Anyone taking Adipex (Phentermine)?

tromero82
tromero82 Posts: 10
edited October 10 in Introduce Yourself
Hi I am still new to this site, but started my weight loss in September of this year. I have been taking phentermine since Sept 14th and I have had great sucess so far. However I am really trying to change my lifestyle through diet and exercise while I have the help of the diet pill. I have heard mixed views about this drug and I was really hoping to find some people who are in the same boat as I am with this. I have been working out and dieting with the help of phentermine for 11 wks and 2 days as of today (11/24/10) I have lost 39 pounds and a ton of inches. I know that's a lot in a short time but I have cut back my calorie intake to 1200 - 1500 a day and coming from eating like 4000 - 5000 a day, that's pretty extreme! AndI have a treadmill that I walk on daily for 45 -60 minutes, with 3 pound weights at 3.5 mph. I have a heart rate moniter to count calories and I make sure I eat regularly and as healthy as I can. So I am not starving myself because of the pills. I was hoping some of ya'll may have had good results with the phentermine if making some changes like this as well? I would love to have some 'accountablity friends' who are going through the same thing. Thanks for reading this.

I'm 27 years old
starting weight 204
current weight 165
height 5'6"
goal weight 140
plus I have 2 toddlers for added exercise! LOL
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Replies

  • The amount of diet and exercise you are getting is great, but everybody I have ever know that has used diet pills has gained all of the weight back after they stopped taking them. Because of your diet and exercise, you probably won't gain it all back, but I would be prepared to gain some back after you stop taking them. I personally stay away from that kind of stuff.
  • My experience was that once I stopped taking it, I gained the weight back gradually. I hope that doesn't happen to you!
  • skeeter230
    skeeter230 Posts: 7 Member
    I took this several years ago. While your taking it the weight falls off, but as soon as you stop you gain it all back and more. Its not good for you either. I would just use this site it really works.
  • ckmama
    ckmama Posts: 1,668 Member
    Same here. Sucks to say, but gained it all back when stopped taking it, and more.
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    phentermine is basically an amphetamine so it can totally screw your metabolic rate up. Do not just stop it, wean your dose down slowly and look up methods to boost your metabolic rate. Body building forums would be able to help you with that. If you do it correctly you should be able to avoid the weight gain when you stop and with what you are learning as regards your diet and exercise you should be able to keep it off.

    Good luck
  • Caperfae
    Caperfae Posts: 433
    Welcome to MFP.
    Personally I'm not a fan of diet pills. I's a quick temporary fix to a weight issue and the only people who benefit long term are the manufacturers.
    Not dogging you for taking them though.
    Like others with similar experience have stated, expect to gain when you stop and let that motivate you to lose the good old fashioned way with the help of proper foods and physical activity. That's the best way .. a lifestyle change.

    All the best!
  • mamacremers
    mamacremers Posts: 183 Member
    I'm taking Phen too. I'm on my last month of it. I started in June at 207 and I'm down to 164. My loss was much more gradual than yours, but my intake was about half yours was when I wasn't taking it. I'm also taking in 1200-1400 calories and trying to work out but it's difficult because I have two kids and my hubby travels for work. I usually only end up going 3 times a week.

    Watch out, there are a lot of Phen HATERS out there. Most say they gained it all back when they went off it and I'm determined that isn't going to happen to me. Others say that the stuff is TERRIBLE and its going to make you sick. I think they all just used the pill to help them stop eating, lost all the weight and gained it all back when they stopped taking the pill because they didn't change their habits.

    My thoughts on it are that one just has to be careful and the phen is a HELPER and one has to completely change their lifestyle when they are trying to drop the pounds. I don't plan to go back to my old eating habits once i'm off. I plan to keep my current habits and MAINTAIN my weight. I CAN'T WAIT to post to all the Phen haters in 6 months that I haven't gained any of the weight back. I put the weight on because I was eating whatever I want and not exercising. Now that I'm older, I can't eat whatever I want and I NEED to exercise, I plan to keep it up forever.

