Taken Phentermine? No critics, please. Looking for experiences of those who have taken it
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I took Phentermine last year and had a lot of success. I am off of it now, and unfortunately gained back some of what i had lost. That however, is somewhat expected. The positive is that i have not gained it all back, i have a gym membership now and i am working to get those additional pounds off. I think having a positive attitude and celebrating the tiny victors even if it is saying no to a candy bar, is crucial in being successful. For me i would have a cheat meal rather than a cheat day. Every time i went to the doctor for my weigh in, if i lost weight i rewarded myself by eating chick filet for lunch. Once i even had a milkshake with it b/c i had lost a lot at that appointment. Remember that it is just a tool to help you and not something to depend on fully. Not that you are, but someone told me that so i'm just passing that advice along. Regarding the side effects water, water, water, almost every side effect of Phentermine can be remedied by drinking water. Good luck!1
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I'd like to add a positive review. I never thought I'd be an advocate but I am now. My doctor started me on a very low dose. I've lost about 10lbs in a month (50 more to go). I have previously lost 150 through diet and exercise only. I maintained for a long time but after some tough life things I turned back to eating. As well as dealing with some depression. For me, this has been a life saver. I am motivated to make better choices. I log my food everyday and am on a workout plan. This is not a quick fix for me, but rather a little assistance.1
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I didn't learn healthy eating habits when my appetite was artificially suppressed by taking a legal amphetamine-like drug and I gained all the weight back when I stopped taking it.
Here's my favorite post about Phentermine: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10329901/phentermine/p1itschanelle wrote: »I have seen a lot of posts on and off about this and other weight loss drugs. I can vouch that they absolutely work. I have lost a lot weight using Phentermine on and off throughout about a 10 year span.
BUT...
The weight doesn't stay off. And those side effects? They are real.
You could take Phentermine and lose the weight, but you might end up like me. I'm 30 years old, slightly over weight, and have moderate tricuspid valve regurgitation. As in, I might need open heart surgery because my heart was damaged by Phentermine. To be clear, I never took it for more than a few months at a time, was monitored by a doctor, and did everything "right".
My lifespan has likely been shortened to lose a few pounds. Weight I could have lost on my own with a little bit of gumption. It wasn't worth it.8 -
kommodevaran wrote: »
Don't call the nutcase clinic just yet.Sandythinandfit wrote: »I was working with a doctor/nutritionist once a month. I learned to eat good foods and get to a healthy weight. Once I got into maintenance I slowly started eating a little junk food. Gradually over four years it turned into drinking a lot of wine, like I did before I started taking Phen. I paid no attention to what I ate. More junk food. Less healthy food. Big quantities. I wish I knew why my basic instinct is to overeat. Should I see a counselor?
To get to a healthy weight, you learned how to eat in a certain way to lose weight. Your motivation for eating that way, was weightloss. You told yourself that the food you ate was good, and of course it was, it made you lose weight.
When your reached goal weight, the motivation to eat in that way, was gone.
Losing weight is easy.
Food tastes good, it's easy to eat, it comforts us.
Overeating isn't very difficult to understand.
Overeating as a habit is challenging to change.
Nutcase clinic? Seriously? That’s a very negative stereotype regarding mental health. Please educate yourself about mental health problems and don’t use that term again. It’s insulting to people that have those types of problems,
Or love someone who does.11 -
I’ve taken a few different times for periods of time. The best results I got was I lost 62lbs in 3 months I went from 200lbs to 138lbs but then when I stopped taking it I gained it all back plus 15lbs. And it made me a little nuts too and aggressive lol3
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I take it you overlooked my point - reassuring the person who asked "Should I see a counselor?".frankiesgirlie wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »
Don't call the nutcase clinic just yet.Sandythinandfit wrote: »I was working with a doctor/nutritionist once a month. I learned to eat good foods and get to a healthy weight. Once I got into maintenance I slowly started eating a little junk food. Gradually over four years it turned into drinking a lot of wine, like I did before I started taking Phen. I paid no attention to what I ate. More junk food. Less healthy food. Big quantities. I wish I knew why my basic instinct is to overeat. Should I see a counselor?
