How long does it take phentermine to work?

13

Replies

  • jeannevdl
    jeannevdl Posts: 33
    Hi

    I started taking Duromine 30mg yesterday. My BMI doesn't fall in the 'overweight' class, thus my doctor only gave me a one month prescription.

    I haven't weighed myself yet, postponing that to next Saturday, but I have lost about 4cm off of my waist. I'm not even sure how that's physically possible but I guess I will see.

    One thing I need to mention, and NB, is that I spent about 2 months researching this and deciding what I will do and how. To get maximum results I combined 3 workouts, which takes about 90 minutes to complete a day. This is a mixture of muscle building, slimming and fat loss workouts. I have been up and down with weight all my life, being 20 and in university now, I weigh 65 and 1,66m.

    Weight in 2008: 78
    Weight in 2010:68
    Weight in 2012: 57
    Weight in 2013: 68
    Weight in Feb 2014: 65
    Goal weight: 56-58

    I'm a driven person and won't recommend Duromine to a person who isn't willing to put everything in to get to their goal. I.e. Exercise & eating healthy. Also don't do this if you aren't willing to keep on exercising and eating healthy after duromine. Diets are temporary and a healthy lifestyle is long-term.

    The health pyramid is bottom:eating, middle: exercise, top: water.
  • So, everyone else shared...I will too.

    5'3", 195lbs when the day I went to the doc. I have struggled with weight ever since my second pregnancy, more years ago than I care to admit. Had some pretty important health issues (not related to weight) and lost and gained it all back over time. I struggle with exercise due to some restrictions, and having severe iron deficiency anemia from my periods. Spent the last year getting iron infused each week via IV line.

    I had the Breath Metabolism Rate test that said I actually have a very high metabolism and doc said I was clearly not getting enough calories. After using the fitnesspal app for some time, I know I was eating about 1,000-1,200 calories a day and was able to get back down to about 183. But I was stuck there, for a year. Doc put me on a 1600 calorie diet (normal diet would be nearly 3k!). I aimed for 1800 calories on exercise days. I quickly gained that weight back and proceeded further.

    Just started phentermine on Saturday. Down 7 lbs already. Struggling to get even 1,000 calories a day. So I'm sure I'm just starving really - but I'm (mostly) not hungry. Also, I have some added energy since having an ablation for the periods and adding the phentermine. I was disappointed that on day 3 I felt starving in my gut, but I wanted to vomit at the thought of putting food in my mouth. I guess it takes a while for you to adjust to it, but as long as the weight keeps coming off I'll figure out how to deal. My biggest problem is that if I don't eat enough throughout the day, my stomach hurts horribly at night and makes me nauseous.

    I have learned that I do best at weight loss when I eat frequently throughout the day, no matter how many calories I seem to take in. As long as I spread them out. Its very hard to do with the Phentermine though.

    Oh, and my prescription plan paid .98 of the $3.00 prescription for me. I was surprised.
  • Junebuggyzy
    Junebuggyzy Posts: 345 Member
    Wow, that's a good prescription plan! My prescription insurance plan, Medco, never paid for it. What prescription plan do you have?
    You should feel better in a few days. The not wanting to eat thing doesn't last long. It lasts about as long as not being able to sleep. If you stop taking it and start again a few months later, it will be much different. You won't have any of these side effects for some reason.
  • Well I took phentermine two years ago and dropped 15 pounds in my first month with absolutely no exercise other than my job as a waitress. I then got married and stopped working and stopped taking the phentermine as it was 100.00 per perscription and over two years gained back 60 pounds. My Dr.prescribed topimax for me and I refused to take it because of the side effects. However I have started taking phentermine again yesterday and I do zumba 5 days a week. My Goal is to loose 60 pounds by October 31 2014.
  • KarenE86
    KarenE86 Posts: 75 Member
    My doctor put me on phentermine 2 weeks ago and I immediately noticed a difference in how hungry I was. It doesn't make me not want to eat at all, just helps me be satisfied with the amount of food that I am eating and has really helped cut down cravings.

    You'll get a lot of negative responses on here but do whats best for you. For me, my doctor and I discussed this option and came to the conclusion to do it to help adjust with portion control. Get them from a doctor and discuss any side effects you may be having with the doctor. If you are feeling jittery and having trouble sleeping, they can reduce the dosage.
  • tmyers541
    tmyers541 Posts: 53 Member
    Was on it for a whole year. If I hadn't gotten pregnant I would have quit taking them on my own. I was turning into a horrible person, cranky all the time with the shortest temper I have ever had in my life. The dry mouth/bad breath was driving me crazy the whole time. Was having bad heart palpitations and felt like I was going to pass out at work (was working 12 hour shifts at a hospital). The weight loss was about 40 pounds. Towards the last month (right around the time I got pregnant) I wasn't taking it consistently and was already gaining weight back. I don't think I'll ever take it again.
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
    What happens when you go off Phen?

