Side effects driving me crazy!

**tattooedgirly** · September 23rd, 2009, 04:33 PM

Hi all! I am new here. I started Phentermine exactly a week ago. I am taking 37.5 and for the first day I felt great and then as the days went by the side effects started to kick in. Over the weekend I had the total opposite of constipation and I felt nauseous Sunday and Monday. I have also not been able to sleep well AT ALL. I think this is what bothers me the absolute most! I am one of those people who needs their 8 hours a night!
I have been reading all over this forum and decided to take only half my pill. Yesterday was the first day I did this and I felt MUCH better, no nauseous feeling, but I felt more hungry. Last night I slept a little better and feel a little more refreshed today, but I am feeling hungry. Grrr. I am getting a little frustrated. I do not want to feel hungry, but I really need my sleep and feeling nauseous does not work when I go to school, work and do pilates.
Am I giving up too quickly? Should I slowly start taking the whole pill again? Does the no sleeping thing last the entire time most of you take Phen? I do not respond to tylenol pm or other light sleep aides, so I know these will not help. I am kind of lost here.

**alykat06** · September 23rd, 2009, 04:58 PM

Usually these side affects wear off after the first week or two, I think your smart to only take half a pill for a few days until u feel that your body has gotten used to things. You are allowed to take sleep aids if necessary, the only thing my doctor advized against was any decogestants like sudafed, he said sleep aids were fine. Just give it some time and these side affects wear off.

**tattooedgirly** · September 23rd, 2009, 07:03 PM

Thanks for the response! I don't understand why my doctor would say "cotton mouth" when I asked what the side effects were. That is all he said! He could have mentioned trouble sleeping, dizziness, stomach issues, etc. I am a little nauseous today and I think it is because I have a headache. My stomach also hurts but I think that is due to my taking a vitamin c with my phen and vitamin c does not usually like my stomach.

Has there been anyone who has never gotten a good nights sleep on this? I am afraid this will just continue. What kinds of sleep aides are you taking? Like I said in my original post Tylenol PM and the like do nothing for me. I am getting so frustrated.

**alykat06** · September 23rd, 2009, 07:29 PM

I am also one of those ppl who need 8 hours of sleep at night, the first week of phen I get a few hours of sleep but wake up early refreshed..but after the first week I get to bed and wake up like normal. Phen has the side affect of headache so make sure your drinking half your weight in oz of water, that might also be a reason why you might think your hungry, you may acctually be thirsty. I know there are many over the counter sleep aids, but I guess your better off going for the sleep aids only and not the tylenols of benadryls.

**tattooedgirly** · September 24th, 2009, 02:27 AM

I guess I do not feel overly tired. I think it is all in my head about being exhausted. I just know that to stay healthy and to recharge your immune system you need good sleep. So, after the first week your sleeping patters went back to normal? Are you taking 37.5? Did you start with that much? I think you could be right that when I feel hungry, I very well may be thirsty. I know that I do not drink enough water and that is one of my goals for sure with this. Did you ever feel nauseous? Thanks for your responses!

**Boppysmom** · September 24th, 2009, 08:03 AM

I think a lot of us did start on a half tablet and adjusted to the side effects before taking the whole 37.5 mg. I know I did this on my Dr's recommendation. I also had the trouble sleeping for the first week. Then as I adjusted to it and exercised more my sleep became much better. The dry mouth side effect continues still but it is a reminder to always have water water water with me at all times. See how it goes for you, but from the posts on here it seems that after a week or so, the benefits outweigh the side effects. Also, make sure you take it in the a.m. so it is out of your system by bedtime. Hang in there and let us know how you are doing.

**tattooedgirly** · September 24th, 2009, 01:58 PM

I am really glad I found this forum! Thanks so much for the replies. I am going to take half the pill till maybe next Wednesday and then try and start the whole pill again. The sleeping thing is weird, I am starting to think it is all in my head. Like I know I am sleeping because I am having vivid dreams, but then I seem to wake up a lot. So, I really can't be 100% sure how much sleep I am getting. Maybe I am sleeping, but I am like psyching myself out.

Also, I am taking the pill at like anytime between 7:30 and 9am. I have different times I get up and I know you need to eat a half hour to an hour after you take the pill. I could maybe swing taking it at 8 instead of 9, but I guess what I am asking is, is 9am a little late? Could this be why it is still in my system when I go to bed?

Also, I do pilates 2 times a week for an hour. Other than that I don't really workout. On Sundays my boyfriend is going to have me start doing p90x with him. Is this enough working out? I have such a hectic schedule with work, school and homework that I find getting in exercise everyday very difficult.

As for the side effects, do MOST of you find that they ease up after a week or 2? I thought I read some posts that said they never got good sleep on phen. Is this rare?
Sorry for my long post. I have so many questions ; )

**Drdre** · September 25th, 2009, 11:22 PM

I'm new to taking Phentermine 37.5 and been on it four days. I read many threads on this site before starting, and was somewhat afraid to take it. This is how I'm doing.

