Xenical and Phentermine

[Whowhon]

Is anyone taking xenical with the phentermine? I was taking it back in December when I first started dieting and exercising. I quit taking it at the beginning of this month and have noticed a major slow down of weight lose. Anybody have the same problem or any ideas? All your knowledge on the subject is greatly apprieciated.

whowhon

[lenny felten]

Hi --

I have taken Xenical for about 1 year, BUT I only take it every 2 to 3 weeks. I use phen for 2 or 3 weeks in a row, go off phen, and use Xenical for a week. My Dr. recommended taking short breaks from phen since your body becomes immune to it. I like the weeks on phen - but DON'T like the week on Xenical! I usually gain back 1 or 2 pounds and I don't like the side effects. BUT, if it worked for you, I'd go for it. Taking Xenical and phen together won't interact negatively with one another. Also, alot of people wouldn't want to pay the cost of taking both of them at the same time, but if you can afford to and can withstand the Xenical side effects, I'd go right back on it!

Good luck!!

[Whowhon]

Lenny

Thanks, I take the phentermine in the morning before breakfast then 3 hours later I eat then I take a Xenical. I take another Xenical after lunch. Then another after dinner. I seem to lose more weight this way.

The price for me is not bad. My insurance covers both meds as long as my doctor prescribes the meds 3 months at a time. I do the mail order through my husbands company. I only have to pay $20 for the three month prescription so for both I pay $40 for three month supply-not bad. Most people have to pay $125 a month for Xenical and $35-$50 for Phentermine.

Thanks for the info. I was wondering if anyone was taking both. You are the only one who has answered me.

whowhon :)

[mks]

I have been taking both Xenical and phentermine for quite awhile. I take xenical only when I eat a meal that has quite a bit of fat in it! I don't have bad side affects - unless I eat something very high in fat!! Then I have stomach cramps and alot of going to the bathroom the next day!

[lenny felten]

Hi again WhoWhon--

How do you get insurance to cover these meds? I thought any diet-related medication is NOT covered, no matter what kind of insurance you have. I have tried and always get rejected, so it comes out of my pocket. Why does it matter if you order for 3 months or 1 month?

Thanks!!

[Whowhon]

Lenny,

My husband has Cigna Insurance which goes through Caremark for prescription coverage. I also had Aetna prior and they would cover one prescription but not both. So of course I had them cover the xenical then I would get the phentermine for the generic so I wouldn't have to pay as much. The reason my doctor has to write a script for 3 months at a time is because the insurance pays everything but $20, ONLY if I do a mail order through them (caremark). If I go through a local pharmacy-like Wal-mart than they won't pay anything. Now, when I got my first initial script, they paid for the script at the local pharmacy but, I had to mail the rest of the scripts to them for the rest of the fills. In other words, my doctor had to write two scripts. One for phentermine no refill, then one for phentermine with three refills, etc..... I know that alot of insurances won't pay for drugs that help with obesity. I guess I am lucky that my husbands insurance covers it. I hope this helps. The place where my husband works also gives their employees incentives to loose weight. Every quarter they take a physical fitness test and if they do better that quarter than the last they get a bonus depending on how you do you can get anywhere from $250-1200.

Hope this helps.

whowhon :)

[lenny felten]

Thanks for the info! As of January, we have Aetna too. I'll check with them, but I have a feeling since my meds would be more for weight "maintenance", not initial weight loss, they'll fight me on it. BUT, it sure doesn't hurt to give it a try, right?

[maggie40]

Hi
I began taking xenical and phen 4/5 and i noticed loose stools right away, so if you take xenical i would suggest as soon as you get that "gas" feeling you use the bathroom to pass it. I havent had any accidents and I am doing well witht hem. The other thing i noticed is I need to take the phen about an hour or so before or after my xenical not with it or for some reason the xenical makes the phen not work as well. I dont mind the loose stools with xenical, I joking call it just "crapping out the fat". As gross as that sounds I am willing to accept it as another wonderful help to my needed weight loss.
sw 330
last week weight 318

the combo of meds werks very well for me.
cw