    Were you taught proper portion control and how to count calories while on it?

    If not (which is mostly the case), how do you stop from going back to your old habits?
  • Junebuggyzy
    Junebuggyzy Posts: 345 Member
    DM, going off Phen is difficult. The doctor I am seeing now weans patients off of it for six months. I am really glad.

    The problem when I took it before, was exactly as you said. I went right back to my bad eating habits. Also, I never counted calories before. Now I am logging my food into this site, and my exercise. It really helps!

    I want to keep the good healthy eating when I go off of it. Six months weaning off of it will make it much easier.
  • For me it took effect immediately. we were on our way to lunch and i must say i was terribly excited about it and i hardly ate at lunch. i was worried i was just excited and that it would wear off and i would be just as i was before, but the effects on me were super! i love phen...i do get headaches if i don't drink water, but it's not an issue bc i love water and even if you don't you will be thirsty and will have to drink tons! Carry water everywhere you go, that's my addiction on phen. it makes me feel great, euphoric, never moody (like pills of hydroxycut get me crazy! i only take 1/2 or 1 pill of those when i am NOT taking phen). I don't drink coffee when on phen bc i hear that decreases it's effect. I lost 14 pounds the first month was on it for 4 months and lost over 50 pounds (baby weight). i maintained the weight well until the holidays and other things like my mother in law coming to visit and cooking the most awesome creamy goodness soooo so now i am back on it for round two and am so confident in it working for me i am on cloud 9. i am a usual heavy coffee drinker and caffeine person that i don't mind the extra energy, i don't feel jittery i just feel like let's go let's get it done. this helps me get my work done too especially now with this busy time. Some history, i have taken pretty much everything in the past Merida several years ago and that worked very well for me, i have taken Ephedrine 9CHinese herb) and let me tell you me and chinese herbs by any means do NOT mix, those made me feel awful, depressive and crying so weird. After that i stay away from all chinese herbals! I have even tried CoQ10 and am very sensitive to that as well it makes me a little depressed as well. So, this phentermine i cannot say enough great things about...my main side effect is only dry mouth. It definitely curbs my appetite, some days i "forget"to eat lol but i do have a small meal. Other than a little excited feeling & the energy, i am great! Best of luck to all!
  • Delightful_one
    Delightful_one Posts: 4 Member
    I had a pretty bad car wreck and due to an injury I gained almost 30 lbs. Phentermine is a tool but is not meant to be the solution. I have been taking it for 2 mths and started out at 178 and now weight 148. I lost 15 lbs first month and 15 lbs second month. I am under doctor supervision and weight in monthly. Different people will have different results but there are a couple of things to keep in mind while on this diet. You have to drink 60 ounces of water minimum per day and keep your calories up enough to maintain energy because if you don't eat enough or drink enough you will stop losing weight and you will be exhausted. I am on 800-1200 calories per day but if I work out hard I have to make sure to bring in more calories like 1,000-1,200 depending on how many calories I burn. If you exercise and burn too much of your fuel you will feel terrible. If you don't drink enough you will be dehydrated (dry mouth) and you will lose little to nothing or possibly gain a lb as your body is holding onto any water in your body. I carry cold water with me everywhere I go. I do count my calories (every bite that goes into my mouth). I eat every 3 hrs. and I do weigh in a lot. I try to avoid anything other than water and the occasional cup of coffee which I never finish. I do have an appetite but at first I did not. I had to set my clock to go off every 3 hrs to remind myself to eat. Even if it's only a few bites it will keep your body from going into starvation mode. In the beginning if I didn't get enough calories I would feel terrible and then eat something and would immediately better. I have evened out more and don't feel like that any longer. This is the start of my 3rd month so I will cut down next week to half a pill or every other day but once I wean myself off I will maintain my exercise schedule and continue to eat healthy. Portion control is very important and I've taught myself to eat much better. Try to stay away from breads, sugars, starches, etc. and you should be okay. Obviously you can't eat what you ate before and expect different results. I posted this to help others as I see so many questions on here and people wandering what went wrong. I had to test different things to get it right. Whether or not your doing it naturally or using Phen (I've done both and have previously been very successful on Atkins or Atkins like diets and kept it off) but unfortunately being injured left me unable to do much until recently. I still have a lot of pain from 4 bulging discs but I exercise regularly and take a Zumba and Hip Hop class which makes me drip sweat but it's high impact. I love it though. I feel so much better and I am no longer Pre-Diabetic. Don't judge me for taking Phen to help me get started as I have my own struggles and this is what I needed. I'm not trying to tell anyone how to do what they do just trying to assist those that are struggling and looking for help.
  • Alissakae
    Alissakae Posts: 317 Member
    If you watch your calories and exercise you will lose weight, Phen or no Phen. :)
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Heh, you're taking snake oil?

