I am thinking about visiting a weight loss clinic that prescribes phentermine. I have several friends who have tried it in the short term with great results kick starting their weight loss. Have you ever tried it? Would you?

It was okay as far as curbing food cravings, however, I t wasn't as strong as I would have liked so I didn't stay with it. And one of the (annoying) side effects I experienced was 'dry mouth'.

Hi! I'm starting phentermine tomorrow if anyone wants an accountability partner, let me know and we can do this together! I'm 30 years old, 5'4 160lbs looking to be 125lbs

I have just started phentermine on Saturday. I am 233lbs and looking to lose about 100lbs. I'm 44 and 5'5"

I am trying to eat the 1200 calories my doctor told me I needed but it's hard. I have actually been around 1000 cals eaten. It is hard. It does curb your appetite. Drinking lots of water because of dry mouth and working out a lot.

I am on Samsung Health and use a Gear Fit 2 to track my HR and exercise.

I haven't seen any change yet. Yesterday I weighed 232.5 and today I weigh 233.4 so that is discouraging.

I had my daughter and after was 235. I started phentermine and got down to about 160 pounds. The Dr would not let me lose more than 10 lbs/month. I drank a lot of water!!
I have kept most of it off I weigh 190 now (I recently put that on by pigging out)! LOL That's why I'm back here.
So yes..it does work but eat 3 meals/day 1 snack but I ate whatever foods I wanted in moderation.

Late to this party but I was just prescribed Phentermine, 37.5 mg. today by my doctor. I am a little mystified because I thought my doctor was a kind of more holistic, less meds type of guy..he convinced me to wean myself off my Wellbutrin (depression medicine) and I am off it completely now..and for my height and weight (5'6", 164 pounds) I am really not 'that' overweight. I told him I would like to be in the 140's range and he offered Phentermine, or the other drug (forget the name) that allows some fat to pass through, that one I soundly refused (diarrhea, cramping, anal leakage, no thank you!)

I took my first pill about an hour ago and so far I am imagining I am thirsty..but it is a hot day. So I am drinking lots of water. I am on a sort-of schedule of cardio 4 to 5 times a week (youtube videos, Leslie Sansone, Pahla Bee) and I will try to have smaller portions (I love big portions and seconds!) and keep away from the bad carbs.

any update from the chicks who posted above?

Anyone old enough to remember fen-phen in the 80s? No? Here's a reminder:

"The drug combination fenfluramine/phentermine, usually called fen-phen, was an anti-obesity treatment that utilized two anorectics. Fenfluramine was marketed by American Home Products (later known as Wyeth) as Pondimin, but was shown to cause potentially fatal pulmonary hypertension and heart valve problems, which eventually led to its withdrawal and legal damages of over $13 billion.[1] Phentermine was not shown to have harmful effects.[1]"

Phentermine "is a psychostimulant drug of the substituted amphetamine chemical class.."

Does anyone seriously think messing with this poison to "kick start" their weight loss is a good idea?

Does anyone really think they're going to get thin and healthy long-term with drugs, instead of with inner changes made through courage, persistence, and hard work?

Please, ladies, you're better than the big lies Big Pharma is selling you.

"Anyone old enough to remember fen-phen in the 80s? No? Here's a reminder:

The drug combination fenfluramine/phentermine, usually called fen-phen, was an anti-obesity treatment that utilized two anorectics. Fenfluramine was marketed by American Home Products (later known as Wyeth) as Pondimin, but was shown to cause potentially fatal pulmonary hypertension and heart valve problems, which eventually led to its withdrawal and legal damages of over $13 billion.[1] Phentermine was not shown to have harmful effects.[1]"

That's right-- independent, peer reviewed studies have found that it wasn't the "phen" part of fen-phen that caused the pulmonary hypertension and heart-valve problems. Phentermine is not associated with these problems when studied in controlled, double blind studies.(Glazer, 2001). Observational studies are often quoted when spreading fear about phentermine, but are far less reliable due to confounding, selection, and information biases.

Phentermine "is a psychostimulant drug of the substituted amphetamine chemical class.."

This does not mean that phentermine is dangerous or addictive when used properly. In fact, independent, peer reviewed studies indicate the opposite, even when phentermine was used for more than 12 weeks and in higher doses than are typically prescribed. (Hendricks, et. al, 2013)

Does anyone seriously think messing with this poison to "kick start" their weight loss is a good idea?

Frankly, yes. And this decision is supported by scientists who have nothing to do with "big pharma".

