New to This Area

[Julia]

Hi,

I've been reading the posts in here for about a month and thought I would join in. Everyone seems so nice and helpful! I've struggled with being overweight most of my life. I'm in my early 40's and have found that taking the weight off is increasingly a harder thing to do with each passing year. I started using phen 2 years ago. I'll take it for 2 or 3 months, quit for a few months, and then go back again. In the last 2 years my net loss has been 25 lbs. From 170 to 145. I would be happier at 135, but 145 isn't bad. The thing is..it never stays off!!! I do real well the first month, usually lose an average of 12 pounds, then the second month I'm lucky to lose 5 pounds, then the third month...nothing! I have yet to find a Dr. that will let me keep taking it after 3 months, and to tell the truth, after 3 months it seems to quit working. After a few months of not taking phen I usually gain back 10 pounds, panic, and then find a new Dr. that will prescribe phen. Does anyone take phen for maintanence? I am always afraid that I will gain back every pound I've lost. Five years ago I weighed over 200 lbs. and was miserable. My question is, does anyone take phen for maintanence? or is there something else someone can suggest. If these prices don't come down soon the maintanence thing won't even be an option. I just payed $89 for my refill! Yikes! that was on top of my Dr.'s office fee. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Julia

[ROBIN]

Hi Julia,
I take phen for maintanence. I hope my doctor knows this. I've only been to my goal weight once. I gave up on that years ago. Maybe I'm not really on maintanence. I wonder if my doctor thinks I'm still trying to lose . Either way, I'm still on phen. Just happy not to be gaining . I don't know anything else to suggest . None of your doctors have been in favor of long term phen use? That ****s! I do have one article about phen and weight maintanence. The article says that people do keep their weight off when they maintain with phen, exercise, and eating right. I can email it to you if you like. Maybe you can show it to your doctor.

This article has caused much confusion in the side-effect forum. I mentioned it under a long term effects topic. The article I have is about phen and weight maintanence. I wish I had one about the long term effects. I wish there was one!


Lee,
I'm still working on payroll. Why is it taking me so long today Oh yea, it's this damn certified payroll. I hate wage scale jobs! Too much paper work. If I don't get to talk to you tonight, I will email you tomorrow.

[nanc40]

Robin......Could you possibly email that article too? I really would like to read it.

Thanks

[nanc40]

Robin......Could you possibly email me that article too? I really would like to read it.

Thanks

[Julia]

Robin,

Thanks for responding! Nope, I've gone to 3 different Dr.'s and none of them will prescribe phen as a long term "solution". I went today to get my last refill. AGH! My Dr. did suggest meredia (sp?) but it's even more expensive than what I'm paying now for the adipex. I've been checking out web sites for prices and availability on phen. At least on-line I wouldn't be reduced to "begging"!

It would be great if you would e-mail the article you mentioned. Maybe Dr. #4 will go for it! I'm not giving up!!!

Thanks!!!!
Julia

[julie]

hey, Robin don't leave me out, could you please e-mail me a copy too?

[Heidi]

I've been taking phen off and on for many years also. My all time high weight was 211, I lost to 128 and for the past few years I've only allowed myself to get to 150 before I panic and start taking phen again. once I go off the medication, usually when I'm around 133 I start to slowly gain again despite my best efforts. I also worry about the long term effects of taking it, but the alternative is going back to 200 lbs. again and I can't bear the thought. Last Jan. my dr. prescribed paxil for me and I started to gain again. I made him take me off of it but now my weight is around 145 and I can't seem to lose! Has anyone had this problem?