To get to a healthy weight, you learned how to eat in a certain way to lose weight. Your motivation for eating that way, was weightloss. You told yourself that the food you ate was good, and of course it was, it made you lose weight.
When your reached goal weight, the motivation to eat in that way, was gone.
Losing weight is easy.
Food tastes good, it's easy to eat, it comforts us.
Overeating isn't very difficult to understand.
Overeating as a habit is challenging to change.
Nutcase clinic? Seriously? That’s a very negative stereotype regarding mental health. Please educate yourself about mental health problems and don’t use that term again. It’s insulting to people that have those types of problems,
Or love someone who does.
I do have mental problems myself, amd I know many other people who have. Don't tell me what to do or not do.9 -
I knew someone that took it, she ended up having heart problems that almost killed her. Not worth it, in my opinion. I know you are only looking for positive experiences, but please do realize the dangers. A pill isn't a solution.3
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I took it for a few weeks a couple of years ago. At first I thought it was the answer - I was never hungry and had a ton of energy, but after a while I noticed my resting heart rate was slowly increasing. I was taking 1/2 a pill a day. As soon as my heart rate started going up I quit taking it because I am working on getting my heart rate DOWN, not up. Just be careful and make sure you are monitoring your heart rate on a regular basis and not just at the doctors office once a month.
I also had the terrible dry mouth - which unfortunately I still have, not sure if the phentermine damaged something or what, but to this day I am always thirsty.0 -
I started mine about a week ago. I have taken them in the past. Never longer than a month though. I try to take them every other day to keep my appetite in check. I’ll probably take them for 2-3 more weeks until I adjust to eating less food.1
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I took Phentermine last year and had a lot of success. I am off of it now, and unfortunately gained back some of what i had lost. That however, is somewhat expected. The positive is that i have not gained it all back, i have a gym membership now and i am working to get those additional pounds off. I think having a positive attitude and celebrating the tiny victors even if it is saying no to a candy bar, is crucial in being successful. For me i would have a cheat meal rather than a cheat day. Every time i went to the doctor for my weigh in, if i lost weight i rewarded myself by eating chick filet for lunch. Once i even had a milkshake with it b/c i had lost a lot at that appointment. Remember that it is just a tool to help you and not something to depend on fully. Not that you are, but someone told me that so i'm just passing that advice along. Regarding the side effects water, water, water, almost every side effect of Phentermine can be remedied by drinking water. Good luck!melmarino729 wrote: »I'd like to add a positive review. I never thought I'd be an advocate but I am now. My doctor started me on a very low dose. I've lost about 10lbs in a month (50 more to go). I have previously lost 150 through diet and exercise only. I maintained for a long time but after some tough life things I turned back to eating. As well as dealing with some depression. For me, this has been a life saver. I am motivated to make better choices. I log my food everyday and am on a workout plan. This is not a quick fix for me, but rather a little assistance.
The quick weight loss the first weeks motivated me to get back to exercising and carefully logging my food. I don't know about you, but logging my food keeps me honest. My biggest problem was eating way too much, mindlessly. I've been on it around 6 weeks. It's not working that well but the quick 10 pounds motivated me to stick with it!0 -
I have taken them before, but it was seven years ago. I decided to try it again so on Friday a doctor gave me a prescription for 37.5 mg and Topamax. I was SO sick. I started research and decided to immediately stop Topamax after two doses. I am still taking the phentermine but I am only taking 1/2. I would like to hear from anyone who takes it about what your schedule is for taking the med and eating. I am still trying to figure out what will be best for weight loss and what will make me feel best.0
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I started taking phen 37.5mg last summer for about a month. I started at 197lbs and ended at 187lbs after a month. I didn't have bad side effects and i did not exercise but i did eat healthy. it helped me learn how to have healthy protein filled meals. I kept the weight off until I went back to college in August and the weight came back and i weighed 195lbs by the end of August due to stress and unhealthy eating. I decided to get a grip on my life in January and started exercising and eating the same type of protein filled foods I did while on phen. I was losing weight but my appetite started to grow from the exercising and i saw myself making bad choices in my food and decided to start back on phen. After my exercising I was down to 180lbs. I've been back on Phen since Feb. And I am weighing in at 168lbs as of today. Ultimately I think a healthy diet and exercise is sufficient in weightloss but phen can really help individuals like me who tend to let stress cause them to overeat or eat poorly.2