    My goal is to hit 150 by Christmas, with a mini goal right now of 160 by Dec. 1.
  • I am not a fan of diet pills. I have stayed away from the ones with phen in the name and ephedra, because they simply scare me. But, if you do decide to stop taking them make sure you continue to diet and exercise to keep the weight off.
  • CharityD
    CharityD Posts: 193
    I think it's OK as long as you are making lifestyle changes at the same time. But it can be a crutch-so be careful! I occasionally use them (like around TOM) and have gone through one 30 day supply in a year. So I don't think that's bad at all! Good luck.
  • My experience may be a little different than others. Taking Phentermine as part of a medically-supervised weight-loss plan. For what it's worth, the docs only "do" phentermine 3 months at a time because the body becomes accustomed to it. Only been doing this for three months so don't know what happens next. Probably be taken off it next week when I check in. Lost about 20 lbs so far...but a looong way to go. They assure me that with the life-style changes and exercise (which sounds pretty much like what you're doing), I "shouldn't" gain it back. Some things, like my after-work monster martini are gone forever, I'm afraid. My docs echo mamacremers comment...Phentermine is NOT Phen-fen. Part of the combination, true, but the bad juu-juu part has been taken off the market. As with most drugs like this, safe if not abused, I reckon. Good luck.
  • to:
    mamacremers
    this will be my last month too. they are supposed to be on 3 months and off 1 but i am really going to try to be off for good! im just affraid that with what everyone is saying about gaining the weight back, i'm going to start gaining and freak out and get back on them. I DO NOT WANT TO BE ON THESE PILLS LONG TERM but i feel like i have really changed my lifestyle and i am going to do the best i can to keep it changed. thank you very much, its nice to know someone is trying this also and please do let me know how it goes!

    and thank you all for your advise, i hope my efforts are enough to keep the weight off without the pills.
  • mamacremers
    mamacremers Posts: 183 Member
    My experience may be a little different than others. Taking Phentermine as part of a medically-supervised weight-loss plan. For what it's worth, the docs only "do" phentermine 3 months at a time because the body becomes accustomed to it. Only been doing this for three months so don't know what happens next. Probably be taken off it next week when I check in. Lost about 20 lbs so far...but a looong way to go. They assure me that with the life-style changes and exercise (which sounds pretty much like what you're doing), I "shouldn't" gain it back. Some things, like my after-work monster martini are gone forever, I'm afraid. My docs echo mamacremers comment...Phentermine is NOT Phen-fen. Part of the combination, true, but the bad juu-juu part has been taken off the market. As with most drugs like this, safe if not abused, I reckon. Good luck.

    YES, safe if not abused. I've been on it for 6, the max my doc will let me do. i'm going to wean myself slowly off it this month, hopefully to help my metabolism, like someone else suggested on this thread. Doc says I don't need to, but i'm going to anyway. That'll also make them last just a little longer and hopefully I can reach my goal. Glad to see another Phen non-hater!
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member

    YES, safe if not abused. I've been on it for 6, the max my doc will let me do. i'm going to wean myself slowly off it this month, hopefully to help my metabolism, like someone else suggested on this thread. Doc says I don't need to, but i'm going to anyway. That'll also make them last just a little longer and hopefully I can reach my goal. Glad to see another Phen non-hater!


    Have a look on body builder forums for how they boost their metabolic rates, also look up refeeding...bodybuilders and those on very low calorie diets do it to boost their metabolic rate.

    I'm not exactly a fan of diet pills but I would hate to see people fail partly because its expected and partly because theyre not aware of how these tablets work.

    Remember the better eating habits you have discovered and the weight should stay off!
  • dpulum
    dpulum Posts: 10 Member
    Hi! I just started taking Adipex. I've been on it for a week and only take a half of a pill a day or else I can't sleep. I have 3 friends that have taken it at various times and they all did well on it and have kept the weight off for a couple of years, which was why I looked into it. I'm doing it along with sticking to a 1200 calorie diet to get started.