    Good luck with that.
  • lmsarbach
    lmsarbach Posts: 1
    Allissake, genetics plays a key role in ones weight as well. So sometimes diet and exercise is not all that is needed to lose weight. I lost 20 lbs on diet and exercise but took me a 10 months!! My doctor prescribed a low dose of Phen to curb my appetite in the evening and I lost 10 more pounds over the next 2 months.
  • hearthwood
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
    Another snake oil product, designed specifically to remove money from your wallet, via the Pharm industry. This one designed to supposedly keep you from getting hungry. So you're basically getting injected with who knows what that came out of some chemists bottle, for profit. They must have killed a thousand mice to come up with this concoction lol.

    Weight loss is nothing more than calories in versus calories out. Eat less move more, and no one as yet has figured out how to sell that concept yet. Why? Because it's a tough solution, but it's the only one that works. There is no such thing as losing weight without getting hungry. You're not going to go from eating 3000 plus calories a day to less than half of that without getting hungry.
  • KettyLoyd
    KettyLoyd Posts: 51
    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.
    You are correct. Nothing can do anything. You have to do all exercises and diet maintenance, if you want to lose weight.
  • Junebuggyzy
    Junebuggyzy Posts: 345 Member
    I can understand your feeling about diet and exercise being all that is needed. That is the truth, you are 100% correct. But it kind of reminds me of an investment banker that I asked to explain stocks to me. He said "Buy low, sell high,"

    I had a doctor that said "You should cut down your calories and exercise more." I wonder how many obese people have heard their doctors say that time and time again.

    Some of us want help. Some of us want a crutch. Some people get surgery to lose weight. Are they wrong? I don't know. That is what they choose to do, and if it works, it works.

    When I quit smoking 14 years ago, I had people on a forum like this chide me that I didn't do it the right way. They said I would never be able to quit if I didn't go cold turkey, the only real way to quit smoking. The drugs I used were Zyban, the patch, and the gum. I did it wrong, but it worked for me.

    Just checking back in here. I am still taking Phentermine under a doctor's care. She is a Bariatric Physician, very well versed in nutrition, and very helpful. She also added Bontril once a day for me.

    So here I am after 5 months. Still taking Phentermine. And 36 pounds lighter, eating healthy, and logging my food and exercise. Am I doing it the wrong way? Maybe so. But it's working for me.
  • pabissta
    pabissta Posts: 1 Member
    That is wonderful. I started taking it June 18. I go back to the doctor tomorrow for a one month follow-up. I know I have lost, and I can't wait to see how much. This has helped me a lot with energy and portion control. I am glad to hear that it is still working for you.
  • I've been on Phentermine two months now, and I've lost 45 lbs. I can exercise more. I can clean my who;e house without stopping. I can play with my stepson. I can do so much more and I can control what I put in my body. So Happy!!!!
  • Lizchan wrote: »
    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.

  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    For me, the appetite reduction happened the first day.
    It was so amazing, and welcome. I wasn't hungry ALL THE TIME any more.
    (And yes, that's what it was like, capitol letters and all.)

    The weight loss comes more slowly, from eating fewer calories than your body needs, just as if you weren't getting help in the appetite department.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    Interesting how many 1-post wonders are on this thread (and many of them don't know how to use the return key to create paragraphs to make their "testimonial" readable),

    and also how many people are popping in not to answer the question, but to criticize the OP's choices, obviously made in consultation with a doctor, about what is right for her in her situation.
    dbmata wrote:
    Heh, you're taking snake oil?
    Good luck with that.
    ck wrote:
    I fail to understand how taking one drug to "fix" what another did can do anything but cause more damage and further screw things up.
    I don't buy into diet pills
    Eat at a defecit a.nd u will lose.
    I encourage you to stop taking those pills if you can.
    If you don't want or need to use every tool available to lose weight, then don't.
    It's your choice.
    But would you tell someone who's in pain not to take tylenol (or morphine, depending)?
    Of course not.
    For someone who's constantly hungry, an appetite-control medicine is a wonderful, amazing aid, allowing them to learn to eat healthy portions and reset their hunger mechanism.