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I've never taken it, but my sister did. She would brag to me about how great it was, etc., and told me when I was pregnant the first time that when I was ready to lose the baby weight, she'd hook me up with her doctor. I told her I didn't think I was interested, because I was planning to breastfeed, etc., but my sister did get really skinny while she was on the pills. She told me that she had to stop taking them because her husband got concerned about her health. I didn't dig too deeply, because it wasn't my business. She's morbidly obese now, though. Maybe she'll learn some day that there's no shortcut to being healthy, dust off her treadmill, and get to work.3
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I've been taking it for a week, and I'm considering stopping just because I'm feeling jittery. My question is: does it do anything besides suppress your appetite? I started losing weight the week before I began taking it, and that was because I was logging my food, eating proper portions, and exercising. I'm thinking that I shouldn't gain weight if I continue doing this. But, if it does other things besides suppress my appetite, I may consider differently. Anyone know?0
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melmarino729 wrote: »I'd like to add a positive review. I never thought I'd be an advocate but I am now. My doctor started me on a very low dose. I've lost about 10lbs in a month (50 more to go). I have previously lost 150 through diet and exercise only. I maintained for a long time but after some tough life things I turned back to eating. As well as dealing with some depression. For me, this has been a life saver. I am motivated to make better choices. I log my food everyday and am on a workout plan. This is not a quick fix for me, but rather a little assistance.
I agree with you. It worked well for me to help me lose weight even on couple psych meds. You do have to remind yourself to eat enough though!1 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »sommerrosee2 wrote: »I have been on it for about 2 weeks now. I feel completely fine. no jitters, no heart racing, just a major difference in not feeling as hungry all of the time, and i eat normally. I feel NORMAL. i have a few autoimmune issues so i am very low functioning. no energy, exhausted all the time. so it's really nice to feel "normal". i don't have to force myself, i just eat breakfast, four or 5 hours later i have lunch, and repeat the timeframe with dinner. and ill have usually a piece of fruit or cheese stick or something in the middle of each meal. I am going to try to get my dr. to keep me on it for the max of 12 weeks. after that point i am going to see if they will give me something more permanent to keep me functioning because i dont want to go back to before. it was awful. i also do think that as long as you maintain the same sort of discipline after coming off, you'll be just fine. every story ive heard or read about people gaining weight back is because they didn't to ANYTHING to maintain healthy eating.
This is a contradiction.
The thing that you are going to do to maintain......is look for a permanent prescription, a permanent crutch. Because after you have lost the weight, a smaller you will require fewer calories forever.
Without a permanent prescription it will be up to you to learn how to "not feel hungry all the time." Without a permanent prescription it will be up to you to work through the "no energy, exhausted all the time" feelings.
Most people gain weight back......whether it's pills, meal replacements, or temporary elimination diets. We all have to learn new habits and keep those habits for life. It's always going to come down to behavior modification. Temporary approaches don't exactly foster that.
Not necessarily. It may be another issue entirely that causes the exhaustion, and incidentally exacerbates lower will power due to exhaustion. In my case, I have low level narcolepsy and fibromyalgia. Diagnosing and treating those helped with the brain fog and exhaustion, which has helped me regulate my eating better. The phentarmine could be having a similar effect, even though it is meant for weight loss specifically, because it does increase energy, but the long term side effects are not great. However, getting diagnosed and treated for the real reason for her specific brain fog and exhaustion issues, may help her heal enough get the energy and strength to stick with healthier choices.
As someone else who has several autoimmune conditions (celiac disease, hashimoto's, psoriatic arthritis, and fibromyalgia), I'd just like add a little insight on how I manage brain fog and exhaustion and hope this can help. It also helps regulate my appetite.
My secret? Frequent activity. I built up to it very gradually. I was completely sedentary. I used to be so plagued with exhaustion that a trip to the mall with the family would land me in bed. I needed a cane to walk. I took things very slowly.
I started out walking to the corner. And I went out again the next day, and then the next. Gradually I worked my way up to longer distances. The longest I've walked at once was 8 miles. The longest I've run was 4.5.
