Started phentermine yesterday =]

I used to be on it. It worked very well. The only downside is you can't take it for very long because it can cause heart problems, and the weight usually comes right back once you stop taking it. Good luck, though! Hopefully it will be different for you!

Actually, I did some research and Phentermine alone has not been proven to cause heart problems.. its the Fen-Phen, which contains Fenfluramine (also known as pondomin) and closely related to Dexfenfluramine(redux). Those were removed from the US voluntarily by the manufacturers and the FDA because of the concerns of these medications damaging heart valves. So Phentermine has been used alone for years now and is allowed to remain in the US. I was VERY concerned and nervous about taking it because of this.. so I dug deep haha! I am still nervous about taking it but, learning this helped comfort me a little. I was also Okayed by 2 doctors..

I am also really worried about the weight gain after coming off of it. So I am exercising daily and eating healthy, small portions and im hoping by the time I am off of it I will be able to continue that and keep the weight off. This will be my 2nd go around losing weight.. I did it before with no help.. just good diet and exercise. But I ended up having medical problems that interfered with my insulin levels and the receptors which my Dr. said almost makes it impossible for me to lose weight =[. Plus side.. losing the weight is what will manage my condition and it will be easier to lose weight.. so this is just a jump start for me. I dont plan on using it past 3 months.

Thanks for the good luck =] I am so determined to lose weight and get my health under control! and KEEP it that way this time! lol.. I hope it works good for me and stays off too =/

I was on it last year. It CAN cause dependency in some, so my doctor would not allow me to have more than 3 months. But she said I could cut the pills in half to take them longer. It really helped kick start my weight loss. But I didn't care for the insomnia. It gave me a lot of energy, so I didn't feel all that tired, but waking up every hour was a pain. You do have to make sure you've made lasting changes, or you could regain the weight. My weight loss slowed once I stopped taking them (in March), but it hasn't stopped, nor have I gained any back. I'm determined not to.

Yea! I am afraid of the dependency too! I know it is schedule 4.. which in medical means it has the possibility of being addictive. but schedule 1 is the highest (meaning most addictive) and 5 is the lowest (not addictive) So, I am hoping I am strong enough to take it without depending on it. I have only taken it twice. yesterday morning and this morning. And last night I did not have any trouble sleeping. So I am hoping it stays that way. Did you take half a pill twice a day.. or half a pill once a day when you started? If you took half a pill twice a day maybe that was why you had the insomnia? IDK! I know a friend of mine took it and she said her heart raced and she couldnt sleep. I also read somewhere that when your body gets immune to it you can up the dose.. or take one in the morning and one in the afternoon.. I dont see how people could take 2 a day and actually be able to sleep!

I am really happy that you have not gained back! No loss is better than a gain! lol.. Did you slowly come off of it? Or did you quit cold turkey? I also learned that quitting cold turkey could hault weight loss and cause a rebound in hunger and fatigue. Im also assuming your body has to adjust to being off the pill.. but im not Dr. thats just my assumption.

And I know how you feel !I am also determined to lose the weight and keep it off! If you dont mind me asking.. how much weight did you lose and how long were you on it? and did you eat right and exercise every day? Did you drink only water? or other things like tea or juice as well?

I only took half a pill once a day. And I had to be sure to take it first thing in the morning. I didn't start noticing the insomnia until several weeks in.

And I'm happy to say, I experienced no residual dependency. I just took the last pill one day and was fine. Of course, my appetite picked back up, so it required a lot more discipline to not overeat and to stay within my daily limits.

I took the pills for 8 months. I was visiting my doctor once a month while she was writing me individual month's prescriptions. On my 3rd and last appt, I waited over an hour. She felt so bad, she wrote me an extra month's prescription. Cutting the pills in half lasted 8 months. I started in July of last year and ran out sometime in March. I lost about 30 pounds in that time (which means, I've lost only 6 pounds since then). I will admit, I didn't do a lot of exercising in that time. I was working so hard at eating right. Now I've incorporated exercising, and the weightloss is picking back up.

I have no problem drinking lots of water. And I highly recommend it. My doctor also recommended cutting out white flour and eating more whole grains.

wow! sounds like you had quite a journey! lol.. I really hope I dont get insomnia =/ I have 2 children.. one who just started kindergarten! I cant afford to be all screwed up on sleep! So, the longer you took them did you notice an increase in the effects of it? Did your appetite gradually pick up or did it just hit you one day that you were starving? I plan on exercising every single day! Except sundays.. Even twice a day if I can find the time. and eating right.. idont want ANY junk! and so far.. I think its possible! I have no appetite! lol.. but I want to eat a healthy amount of calories so that might be hard =/ and yes drinking nothign but water alone can help you lose like 10 lbs in the first week of doing it! Thats what happens to me.. lol. I know its all water weight but its still a good motivation booster =] lol..

I felt absolutely wretched when I took it. I lost 30 pounds in one month, so it definitely worked. But my resting heart rate was in the neighborhood of 140, my exercise heart rate was 200, I had heart palpitations, I couldn't sleep, and I thought I was going to murder my husband and children if they even looked at me cross-eyed. It was bad news. And of course, I gained it all back as soon as I stopped taking it.

WOW! That is HORRIBLE! My heart has been normal.. at least I have not noticed any skips of beats, palpitations or heart racing. I am super thankful for that becuase I was terrified of that happening! I did learn that it can cause bad mood swings.. and I find it interesting that yesterday a few hours after I took it.. I was in the BEST mood i have been in, in FOREVER. I was so confused! I was preparing myself for horrible mood swings.. but I was like.. on cloud 9.. lol.. The only explanation I had (of course im no doctor or anything) was that since I already have a mood disorder, with bad mood swings.. always impatient and irritable that maybe it had the opposite effect on me? Like how Ritalin(sp) makes people who dont have ADD hyper and filled with energy instead of calming them down. IDK.. but I dont mind it! Today.. I dont have any symptoms like I did yesterday.. Not even a dry mouth.. Im so sorry you gained all the weight back. I know how frustrating that is because it happened to me.. and I lost weight with my own motivation and hard work.. no pills.

I am definitely drinking lots of water! =] lol