Phentermine?

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

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    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.
  • Well my current goal is 20 pounds, but according to the BMI calculator, I should be between 88-111 pounds. I am starting out at 151, so I have about 50 pounds to lose to be "healthy". I set my goal to 130 at first to see how I feel :)

    I know it is so unhealthy for you, and I have heard a lot of stories of going off of the medicine and gaining the weight right back. I was hoping to just use it as an appetite supp. while I learn to restrict my calories and eat healthier, but I don't like the way it makes me feel.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    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.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    You could get the same effect from coffee, and you would naturally stop coffee because you would get jittery.


    Thousands of people here on this site have lost 50+ pounds, me included, by heatlhy foods and moderate exercise.

    The problem is, unless you deal with the reasons why you got overweight in the first place, then the Phentermine is just a crutch. Learn about healthy portions of good food, make room in your life for 30 minutes of exercise 3-5 times a week, and deal with your emotional eating, and you won't gain the weight back.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    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!
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    How tall are you?
  • jmedfoster
    jmedfoster Posts: 4 Member
    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.
  • 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.
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
    88 lbs really? How tall are you? my daughter is 3 and weighs almost 50 LOL
  • ErinBeth7
    ErinBeth7 Posts: 1,625 Member
    88 lbs really? How tall are you? my daughter is 3 and weighs almost 50 LOL
    She's 4'8....so maybe that is healthy?
  • Amajoy
    Amajoy Posts: 140 Member
    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!
  • Krizzle4Rizzle
    Krizzle4Rizzle Posts: 2,704 Member
    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.
  • luvJOJO
    luvJOJO Posts: 1,881 Member
    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'
  • laylaness
    laylaness Posts: 262 Member
    It's basically speed, and I don't think doctors are allowed to prescribe it long-term anymore.

    So no, I wouldn't use it.
  • ladyark
    ladyark Posts: 1,101 Member
    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.
  • Thank you everyone! Yes, I am 4 foot 8, so the low weight level is considered healthy for my height. I have some kids at my job that are 10 that are taller than me!

    I have been on it for a week but I have decided to stop using it and just track my intake/outake. It gets my blood pressure high enough to where I feel flushed.I am tired all the time and I feel sick. I start crashing around four and I am still hungry. I guess it just doesn't work the same for everyone.

    I have always been looking for a quick fix, but after researching TONS of diets/fads/medicines, I have decided the only way I will lose it is to do it the right way. It is just hard when people are always in your face saying "oh low carb works wonders", "try cutting out all sugar, it's a miracle", and other people say "oh you need carbs for fuel", etc. I just never know WHAT to believe.

    I do feel like counting calories will help the weight come off, slowly, but surely. My biggest problem is that I get weak an shaky when I don't eat. I think it has something to do with sugar and fast food "withdrawals". It normally lasts for 2-3 weeks after I eat fast food, and then goes away. Once I get passed that stage, I can focus on eating more sensible without shoveling as much sugar junk food down my throat as I can to avoid the feeling that I am going to "pass out". I have had my blood sugar checked, no diabetes, no problems..

    I need to stop making excuses and just do it!
  • kmoore02
    kmoore02 Posts: 167 Member
    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.
  • TeaberryDawn
    TeaberryDawn Posts: 30 Member
    Everyone is different, but I took it about a year ago in conjunction with a program from a weight loss clinic and ended up in the ER with a racing pulse and sky-high blood pressure. I would be cautious, but that is based upon my personal experience. Best wishes!
  • I used it a few years ago and had to quit...heart palpitations..and it didn't work for me anyway.
  • As a nurse I see 10 people on the same drug (ie oycontin) with up to 10 different reactions-ie person 1 will get high blood pressure, person 2 constipation person 3 no pain relief etc
    Those people who put the weight back on probably went back to their old eating habits. It's never going to work if you go back to eating the same foods and the same ways you did when you were fat!
    My friend, who is average weight, wanted to lose 12kg for a wedding-she had put on 10kg while working away on the mines for the summer. She (naughtily!) got the meds off a friend, lost the weight with only a few minor side effects & 8 years later is still the same weight, give or take 2-3kg.
    So it worked for her, but she had been a moderately healthy eater and loved exercise before & only gained the weight as she was not eating normally over 3 months and gained all that weight. So she knew how to eat well.
    But for those who have side effects they don't like, or dangerous side effetcs-don't take it!
  • NOT A GOOD IDEA!!!!! Diet and exercise may be " old fashioned" but it's the way for life. Stick with what is doable for life! There are always side effects to substances that are foreign to our body.
  • tvaddict101
    tvaddict101 Posts: 10 Member
    I love, love, love Phentermine. I took it for about a year and lost over 50 pounds. The sleeplessness is managable as long as you just take them in the morning. Before Phentermine, I wanted to eat ALL the time - the pills just removed my obsession with eating. I would eat when I was hungry and only eat enough so I was full, even leaving food on my plate (which was a new thing for me!). Because I took it for such a long time, the new eating habits stuck afterwards, so I kept the weight off for about 4 years after stopping the drugs.