[chocoholic]

im interested in the information on maintaining weight loss with phentermine.....could you please mail it to me robin.............i enjoy your post..........i dont reccomend taking phen37.5 and then taking tenuate in the afternoon.........it was just something my sister was able to talk doctor into......i think she as a pharmacist saw that the aspen clinic was doing that.....doctors definitely have differen ideas about weight loss.....does anyone here take thyroid......my old dr.who is retired thinks many people have low thyroids and that this does not show up in blood test.....he has you measure the temp under the arm.......thyroid issue very heated among doctors

[ROBIN]

Your sis was combining Tenuate and phen? "I don't think that's a wise combination." I am curious about this phen/Bontril combo. Any one want to go in on a bottle of Bontril with me? What about you, Lee?

[MarieD]

What is Bontril? Is it available online?

Marie

[Cin]

Robin: I had my checkup today - told Doc everthing is going good with the Bontril. For some reason, he likes to go into his "pill shop" and put the medication in a little envelope then seals it - never telling me what he's putting in it. I just assumed it would be Bontril because that's what I've been taking for two weeks now. I get home and... SURPRISE!! I was like, "what the he** is this"? Blue/clear with beads! I'm almost certain they're phen - Ing takes this kind - but I will have to ask her what mg. they are.
Anyway..... about combining phen/bontril... I took a Bontril this morning, and a phen this afternoon - so far so good! Doesn't seem to make much of a difference at this point. I will let you know if this changes.

Take care~Cin

[ROBIN]

Cin,
What kind of a doctor is this? I don't know if I'd like a doctor that has his own "Pill shop" and never tells me what I'm being given. Have you ever questioned him about this before? Does he tell you to wait until you run out of one med before you start taking the other?

[Yesitslee]

Cin,

I definitely wouldn't take a medication without knowing its name or strength. If you're paying this guy (and I assume you are unless you're sleepin with him, which is okay too), he owes you some answers but you have to ask the questions first. Its your body that this medication is going into, not his.

Robin,

Remember that money I loaned you? I think you should buy the Bontril this time and just mail me my half, then we'll call it even.

[Julia]

Heidi,

Sounds like you and I are going through the same thing, lost the weight with phen but can't keep it off without it. I've been checking phen/adipex prices on-line and I don't see where the price has come down any at all for 37.5 mg. (I like the blue and white speckled ones the best!I know the white ones are supposed to work the same, but I don't think they do.) High price to pay for maintaining, that's why I'm looking for an alternative. 150 lbs. is also my 'danger zone", and then, when I weigh 150, what do I do, but eat EVEN more, it's a constant up and down with the scale.

What is paxil? is it for weight loss? I've never heard of tenuate either. A friend gave me a fastin capsule the other day and it seemed to work pretty well. I think it was 30 mg. Not quite as well as the phen though. I'm going to check on-line prices for the fastin.


Robin,

Thanks for the e-mail. I'm taking the article with me when/if I find a new Dr..

Julia

[Heidi]

Julia. it sounds like we have the same weight problems. I do exactly the same thing when I feel I've gained too much weight, I eat even more. It's like I'm out of control. I'm also 42 and finding it harder to lose weight. Maybe the years of gaining and losing is catching up. The phen doesn't seem to work as well as it used to. I do remember taking tenuate once several years ago and it seemed to work okay. I don't know if it is available online. The price of getting phen is high, but if you consider the cost of going to a weight loss clinic or dr. and trying to convince them that you're overweight enough to need medication then it isn't so bad. My dr. prescribed Paxil for some stress I was experiencing, it is an antidepressant. I discontinued the phen while on it and all I did for a couple months was eat, take naps, and eat. The result was a 10 lb. weight gain. THAT gave me stress! I've decided antidepressants aren't for me. The scary thing is that I read that Paxil can change your metabolisim and make it extremely difficult to lose weight again. Has anyone else heard this? I would hate to think this is true.

[Mandy]

Hi Julia! If I'm not mistaken, Fastin IS phentermine...Robin, can you help on this one?

[Paula]

Fastin is Phentermine..Brand name.