9/22 Day 1 - At 7:00 a.m., took 1/3 of the pill and drank it with protein shake of skim milk, oatmeal, half a banana, and some berries. Think I felt a little euphoric, but it didn't last long. Appetite was not affected. No other effects that I noticed.

9/23 Day 2 - Took half, definitely felt euphoric for about an hour, same protein shake.

9/24 Day3 - Took 3/4 of pill, protein shake, felt good, got hungry and tired around 11:00 a.m.

9/25 Day 4 - Took the whole pill, felt euphoric for about an hour, got hungry and tired around 11:00 a.m. Took 1/3 at 2:00 p.m., got hungry, craved sweets at 4pm, feeling sleepy now.

It must not be working well, b/c I'm eating with it, but I don't know for sure. Haven't called the doctor, since I'm not feeling bad. Just not having the same experiences I've read about. I'm going to take a whole pill before breakfast next time, then wait to eat for a couple hours... see how that works.

If you have any thoughts/advice, please respond. I am sorry for those who are feeling anxiety and not sleeping. I am not having that issue, not sure why.

**tattooedgirly** · September 26th, 2009, 01:52 PM

I definitely did not experience what you have. I started taking the whole pill because my doctor didn't say to halve it or anything. The first day was the only day I felt euphoric. I took the pill about a half hour before I ate, but did not start feeling anything until about 45 mins after I took it. I started feeling super happy and I had to go go go. I could not just sit at my desk. The feelings of not being hungry started immediately. I did not want to eat my lunch so I just ate a peach. The next day I just had no appetite. I have never had the euphoric feeling again. Instead, I cannot sleep as well and it was making me nauseous so I have been taking half for 4 days. When I take half the side effects aren't as bad, BUT I get hungry. I am starting to feel like these pills are not going to work for me. At a half a pill I am still not getting the best sleep, but it is better. If I don't adjust to these soon I may have to quit. I have a really busy schedule and I cannot afford to be tired and nauseous every day!

**Hoping in KY** · September 26th, 2009, 10:26 PM

Hey all. So glad i found this forum. I started taking phen on 9/21 and have had headaches for the last couple of days. They seem to be subsiding, but now i am starting to feel the hunger pangs! Doc only has me taking 1/2 a pill, so maybe the whole pill will knock out the hunger! Cant wait to meet all of u. Good luck

**tattooedgirly** · September 27th, 2009, 12:34 AM

Hey my name is Katie too

I have headaches sometimes too, but I think they come on when I need to drink more water. I am only on half the pill too and I am having hunger pangs, super frustrating

Can you sleep? I am having the worst time sleeping!!

**Hoping in KY** · October 9th, 2009, 10:43 PM

Sorry it took me so long 2 respond! But yes, after a week I was sleeping normally again. Until last night. I started taking the whole pill, and whoa. I swear I was up every hour! I know this sounds crazy, but my last thought before falling asleep was " my mind is going to stay alert while my body sleeps". I am such a weirdo!

**Della** · October 10th, 2009, 11:49 PM

hey guys , I started phen on tuesday and I was just curious how you was all started on the high dosage of 37? i go to texas weight loss clinic and they will only start you off on 30 and you have to let them know how it is and then they increase it the next month, they will not start anyone on 37, i wish they did beacause i feel it would work better with it being a higher dosage

**nikkiiipurple** · November 16th, 2009, 11:10 PM

Ok, so I have a sleep issue! I can't seem to get a refreshing sleep (at all) and wake up feeling exhausted, especially over the last two days. I have been taking 15mg Phen for 2 1/2 weeks now. Just these last few days I have been hit with waves of "exhaustion". I actually came home from dropping my children at school today and slept (sort of) for 2 hours. I still feel exhausted!! I did have a massive clean out on the weekend (took me all day) and worked very hard and did not eat as much as I should have (forgot). I am taking my Phen 1st thing in the morning (with a glass of water) about 1 - 2 hours before breakfast. I eat three main meals and have three snacks per day, evenly spaced 2-3 hours apart. The weight is coming off steadily but this tiredness is so strange. Any suggestions.........HELP!!!!!!!!!

**babyruthless** · February 24th, 2010, 08:05 PM

I was prescribes 2 x 30mg a day when i first started taken phen about 2 1/2 weeks ago. First day, i took both pills about 5 hours apart from each other. I did not sleep this night. I felt cracked out, jittery, no appetite whatsoever, eyes wide open, and my back was very sore. The second night I finally got to sleep around 4 am, but only for a few short hours. I decided to start only taking one 30mg pill/day first thing in the morning. I would also take MELATONIN (natural sleep aid) about 30 minutes before bed to ensure that I got to sleep. I would recommend Melatonin to anyone having trouble sleeping on phen... it puts you right out and you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go in the morning. Now, I am able to take 2 pills a day (when necessary) and feel the side effects mentioned earlier to be less and less. I think I have lost atleast 5 lbs so far...