Phentermine Diet Pills: My Scary Experience

Several years ago, I tried phentermine, a weight loss medication that was recommended by several people. I was motivated to lose weight, but did not expect to experience negative side effects from taking the medication that is in a class called "anorectics."

Phentermine is half of the potentially deadly "fen-phen" diet pill that was pulled from the market. Fen-phen was a combination of the diet drugs fenfluramine and phentermine. Fen-phen caused fatal pulmonary hypertension in some people as well as heart valve problems.

While phentermine did decrease my appetite, it was not any more effective than taking natural weight loss diet pills found in health food stores.

The down side, for me, was the inability to control my emotions.

I felt as though I could snap while taking phentermine, which is also sold as the brand names Apidex-P, Fastin, Supramine, Pro-Fast and others. I became extremely emotional on the diet drug.

At times the medication made me calm; other times, it made me feel manic.

The doctor who prescribed phentermine gave me a physical and did a basic blood test. At the time I was at the top of the healthy weight category for BMI.

Although you can get phentermine without a prescription by ordering it from overseas, it's not prudent to do so. A doctor needs to do a physical to make sure you are a suitable candidate for the diet drug.

People wonder if phentermine is dangerous. In my opinion, it's too hard to predict how your body or mind will respond to phentermine.

Here are a few side effects some people experience when taking phentermine to lose weight:

No. 1: Dry Mouth

No. 2: Vomiting

No. 3: Diarrhea

No. 4: Constipation

No. 5: Unpleasant Taste

I did experience the dry mouth and unpleasant taste in my mouth. I had to drink a lot of water to get rid of the nasty taste.

Some of the side effects are more serious. Here' s a list of the side effects for using phentermine. If you experience these symptoms, see a doctor right away:

No. 1: Dizziness

No. 2: Chest pain

No. 3: Increased blood pressure

No. 4: Restlessness

No. 5: Insomnia

No. 6: Swelling in the ankles and legs

No. 7: Heart palpitations

No. 8: Shortness of breath

No. 9: Tremors

No. 10: Rash, hives, itching

Does phentermine work for weight loss?

While it may work in the short term, phentermine is not a long-term solution for weight loss. Most doctors only prescribe phentermine for three to six weeks.

Another nasty side effect of phentermine is that it's habit forming. Phentermine does not mix with certain herbal products and other medications.

It's important to stay off the alcohol and caffeine while taking phentermine.

In addition to increasing my moodiness, I also felt heart palpitations and immediately discontinued my use of the medication.

My friends who used phentermine had some of the same problems.

For me, becoming healthy was about giving up all forms of stimulants, from diet pills to caffeine. I am now at my ideal athletic form, and don't recommend phentermine for anyone.

More from this contributor:

My PMS Cure

Taming Diet Rebellion

Truth About the HCG Diet

Sources:

Phentermine Diet Pills

Drugs.com: Phentermine Side Effects

PubMed Health: Phentermine