when I couldn't lose any weight... but I had many tests ran to see if they could find anything wrong, nope. My TSH and some other levels were completely fine. When they were touching around the area that my thyroid is, they said it is of normal size.

Depo Provera did this to me. It stripped the energy right out of me. It never returned, even a year later after stopping the awful thing. Stupid shot... I was in PERFECT health before this shot, too. It ruined my mind and body. Seriously...

Lizchan

I started phentermine back in May on the smallest dosage, I felt a difference in my appetite almost immediately. They really assisted me in being able to change my diet by eating smaller portions and less snacks. I lost about 10 lbs in the first 2 months and then when I added regular exercise into the picture I started losing even quicker and began dropping jean sizes. They key is definitely to use phentermine to help you change your regular diet and then keep with it. Consistent exercise is also very important and a must if you want to maintain the weight you lose. I'm still taking it, but I don't feel its effects as much anymore and I've completely changed my view on food especially since I've lost a total of 37 lbs now. After you lose a significant amount the lure of food becomes way less strong.

Wow, great job on your weight loss! Very good for you. I am glad it was helpful for you. I exercise often. At least, I do my best to. Thank you for telling me your weight loss.

Lizchan

Honestly, I'm sure it takes as long as any other time that you eat at a good calorie deficit. It's not a magic pill. You still have to do the same things you always have to do to lose weight. It might give you a bit more energy, and reduce your appetite, but that's it. Also, I took the birth control shot for years. Did it make me gain weight? Maybe, some. But its not preventing me from taking it off now.

I'm very glad that it didn't hurt you like it hurt me. If you read about it online, it has done a lot of harm to some girls.
It piled water weight and fat onto me. I am doing more than diet pills. I don't eat over a certain amount of calories, I take vitamins, I walk every day, I do exercises on my Nintendo Wii. One weird thing that I recently started doing is drinking as much water as I possibly can. Kind of with the idea of... add new water so that the old water (water weight) will go away.

briggsl23

I definitely agree with alot of the responses you got on this.. its really a great start to help you change your diet and excercise, but you really got to put the work in for results and I half to also say, that I have never sweat alot when working out before, but since taking the phen, I am completely soaked after working out, but I also have more energy when working out, and able to go alot longer as opposed to before..so im sure you will find yourself able to go further and further the more you get into an excercise routine..and since changing my diet, I have no cravings for sweets, im not sure if thats the pills or the determination to lose..but the weight comes off alot more when you hit your calorie goal and the more you excercise..it does get easier..

kelinore

I started taking this today as well. It's been years since I've taken it. I actually find it doesn't suppress my appetite like my Vyvanse does for my A.D.D. I'm a bit nervous to take both though, considering they're both amphetamines.. I've lost about 20 pounds with out, but once I started taking my A.D.D. medicine daily like i'm supposed to is when i noticed the difference... I exercise and eat right now.. That is 80% of weight loss is eating right.

jamielynn020610

I was on Adipex (phentermine) last year and after being on it for about a week and I started dropping the weight. I think I lost 20 lbs in my first month. The key to it is to make sure you stay to your calorie count and drinks lots of water. My doctor put me a on strict 1200 calorie diet. I did not exercise because I was on the go constantly at work and in the heat. Good luck! It does work!!

alahbee

How long did it take you guys to drop any weight at all with phentermine after starting?

I just started my first dose today.

I would not be taking this if dieting and exercising were helping me. The doctor suggested that I try this before giving up.

Today, the only side effects I noticed were slightly elevated blood pressure and dry mouth. The dry mouth is easily fixed by drinking a lot of water, which I tend to do anyway. It's also helped me focus a lot better. I had a headache all the time before taking it. I haven't had a headache all day since I took the pill. My bones don't seem to be in as much pain, either.

The good things I noticed are that I have energy when I had zero before.

Please read this -- I took Depo Provera before. There are other women like me who have not lost weight despite there efforts to lose weight. If you look for Depo Provera weight gain on Google, you'll find a LOT of stories about it from real people, even personal trainers with this SAME problem. Their only help was diet pills and/or B12 shots for an extended period of time. The Depo Provera ended up making them gain a lot of weight fast, making them look very bloated and puffy. It turns out that it was water weight. Also, a lot of them became depressed due to their energy shortage, meaning not enough B12 was being naturally produced. Depo Provera has also harmed my bones and caused me to lose hair from time to time. I no longer take Depo Provera. I have been trying hard for well over a year to lose the weight it made me gain, which is about 60 pounds. I used to be a size 2/4, I am now a size 12/14. I would be happy at a size 6/8.

I started taking phentermine today and im really excited. my story sounds alot like yours i was on depo and gained alot of weight really quickly i was on it for about 2 years with a few months off in between years but all the while no matter what i tried i couldnt lose weight. ive been off depo for about a year now and finally have regular periods, so im hoping it will be easier to lose the weight this time!

