Anyone taking Adipex (Phentermine)?

My primary doctor is all for diet and exercise and getting no help from a diet pill. I had to find another doctor that was more apt to help me with my weight loss. I am 5,2 and 160 lbs. so im borderline obese for my height. I have always been able to maintain my weight at around 125lb until a few years ago after a couple rounds of steroids for back pain shot me up to 180lb in 2 months.

I have lost some of it doing the HCG diet (which i starved the whole time on), i was able to get down to 135lb in 4 months but there is no way to sustain that type of diet.

So now i find myself up at 160lb and diet and exercise is not helping me lose any of it. My new doctor did all the blood tests and gave me the ok to start the Phentermine (slow release). I am on the third day and have lost 4 pounds, I do notice the side effects but nothing i cant handle. The one thing my Dr. did say was that after ive been on it for 3 months (less if i lose more weight) then she will be putting me on a newly approved FDA pill that has a small dose of Phentermine and (something else) that i can take for as long as needed to maintain my weight loss. I will have to pay attention better on my 1 week check up on Tuesday and update you on what that pill is. So im hoping that this will be a more long time solution to get me back down to my normal weight and help me maintain it now that im over 40 and finding weight loss a challenge.

So perhaps its time to find a doctor that's more friendly with diet pills. I just asked a few friends and found the one i go to now.

Hello everyone, I'm not here to judge just looking for support. I am a prior military guy that let the enjoyments or everyday life take over my body. So I am now 35 and have my first child on the way which is a boy. I need to get my body back right for me as well as for me to keep up with him. I have no health issues just love to eat and drink. So I am on phentermine and I am not having any side effects. I decided not to exercise for the first week just to see how my body would react to it. I started the pill on Wednesday December 4, 2013. I'm hoping this help me get back to my routine. I take 37.5 mg and it has no effects on me. I am using MFP to track my calories and have been doing well. Just hope I can stick to it. I don't feel hungry and I take it 30 minutes in the morning before breakfast. I do have dry mouth but thats it and have been only drinking water. Wanted to chat with someone who actually stuck with the phentermine for three months and how much weight did you lose. I see not that many guys on here. I got a month rx after the dr. did ekg on me and everything, which came out perfect. Can't wait to start exercising with this.

I tried this drug last year and lost 25 pounds, but gained it all back after I stopped taking it. Also while on the drug I experienced insomnia and my heart would race. I loved the results and the way it controlled my hunger, but it doesn't work in the long run....

Hey traceykopp,

Most docs will only prescribe phentermine if you fit into the category of medical advisement for the drug. This would be a BMI of 30 OR a BMI of 27 with a medical condition of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, et. The biggest issue for you is the medical tests results are all good and your BMI is under 27. I know it is frustrating - I wish I had an answer for you. Most likely you will have to find a specialist in weight management (bariatric doc) that may be able to help in some way. I was where you are once and ended up at 221 lbs years later - don't let that happen!! Find a way to get it under control now.

I am not new with taking this diet pill. I will say that you don't want to play around with it.....I took this pill for the first time back in 1995. At that time I weighed 155 lbs. At 5'10" and 155 lbs. I thought that I was fat. I wasn't fat by far and took it anyway. I lost 10 lbs. in 30 days. I enjoyed the weight loss but gained it back, plus some. I went from 145 to 165... It took a few years. I went back the doctor and started back on the pills. I lost 10 pounds again in 30 days. I weighted 155. Back to square one right?. Wrong.
I may have weighted the same but now I had a desire to maintain that high energy level. Quietly, I was becoming addicted.
To make a long story short...I played around with this pill off and on..off and on...getting them for weight loss but taking them for energy until I looked up one day and it was 2010 and I weighted 223 lbs. No, I didn't take the pill daily for this long.... I would go to the doctor to get a 30 supply 2 maybe 3 times a year.
Well I went back to the doctor in 2010 and asked him to tell me my starting weight and to show me my pattern of weight gain. I saw it and was shocked. So...I got another 30 day supply. It had been a year or so since I had taken the pill.
I went from 223 to 207 in 30 days. Went on the Cabbage Soup Diet for 7 days. I weighted 191 after the 7 day Cabbage Soup diet. I went back to get another 30 supply of pills. Broke each pill in half so the 30 day supply was now 60 days. I went from 191 to 177 in 2 months.
I took this a little more serious during this last go around. I have been the same size now for a couple years.
Today, well yesterday I went back to the doctor for a 30 supply. We was pleased at my weight. I am 180..... I was 175 last week and I quite smoking. I've gained a few pounds and know where this is going....

