Not sure if anyone pays any attention to this forum but on the off chance someone does.. I was wondering if anyone has tried Phentermine as a weight loss tool and what their experiences with it were?

I have a friend that has said if she knew about Phentermine before she had her VSG should wouldn't have had the procedure and just took her time using that product to lsoe the weight. I've read of the possible side effects and they are pretty unnerving.. though no more unnerving than the unknown of having surgery.

Many of us older WLS patients have tried several appetite suppressant or fat blocking meds over the decades. I beg you to think of the long term effects on your kidneys and heart. When I was younger I always thought those side effects couldn't mean me. As I age I watch obese family members deal with life threatening heart and kidney problems. I've been on three meds in my life that were later recalled. Two for arthritis and one for weight loss. I'm grateful that today my tests come back fine. But I don't know what damage may have been done. WLS is drastic. But the drugs are too. Please think of the future. Good luck.

Was on it for several years monitored by heart specialist. No kidney probs. It does work

I was on then years ago with the phen- phen. It worked wonders but after getting off of them I gain all my weight back plus more. I have been back on them without the phen- phen and it did nothing but give me energy but no weigh lost. I Do not want to put to much of my business out here but I only take them when I'm about to be with my husband in that special way for the energy. He loves it......

Edited September 27, 201411 yr by fearfefe

After reading the side effects I would not even think of taking a medication like this :

Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

• feeling short of breath, even with mild exertion;
• chest pain, feeling like you might pass out;
• swelling in your ankles or feet;
• pounding heartbeats or fluttering in your chest;
• confusion or irritability, unusual thoughts or behavior;
• feelings of extreme happiness or sadness; or
• dangerously high blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision, buzzing in your ears, anxiety, chest pain, shortness of breath, uneven heartbeats, seizure).

Less serious side effects may include:

• feeling restless or hyperactive;
• headache, dizziness, tremors;
• sleep problems (insomnia);
• dry mouth or an unpleasant taste in your mouth;
• diarrhea or constipation, upset stomach; or
• increased or decreased interest in sex, impotence.

As with any drug or procedure that you decide on for losing weight there are possible side effects these do not happen with everyone. However, each person is different and unique but even the mild side effects of this drug seem too much of a gamble for me. I have seen to many put on more weight then they started taking the drug for. My daughter took it and ended up taking more because after a while she would end up tired and agitated and needed more of it. Just not something I wanted in my life. God bless and good choice on getting surgery instead of snow balling into something that may become a habit.

Has anyone done phentermine after being banded?? Just for those weeks right after post op when u have no fill???

I posted about a month and a half ago that I hadn't had any issues with this Rx. But since then I have developed horrible insomnia and racing heart even on the days when I don't take it. I am now stuck in an awful sort-of-love/hate relationship with it. When I take it, I lose weight without much effort. If I don't take it, my weight shoots right back up, even when I eat the same. So I only take it about 1-2 times a week and only half a pill then, but I still end up with my heart racing like crazy and lying wide awake until 4 or 5 in the morning all the rest of the days of the week. This is SO not worth it!! Right now I am just trying to maintain my weight loss until my surgery next month, but I am going to have to find a way to do it without these evil pills.

My weight did not shoot up after taking it to lose 128 lbs. It rose gradually because I had to stop exercise. But getting vsg stopped all such meds.

I was prescribed Bontril and Adipex and had some success with the meds a few years ago. I went on it again for over a year but did not take it regularly and had little success. However, the adipex did raise my BP, which gave me a comorbiity. When my surgeon told me to stop taking it, the BP went down but I quickly gained 10 pounds. I think if, down the road I falter.. I would look back into taking it if it gave me the boost I needed.

I took phentermine in my early 20's when I was young and stupid. I wasn't very overweight and mainly wanted to use it to decrease my appetite. Like someone posted before, I had a love/hate relationship with the drug. It gave me energy while suppressing my appetite, but would keep me awake most of the night. After not sleeping for a few days, I got desperate and asked a friend for a sleeping pill. The sleeping pill was actually Trazadone and within one hour I started hallucinating. It was probably one of the scariest moments of my life and it even disturbs me now to reflect back on it. I was too embarrassed to go to the ER, so I tried to wait it out in hopes it would wear off. However, after 24 hours of continuing hallucination and panic, I had someone drive me to the ER.

I am lucky to not have long term damage. Of course, I am much wiser now about the severity of complications that can arise from taking medications like Phentermine. It's just not worth it.

Phentermine is some crazy medicine. Yes, it took away my appetite and gave me tons of energy. In fact, I lost 73 pounds! But it also changed my personality (for the worse), made my heart race and my blood pressure was very very high...like 180/110. My doctor told me I would have a heart attack if I continued taking it. That scared me enough to stop cold turkey. It took me over a year after getting off of it to get my blood pressure back to normal. Two years later I gained back the majority of the weight I lost. The fact that I can't take appetite suppressants is the main reason I'm having WLS.

Edited October 26, 201411 yr by krisrpaz

Not sure if anyone pays any attention to this forum but on the off chance someone does.. I was wondering if anyone has tried Phentermine as a weight loss tool and what their experiences with it were?

I have a friend that has said if she knew about Phentermine before she had her VSG should wouldn't have had the procedure and just took her time using that product to lsoe the weight. I've read of the possible side effects and they are pretty unnerving.. though no more unnerving than the unknown of having surgery.

I used it once lost 30 pounds gained back 60. It does make you not want to eat, but it had an effect on me where I felt irritable all the time, my blood pressure elevated, It just didnt help me make a lifestyle change.

Hello all,

My Primary Dr is also a weight loss specialist and on top of a prescribed diet he put me on Phentermine.

It takes away all my "hungry" pains/feelings so I'm forcing myself to eat a little something at meal time. I have also noticed if I don't take it right as I wake up that it will keep me awake at night.

Has anyone else used this prescription?

I've used this once my Dr told me it's basically "meth in a legal pill form" I had bad anxiety from it along with it really messed with my blood pressure and heart rate so the Dr took me off of it. It worked for my sister but not for me. Everyone is different

I was on it years ago. You will lose weight, but when you stop taking it .... your appetite comes back with a vengeance.

Edited December 16, 201411 yr by JerseyCityGal

I was on it...and it's like legalized crack. As soon as you stop taking it, any weight you lost comes right back. I was not really a fan of it because I felt like peeling off my skin...I was so amped up, it was unpleasant.