Julia and Heidi your life stories with weight& Phen could be my life story.And I experience the same thing when I hit ~140lb I eat even more...anxiety eating right?.Did Paxil help with that Heidi? It is also used for anti-anxiety. This is my last day of being 40 also.At least you lose 12 lbs the first 4 weeks...I used to do that but this time round I have slowed to 5-6lb a mo.Oh well, at least it is a lose and not a gain that's the way I look at it.And I am wearing some single digit clothes.

It was really nice to read your posts maybe I will meet you in the chat room sometime.

[Paula]

I know no one wants to hear this...but when I lose on phentermine to my goal weight, I did maintain it for a couple of years by: regular work outs/exercising. And when I stop/slip on the work outs is when I ended back to square one,You can't rely on this pill for everything.It helps you with changing your life and habits to better ones.It is a lifestyle change that will keep you thin and healthy and beautiful.

[ROBIN]

Fastin hasn't been manufactured since 1998.

[Julia]

Robin,

I'm sure she said it was Fastin, however I never saw the prescription bottle. It was a capsule, half bright blue and half clear, with blue and white "beads" inside. It's someone I work with so I'll check it out on Monday, but, do you have any clue as to what it might have been? It seems to be working for her. She's been taking it for almost 4 mos and has lost 52 pounds! Like I said, I liked it almost as well as the adipex, so it's definitely worth checking out the price and availibility. I like the adipex best because it gives me more energy

I read in a previous post that some people take a break from the phen every week or so for a few days so their bodies don't build up a tolerence. That's what I'm doing this weekend. Day one of no phen and I've eaten 2 brownies <sigh>

[ROBIN]

Hey Julia,
It was probably "Generic Fastin." This is really a stupid way to put it since Fastin isn't made any more. There use to be quite a few name brands: Zantryl, Obenix, Oby-Cap, Banobese, Ona-Mast, Obt-Trim. I don't think any of these are even made anymore. The only brand name of phentermine HCL you hear about is Adipex-P. And this is advertised as the #1 selling brand. Isn't it the only brand left? Anyway, there are two generic manufacturers (maybe more) that make a 30 mg blue/clear capsules. The capsule with the "Crazy E" has the little beads in it. This one would be considered "Generic Fastin." The other blue/clear 30 mg capsule has the "C-C" on it. I'm not sure if this capsule is powder or little beads. The only difference between a 30 mg powder capsule and a 37.5 mg tablet is 7.5 mg. Both pills are immediate release. If the capsules with the little beads are really time-release, there would be a difference between these pills and the ones with the white powder. We, "Me", joke a lot about the white/blue speck tablets and the "crappy yellow capsules." The truth is...they both are immediate release/phentermine HCL. There really shouldn't be that much of a difference except 7.5 mg. I say all of this now, but you know I'll be making jokes soon enough.

[This message has been edited by ROBIN (edited July 22, 2000).]

[WkendGrl]

I have been on Phentermine for a little over a week now. My Doc wrote the prescription for Fastin but no drug stores had it. Finally I found a Pharmacy that told me they had the Generic of Fastin and I had it filled. Turns out it is Phentermine...yellow
capsules, 30mg, cost me $34. My Doc told me I could only be on them for 3 months. I started out weighing 140 lbs and have lost 5 of those so far. I am eating a lot less. I am not really hungry and have experienced only a little dizziness. So far I haven't exercised but I plan to start. I am hoping to get down to 125. I seem to be stuck at the 5 lb lost. I started on a Wed and by Monday had lost 5 and nothing since. What's up with that? Anyway, I just hope I can manage to fill the prescription for the three months my Doc is willing to give them to me considering how hard it was to find any. Wish me luck.

[Julia]

WkendGrl,

Five lbs. in less than a week is wonderful! I think the less you have to lose, the slower you lose. By no means would I consider your weight loss this week "slow". I on the other hand have probably gained the five you lost. This is day 1 of no phen and I have had 6 brownies and 2 oreo cookies. Had slim fast for breakfast though. I don't think I can power walk enough miles to make up for this. I really need to throw the rest of the brownies away....but....

Good Luck to you!
Julia