Hi there,

I've been going through my 6 month weight loss program, pre-op requirement through the insurance company. I'm really struggling to lose weight... I'm trying to alter my behaviors that have gotten me to the point I'm at now, but there have been some issues at home that just make it so difficult without extra help. I've actually GAINED approx 10 lbs since I've started back in December. It's very emotionally draining and makes me think that it'll never get better. My PCP is great and she prescribed Phentermine to help with the pre-op weight loss. She only wants to have me on it for a month or two.

Does anyone or has anyone else taken this as a "push" in the right direction? If so do you feel the energy everyone talks about? It certainly changes my appetite and the taste of food, but I'm not getting that boost of energy...

Just curious. Any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated! :confused2:

Hello, I did try it for a few months and I did have energy if you want to call it that,,,,it actually made me feel very anxious and wired. I did loose a little weight with it but not very much. I gave up because I did not like the way it made me feel. I too am on a 6 month diet trying to get an approval. Good luck and hoping for the best. :-)

I've taken Phentermine several times & lost around 5 lbs. each time. Usually the Dr. will tell you that your body get's used to it and eventually you would need to increase doses to work any longer. Only time it worked well was as a lethal combo "phen/phen" years ago which caused me 3 leaky valves , a second BP medication & two heart murmors. Watch out for those drugs...even though they say their safe :teeth_smile:

I'm just sad when I read about the pre-op diets. That seems so discouraging to me. I don't know if I could have made it through if I had to be on a 6 mo. diet before having my surgery. Maybe the difference was that I was paying for it myself.

Good luck, I know it's discouraging when you're stuck! I've been up and down a couple of lbs. for a few months now, yet I've had fills regularly over the past year. Go figure! On 800 - 1,000 max calories a day, you would think one could loose a few lbs. Sorry...I'm venting :drool:

OMG! i hate that stuff. makes me all shakey and cranky. yuck. maybe it will work for you. i dont like that it made my brain too busy, like i was thinking too much and all intense..... i cant take it at work. cant concentrate. in my field you HAVE to be 100 percent. so i say no.

I took phendimetrizine and phentermine on a Dr supervised diet. The Dr switched me between the 2 meds along w/ B12 injections & I lost my first 60 of the 64lbs on my ticker from those meds. They didnt really give me more energy (I could still nap midday on them if and when I wanted to) but they sure did curb my appetite! If I could have afforded the $175 a week on that Dr's program, I would have stuck it out forever! High protein, low carb & meds worked for me, just the cost wasnt practical.

Take it from an old Phentermine pro... if you are going to use it to curb your appetite for awhile it works. For me it did anyway. In the beginning I dropped 15 pounds the first month. Did not want a bite to eat and could clean the house until midnight then be up a 5am raring to go. Then after about 5-6 months I started getting hungry in the evenings and not quite as much "energy" then realized that if I took two it would work, but still not like in the beginning. My blood pressure was through the roof while on phentermine. When I went off of them I gained every bit and more back! I guess my body was so used to going without food it was in starvation mode and held onto every calorie I put in it. I have been on this roller coaster for years thinking each time it's going to be different but it never is and I get bigger and bigger.

So if it's for a short period of time, try it, but with an end in sight. Don't expect it to be the answer to your wieght problems. For me, in the beginning, it seemed it was. I wish now I had NEVER taken them. I put part of the blame on them as to why my weight has sky rocketed. Well...them and fried chicken!

Thanks guys for your input! I defiitely only want to take these for a month or two as a booster for weight loss. I am almost done with my 6 month hold with the insurance company. They said April will be my last month and then the approval process starts. The insurance company has me almost to the point of a nervous breakdown!! Not really, but they do have me stressed. I cannot get any straight answers from anyone and fear they are going to find some loop-hole to deny the surgery.

Thanks again for letting me ask stupid questions and vent! :eek::grouphug:

I took phentermine for about 3 months December 2006 - February 2007. The first 6 weeks or so was awesome! I lost about 25 pounds, even during the holidays. Then during the first week of February, I was hospitalized with "stroke-like symptoms" - slurred speech, confusion, lack of concentration - all listed side effects of phentermine. I spent 5 days in the hospital before they figured out the phentermine is what was causing it and ruled out anything else. Scared my husband and son to death. So if you can take it to help with weight loss prior to surgery, lucky you! You will definitely have a good jump start once your band is in place. Just be careful and if you start having any symptoms, go to your dr. immediately!!! Good luck!

I took phentermine for a while a few years back. I lost 50lbs with that and a low calorie diet. The only thing it did to me was make me jittery. I was also taking b12 for some energy... overall, I didn't have that great of energy. Oh and I gained about 55lbs when I came off it. But then again, I didn't follow that diet anymore either.

I was on phentermine for only 2 weeks. I didnt like the way it made me feel. I had chest pains..high blood pressure..and at one point thought I was having a heart attack. The diet doc. pulled me off of it only to give me the same drug..just a lower dosage. I never went to him again. I researched the drug and it says if heart disease or high blood pressure is a factor you def. dont need to take it. It also said it causes insomnia. I would research the drug if I were you. Usually you can find some answers you are looking for. Good Luck!

I had to go through a six month weight loss program as well. Once the insurance has everything they need it actually only took 2 weeks to have a surgery date. So good luck!

I took it a few years ago after my PCP prescribed it to help me loose weight. I had energy and was able to exercise a lot....then I realized that it had caused insomnia and high blood pressure....so I stopped taking it. My insomnia lead to depression that I am still stuggling with. I lost about 20 pounds but gained it all back and more due to the depression. I would be careful and let your body decide for you, if it doesn't feel right let your doctor know. I realize now that there will never be a pill that will acheive long term weight loss.

I was on phentermine five years ago. I dropped 65 pds in 6 months, got down to 165 but my doctor wanted me to get to 150. My doctor kept me on it for almost TWO YEARS and my body became immune to the appetite suppressing and began to gain back the weight while still on it. The unhappy ending of my story is that now I weigh 275.

But I think that phentermine would be very usefull right after banding to help control hunger while you are getting proper restriction. No doctors in my area prescribe it anymore but if yours does I would go for it. Ask if it is ok to crush it though or if you get the name brand Fastin, to open the capsule.

I took Phentemine for 3 months and lost 35 pounds. However, as soon as I stopped taking it I was hungry ALL the time and gained it all back within a two month window. If you are able to do with out I would highly suggest that you do. It tricks your mind into thinking that you are not needing food, so alot of times you might need to eat even though you have no hunger pains.

If you are able to take only half of a pill this way it is not so strong and you are using a little of your own will power. Good Luck!!