Anyone on Phentermine??

I was off of it and stopd watching what I was eathing that's why I gained so much weight but im back on it .... just use it for like a month or two so it gets u on then you can stop it. I LOVE IT

You gained the weight back because you never learned accountability in the first place. What happens after a month or two?

I have taken it a couple of different times. Each time I completed the mediciation, I gained the weight back PLUS more. It didn't help me learn the lifestyle changes I needed to make to be successful.

The cold, hard truth is I didn't get this way overnight and I am not going to get rid of it overnight either.

I was on it. Initially it helped me some, but not really. I think it made things worse. I gained back weight and more. I wish I never did it, but I guess I had to try it to understand. Be very cautious and I suggest eating 1200 calories at least.

Long time yo yo dieter here and going to weigh in on this (no pun intended!) - have been working with a bariatric doctor (obesity specialist) for almost 2 years now. lost 83lbs as of this morning. Almost to goal ( I am shooting for a body fat percentage of 30% versus a number on the scale - currently at 33%). And for the first time in my life, I know I will never be fat again.
I have used phentermine and diethylpropion during this time period (3 months on/ 1 month off). I eat 1200 - 1500 calories a day. BALANCED diet. Work out almost daily, play tennis, cycle, hike, strength train, yoga. I only really got active over the past 5 months once my weight got low enough to LOVE the activity. Mainly took walks before that. Now I miss working out when I can't get it in.

My doctor explained that for many obese patients the medication helps balance the brain and that is why it works well for some. It is not about "will power" - it actually helps the person feel "normal" for the first time in their life. I started this pattern at the age of 14 - constantly thinking about where the next food item would come from - I grew up in a normal family, never starved, abused, et. As an adult - I had everything I could ask for - so what's the problem???? There is just something going on in my brain - my doc feels it is most likely genetic (that I could understand!). Finally now that my kids are grown, I am in control and living life. We went on vacation as a family and I threw on my swimsuit and went snorkeling with them - I had missed out on so much of their lives. So it makes me sad/mad when I hear others put people down for searching for something that will help them, especially when they are working with medical professionals. Obesity is a complex issue and our medical community is only now just discovering how to combat this out of control societal monster.

My advice to those who are struggling: DO NOT GIVE UP. Write down what goes into your mouth. Cut out crap food. Change what you are thinking about when you focus on sweets/junk carbs, ie: look away. Make sure everything you put into your mouth tastes good! (as in not junky fast food). You will come to love good REAL food. You will stop craving junk food - I know it sounds preachy but I lived it - DAILY for YEARS. I tell people exactly what I do to lose weight - I also tell them it is NOT a miracle - I have to do hard work to make it happen along with the medication. It only helps a bit. All those thoughts, cravings, issues can come roaring back at any time so I have to make sure I stay on track. MFP is on my phone and computer and USED daily for notes and tracking. - I have to know what is and isn't working. So to those using medication - hold your head high - you can do this. STAY ON TRACK and remember you can't go back to junk food and bad habits - ever! (doesn't mean you can't ever have dessert - it's just controlled and tastes WAY better!) Good luck

I'm sending a friend request. I'm on phentermine too, though I'm about to be taken off it. Most of us on medications stay "underground" as there is so much judgment about it on the site. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

There is no judgment, just concern and realism. Weight loss drugs are not necessary.

There are circumstances that can prevent weight loss, even if you are at a deficit.

I can say that thyroid problems, hormonal imbalances, and insulin resistance propose a challenge to losing weight. However, it's not the weight loss pill that is making a person lose weight, it is the calorie deficit. After all, the only way to lose weight is to eat less than your burn (bold for emphasis only).

If I am not getting what you are trying to say, please clarify.

Long time yo yo dieter here and going to weigh in on this (no pun intended!) - have been working with a bariatric doctor (obesity specialist) for almost 2 years now. lost 83lbs as of this morning. Almost to goal ( I am shooting for a body fat percentage of 30% versus a number on the scale - currently at 33%). And for the first time in my life, I know I will never be fat again.
I have used phentermine and diethylpropion during this time period (3 months on/ 1 month off). I eat 1200 - 1500 calories a day. BALANCED diet. Work out almost daily, play tennis, cycle, hike, strength train, yoga. I only really got active over the past 5 months once my weight got low enough to LOVE the activity. Mainly took walks before that. Now I miss working out when I can't get it in.

