Phentermine?

jules_f94
jules_f94 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 20, 5'4", extremely active (dancer-- active minimum 3 hours a day, usually closer to 8 hrs, for 5-7 days per week), and eat extremely healthy (vegetarian, refined carbs only at breakfast, very limited on sugars), and a very busy college student. I went to my doctor to see why I was gaining weight. I was up almost 20 pounds in around 18 months, putting me at 160- which is a lot for a dancer. She did blood work, but there was nothing alarming about thyroid, blood sugar, or liver. She recommend giving my metabolism a jump start with phentermine, and I wanted some opinions. Any 20-somethings out there have luck with this? Or other active people that needed help with a jump start?

Replies

  • GreatDepression
    GreatDepression Posts: 347 Member
    I've requested to be prescribed Phentermine twice with my doctor but he refuses. He says the heart risks it carries is not worth it.
  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
    I would be looking for a new doctor.
  • oddzki
    oddzki Posts: 10
    Have you counted your calories for atleast a week so what you're daily intake looks like? Even though you expend alot of energy it could be that you're taking in more than you're using. It doesn't matter how "healthy" your diet is, you can still easily overeat if you like food.

    Even though people with that high energy expenditure usually don't gain weight, they are many examples of top athletes in MMA, Weightlifting and even Crossfit, who gain weight. They train all day, expend thousands of kcal, but they simply compensate by eating alot, and it's usually not unhealthy foods that they are eating.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    I would be looking for a new doctor.

    Your doctor sounds like a quack! Phentermine for an extremely active 20 year old?! *SMH*
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
    Your doctor is discussing a prescription that is not intended for someone of your stature.

    Phentermine is a very serious medication that is intended for people with a BMI of 30+ or weight-related health issues. Being "heavy for a dancer" would not qualify you for either of these. The height/weight you provided puts you at a BMI of 27.5, which, while being a bit overweight, definitely doesn't put you into phentermine territory.

    You should know that phentermine, while it does boost your metabolism maybe 300 calories a day total in burns from the medication alone, its primary mechanism of weight loss is to remove your appetite. It is what is called an anorectic drug, meaning it induces medical anorexia.

    You can essentially achieve the same results by not eating and pushing for 300 extra exercise burn calories. If you are not having appetite control problems, it's not going to be a good medication for the situation.

    My information is based on the American Journal of Pharmacology as well as my own personal Rx for this medication. I can attest to the fact that it will remove your appetite and make you "amped up" as it is an amphetamine. I was placed on it due to my high weight and a long standing plateau issue. Ya know what? I've not broken the plateau after 2 months on the medication. All it seemed to do was pep me up and make me eat so little I was not doing myself any good.

    As someone who is athletic and probably gaining due to training and muscle conditioning, I would be VERY hesitant to take the medication. It comes with very serious side effects and risks, and it will also make you fail any drug tests you may need to take.

    For the record, I have no issue with medically necessary and FDA approved weight loss medications for the most part...I just have a problem with the fact that a doctor would be recommending the use of such a serious medication for someone that does not qualify for the intended patient pool.

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