    I appreciate the suggestions about methods of boosting metabolism for when I'm ready to come off of it, I'm only going to take it for 3 months plan to come off of it at that point.

    Tina
  • I gained weight again after stop taking Adipex. Definitely Phentermine is not the solution for long term diet.
  • I am also taking Adipex and in a couple of days I will be off it for a month. While on adipex I have completely changed my lifestyle. I no longer eat junk food and I exercise every day. While I feel that the pill has helped me lose the weight I also feel that exercising and counting my calories has helped tremoundously. I must admit that I am nervous that i might gain the weight back after i stop taking the pill but i think I will keep it off if i continue doing what i am doing now. Good luck and thanks for all the help information.
  • _jayciemarie_
    _jayciemarie_ Posts: 574 Member
    Hi I am still new to this site, but started my weight loss in September of this year. I have been taking phentermine since Sept 14th and I have had great sucess so far. However I am really trying to change my lifestyle through diet and exercise while I have the help of the diet pill. I have heard mixed views about this drug and I was really hoping to find some people who are in the same boat as I am with this. I have been working out and dieting with the help of phentermine for 11 wks and 2 days as of today (11/24/10) I have lost 39 pounds and a ton of inches. I know that's a lot in a short time but I have cut back my calorie intake to 1200 - 1500 a day and coming from eating like 4000 - 5000 a day, that's pretty extreme! AndI have a treadmill that I walk on daily for 45 -60 minutes, with 3 pound weights at 3.5 mph. I have a heart rate moniter to count calories and I make sure I eat regularly and as healthy as I can. So I am not starving myself because of the pills. I was hoping some of ya'll may have had good results with the phentermine if making some changes like this as well? I would love to have some 'accountablity friends' who are going through the same thing. Thanks for reading this.

    I'm 27 years old
    starting weight 204
    current weight 165
    height 5'6"
    goal weight 140
    plus I have 2 toddlers for added exercise! LOL