My doctor explained that for many obese patients the medication helps balance the brain and that is why it works well for some. It is not about "will power" - it actually helps the person feel "normal" for the first time in their life. I started this pattern at the age of 14 - constantly thinking about where the next food item would come from - I grew up in a normal family, never starved, abused, et. As an adult - I had everything I could ask for - so what's the problem???? There is just something going on in my brain - my doc feels it is most likely genetic (that I could understand!). Finally now that my kids are grown, I am in control and living life. We went on vacation as a family and I threw on my swimsuit and went snorkeling with them - I had missed out on so much of their lives. So it makes me sad/mad when I hear others put people down for searching for something that will help them, especially when they are working with medical professionals. Obesity is a complex issue and our medical community is only now just discovering how to combat this out of control societal monster.

My advice to those who are struggling: DO NOT GIVE UP. Write down what goes into your mouth. Cut out crap food. Change what you are thinking about when you focus on sweets/junk carbs, ie: look away. Make sure everything you put into your mouth tastes good! (as in not junky fast food). You will come to love good REAL food. You will stop craving junk food - I know it sounds preachy but I lived it - DAILY for YEARS. I tell people exactly what I do to lose weight - I also tell them it is NOT a miracle - I have to do hard work to make it happen along with the medication. It only helps a bit. All those thoughts, cravings, issues can come roaring back at any time so I have to make sure I stay on track. MFP is on my phone and computer and USED daily for notes and tracking. - I have to know what is and isn't working. So to those using medication - hold your head high - you can do this. STAY ON TRACK and remember you can't go back to junk food and bad habits - ever! (doesn't mean you can't ever have dessert - it's just controlled and tastes WAY better!) Good luck

Really interesting!

"My doctor explained that for many obese patients the medication helps balance the brain and that is why it works well for some. It is not about "will power" - it actually helps the person feel "normal" for the first time in their life."

I feel so much better when I am on Phentermine. I told my doctor that I wish I could take it long term, just for how good it makes me feel, and how in control of my eating I am. Snacking after dinner was my downfall. My doctor said that some of her patients take it long term, but when I reach my goal weight, she will gradually wean me off of it.

"Write down what goes into your mouth. Cut out crap food. Change what you are thinking about when you focus on sweets/junk carbs, ie: look away. Make sure everything you put into your mouth tastes good!"

I totally agree. I've been actually discretely putting my napkin over my mouth and spitting food out if I don't like it. What a difference. If I didn't like a food before I started taking Phentermine, I would eat it faster.

" I also tell them it is NOT a miracle - I have to do hard work to make it happen along with the medication. It only helps a bit. All those thoughts, cravings, issues can come roaring back at any time so I have to make sure I stay on track. MFP is on my phone and computer and USED daily for notes and tracking. -"

I also have MyFitnessPro on my phone so I can quickly log a food when I am out. It really isn't a miracle; it's just a tool. Someone said you have to increase the dose for it to continue to work. A Pharmacist friend of mine said it's really bad to increase the dose. Not only that, I have tried it. It didn't make any difference to increase the dose. Once it stops working, it stops working.

I have been taking Phentermine for four months now, and it still works.

I think for SOME people it can help kick start the process. I know it did help me. I only took it for two weeks though. And certainly not on a calorie restriction as harsh as yours.

Basically you want to use it as little as humanly possible. And recognize it for the evil body hack that it is. Like all medicines it is a poison of abused. And doctors very often do abuse the medicines at their disposal.

Just as an example by little brother is epileptic. And was subscribed Prozac by 5 doctors as part of his regimen to fight his OCD. We finally got a competent neurosurgeon and he was absolutely horrified. Because Prozac actually makes epileptics MORE prone to seizures. We immediately took him off and his seizures dropped off from 1/2 a week to well ... 3 years no seizures and counting. I know that this has nothing to do with weight loss but the moral of the story is don't trust your doctor implicitly. Remember it was only the sixth doctor that actually knew wtf he was talking about.