Does anyone really think they're going to get thin and healthy long-term with drugs, instead of with inner changes made through courage, persistence, and hard work?

Why are you assuming the people who are treating their obesity with medication are doing so in lieu of inner changes, courage, persistence, and hard work? That's pretty judgmental and ignorant. Any responsible doctor would prescribe the medication for use in addition to making healthy decisions. Phentermine doesn't magically make losing weight easy, it makes it easier. It's still very challenging.

Independent, peer reviewed studies showed that a significant number of phentermine treated patience had greater outcomes in terms of maintenance of the weight than the control group (Hendricks, 2011).

Please, ladies, you're better than the big lies Big Pharma is selling you.

If you don't want to take phentermine, by all means don't! But don't base your decision on rhetoric. Base it on science, the recommendation of your trusted health care provider, and your comfort levels. Just remember that, regardless of whether or not you choose medication, you need to adopts a healthy lifestyle and your chances of success are far greater if you have a strong support system in place.

Sources Cited:

Glazer, G. (2001). Long-term Pharmacotherapy of Obesity 2000. Archives of Internal Medicine, 161(15), 1814. doi:10.1001/archinte.161.15.1814

Hendricks, E. J., Greenway, F. L., Westman, E. C., & Gupta, A. K. (2011). Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Effects, Weight Loss and Maintenance During Long-Term Phentermine Pharmacotherapy for Obesity. Obesity, 19(12), 2351-2360. doi:10.1038/oby.2011.94

Hendricks, E. J., Srisurapanont, M., Schmidt, S. L., Haggard, M., Souter, S., Mitchell, C. L., . . . Greenway, F. L. (2013). Addiction potential of phentermine prescribed during long-term treatment of obesity. International Journal of Obesity, 38(2), 292-298. doi:10.1038/ijo.2013.74

3 yrs ago, I was on Phentermine for 5 months.

Except for the first week, I had absolutely no side effects whatsoever -- I can vouch on this.

Phentermine helped me lose 8 lbs a month.

Owing to high cost for doctor fee every month, I am currently unable to pursue Phentermine treatment. And I have kick-started my weight loss journey again for the past 2 months. Whereas with Phentermine I lost 8 lbs a month, now I am losing 3 lbs a month.

I'm finishing my 2nd week of phen. I do have dry mouth but I just drink a lot of water. IT doesn't take away my appetite completely but just enough for me to not give into my emotional food cravings. I started at 198 and down to 186. I know majority of that is Water due to low carb and high protein diet but it helps keep me motivated. I know phen isn't a magic pill. I work out and watch what I eat as well. It's just given me the ability to resist the cravings to make better food choices.

I haven't take in it since college, but it made my skin break out terribly and I developed some um, anger issues. My then-roommate still remembers it as The Terrible Diet of '92 When We You Yelled At Me Until I Cried.

Hi all, I'm back after a long break. I decided to get serious about my weight loss goals and asked my doctor for phentermine. It's been a week and my appetite has crashed. Like today, I made a big-ish salad for lunch and I ate 3/4's of it before I felt over full. I've spent the rest of the day with an unrelenting stomachache. So much so that I have had to lie down. I've had all the less serious symptoms and I wonder, will they go away after some time? I'm going to power through this first months prescription as long as I don't have serious side effects. I'm wondering if I'm going to feel bad the entire time. Anybody out there who's experienced this? How did you cope? I know I'm gonna lose weight because at this moment, I think dinner will consist of a tablespoon of yogurt.

I went from 230 to around 160 losing about 10 lbs a month. It helped me and felt much healthier and encouraged a healthy weight loss due to fewer cravings for junk! I started in 2009 and no longer take it. I kept off all the weight except I've gained some recently. I believe due to my MS medications. ☺️
But yes..it did help me with no complaint. Dry mouth, yes but encouragement to drink water..lol

I took it when I was younger. Unfortunately, I got a script this fall and it didn't go well. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I have the 30 day supply so I could still use it. If I do I will attempt to push it back later in the day so it isn't so close to coffee or not on an empty stomach.

I absolutely remember that combo. A friend lost her sister to it I did at one time just take Phentermine and did not like the side effects and did not find it particularly effective for me. It still does not come without risks.

I, too, have a lot of weight to lose and wish I had learned 30 years ago to just come up with a healthy plan and stick with it. If you cut sugar and a lot of carbs you will be amazed at how your cravings drop. For me cutting wheat has helped.

Each person has to find their way but I am not keen on the approach.