Phen
Question:
Hi, I took Phen along with Didrex for 2 years and I was very thin, but of course I went off of it. I was scared of becoming addicted? I have since gained a ton of weight. I have tried going back on the Phen and it seems that my body has become immune to it and so I have to take double the amount. Is this common and what other ideas might you have. Natalie
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I asked this question awhile ago and I only got one response, so I would like to ask again. How long have some of you been taking Phentermine (Adipex) and/or how long do you and your MD intend for you to take it? I was on the medication for over a year and I am taking it again now. I was told by my new physician that I can only take it for three months, that it is dangerous, and that is in the class of narcotics. I told her I had taken it quite awhile before with no harmful effects. I have yet to see anywhere that says it is physically addicting—it certainly wasn’t for me. This all surprised my new physician who, admittedly, is Thanks!
Response:
I asked this question awhile ago and I only got one response, so I would like to ask again. How long have some of you been taking Phentermine (Adipex) and/or how long do you and your MD intend for you to take it? I was on the medication for over a year and I am taking it again now. I was told by my new physician that I can only take it for three months, that it is dangerous, and that is in the class of narcotics.
Whoa Nelly! Are you sure this is what your physician told you? And if so, are you sure she went to medical school? I know a degree in medicine is not the same as a degree in pharmacology, but she should still know the BASICS between classes of drugs. In addition, not being familiar with prescribing something is no excuse for this level of inaccuracy. Narcotics are pain medications like morphine and codeine. These two are highly addictive and classified under schedule 2 of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s schedule of controlled substances. Phentermine is a stimulant, and one with very little addictive properties. It is classified as a schedule 4 drug. (The higher the number the lower the abuse potential). There are stimulants under schedules 2 and 3, like amphetamine and methampheatmine. Stimulants with higher abuse potential work on the brain reward pathway (dopamine) as opposed to phentermine which works primarily on norepinephrine. I don’t know if I was the one response you got way back, but I’ve been taking phentermine for 4 years now. I plan to take it indefinitely, or as long as it works. I haven’t had any trouble getting refills from my doctor. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that being 90 pounds lighter and taking phentermine is better than being 90 pounds heavier without it. Plus it gets rid of my allergies. My doc teaches at George Washington Medical School. If what you say above is true, maybe yours should stop by for a refresher course. Confusing narcotics and stimulants is not just unacceptable, it’s appalling. Barbara Barbara Hirsch, Publisher Obesity Meds and Research News June issue: Calcium and obesity http://www.obesity-news.com/
Response:
I asked this question awhile ago and I only got one response, so I would like to ask again. How long have some of you been taking Phentermine (Adipex) and/or how long do you and your MD intend for you to take it? I was on the medication for over a year and I am taking it again now. I was told by my new physician that I can only take it for three months, that it is dangerous, and that is in the class of narcotics. I told her I had taken it quite awhile before with no harmful effects. I have yet to see anywhere that says it is physically addicting—it certainly wasn’t for me. This all surprised my new physician who, admittedly, is Thanks!
Response:
Last week I began taking a 37.5 mg phentermine/105 mg bontril combination. I have noticed no effects at all except insomnia from the bontril. I have tried doubling just the phen, taking bontril alone, taking bontril first and still have felt no decrease in hunger or any other side effects. Has anyone ever tried phen with no results? If so, did something else work better? Does this mean that the phen/fen combination would have not worked also? Help! Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Shelly
Response:
Maybe. Is there a particular reason that you think the Bontril is creating the insomnia? That is usually the Phen given that it stimulates the CNS. As for phen, affected the serotonin levels in two ways, by increasing the production of serotonin and by preventing its reuptake up by the body. it is my understanding that Bontril only has the later effect. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Last week I began taking a 37.5 mg phentermine/105 mg bontril combination. I have noticed no effects at all except insomnia from the bontril. I have tried doubling just the phen, taking bontril alone, taking bontril first and still have felt no decrease in hunger or any other side effects. Has anyone ever tried phen with no results? If so, did something else work better? Does this mean that the phen/fen combination would have not worked also? Help! Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Shelly
Response:
Maybe. Is there a particular reason that you think the Bontril is creating the insomnia? That is usually the Phen given that it stimulates the CNS. As for phen, affected the serotonin levels in two ways, by increasing the production of serotonin and by preventing its reuptake up by the body. it is my understanding that Bontril only has the later effect.
Huh? Both phentermine and phendimetrazine (Bontril) are dopaminergic stimulants (in fact, using them together doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, though it seems to be popular among some MDs.) Neither has any primary effect on serotonin. Both can cause insomnia, especially when taken together. Frankly, if you’re taking a full dose of both phentermine and phendimetrazine simultaneously and they never had a beneficial effect on your appetite or your weight, it doesn’t make sense to continue with either of them. You might ask your doctor if a trial of Meridia might be worthwhile. It didn’t do squat for me, but it’s sufficiently different pharmacologically from these other two drugs that it might be worthwhile. — Steve Dyer