    Your daily routine is going to help you once you are off the drug. You have to build a healthy lifestyle if you want ANY weightloss program to work. People that get surgeries or do fads gain the weight back because they want an easy fix that they don't have to work for. Heck--we all want what we want when we want it without working for it. I think you are doing the right thing.
  • rosietown54
    rosietown54 Posts: 5 Member
    like wise here, gain back and then some..Just plain reducing calories and exercise is helping me now..
    :smile:
  • Emj30135
    Emj30135 Posts: 62 Member
    I don't know if anyone is still reading this post since the person who wrote this wrote it 3 years ago. I just wanted to put my input about Adipex on here. I have taken Adipex on and off for the past 5 years. The reasons why are: The first time I weighed 205 lbs. (I am 5'4) and I wanted to loose weight but wasn't motivated. Adipex really helped motivate me and helped me to be more conscious about what I was eating. I learned how to write down what I was eating each day and count calories and exercise right. I ended up losing 55 Lbs. and when I got down to 150 I got pregnant. Then during my pregnancy I stopped working out and ate what I wanted to and I gained it all back. After my pregnancy I went back on them and lost even more weight than before I had my son. I got down to 133 lbs!!!! THEN, (lol) over time I stopped working out and being so strict on what I ate and I leveled out at 160 Lbs. I then got pregnant again and at the end of this past pregnancy weighed 215!!! The most I've ever been! I just recently started Adipex again and I started out at 200 (after loosing 15 of it that I gained from pregnancy) and currently I am 184. My goal is 130. I have 2 more months and then I will be going off of Adipex for a while and then on one more time until I achieve my goal and then I have NO desire to go back on Adipex ever again! It IS a great tool to motivate you and to help you to have energy and not be as hungry, but what I've learned from gaining and losing, gaining and losing is that you have to make a LIFESTYLE change and work out and eat right for the rest of your life. It's not about a diet, it's about being healthy and if you do that you will lose the weight you want and then maintain!! Good luck to everyone who is going this route but if you can do it on your own, I would recommend doing that b/c diet pills can become addictive and you will feel like you can't lose weight without them. If you try it without them to begin with you will have faith in yourself to do it on your own. :)
  • I am currently taking them for two weeks now. I've dropped 12 pounds thus far. I've been following the recommended diet with 1200 to 1500 calories but thinking to follow the weight watchers model after my second prescription. I want to change my lifestyle habits but need the phentermine boost to get me going. I started Nov. 5 at 238lbs., I'm at 226lbs. I haven't begun exercising just yet.
  • nbg127
    nbg127 Posts: 9 Member
    So I used diethylpropion (milder appetite suppressant) last nov, dec, jan to shed 45lbs (started at 225lbs). I changed my diet and added exercise. I maintained my weight within 8 lbs and over the summer. I now see a bariatric doc who suggested I try phentermine after difficult starts to try to lose the remaining weight. I am now within 16lbs of my goal (bmi of 24.9)- can't wait to be in the normal weight range. I know I can maintain with no problem. These tablets just help turn off the constant hunger and desire for food. I have zero side effects and definitely not addicted- if someone is monitored by a doctor after spending a lifetime of dieting and exercise, then why judge. I am healthier now than I have been my whole life after jumping from one diet to the next and obsessing about weight. I support anyone who can find their own fix to this problem.
  • I just started taking Phentermine today and the advice in this thread will be very helpful. I am starting out at 240 and I hope to eventually get back to 150. Just to get below 200 would be fantastic for me, as I have arthritis and will need a knee replacement in the next few years. Doc won't do the surgery if you're obese and because my knee restricts what exercises I can do, it's been extremely difficult to lose any weight.
  • Jenmeg1978
    Jenmeg1978 Posts: 3 Member
    How often does everyone take the adipex? Well i like to split my doses in half and take half in the morning and half before dinner. IT really helped my cravings after dinner before bed. but i was starting to think maybe i could take half in the am ,half at lunch and half at dinner and maybe that dose in the middle will help against my cravings that i have late afternoon and quit my temptations of stopping at the gas station after work and getting junk. I have like a secret obsession, i will stop at the gas station and often get a pop and a king size candy bar for the drive home. any suggestions? I did lose alot but lately i have gotten of the wagon and really struggling to climb back on
  • I started taking Phentermine on October 2 of this year, my starting weight was 192 at 5'7" The heaviest I have ever been not pregnant. I have always maintained a weight of no more than about 135-140 lbs and a size 4/5. I have always been very active and worked out regularly. About two years ago I noticed I was not maintaining that weight and started to gain, maybe due to the fact that I was getting closer to 40! I am not a big eater, no carbonated drinks but I LOVE LOVE LOVE sweets and junk food. I would not deny that I was addicted to sugar. On my first follow up visit on November 6'th, I weighed in at 165... 