    But. When I ended up in a really stressful busy job, where I was at the office from 7.30am to 8pm many days and there was a cafe on site, I slowly lost the good eating habits and started eating constantly again. I recognise now that this is an eating pattern/trigger I have when I have too much to do at work and am stressed. So, I would suggest you keep going with the phentermine, even at a lower dose if that works, so it's easier for you to reset your habits, while also doing some work on your motivations for over-eating in the first place (if over-eating is what caused you to be overweight, as it was for me). I regained the weight back and I have become tolerant to Phentermine, so it's no longer an option for me.

    Loving MFP though - keeping a food diary (even while on the pills) always really helps me stay on track.
    Hope that's of some help :)
  • 25. Phentermine?
    1 month ago by cmriverside
    You could get the same effect from coffee, and you would naturally stop coffee because you would get jittery. Thousands of people here on this site have lost 50+ pounds, me included, by heatlhy foods and moderate exercise. The problem is, unless you deal with the reasons why you got overweight in the first place, then the Phentermine is just a crutch. Learn about healthy portions of good food, make room in your life for 30 minutes of exercise 3-5 times a week, and deal with your emotion...



    Phentermine is nothing like coffee...not even close, not a bright comparison
  • Moosycakes
    Moosycakes Posts: 258 Member
    Hmmm... I wouldn't trust diet pills if I were you.

    Just go slow and healthy :) You don't have too much weight to lose!
  • I am currently taking Phentermine short term. I have no problem admitting I am still learning to care about myself and make my health a priority and it's tough for me but I know it can be done 'naturally' because I read all the success stories here.....I am not encouraging you to take it, just sharing my experience. Because of my weight and limited ability to exercise effectively without doing more harm than good my health care professional prescribed it for me as a 'jump start'. I have lost 30 pounds in just over 3 months. The day I started taking the medication I also cleared my house of junk food and started exercising. When I go back in 6 weeks for a weigh in and blood work I am coming off the medication. I am able now to exercise more and with my lifestyle change I fully expect to keep losing on my own. Luckily I had no existing health issues that prevented me from taking Phentermine and dry mouth has been my only adverse effect.
  • Good for you! I just got on it 3 weeks ago as well. I had dieted and exercised for 2 years with no results. I lost 9 poinds in my first 13 days, but I have not lost any this last week,,, did your weight loss pattern resemble this? I am also having trouble getting a deep breath and yawning... I am calling my doctor tomorrow. I just don't know if it is the bad cotton allergies here or the phentermine. I have done this in the past without phentermine, but I have read about others having this problem due to phentermine? Any info you have on the weightloss and breathing would be greatly appreciated.
  • rlalig
    rlalig Posts: 8 Member
    I am currently taking Phentermine in conjunction with exercise and tracking caloric intake on MFP. I am finding this to be very helpful at jump-starting my weight loss in helping me get back on track to a healthier lifestyle. I have been taking it for 8.5 weeks and have dropped 16.5 lb, which is my halfway mark to my total weight loss goal! I feel great and have more energy than I have in a long time, partly due to the medicine itself, but also because I am adding more exercise and healthier food choices to my daily/weekly routines. I am finally back into jeans/clothes I have not been able to wear for quite sometime while I was stuck in a rut.

    Phentermine is certainly not for everyone, but my experience has been very positive and I would definitely recommend using, or at least giving it a shot to work if you need that little boost that I did. I plan to use the medicine until I reach my goal weight, then taper off and maintain my healthier lifestyle that Phentermine has allowed me to create.
  • mgalsf12
    mgalsf12 Posts: 350 Member
    Ignore the BMI charts and stay away from diet pills. Think health. It's all about changing your habits for the rest of your life. How tall are you? 88 lbs sounds like what you should weight if you are 12 or 13...not if you are a woman.
  • ThorneDust
    ThorneDust Posts: 189 Member
    I took it in conjunction with HCG shots before I got pregnant with my daughter, lost about 80 ish lbs. Developed a resting heart rate of over 100. That is very problematic. Also, when I came off of them, it all came back. (Granted I was preggo, but still). So my advise is don't do it. Anything that messes with your heart, that's serious stuff.
  • ILoveTheBrowns
    ILoveTheBrowns Posts: 661 Member
    hard work and dedication will make you lose weight just as fast.......all "speed" does is give you energy to go after it.....determination does the same thing without the side effects