RikkiDominey

I also have tried it and it helped me lose about 55lbs within the 3 months a few years ago (Going from 201lbs to 145lbs). I worked out 4-5 times a week and ate 1500 cals per day, sometimes more with workouts. It is a great way to help you start your weight loss but you should not depend on it. Also, you should wean your body off of it when you are coming to the end of your 3 months (one every other day, one every 2 days, etc.) that way you can slowly get used to keeping up with your diet and exercise on your own. I wasn't warned about the after effects once you quit taking the pill and had severe low energy levels. I slept constantly for about a week straight, seems I couldn't go a few hours without needing a nap once I was off the pill. Also, the hunger will come back and that is why you must work to train yourself to eat healthy while it is controlled.

Good Luck to you and I hope it works for you!

DannyLeesGirl

I am just starting phentermine 15mg today, hope it helps me loose some pounds

WendyTerry420

Phentermine works within an hour of taking it. It suppresses your appetite and gives you energy. It typically lasts about 6 hours or so, depending on tolerance. The problem is, once it wears off, you are hungry again and overeat to compensate the previous lack of food. I did diet pills in the past. They are great for sex, but no good for long-term weight maintenance.

PrettiGirl26

The one thing i hate is when people talk what they don't no everyone is different so
no one can tell you how long it will take for you to start seeing weight lose i especially hate when people who never even used a product post things they think their right about and be 100% WRONG!. Now here's my results so far i just started phentermine july 2,2013 and i've already lost TEN pounds I have not changed my diet i just eat less i don't exercise i do however play Micheal Jackson dance game for about maybe an hour it does give me a little extra energy not a lot i take it every morning at 11 and it starts to work instantly and it last all day for me i eat a small portion of something like around 12pm now your suppose to take it 30 minutes before you eat but after taking it i don't get hungry but i no that i have to eat so i do now as for side affects i have not had any at all THANK GOD! Like i said everyone is different so no one can tell you about your body how fast your gonna lose weight or if you don't diet and exercise it won't work that's something only you will no this is my first time taking Adipex/ phentermine and i'm only going into my 4th day and it's working excellent for me so good luck to everyone and i wish you all the best... :-)

FaeTee

I started on the highest dosage of phentermine in June this year and so far I have lost 36 pounds

unbreakablemoth

I started on Phentermine August 9 and have lost 21 lbs so far. My doctor asked me to keep a strict diet of 2000 calories...but I am not very good at eating that much. I am very thankful for the drug because my metabolism was tested and is like some sort of disgruntled turtle--but I seriously need to work on my caloric intake. I'm not eating enough. I walk 2 miles almost every day though.

My doctor put me on Topimate (an anti-seizure medication) alongside phentermine because one of its side effects is appetite suppression. I am considering asking my doctor if I can quit that--it sounds like (from what I have read here) that phentermine touches on appetite enough on its own--and I could use some appetite to help me reach my caloric goals.

OP: I too gained a lot of weight on depo. I started it in the last year of a failing marriage and blamed my weight gain on the stress of becoming a single mom and suddenly unemployed and blablabla..(I was already at about 295 lb when I started gaining) and then I started pulling my life together, got a dog, walked it every day...and became more aware that I just could not lose weight no matter what. I gained about 50-60 lb on it. I was just so used to blaming myself that I didn't catch that it wasn't my fault for a long time. After getting off of it and posting about it on FB, friends of mine said they had to get off of it as well because they had experienced the same thing.

Daisykyo

Firstly, I want to wish you success! Depo cause my niece to gain 100 pounds, once she stopped taking it she lost half. Birth control, no matter what the form, can cause weight gain in some women.

However, diet pills do bother me a little. Any type of stimulant sends me off the edge. If it seems to be working for you stick with it. I am sure that if you notice problems, the doc can help.

daniellechumley

catwestb

My doctor recommended Phentermine for me as well as seeing a Nutritionist since my weight maintained at 257 for about 2-3 years. She placed me on 15mg 9/28/13 and I started at 257. Now at 12/22/13 I am at 220. I just got bumped up to 30mg since I did notice a slight plateau for about 2 weeks. I am on a 1200 calorie meal plan but it varies from day to day sometimes less sometimes more. The only thing Ive noticed is that I really have to start exercising now because I seriously need to tone up before its too late and Im flabby which is a lil scary. Good thing my Gym finally opened the other day

DGPebbles

I just started on it today. I'm going to follow a low carb high fat diet and exercise. I was on it a few months back and was doing good but for some stupid reason stopped it till the holidays past. I soon as I stopped it I was extremely hungry all the time which caused to to gain the 5lbs I lost along with 5 extra. Going to give it another try.