27 lbs lost in just about 5 weeks. The Dr. was surprised and told me that was a lot, and suggested I cut my work outs down to about 3 per week. During those 5 weeks, I worked out 7 days a week, eliminated all EXTRA sugar from my diet.. That was no junk, candy, cookies, cake etc. I don't drink Cokes so that was not a problem for me. I tried to maintain a caloric intake of 1200 per day, as I stated before I am not a big eater so even that was a lot for me. I added more fruits to my diet, when I craved the sugar, and that lasted about 10 days. Currently I weight 159 and am due for another follow up on Dec 2. My goal weight is 145. I have had no major side affects other than the desire to want to drink water all the time. Like Jenmeg1978, I take 1/2 in the a.m at 10.. after my breakfast (8), I eat lunch at noon and I take the other 1/2 around 3:30. This works for me, I never feel hungry and it allows me to have my dinner in the evening without over consuming calories. This for anyone who takes Phentermine is a lifestyle change, a habit change and a mental change because you can not take it for ever.. Even if you did it would stop working for you. Most of what we think we want in reference too food is mental as well as the desire to over eat. I still work out daily and do not consume sugar. For me that was my weakness and problem, and when I consumed way more of that than I burned I gained weight..
  • dmota0425
    dmota0425 Posts: 18 Member
    That is awsome, you should be proud of yourself. I also started phentermine on Sept 29, 2013 but ive only lost 16 pounds so far which is great dont get me wrong but i feel like i cant notice the weightloss when i look in the mirror. Also i havnt excersised not 1 day. So i stopped taking it for like 2 weeks because i noticed that the effect of the hunger curb was not working like it was so, im back on today and hopefully i can start losing again. I have 7 days until thanksgiving so im aiming for at least 2 pounds for this week. What excercise did u implent and what is your meal plan daily if u dont mind me asking?
  • 16 lbs is great!!!, It's all about your discipline and motivation. And thank you, I felt the exact same way...feeling like I didn't look like I was losing any weight. But of course the clothes start to get looser and then others start to notice. My husband noticed first, of course its because he is the one that see's me daily. I am very shapely but very long legs.. So at 192 I was a 14... now at 159 I'm a size 7... Considering that everything in my closet is a size 4-7.. That makes me feel great. As far as exercise, I do cardio 6 days a week now, and for me that is my treadmill.. I do it on an incline of at least 4.. and to start at 4.5 mph.. That is a very fast walk for me. I alternate between walking and jogging doing each for at least 2 mins... for a total of no less than 45 mins. On days when I want to burn more calories more quickly I use a simple jump rope.. I do it in sets of 100, and about 15 sets... For a total of 1500... Jumping rope is a great workout.. For my diet.. I basically eat whatever I feel like but with a lot of discipline.. I do not do anything FAST... Fast food, drive thru's etc... I prepare all foods and snacks at home. I have started doing a lot of yogurt for breakfast... eggs with turkey (omlet).. Progresso has a great variety of light soups that have less than 100 calories per serving..I eat a lot of fish and turkey (turkey burgers are the best).. and some chicken.. Nothing at all fried. No pork, red meat or ground beef... I measure everything, after about two weeks of measuring I have got the portions down without having to use measuring cups. For my snacks, I do fruit and fiber one has a great line of healthier 90 calorie snacks that are great.. they have become my favorite....I know one thing, this weight loss thing is NOT easy, but it is worth it. When I gained the weight my BP went up, I was tired all the time and of course did not like what I looked liked.. Now my BP is normal and I feel great...and I will not go back to my previous bad habits... I cant afford to!
  • AllishaLinnea
    AllishaLinnea Posts: 2 Member
    I have taken the adipex and currently have a prescription that I take here and there if I think i'd be tempted to have a really bad day. I think it handles each body different but I know for me when taking it, I have a harder time sleeping at night, and im much more emotional? Seriously it depresses me dude. It also gives me a horrible taste in my mouth but the weight drops off and my appetite disappears.
  • If it weren't for the side effects, I would consider it a miracle drug. I've taken Phentermine successfully. You lose weight, have a ton of energy, and it also helps with concentration and focus. But the side effects weren't worth it on a daily basis for me, severe insomnia and dry tongue to the point my dentist was alarmed. I do have some left and will take a 1/2 pill maybe around PMS if I find myself going off track but I'll never take it again on a regular basis. I am hoping to find a natural supplement with at least a fraction of it's power.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    Apparently Phen is pretty powerful, I've been considering taking a natural version. We shall see.
  • traceykopp
    traceykopp Posts: 2 Member
    I asked my doc about 3 years ago if he would prescribe this & he wouldn't because he had a patient who had a heart attack while using it. I'm going to see him again to talk about taking it on a short term basis. I'm 5 ft 1in and weigh 140. I've been working out 4-5 days/week for 4 months, switched to a paleo diet, stopped drinking wine every day and haven't lost any weight. I am 42 yrs old. I thought maybe I had a thyroid issue or something. But after all the blood work came back, I'm apparently very healthy (despite being overweight), which in my mind would make me a great candidate to be on this drug short term. Has anyone had a doctor refuse to prescribe phentermine but then have a change of heart? I know I'm not obese but for my height, I am definitely overweight. In addition, after making a big lifestyle change and not seeing any weight reduction, I'm desperate to try it on a short term basis.
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