Phentermine?

You ave 20 pounds to lose? Don't risk your health for that small of a weight loss. You can lose it in a healthy way in a few months.

Is anyone currently using phentermine in conjunction with their weight loss tracking on MFP? How do you feel? What are your opinions? Success?

My mom took it for a little while, but it made her jittery, so she gave me the rest. I don't like using those on a regular basis. They are fine for just a short term, like a few weeks at the most. But be prepared to be super hungry when it leaves your system.

My Dr put me on that years ago. All it did was keep me awake at night. That's it. You're better off to lose weight the good old fashioned way, move more, eat better and less!

Editing after seeing you wanted to take it to suppress your appetite: When I first started eating 'right' and was hungry, I'd eat just the white of boiled eggs. Eventually you learn if you're truly hungry or not and that you can eat something healthy if you really are. Nuts are a good thing to have too, just watch the portion size. You will learn that if you are eating healthy food that nourishes your body, you wont be hungry. Healthy food generally takes up a LOT of space in your stomach.

Good luck, you can do this!

I took it a couple of summers ago, after gaining a 30lb after a surgery. My doctor said it was not something she would advise to be used long term. I took it and lost 20 lbs in no time, but I stopped losing and then gained it all back after I stopped taking it. It works, but not for long term.

88 lbs really? How tall are you? my daughter is 3 and weighs almost 50 LOL

I personally am not a fan of diet pills but let me share my story and I will TRY to keep it brief...

Background: I am taking the following meds due to a tumor I had I my pituitary gland (which doesnt function any more) - Hydrocortisone (the whole reason I gained weight to begin with), Thyroid Meds (hypothyroidism), and a few others that dont impact weight.

JAN-FEB ish of 2010 is when I got off my butt, signed up for a gym membership started working out 6 days a week started eating evening more healthy then I already was, ate 5 times a day etc. I started at about 182 lbs. I got down to around 164 and hit a plateau for months and months, slowly gained some weight back roughly 175. I got frustrated and decided to try HCG injections which helped, got me down about 164 again but that got too expensive and I eventually plateau'd on that too.. NEVER again will I do HCG due to the hair loss I suffered.

Time went by and I gained my weight back once again, 184.... Then I went to my doctor and he told me about and FDA approved diet pill, Phentermine. YOU CAN ONLY GET THE REAL STUFF VIA A PERSCRIPTION THROUGH A REAL DOCTOR, NOT ONLINE (FYI)... The stuff worked WONDERS for me, I lost all my weight I gained back and then some and I didnt do a damn thing... No gym, no crazy diets, nada.... I am currently 157 and hit once again another plateau on phentermine but thats my fault for not working out.... Not saying it was right or wrong but I worked my butt off for so long I had no desire to continue that with no results so the fact it was coming off all on its own was awesome.

Please keep in mind though, my weight problem is really only perscription related to my pituitary issues, I dont eat un-healthy, rarely eat sweets, no fast food, not an emotional eater nothing like that... So the fact that Phentermine helped me with the meds I am on was a blessing.

The first day or two taking it I felt like I was on crack (not that I know what that feels like), I wasnt shakey or anything just had a ton of energy, that quickly stopped though and I became normal within 3-4 days.... I didnt have any problems sleeping at night or really any major issues taking it. however, I love to cook and my desire for good food all went out the window on Phentermine, I could really careless what I ate while taking it so I guess that was a plus and it helped with portion control.

It has its plus's and minuses and its important to know that is considered a synthetic medical methamphetamine. Your doctor shouldnt perscribe it if you have high blood pressure..

Good Luck with your decision!

I was perscribed these by a doc when I quit smoking and gained a lot of weight.
They surpressed my appetite and then gave me a lot of energy like I was on crack. Than I would get theis euphoric happiness. Than I would crash and feel unbelievably tired. I never took the whole bottle. I had a friend that lost 30 pounds in 2 months on them and then gained 50 pounds over the next 6 months. You can only be on them for a few months and most people end up gaining all the weight back plus some. I don't think they are worth it.

^^THIS!!! Don't do it. They are basically just speed. And they made me cranky as fu@k when I was coming down! Like bite your head off cranky....ughh, never again! I mean crack makes you lose weight too.....doesn't mean it is the right way to lose. And you will most definitely gain it back once you stop 'using'

I have used it and it helped a lot. It gave me the energy and incentive I needed to keep going. Then I didn't have the money to get the pills again so for the next couple of months I did it on my own. It went slower but I still lost some. I think the pill has actually helped me to train my body how to deal with this new healthy life thing. I plan to go back on them this month to get another kick start. It will not be a life long addition to my healthy life style, just a help along the way.
If you start taking them and don't get the side effects that some people do, then use them to lose weight. Then come off and just watch calories and exercise like you did when you were on it. I don't think you will gain the weight back if you realize that you do have to adjust your life style - eating healthy and exercising.

I have had a pretty good experience using Phentermine myself. Besides from a few tolerable side effects ( dry mouth, constipation and insomnia...but i wasent exhausted) it wasent so bad. I have heard bad stories thu so each person on it is different.

When my Dr put me on it in May of this year i was 198 lbs ( im 5ft) and having alot of pain that was weight related. She said you need to lose weight...i said i have no desire...its alot of work and its easier to be fat and just take something for pain4 times a day. She said if i give you something to help jump start , then will you try it for a month with sensable eating and exercise. I figured why not.....It was the best thing i did ....that Dr turned my life around. I took it for 3 months.

In that time i learned on my own what portion control was and i used it religiously and measured ect. I had the desire and energy to exercise 6 days a week. Granted it took most of my appetite away but i made sure i still ate my 3meals and snacks because i just didnt want to lose weight by not eating. I wanted to do it right. Month 1...lost 17lbs...Month2....lost 7 lbs and Month 3...11 lbs......

I will say that when i stopped taking it i had a withdrawel of Extreme tiredness that lasted about a week and i did notice my hunger feelings came back. But, i learned how to deal with them. I then joined MFP and learned about logging etc and i am able to control my eating. I am still losing....a little bit slower than i was and that is ok since it was just for a jump start. So i dont think i will gain my weight back as long as i stick to the plan of taking care of myself and doing it the right way.

Obviously this is not for everyone. But i will never regret taking it because if i didnt i wouldnt be where i am today.

I would say read the side effects, ALL of them and believe that you may experience them. I tried them because my coworker was using them with success but she didn't workout, so I thought since I did workout and was already losing weigh, it would be great! Well, my experience was great but I experienced the jitters, dry mouth, and anxiety. There were times I wanted to cry for no reason. The only way to combat it was to workout. I took a full dose for about 3 weeks and half a pill for about 3 weeks and gave the rest away.

I used it a few years ago and had to quit...heart palpitations..and it didn't work for me anyway.