adipex and paxil - some info

[rcb45]

This is a bit long winded but if you are concerned about drug interaction, you might be interested.

I can remember reading a post a couple months ago where someone said a medical person (either nurse or doctor) got rather upset and said very strongly that phen and Paxil should never be prescribed together. The friend at work who first told me about using phen as a diet tool told me that when it was first prescribed for her she was also on Paxil. We go to the same doctor and she specifically asked him if this was okay. He said it was no problem.

The last time I tried taking adipex (around Thanksgiving) it didn't seem to give me much help. I mentioned this to my DR and he said it was probably due to interaction with the BP meds I was on. I had noticed the BP med said it can cause drowsiness and he said that side effect was probably "dampening down" the effect of the phen.

It didn't really matter as, since I have lost weight, my blood pressure has gotten excellent (118/68 that day) so he discontinued the BP meds. However, the whole interaction thing got me interested so I did a bit of research.

If you look at the adobe file on Gate Pharmacuticals on adipex, it says prescribing with adipex with Paxil is "contraindicated". It you look at info about Paxil, it says not to prescribe with certain anorexics, which adipex is considered. Then, on my insurance company's site it says on each of these drugs' "info pages" not to prescribe together.

I am posting this only as information. If you have a concern, please talk to your doctor or do a bit of research on these pages. My friend is calling in tomorrow to ask why our DR believes them to be safe together

If anyone has any info or has already discussed this, I'd be very interested in what you have learned. In my case, I don't think there was any danger in taking my BP meds with adipex, but Karen has been on Paxil with adipex twice now and she's concerned about long term effects.

Thanks,
Brenda

[Nitra]

Well I am on Zyban (Wellbutrin) and phen and it says the same thing. I am having no problems other than the combo kills my appetite totally. I get hungry, go make something, eat like 3 bites and feel like Im going to barf if I eat anymore. I know there are a lot here on both. The best thing to do is talk to the doc. If he/she feels it is ok but you are still not comfortable, get a second opinion, talk to the pharmacist, go to another doc, etc.

Ever read the package insert on Tylenol? Acetaminophen may cause liver damage.

This is from the warning in plain old Bayer Asprin
Aspirin may cause stomach bleeding.

I went to the prescription insurance website we used at work, you can order prescriptions etc if you use their plan. Anyway, I put in Adipex and Paxil and this is what I got there..

Drug Interactions (http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/Interaction/ChooseDrugs)

You searched for interactions of combinations of the following drugs: Adipex-P, Paxil.

(Caution: Not all drug interactions are known or reported in the literature, and new drug interactions are continually being reported. This information is provided only for your education and for you to discuss with your personal healthcare provider.)

No interactions were found for the drugs you selected.

[Melissa0101]

I went to Walgreens .com and I was looking up about drug interactions because some people have been put on what's called "Phen-Pro" which is Phentermine and Prozac which is also an anti-depressant. I stopped taking my paxil right before I started Phentermine and was thinking of taking the paxil because the phentermine seems to be losing it's affect. My doctor check before he prescribed the phentermine because I was on several different medications i.e. xanax, birth control, and Paxil he said there would be no problem with drug interaction but then when checking walgreens website it had this to say:

Interaction Results
1 PAXIL 20MG TABLETS
2 PHENTERMINE HCL 30MG CAPSULES

Type: Drug/Drug
Severity: MODERATE
Description: PAXIL 20MG TABLETS with PHENTERMINE HCL 30MG CAPSULES
Onset: Rapid Severity: Moderate Documentation: Suspected
Psychotic reactions and serotonin syndrome may occur when PHENTERMINE HCL 30MG CAPSULES and PAXIL 20MG TABLETS are co-administered.
Details: Effect: Psychotic reactions and serotonin syndrome may occur when PHENTERMINE HCL 30MG CAPSULES and PAXIL 20MG TABLETS are co-administered.

Mechanism: PHENTERMINE HCL 30MG CAPSULES and PAXIL 20MG TABLETS both increase the activity of serotonin. Exact mechanism is unknown.

Management: Use of PHENTERMINE HCL 30MG CAPSULES with PAXIL 20MG TABLETS is not recommended.

Discussion: Signs consistent with amphetamine overdose occurred when a 31-year-old man took a 'small' dose of amphetamine one week after stopping daily administration of fluoxetine 60 mg/day (1). He was restless, agitated, hyperloquacious, anxious, hyperventilating and displayed ideas of reference. A severe psychotic episode, lasting 3 days, occurred when a 32-year-old man took 2 doses (strength unknown) of amphetamine while receiving fluoxetine 20 mg/day (1). A 16-year-old female experienced dizziness, diarrhea, palpitations and a 'hyper' feeling after starting fluoxetine 20 mg/day (4). The mechanism for these findings is not clear. Inhibition of hepatic amphetamine metabolism by fluoxetine (via cytochrome P450 2D6) has been proposed. Eight days after stopping fluoxetine 20 mg/day, restlessness, altered mentation, palpitations, tremor, hyperreflexia, and stomach cramps occurred in a 22-year-old woman within a few hours of taking one phentermine 30 mg tablet (3). She had taken phentermine without difficulty previously. Methylphenidate augmentation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors has been reported (2).

References: 1. Barrett J et al: Br J Psychiatry 168:253(1996). 2. Stoll AL et al: J Clin Psychiatry 57:72(1996). 3. Bostwick JM et al: J Clin Psychopharmacol 16:189(1996). 4. Walters AM: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 31:565(1992).