Weight Loss // Phentermine
Phentermine, sometimes nicknamed "phen", is an appetite suppressant prescribed to seriously
obese people for short-term management of their obesity.
Note: "phentermine" is the drug's generic (chemical) name. You may find it sold under various
brand names such as Adipex, Ionamin, or (until a few years ago) Fastin.
How Phentermine Is Used
Phentermine is usually taken regularly for 6-12 weeks. Using phentermine for longer than this
may lead to unwanted side effects or a difficulty to quit.
Phentermine should be used along with
an overall lifestyle change -- reduced-calorie diet, physical exercise etc., all under a doctor's
supervision. Continuing this lifestyle will help in keeping the weight off after the phentermine
treatment is over.
Usual dosage of phentermine is one pill a day, taken on an empty stomach. Phentermine should not
be taken late in the day, as it tends to disrupt sleep patterns.
How Phentermine Works
Phentermine belongs to the sympathomimetic family of appetite suppressants, acting on the
appetite center in the brain and helping to reduce the urge to eat.
Who Should and Shouldn't Use Phentermine
Phentermine is intended for people who have serious obesity that endangers their health.
Prescription diet pills are potent drugs, and taking them for cosmetic or any other reasons means
risking damages to your health unnecessarily. Patients for whom phentermine is an option are
those with a Body Mass Index of over 28.
Phentermine elevates heart rate and blood pressure and should not be used by people with heart
conditions or blood-pressure problems.
There's a significant number of medical conditions that may make phentermine use dangerous for
you and other medications that should not be taken along with phentermine.
Medical conditions: Before taking
phentermine, tell your doctor about any medical conditions you suffer from, and especially
if you have any allergies, a history of alcohol abuse, diabetes,
glaucoma, hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, hypertension, or a cardiovascular condition. Also
tell your doctor if you have a history or a family history of mental illness or clinical depression.
Medications: Do not use phentermine if you are taking or have recently taken a medication from the MAOI
family (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors), tricyclic antidepressants, SSRI-type antidepressants (such
as Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, and Zoloft), or other diet pills. Make sure to tell your doctor and/or
pharmacist about any drugs you may be taking before you start to take phentermine!
Other Important Notes
Possible side effects at the beginning of the phentermine treatment include blurred vision,
sleeplessness, stomach upset or constipation, and irritability. These should go away on their own.
More serious side effects are also possible. Consult your doctor about the side effects
before starting phentermine treatment.
If you're using phentermine, note that it shares some chemical traits with amphetamines
and may therefore cause a mistaken positive result in a urine test checking for amphetamines.
You may have heard about the dangers of using Fen-Phen. Fen-Phen is a combination of phentermine
with a drug called fenfluramine, a combination which used to be popular as a weight-loss aid up until
a few years ago. Fen-Phen was discovered to cause heart problems, and was subsequently taken off the
market. Phentermine alone does not cause the same problems and is approved by the FDA and prescribed
regularly for people who require it.
More Information
An informative article on sympathomimetic
appetite suppressants from Yahoo.
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