A funny thing happens when you live with fatigue and start trying to become more active but just in tiny, tiny increments. It actually improves your energy levels. And for some people, it helps suppress appetite too.
I know what it's like to feel horrible and think you possibly couldn't do things, because that was me at one time. Trust yourself for a five minute stroll. You're worth it. It *will* help.
This is what my doctor has recommended for me. I have been struggling with autoummune related fatigue for years and it's gotten really bad lately. The last few years of my life were high stress (divorce, moving, homelessness, stolen car, twice, and used bike for transportation, deaths in family, working too many hours a day). I collapsed and couldn't get back up for months once things settled down. My doctor told me to take baby steps to regain energy. So I'm walking. A little more every day. A previous dr did give me phentermine, and honestly I loved it. I loved feeling normal while I was on it, and it also helped with my adhd. But I decided to see a new doctor for a second opinion because my old dr didn't seem to have a lot of experience with autoimmune diseases. Things are going well. I am still wiped out. I still wonder if I'll ever feel normal. But i am able to do a little more every day. My current doctor seems to understand and treat my digestive issues better (not every celiac is skinny- i could go a month without pooping). Your story is inspiring and gives me hope.2 -
I recently saw an interview with an MD that specialized in obesity (it was a zdogdmd video if you want to go find it).
Long story short, he used Phentermine as a tool to stop the psychological aspect of overeating. You had to eat x number of calories daily, and the push to eat that much when you didn’t feel hungry helped to break the habit.0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »
I take it you overlooked my point - reassuring the person who asked "Should I see a counselor?".frankiesgirlie wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »
Don't call the nutcase clinic just yet.Sandythinandfit wrote: »I was working with a doctor/nutritionist once a month. I learned to eat good foods and get to a healthy weight. Once I got into maintenance I slowly started eating a little junk food. Gradually over four years it turned into drinking a lot of wine, like I did before I started taking Phen. I paid no attention to what I ate. More junk food. Less healthy food. Big quantities. I wish I knew why my basic instinct is to overeat. Should I see a counselor?
To get to a healthy weight, you learned how to eat in a certain way to lose weight. Your motivation for eating that way, was weightloss. You told yourself that the food you ate was good, and of course it was, it made you lose weight.
When your reached goal weight, the motivation to eat in that way, was gone.
Losing weight is easy.
Food tastes good, it's easy to eat, it comforts us.
Overeating isn't very difficult to understand.
Overeating as a habit is challenging to change.
Nutcase clinic? Seriously? That’s a very negative stereotype regarding mental health. Please educate yourself about mental health problems and don’t use that term again. It’s insulting to people that have those types of problems,
Or love someone who does.
I do have mental problems myself, amd I know many other people who have. Don't tell me what to do or not do.
If you have mental health problems yourself, then it’s an even more ignorant statement.5 -
I tried it, but it affected my breathing. I couldn't breathe well when I was on it. I have lung issues but it just made them worse. I've talked to others and haven't ran into anyone else with that particular side effect.0
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sommerrosee2 wrote: »I have been on it for about 2 weeks now. I feel completely fine. no jitters, no heart racing, just a major difference in not feeling as hungry all of the time, and i eat normally. I feel NORMAL. i have a few autoimmune issues so i am very low functioning. no energy, exhausted all the time. so it's really nice to feel "normal". i don't have to force myself, i just eat breakfast, four or 5 hours later i have lunch, and repeat the timeframe with dinner. and ill have usually a piece of fruit or cheese stick or something in the middle of each meal. I am going to try to get my dr. to keep me on it for the max of 12 weeks. after that point i am going to see if they will give me something more permanent to keep me functioning because i dont want to go back to before. it was awful. i also do think that as long as you maintain the same sort of discipline after coming off, you'll be just fine. every story ive heard or read about people gaining weight back is because they didn't to ANYTHING to maintain healthy eating.
I also have autoimmune diseases that cause terrible fatigue and lack of concentration. My doctor put me on Adderal, which is what they give for ADD. It gives me enough energy to feel closer to normal. It also helps with appetite some. Might try that for your fatigue. Just don't dare take it along with phentermine.0
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