TheGymGypsy

Using birth control as an excuse for your own bad habits is not a good way to start your weight loss. Accept some responsibility. Birth control will not cause you to pile on fat. You maybe get a maximum of 3 pounds of water retention worst case scenario.

drinkdeathhatred

To be honest, when i was prescribed phentermine a couple years ago, it worked well for me for about three days. After that, it did nothing but give me a little extra energy but there was absolutely no more appetite suppression. I took it for about a month. In that month, I lost 1 pound and became so super constipated, even drinking massive amounts of water, that I had to take the colonoscopy dose of miralax to avoid having to go to the hospital for it. It did me no good. However, I also had (at the time undiagnosed) crohn's disease, so I am unsure if this affected it. Different things work for different people. I'd say give it a few days and see if it's right for you. One or two doses can't tell you too much. Good luck, OP!

kgeyser

Using birth control as an excuse for your own bad habits is not a good way to start your weight loss. Accept some responsibility. Birth control will not cause you to pile on fat. You maybe get a maximum of 3 pounds of water retention worst case scenario.

Um, not always. I'm one of those people who can't take hormonal birth control because I react so horribly to the side effects. Some of us do put on significant weight thanks to the hormones, only to see the weight come off after we stop taking it with no changes to diet or exercise. I tried all different kinds of pills with different hormone levels, different types of hormones, etc, and had problems on all of them. There have been numerous studies on Depo-Provera specifically linking the shot to weight gain in some users. A quick google search can provide you with the information. It doesn't happen to everyone, but it does happen.

melkhamilton

I'm guessing if it's going to "work" it will do so immediately. The stimulation effects should begin as soon as you take the pill. And that's what's doing the "work," the stimulation (AFAIK).

As far as how soon after that you lose weight, well, that's the million-dollar question because everyone loses weight at different weights...even given two people of the same height, weight, age and activity level and exactly the same restriction of calories, they'll lose differently.

So what are your experiences so far?

TheGymGypsy

Using birth control as an excuse for your own bad habits is not a good way to start your weight loss. Accept some responsibility. Birth control will not cause you to pile on fat. You maybe get a maximum of 3 pounds of water retention worst case scenario.

Um, not always. I'm one of those people who can't take hormonal birth control because I react so horribly to the side effects. Some of us do put on significant weight thanks to the hormones, only to see the weight come off after we stop taking it with no changes to diet or exercise. I tried all different kinds of pills with different hormone levels, different types of hormones, etc, and had problems on all of them. There have been numerous studies on Depo-Provera specifically linking the shot to weight gain in some users. A quick google search can provide you with the information. It doesn't happen to everyone, but it does happen.

Like I said, it is possible for b/c to cause you to gain weight. WATER WEIGHT. You can't gain fat without an excess in calories. It might very minimally affect your metabolism, but honestly it's so minuscule.

neandermagnon

Using birth control as an excuse for your own bad habits is not a good way to start your weight loss. Accept some responsibility. Birth control will not cause you to pile on fat. You maybe get a maximum of 3 pounds of water retention worst case scenario.

Um, not always. I'm one of those people who can't take hormonal birth control because I react so horribly to the side effects. Some of us do put on significant weight thanks to the hormones, only to see the weight come off after we stop taking it with no changes to diet or exercise. I tried all different kinds of pills with different hormone levels, different types of hormones, etc, and had problems on all of them. There have been numerous studies on Depo-Provera specifically linking the shot to weight gain in some users. A quick google search can provide you with the information. It doesn't happen to everyone, but it does happen.

Like I said, it is possible for b/c to cause you to gain weight. WATER WEIGHT. You can't gain fat without an excess in calories. It might very minimally affect your metabolism, but honestly it's so minuscule.

some medications can cause an increase in appetite, and for someone who previously maintained a healthy weight by eating when they're hungry, stopping eating when they're full and not eating when they're not hungry, it can cause weight gain because they are more hungry than they should be and so eat to much without realising that's what's happening, because they're just doing exactly what they did before and exactly what's always worked for them in terms of maintaining a healthy weight. Yes counting calories would prevent this, but people who are not obese (prior to taking the medication) and have always maintained a healthy weight without counting calories, aren't going to realise that they've suddenly got to start counting calories because the medication they've just been put on is going to increase their appetite. Increased appetite generally isn't what's listed on the side effects, weight gain is, and there's never any explanation as to why people gain weight on the medication. Obviously someone in that situation is going to blame the medication for their weight gain.

And as for bad habits, it's actually people's good habits that cause them to gain weight on this kind of medication, i.e. the same habits that helped them to maintain a healthy weight before being on the medication, i.e. eating when they're hungry, stopping eating when they're full and not eating when they're not hungry. That good habit doesn't work if medication is screwing up your appetite signals.

People in this situation probably just need someone to explain why the weight gain occurred and suggest that calorie counting while on medication that increases appetite is a really good idea. (i.e. same advice you gave, but without the assumption that it's due to bad eating habits, because that may not be the case)

re the OP - this is a necropost so the OP isn't there, but re phentermine and weight loss pills, for anyone reading this for info about phentermine, if you haven't tried logging food accurately and calculating your daily energy needs (whether through the MFP method or TDEE - x% method) and sticking to your calorie goals, then try that before taking pills etc. Most diets don't work, and even calorie counting will fail if you do the maths wrong, so even if other diets have failed in the past it doesn't mean accurate calorie counting isn't going to work.