Phentermine 30mg and Levothyroxine 50mg

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karirenae
karirenae Posts: 106 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just curious if anyone else has ever been on this combination? Before I get all of you that love to post to be rude, I am on Levo for hypothyroid and from that weight gain, I was prescribed phentermine to kickstart some weight loss. I know supplements/medications arent the best route, so PLEASE if you feel the need to post that I am dumb, naive, stupid, whatever because of this, take it somewhere else. I am looking for people who have successfully or unsuccessfully taken this in the past or currently :)

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  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    While there is little data showing potential risk from taking both medications at the same time...from a pharmacokinetic issue I would not put my body through such stress unless a greater risk was present.

    Kickstarting via medication may be an effective short term strategy, but this rarely works in the long term.

    What is your current weight and goal weight?

    It's also critical to understand what hypothyroidism does and does not do. It does not slow your metabolism by any significant rate. It may however impact your appetite triggers and make you crave food when you are not hungry. The only weight gain associated with this is water weight, but that is short term and will resolve once you are supplemented.
  • MoveitlikeManda
    MoveitlikeManda Posts: 846 Member
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    Im on levo and personally Id stop the Phentermine and be having thyroid bloods every 8-12 weeks to see if you are on the correct dose of levo which is all you need for your weight loss to "kick in"

    Im currently up to 75mg with my next blood test on thursday, is it a pain in the *kitten* keeping going for bloods ? yes but its nothing in the grand scheme of thing of getting my thyroid under control
  • shoofly435
    shoofly435 Posts: 74 Member
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    Hi Op - I took both of those things together for years with no issues. The thyroid problem never seemed to affect my weight but I had (still have) a lot of trouble with binge eating and the Phentermine helped with that..... until it didn't. The problem is you develop a tolerance to it and then it looses effectiveness. I can't keep any snack or desert type food in the house or I'll eat all of it. It's not a matter of self control it's like an addiction but as long as I keep "healthy" stuff I'll eat that I won't go out of my way to buy sugary carbs but if they're in the house forget it. I've been contemplating going back on Phentermine lately, but I don't think you need it to "jump start" weight loss because once you develop a tolerance the weight comes back easily unless you've made major changes.
  • tammie614
    tammie614 Posts: 48 Member
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    karirenae wrote: »
    Just curious if anyone else has ever been on this combination? Before I get all of you that love to post to be rude, I am on Levo for hypothyroid and from that weight gain, I was prescribed phentermine to kickstart some weight loss. I know supplements/medications arent the best route, so PLEASE if you feel the need to post that I am dumb, naive, stupid, whatever because of this, take it somewhere else. I am looking for people who have successfully or unsuccessfully taken this in the past or currently :)


    i've taken phentermine before in the past. a holistic doctor i was seeing to break me out of a plateau had prescribed it to me. it worked great for me. i lost some weight but then read about the dangers of it and stopped taking it. it completely halted my appetite , which is key for weight/fat loss.

  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    with a thryoid issue most often you have to get your levels under control before you will see any weight loss start to happen. that can take awhile my daughter is hypothryoid,been on levothyroxine for almost a year and still her levels are out of whack. she goes back on the 30th to see if they will raise her medication amount or put her on something else. she is on the 50 mcg and her levels are rising again. there are drug interactions with the phentermine and the levothyroxine https://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/phentermine-with-synthroid-1851-0-1463-869.html?consumer=1
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,771 Member
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    tammie614 wrote: »
    karirenae wrote: »
    Just curious if anyone else has ever been on this combination? Before I get all of you that love to post to be rude, I am on Levo for hypothyroid and from that weight gain, I was prescribed phentermine to kickstart some weight loss. I know supplements/medications arent the best route, so PLEASE if you feel the need to post that I am dumb, naive, stupid, whatever because of this, take it somewhere else. I am looking for people who have successfully or unsuccessfully taken this in the past or currently :)


    i've taken phentermine before in the past. a holistic doctor i was seeing to break me out of a plateau had prescribed it to me. it worked great for me. i lost some weight but then read about the dangers of it and stopped taking it. it completely halted my appetite , which is key for weight/fat loss.

