Phentermine
From Drug Rehab Wiki
Phentermine is a diet pill to help you lose weight. It contains a powerful stimulant in the amphetamine family that speeds up the heart and central nervous system. Phentermine is available in the USA legally only by prescription and is supposed to be used on short-term basis only. Approved by the Federal Drug Administration in 1959, the drug became notorious in the 1990s during the "phen-fen" scare. Twenty-four people died of heart valve problems after taking a combination of phentermine and fenfluramine or "phen-fen." One study found that the combination may have caused heart valve problems in 30% of those who took the combination drug, which was taken off the market. For a while, it looked as if the FDA would take phentermine off the market altogether, but the agency approved it again for prescription use in July 2010.
Although phentermine is sold all over the world for weight loss, there have been very few clinical studies about its effectiveness. Like all stimulants, it can cause insomnia, nervousness, hypertension, irritability, and heart palpitations. Other side effects can be dry mouth, unpleasant taste, blurred vision, clumsiness, confusion, diarrhea, nausea, psychosis, skin rashes, stomach pains, tiredness, and increased thirst. The current recommendation is that phentermine should only be used by severely obese people and for only three months or less. Most people take the drug for three to six weeks.
Phentermine pills are available in time-release form, which you take once a day in the morning, or in a shorter-acting version, which you take three times a day with meals. It interacts with other stimulants, certain cold medicines, caffeine, alcohol, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Monoamine Oxidase inhibitors, and certain anti-depressants, and is not prescribed to pregnant women or children.
Some people become dependent on phentermine, and experience withdrawal symptoms such as tremors, depression, fatigue, and drowsiness.
Some research indicates phentermine can be effective in "jump-starting" a weight-loss program but that it stops working after a month or two. Despite the scant scientific evidence, over six million Americans have tried phentermine for weight loss.
Some trademarked names for phentermine are Phentrol, Adipex, Obestin-30, Phentremene, Phenterex, Sinpet, Supremin, Redusa, Umine, and Weltmine.