Well, this is my story. Stay strong when taking this pill. It works for sure! I feel that you have to gradually take yourself off the pill because the side effects when you stop cold turkey are increased hunger and extra tired/sleepy. That's when you begin saying to yourself that you need the pill for the boost to get up and active...

I tried a total of three Phentermine pills in my life. They made me miserable. I wasn't hungry, but I was shaky atcouldn't sleep or think straight and for 24 hours I had a headache that no aspirin would touch. I finally decided I could be fat, I could be hungry, or I could be crazy from Phentermine. I picked hungry.

I started taking Phentermine, per my bariatric doctor's recommendation on Nov. 21. I'm five foot seven and I currently weigh 208.5 lbs. I take a half a pill twice a day. Someone else mentioned that they were thinking about doing that. I think it is great. I don't get dry mouth (I also drink minimum 3 liters of water a day) and I don't have any trouble sleeping. It gives me more energy and it helps with hunger. But not so much that I don't feel like eating. Per the bariatric dietician my daily kcal goal is 1400, which is a big difference from what I had been eating, and a goal of exercising at least three times per week. When I exercise I do strength training and cardio. I'm trying to build muscle to increase my metabolism naturally and the Phentermine helps with energy to do that. Since Nov. 21st I've lost about 22 lbs. I don't think the Phentermine is the sole reason, but it has been helpful. Eating completely differently is the main reason. And I intend to continue eating this way for the rest of my life. It is a lifestyle change, right? But Phentermine isn't on my long-term solution list. Diet and exercise are. This is happily compounded by the fact that my fiancee just had gastric bypass and we have to change how we eat, by design, so we're headed toward a healthier lifestyle now. No more McDonald's three times per week!

About Phentermine - someone in a "negative" post said something about it being "basically amphetamines." While this is, I guess, technically true, phentermine is more like amphetamines w/o the addiction factor. Also, it can cause higher blood pressure, so watch out for that. I take my BP every day because I have high BP anyway (controlled) and so far nothing alarming has happened.

Glad someone re-started this thread. I'm interested in hearing how it goes for others.

Thanks!

Hello I'm here new to the site my story is I have been taking phentermine since the 5th of December my starting weight was 231lb with the height of 5`1 1/2' since then I have change my diet and I count my calories the Dr that prescribed the pills to me told me to eat up to 1500 calories a day I was thinking that I was not going to able to do it but is so essy because I hardly have an appetite my last weigh in was 220lbs so far so good but I pray that I be able to stick to the plan that I'm on to maintain my goal weight I'm doing it all for my health

Hello everyone,

I have been taking Phentermine for about six weeks now and have lost 18 pounds and about 3 inches. I usually take my pill in the mornings an hour before eating and this seems to work well for me. I can truly say that I have not had any of the side effects some people have talked about (only the dry mouth). Like many of you, I have been up and down with my weight for years and really needed something to help me gain better control of my appetite. For the first time in three years, I really feel good about myself and motivated to change my lifestyle. It really feels good when you can get back into clothes you have not worn in a long time. I have not exercised since I started the drug, but I plan to begin walking next week. My weight lost goal is 40 pounds and I fully plan to reach that once my 3 months is up.

I took those and gained all my weight back. This website saved my life by logging, exercising, eating clean, and lifestyle changes in my life. I do not recommend any diet pills. I did them all, and gained it all back. Just my opinion.....

The best pill is to workout.

I am trying to get OFF the medicine. I know the best thing is to do it yourself. However, when you've been on a prescription pill like adipex for a long time your body becomes used to it and I wanted some help in figuring out the best way to come off of it without experiencing the dreaded side effects of extreme fatigue and hunger when you just stop taking it cold turkey like I have before. Thanks.

Thank you for your reply GrammaTree. And good luck to you!