    so phentermine is a holistic drug??? who knew??
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    Calliope610 wrote: »
    tammie614 wrote: »
    karirenae wrote: »
    Just curious if anyone else has ever been on this combination? Before I get all of you that love to post to be rude, I am on Levo for hypothyroid and from that weight gain, I was prescribed phentermine to kickstart some weight loss. I know supplements/medications arent the best route, so PLEASE if you feel the need to post that I am dumb, naive, stupid, whatever because of this, take it somewhere else. I am looking for people who have successfully or unsuccessfully taken this in the past or currently :)


    i've taken phentermine before in the past. a holistic doctor i was seeing to break me out of a plateau had prescribed it to me. it worked great for me. i lost some weight but then read about the dangers of it and stopped taking it. it completely halted my appetite , which is key for weight/fat loss.

    so phentermine is a holistic drug??? who knew??

    eating less calories is what is key for weight/fat loss. not everyone needs their appetite halted to do so. and plateaus happen and are normal and that dr should be shot for prescrbing a med like that to get a person out of a normal part of weight loss.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    amyepdx wrote: »
    tammie614 wrote: »
    karirenae wrote: »
    Just curious if anyone else has ever been on this combination? Before I get all of you that love to post to be rude, I am on Levo for hypothyroid and from that weight gain, I was prescribed phentermine to kickstart some weight loss. I know supplements/medications arent the best route, so PLEASE if you feel the need to post that I am dumb, naive, stupid, whatever because of this, take it somewhere else. I am looking for people who have successfully or unsuccessfully taken this in the past or currently :)


    i've taken phentermine before in the past. a holistic doctor i was seeing to break me out of a plateau had prescribed it to me. it worked great for me. i lost some weight but then read about the dangers of it and stopped taking it. it completely halted my appetite , which is key for weight/fat loss.

    A “holistic” doctor prescribed speed - interesting!

    I wasn't aware that a holistic 'doctor' could even prescribe drugs. Colour me surprised.

  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    karirenae wrote: »
    Just curious if anyone else has ever been on this combination? Before I get all of you that love to post to be rude, I am on Levo for hypothyroid and from that weight gain, I was prescribed phentermine to kickstart some weight loss.
    If you were being properly medicated for your hypothyroidism, weight gain should not have been an issue. I've been on thyroid meds for 30 years. The only time I gained weight was when I ate too damn much. :D
  • 30kgin2017
    30kgin2017 Posts: 228 Member
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    @karirenae I was on Phentermine 30mg for 2 months and am now on Phentermine 40mg for the past 2 weeks, my Levothyroxine is 100mg. For me Phentermine has had a minimal change on my appetite but the energy boost has meant that I am able to avoid the 3pm sugar hit for that quick pick me up. It has also made me caffeine sensitive which curbs my coke addiction.

    In terms of taking the medication I was advised by the dr to take them 1/2hr to 1 hr apart. Then by the pharmacist 2 hours apart. I usually take 1-1 1/2 hrs apart. I havent had my thyroid levels checked recently so I am unsure if its had an affect on them. My BP is fine (my dr had me check in each month). My resting heart rate is slightly higher but given its usually high forties to mid fifties a raise to high fities to sixty tops isnt an concern for me.

    I've lost 11kgs over the last 10 weeks, although the last 2 weeks have been fairly stalled. Partly because I ate more in the week leading up to a long race to avoid fatigue issues and then injury has kept me taking it easy combined with a few events etc. We just had a long weekend where I live and I took a break for 3 days from it. Day 1 and 2 were fine and day 3 I was really tired. Though on the plus side it was great to catch up on some sleep. I've got about 3 weeks worth of tablets left as I have often skipped a Sunday along the way, so I am back on it daily for 1 week and then will start taking every second day and then every third to taper off.