    It's true that eating fewer calories than your body needs results in weight loss.
    An appetite suppressant allows people who use it to do exactly that.
    It's not magic, it won't cause weight loss, it only helps control appetite.
    hearthwood wrote:
    Another snake oil product, designed specifically to remove money from your wallet, via the Pharm industry. This one designed to supposedly keep you from getting hungry. So you're basically getting injected with who knows what that came out of some chemists bottle, for profit
    You're showing your ignorance, but thank you - people will see that & ignore what you say.
    It is an appetite suppressant, and wouldn't be approved for human use if it had been found to be dangerous or ineffective.
    And it's not an injection.
    And the contents are known.
    asha wrote:
    what time of day should I take them
    Early in the day, like with breakfast or at your midmorning break, because for some people there is a stimulant effect, and you don't want it to keep you awake. If you take it midmorning, the appetite lowering effect would cover lunch, dinner, and all afternoon, maybe a little into the evening.
    lisa wrote:
    where is everyone getting it from
    My pharmacy, with a prescription from my doctor.
    june wrote:
    going off Phen is difficult. The doctor I am seeing now weans patients off of it for six months
    Bologna.
    I had no problem stopping using the medicine. When I decided I wanted to do it, I skipped a dose if I'd lost weight the day before and took a dose if I didn't lose weight. Eventually, after maybe 3 weeks, I realized I wasn't taking it at all. I'm still losing weight, and am appropriately hungry.
    You have to drink 60 ounces of water minimum per day
    Bologna.
    That's a good idea anyway, but not due to the medicine.
    jenny wrote:
    I've been on Phentermine two months now, and I've lost 45 lbs
    How fat were you when you started? Because the only people who lose 5 lb a week (healthfully) are the ones who start off morbidly obese, the ones TV shows are made about, the ones who have to be tended to because they can't do anything for themselves, even clean up after peeing.
    (So in part they got fat because of their family, or whoever is feeding them, since they can't get food on their own. Very sad.)


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  • jacqueline7599
    jacqueline7599 Posts: 159 Member
    I lost 8lbs first month. After that nothing. I haven't lost 1 lb since. That was in Aug. My thyroid sucks but right above where they will give me pills. I have no energy at all. The pill hasn't helped me with energy either. I also take b12 shots. Nothing doesn't help one bit. I feel I'm a lost cause at this point.
  • adamitri
    adamitri Posts: 614 Member
    How does Phen help with learning portion control? It lowers your appetite but when you come off of it wouldn't your appetite just come straight back?
  • jimjim111
    jimjim111 Posts: 5 Member
    edited May 2015
    Hello, I'm 279 lbs and wanna lose weight quickly. Will phentermine help me?
    I'm really confused cos there are a lot of negative testimonials.
  • debsdoingthis
    debsdoingthis Posts: 454 Member
    I took phentermine years ago. I does curb your appetite. It also causes dry mouth, heart palpitations, causes sleeplessness. It DOES NOT teach you how to eat wisely. If you haven't mastered portion control you run the great risk of just going back to your old ways and regaining every single pound. I think we all want to see results quickly, but honestly the best thing you can do for your health is lose more slowly while you adapt better, long term, sustainable good eating habits. Start by using the calculator to figure out your TDEE and cut back about 20%.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    jimjim111 wrote: »
    Hello, I'm 279 lbs and wanna lose weight quickly. Will phentermine help me?
    I'm really confused cos there are a lot of negative testimonials.

    Cocaine will help you lose weight fast. It should have basically the same negative testimonials as phentermine does, with the one exception of legality. At 279 lb you should not have a problem dropping weight quickly if you use the calculator and start counting calories accurately. Why not try that before you resort to amphetamines?
  • allenpriest
    allenpriest Posts: 1,102 Member
    jimjim111 wrote: »
    Hello, I'm 279 lbs and wanna lose weight quickly. Will phentermine help me?
    I'm really confused cos there are a lot of negative testimonials.

    You didn't gain the weight quickly and you won't lose it quickly. You have to change your lifestyle to keep it off. Trying for a quick fix usually means you want to find an easy way that allows you to keep doing what you were doing. And yhat doesn't work long term.
  • UncertifiedBigGirl
    UncertifiedBigGirl Posts: 45 Member
    edited May 2015
    Why so many rude post? Clearly a lot of people are unhappy and it has nothing to do with their weight.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    edited May 2015
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    resurrect the dead
  • Tonibadr
    Tonibadr Posts: 6 Member
    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.
    . It does nothing for me energy wise either , I have NO side affects what-so-ever .. It didn't even help me the first