How long does it take phentermine to work?

So, everyone else shared...I will too.

5'3", 195lbs when the day I went to the doc. I have struggled with weight ever since my second pregnancy, more years ago than I care to admit. Had some pretty important health issues (not related to weight) and lost and gained it all back over time. I struggle with exercise due to some restrictions, and having severe iron deficiency anemia from my periods. Spent the last year getting iron infused each week via IV line.

I had the Breath Metabolism Rate test that said I actually have a very high metabolism and doc said I was clearly not getting enough calories. After using the fitnesspal app for some time, I know I was eating about 1,000-1,200 calories a day and was able to get back down to about 183. But I was stuck there, for a year. Doc put me on a 1600 calorie diet (normal diet would be nearly 3k!). I aimed for 1800 calories on exercise days. I quickly gained that weight back and proceeded further.

Just started phentermine on Saturday. Down 7 lbs already. Struggling to get even 1,000 calories a day. So I'm sure I'm just starving really - but I'm (mostly) not hungry. Also, I have some added energy since having an ablation for the periods and adding the phentermine. I was disappointed that on day 3 I felt starving in my gut, but I wanted to vomit at the thought of putting food in my mouth. I guess it takes a while for you to adjust to it, but as long as the weight keeps coming off I'll figure out how to deal. My biggest problem is that if I don't eat enough throughout the day, my stomach hurts horribly at night and makes me nauseous.

I have learned that I do best at weight loss when I eat frequently throughout the day, no matter how many calories I seem to take in. As long as I spread them out. Its very hard to do with the Phentermine though.

Oh, and my prescription plan paid .98 of the $3.00 prescription for me. I was surprised.

Well I took phentermine two years ago and dropped 15 pounds in my first month with absolutely no exercise other than my job as a waitress. I then got married and stopped working and stopped taking the phentermine as it was 100.00 per perscription and over two years gained back 60 pounds. My Dr.prescribed topimax for me and I refused to take it because of the side effects. However I have started taking phentermine again yesterday and I do zumba 5 days a week. My Goal is to loose 60 pounds by October 31 2014.

Was on it for a whole year. If I hadn't gotten pregnant I would have quit taking them on my own. I was turning into a horrible person, cranky all the time with the shortest temper I have ever had in my life. The dry mouth/bad breath was driving me crazy the whole time. Was having bad heart palpitations and felt like I was going to pass out at work (was working 12 hour shifts at a hospital). The weight loss was about 40 pounds. Towards the last month (right around the time I got pregnant) I wasn't taking it consistently and was already gaining weight back. I don't think I'll ever take it again.

DM, going off Phen is difficult. The doctor I am seeing now weans patients off of it for six months. I am really glad.

The problem when I took it before, was exactly as you said. I went right back to my bad eating habits. Also, I never counted calories before. Now I am logging my food into this site, and my exercise. It really helps!

I want to keep the good healthy eating when I go off of it. Six months weaning off of it will make it much easier.

I had a pretty bad car wreck and due to an injury I gained almost 30 lbs. Phentermine is a tool but is not meant to be the solution. I have been taking it for 2 mths and started out at 178 and now weight 148. I lost 15 lbs first month and 15 lbs second month. I am under doctor supervision and weight in monthly. Different people will have different results but there are a couple of things to keep in mind while on this diet. You have to drink 60 ounces of water minimum per day and keep your calories up enough to maintain energy because if you don't eat enough or drink enough you will stop losing weight and you will be exhausted. I am on 800-1200 calories per day but if I work out hard I have to make sure to bring in more calories like 1,000-1,200 depending on how many calories I burn. If you exercise and burn too much of your fuel you will feel terrible. If you don't drink enough you will be dehydrated (dry mouth) and you will lose little to nothing or possibly gain a lb as your body is holding onto any water in your body. I carry cold water with me everywhere I go. I do count my calories (every bite that goes into my mouth). I eat every 3 hrs. and I do weigh in a lot. I try to avoid anything other than water and the occasional cup of coffee which I never finish. I do have an appetite but at first I did not. I had to set my clock to go off every 3 hrs to remind myself to eat. Even if it's only a few bites it will keep your body from going into starvation mode. In the beginning if I didn't get enough calories I would feel terrible and then eat something and would immediately better. I have evened out more and don't feel like that any longer. This is the start of my 3rd month so I will cut down next week to half a pill or every other day but once I wean myself off I will maintain my exercise schedule and continue to eat healthy. Portion control is very important and I've taught myself to eat much better. Try to stay away from breads, sugars, starches, etc. and you should be okay. Obviously you can't eat what you ate before and expect different results. I posted this to help others as I see so many questions on here and people wandering what went wrong. I had to test different things to get it right. Whether or not your doing it naturally or using Phen (I've done both and have previously been very successful on Atkins or Atkins like diets and kept it off) but unfortunately being injured left me unable to do much until recently. I still have a lot of pain from 4 bulging discs but I exercise regularly and take a Zumba and Hip Hop class which makes me drip sweat but it's high impact. I love it though. I feel so much better and I am no longer Pre-Diabetic. Don't judge me for taking Phen to help me get started as I have my own struggles and this is what I needed. I'm not trying to tell anyone how to do what they do just trying to assist those that are struggling and looking for help.

Another snake oil product, designed specifically to remove money from your wallet, via the Pharm industry. This one designed to supposedly keep you from getting hungry. So you're basically getting injected with who knows what that came out of some chemists bottle, for profit. They must have killed a thousand mice to come up with this concoction lol.

Weight loss is nothing more than calories in versus calories out. Eat less move more, and no one as yet has figured out how to sell that concept yet. Why? Because it's a tough solution, but it's the only one that works. There is no such thing as losing weight without getting hungry. You're not going to go from eating 3000 plus calories a day to less than half of that without getting hungry.

I can understand your feeling about diet and exercise being all that is needed. That is the truth, you are 100% correct. But it kind of reminds me of an investment banker that I asked to explain stocks to me. He said "Buy low, sell high,"

I had a doctor that said "You should cut down your calories and exercise more." I wonder how many obese people have heard their doctors say that time and time again.

Some of us want help. Some of us want a crutch. Some people get surgery to lose weight. Are they wrong? I don't know. That is what they choose to do, and if it works, it works.

When I quit smoking 14 years ago, I had people on a forum like this chide me that I didn't do it the right way. They said I would never be able to quit if I didn't go cold turkey, the only real way to quit smoking. The drugs I used were Zyban, the patch, and the gum. I did it wrong, but it worked for me.

Just checking back in here. I am still taking Phentermine under a doctor's care. She is a Bariatric Physician, very well versed in nutrition, and very helpful. She also added Bontril once a day for me.

So here I am after 5 months. Still taking Phentermine. And 36 pounds lighter, eating healthy, and logging my food and exercise. Am I doing it the wrong way? Maybe so. But it's working for me.

I've been on Phentermine two months now, and I've lost 45 lbs. I can exercise more. I can clean my who;e house without stopping. I can play with my stepson. I can do so much more and I can control what I put in my body. So Happy!!!!

For me, the appetite reduction happened the first day.
It was so amazing, and welcome. I wasn't hungry ALL THE TIME any more.
(And yes, that's what it was like, capitol letters and all.)

The weight loss comes more slowly, from eating fewer calories than your body needs, just as if you weren't getting help in the appetite department.