Hi all. I have been on phen for 5-6 months now but not for weight loss. I wanted to share my story because I thought it might be helpful. I was diagnosed this summer with a sleep disorder, idopathic hypersomnia. Basically I sleep... A lot. It is near impossible to wake up on time for work and I can pretty much lay down and nap anytime even with 10 hours of nighttime sleep. I also have hashimoto's which is a thyroid condition but all my levels stay normal with thyroid meds. I just wanted to throw that out there so you know that I regularly have bloodwork done. I underwent a 2 day sleep study to finally get a diagnosis for my life-long sleep issues.

My sleep doc put me on phen because the only drug for IH is an orphan drug that is about $100K per
year, yes I said $100,000 and it's not covered on insurance. I set my alarm an hour before I need to wake and roll over and take my pill with water that is at the ready on my night stand and immediately pass out again. I have a second alarm for the next hour that will go off and by this time the phen has kicked in and I can actually focus on the fact that I have to wake up.

I started with 30 mg in the AM. I had all the usual side effects of feeling jittery and dry mouth until about 3 PM at which time I would have to sleep. On a follow up visit my doc switched me to the 37.5 mg extended release. This helped ease the side effects and now I can make it through my day, however is now have to take a sleep aid at night because I am too wired to sleep. I do not take my phen on the weekends because I do not need to wake early and I can nap if needed. Also, it constipates me so by breaking on the weekend I can get my bowels back in check.

I am not overweight, but could stand to lose 10 lbs. When I started I was 5'6' and 149 lbs. I wear a size 6-8. This was heavy for me but I spent a lot of time traveling this summer and eating out a ton. I generally stay around 138-140. When I started the phen I lost about 4 lbs over a couple of weeks but I was also eating better and had started monitoring my steps with a Fitbit. In 3 months I was back down to 138. I really don't credit the phen for this initial loss because I was actively trying to lose and tracking via Fitbit and MFP. After I switched to the time release I lost more over the next 3 months and was down to 134-136. I do think this was directly associated with the phen. I had stopped really trying to lose and just really wasn't eating much because I had no appetite.

During my follow up with my sleep doc (before he switched me time release), he asked if I had lost any weight. I told him the story above. He said that yes, most of his patients didn't lose but a few lbs. I said that maybe I didn't really lose much because I didn't really need to lose much. He said no, he had some really overweight patients and they really didn't lose much either.

I was off for 12 days over the holidays and didn't take any phen and I am back up to 142. I'm sure some of this is holiday eating and such, but I think it also has to do with gaining back the lbs I lost with phen. I started back today for work and I am back to little appetite. I did not have any withdrawals during this time.

I will be on phen indefinitely. I asked about long term damage to my heart or liver and he said that he is not concerned. I am, which is why I only take it on work days. I know this is not ideal, but the effects of not taking it could cost me my job. I am also a single mom with a 7 year old son. I obviously have to get him to school on time and I don't want to sleep away my time with him. I am thankful to have a diagnosis finally. I have been teased or called lazy my entire life. Comments like "work out more" or "eat better" don't help. I was in college athlete (drill team) and ran a mile everyday, had 2-3 hour practices at least 5 days a week, took college dance classes, did teak won do, and weights several times a week with my football player boyfriend all while eating a healthy diet. I Had this issue even then (I am 35 now). I also underwent extensive BMI and fitness testing at this time and my ideal weight was determined to be 130.

I am sharing this because I don't think phen is the weight loss miracle. My two week hiatus showed me that I would gain the weight back. However, I think if you use it as a jump start and set the habits for healthy eating and exercise that it can be helpful. Sometime that mental picture of seeing the scale go down can get you going on a better path. Also, I am in pharmaceutical sales (gastroenterology and colorectal surgery) so I do my research. I know how to read a clinical study, where to find them, and what factors make a good trial vs fluff. There are so many things to consider before starting a treatment.....how many test subjects, double-blind, what subjects were excluded from the final data and why, who is the doc compiling the data, was it retrospective, how was the drug dosed... And FYI all docs are compensated for drug trials so don't let that be a factor. They are also paid royalties. But do your research on the doc, are they just some general practitioner or a leader in their field that is also apart of a teaching institution?

Sorry to go on, I just thought my story, perspective, and clinical knowledge might be of help. We all want to be healthy and not be sold some snake oil during an emotional time. Good luck everyone!

Don't take it! You body needs good things to be put in it, not that crap!

Good luck :-)