    I have to take a 3 month break and at least maintain weight loss for my doctor to prescribe them to me again. At this point I am not sure if I will do another round. I have successfully lost weight to a similar point previously but I have always hit the wall at the same weight and eventually bounced back up. Although each time I have maintained the lower weight for a longer period of time. So I may consider another round to get me past that point, my thyroid issue was undiagnosed last time I lost weight but the symptoms were evident during this time. Initially I was dismissed when I raised the possibility of thyroid issues and the combination of time it took to get diagnosed and then another whole side issue of what different drs considered normal levels and the fact I was exhausted from a long period of large deficit and motivation was low due to diminishing results. I let my weight climb while I focused on getting my energy back, I kept up with regular exercise, let my hair and nails recover etc until I was ready to try again.

    Essentially it is still about calories in vs calories out but the drugs have been an tool in helping me achieve this. The lost weight has also made it easier on my favorite exercise (running). I am hoping that the lost weight will assist fatigue issues because even though I am medicated for my thyroid, fatigue was an ongoing issue for me. This time round I havent had to resort to a large deficit to see results.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    30kgin2017 wrote: »
    @karirenae I was on Phentermine 30mg for 2 months and am now on Phentermine 40mg for the past 2 weeks, my Levothyroxine is 100mg. For me Phentermine has had a minimal change on my appetite but the energy boost has meant that I am able to avoid the 3pm sugar hit for that quick pick me up. It has also made me caffeine sensitive which curbs my coke addiction.

    In terms of taking the medication I was advised by the dr to take them 1/2hr to 1 hr apart. Then by the pharmacist 2 hours apart. I usually take 1-1 1/2 hrs apart. I havent had my thyroid levels checked recently so I am unsure if its had an affect on them. My BP is fine (my dr had me check in each month). My resting heart rate is slightly higher but given its usually high forties to mid fifties a raise to high fities to sixty tops isnt an concern for me.

    I've lost 11kgs over the last 10 weeks, although the last 2 weeks have been fairly stalled. Partly because I ate more in the week leading up to a long race to avoid fatigue issues and then injury has kept me taking it easy combined with a few events etc. We just had a long weekend where I live and I took a break for 3 days from it. Day 1 and 2 were fine and day 3 I was really tired. Though on the plus side it was great to catch up on some sleep. I've got about 3 weeks worth of tablets left as I have often skipped a Sunday along the way, so I am back on it daily for 1 week and then will start taking every second day and then every third to taper off.

    I have to take a 3 month break and at least maintain weight loss for my doctor to prescribe them to me again. At this point I am not sure if I will do another round. I have successfully lost weight to a similar point previously but I have always hit the wall at the same weight and eventually bounced back up. Although each time I have maintained the lower weight for a longer period of time. So I may consider another round to get me past that point, my thyroid issue was undiagnosed last time I lost weight but the symptoms were evident during this time. Initially I was dismissed when I raised the possibility of thyroid issues and the combination of time it took to get diagnosed and then another whole side issue of what different drs considered normal levels and the fact I was exhausted from a long period of large deficit and motivation was low due to diminishing results. I let my weight climb while I focused on getting my energy back, I kept up with regular exercise, let my hair and nails recover etc until I was ready to try again.

    Essentially it is still about calories in vs calories out but the drugs have been an tool in helping me achieve this. The lost weight has also made it easier on my favorite exercise (running). I am hoping that the lost weight will assist fatigue issues because even though I am medicated for my thyroid, fatigue was an ongoing issue for me. This time round I havent had to resort to a large deficit to see results.

    my daughters endo told her not to take any other meds, supplements,vitamins,etc until 4 hrs after she has taken her thyroid meds. if she took those things before her thyroid meds she is to wait 4 hrs before taking it.

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