There is 2 I take Phentermine 37.5mg and Cr-Picolinate 200mg the Picolinate is more for fat loss the phentermine is more for energy and hunger suppresser, I have been taking them on and off for the last 3-4 years, they really do help me, takes the nasty hunger edge off while giving some needed energy, as long as I loose weight there is an endless supply but I can only get them like that out of state, in my state its much stricter on the term each time. I take them till I feel there not as effective than I will take 6 months up to a year off of them, in that time I usually gain what I lost lol but not this time. I made a lifestyle change to natural low carb food. All of the loss I have had recorded here has been on these meds, maybe someday I wont need them anyway but if there the difference from keeping on my diet vs falling off the wagon, I will choose the pills. You have to drink tons of water though or there not as effective. I have had good experience with them so far.

@ swambsganss - perfectly said!

I was about to comment on the place for vlcd's (very low calorie diets) - which I have been on - but swambs explained it very well. Many medical programs/docs use it successfully to jumpstart patients into a healthy lifestyle. There are many paths to health and the main focus should be to support each other here.

@ darton - my bariatric doc believes that the meds are used to help with maintenance, sort of how you are using them. Mainly not taking the medication once you reach maintainance but only if needed, ie: gaining from holidays, vacations, et. My goal is to be able to maintain without gaining! Guess I will see I pretty much don't eat any processed foods - if I have a dessert, it is a bite or two. I have made it through 2 holiday seasons and 2 long term vacations while losing weight so I feel like I have my eating plan down - in fact I don't really think of it as dieting any more. Some weeks I only lose 1/2 lb (or less!). One month I only lost .8 lb. Guess I look at this as a lifetime eating plan now - first time in my life that I don't feel like I will gain the weight back. Whats hard about this is that you also have to figure out what made you eat like this in the first place (once you get over the carb addiction issue)? If that makes any sense. I have come across a few things in my personality that I now realize I needed to change and had turned to food for (like speaking up when I don't agree with something) - that was a hard one! That's what I mean by hard work - not just the physical things but also the emotional things that you discover. Sometimes just taking it slow is not such a bad way to go. Good luck everyone! We can do it

I know wanting the weight off NOW is the goal, but the faster you lose it, the less time you give your skin to shrink....

It's more important to set a slow steady pace which ALSO gives your time to relearn how to eat.

Yep, been helping me lose for the past 10 months. Down over 50 lbs and within 10 of goal since I started taking it. My doctor is okay with keeping folks on it (especially for maintenance) provided you use it properly and can show that you are using it properly by sticking with your diet, meds and exercise routines. It is an addictive substance and most doctors will not prescribe it for longer than 6 weeks but there are some out there that will use it for what it is designed for - weight loss and maintenance of said weight loss.

A lot of MD's won't prescribe it long term for what it can do to your liver and heart.

Not true about the liver. From the National Institutes of Health:

"Hepatotoxicity
Phentermine has not been linked to an increased rate of serum enzyme elevations during therapy; however, results of ALT monitoring during phentermine therapy have rarely been reported. Despite long-term availability and wide use of phentermine, there have been no published reports linking it to clinically apparent acute liver injury."

http://livertox.nlm.nih.gov/Phentermine.htm

I stated that because I was going by what my MD said when I was on it - granted it's been a few years - and a couple docs that I worked with.

I am on Phentermine. There, you have it! Fire away! Seriously though, for some people who are emotional eaters, binge eaters, etc, the drug is a great tool to refocusing your relationship with food. I do, however, agree with most about the calorie limit. 900 does seem quite extreme. Especially if you were eating 3000 just a week before. My doctor taught me that you had to change your lifestyle, the way you think about eating. The drug is just a tool, quite like MFP. It's not a quick answer.

I, personally, was at 299 at my highest weight. I was prescribed Phentermine then given a modest calorie goal of 2230. The next month, my calorie goal was reduced to 1800, and so on. He was adamant that I was not to go under 1200 calories for more than a day or two at a time.

I've been on and off the phentermine for a year now and have lost 54 pounds. I had gotten down 70 pounds but had an emotional lapse and ate 20 pounds back.

Good luck and don't expect the drug to lose weight for you, use it only as a tool to help you reach your goals.

started back in april its working well have lost 25 lbs so far I have found you need to exercise along with everything else your doing find something you enjoy so you will continue doing it mines walking