I was prescribed the diet pill Phentermine.Has anyone ever taken it? When the drug "Phen-Phen" was on the market it was one of them.This of course is the one that they did not ban.I am just wondering if it has worked for anyone.

I would advise that you don't take it. It's similar to an amphetamine and will stimulate your central nervous system. It will raise your blood pressure and quite possible with give you palpitations. It can make you restless and nervous and it is habit forming.

I took it briefly, and have known people who have taken it. Yes, it will supress your appetite but I'd rather have the appetite and use will power to prevent from over-eating than to go through the side effects I had with it.

Phentermine was approved by the FDA in 1959 as a short term weight-loss medication. The Phen-Fen combo came about when the chief complaint from consumers was feeling "wired" on Phentermine. So doctors thought perhaps they could compensate for that by combining an upper (Phentermine) with a downer (Fenfluramine). It became quite the popular cocktail back in the 90s...although the drug combo was never approved by the FDA. But the off-label uses of both the drugs led to a development of heart valve disease and in 1997 the FDA requested drug manufacturers to withdraw Fenfluramine from the market.

While you are asking specifically about the drug Phentermine, I thought perhaps you might be interested in reading the FDA Health Advisory Notice regarding the connection of heart valve disease to the use of fenfluramine and phentermine.

fda.gov

Thank you for the link.And thank you for your personal info.It's a hard choice.Since I have stopped smoking a yr and a half ago I have put on about 40 lbs I need to get rid of...that is unhealthy also.I have even thought of smoking again lol.It does make me wired.I have a clean house and laundry is caught up! I take it first thing I get up in the morning and the only time it really makes me fell strange is at night when it starts to wear off.I have zilch for willpower so I am stuck on making a decision.As for the nervous part,I am not sure if it does or not.I know that sounds stupid but I am a nervous person to begin with and I take Xanax so maybe that covers that side effect.But again thank you for your input.

I suggest you speak to your doctor or pharmacist and see if any of the drugs you are taking can interact with this medication. You do NOT want to find out the hard way.

If you want to quit smoking and also lose, you should find for something will help you inthe two case. I know about Acomplia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acomplia which is medication to treat obesity without gaining an inch of that weight after wards. And it helps also to quit smoking. If you wish, you can try it but with the advice of your doctor of course.

It doesn't seem like a good choice.

From the Wikipedia link above -

Shortly after market introduction, press reports and independent studies suggest that side effects occur stronger and more commonly than shown by the manufacturer in their clinical studies. Reports of severe depression are frequent. This is deemed to result from the drug being active in the central nervous system, an area of human physiology so complex that drug effects are highly difficult to determine reliably.[5] The reported development of previously clinically silent multiple sclerosis in one patient taking Rimonabant suggests that any patients with an underlying neurological condition should not take Rimonabant, given the neuroprotective role of the endocannabinoid system in many experimental paradigms of neurological disease.

On 15 June 2007 the BBC News reported [6] that a committee advising the US FDA has voted not to recommend the drug's approval because of concerns over suicidality, depression and other related side effects associated with use of the drug.

A good book I found on the subject at my local library is Bodystat : How to Reset Your Fat Thermostat Permanently :

http://www.allbookstores.com/book/0670859559

There are many other books along similar lines on the same library shelf.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The authors of this particular book outline several ways one can accomplish long term goals - some of it is "extreme" while other parts are just minor changes. I picked the minor changes route and lost 50 pounds of fat over the course of a year - I also took on a weight training program so I converted mass from fat to muscle, I lost only 40-45 pounds of weight - having gained 10 to 15 pounds of muscle in the process of losing fat.

After I stopped using speed I gained a lot of fat - Although while on speed I was thinner than a rail, after speed my eating went through the roof. Basically all sorts of drugs designed to reduce hunger will have the same effect once you stop.

Smoking is similar to using speed - it suppresses your hunger and once you stop taking the drug the hunger takes over. What one needs to do is find a way to feed the hunger with low calories so one can feed the need filling the stomach while eating less calories.

Taking a drug to offset the loss of another drug just will not work. Once you stop taking the next drug you will be in the same boat.

This book will also explain to you why starvation diets just do not work. The body is designed for survival - starvation is anti-survival and the body has many ways to survive - unfortunately in our modern world with an abundance of high calorie foods the survival modes end up costing us in the fat department. Using drugs to offset hunger sets you up for a starvation period, the body will respond to that and will ultimately seek to gain fat to offset the famine.