Anyone get decreased ability to exercise & palpatations

**pixiegirl** · March 4th, 2010, 05:34 PM

I've taken phentermine before and had no problems with it. It's been about 7yrs now since the last time I've taken it, I began seeing a weight doctor in February and he put me on the phentermine.
Around the third day on, I started getting an irregular heart beat. I'd feel a fluttering and my heart would just start beating harder and fast. Then it would calm back down. I stayed on the phentermine another couple days and it started happening more often during the day, I'd listen to it seeming like it would try to get back to normal only to speed back up, and then finally getting situated. It would happen several times.
By then I was also experiencing a decreased ability to exercise, just lifting up my 4yr old son was becomimg work. I was getting pretty nervous, so I went down to taking half a pill each morning. It all was still happening, no improvement.

I called the doctor and he told me to take a break from the phentermine for 3or 4 days and then restart it.
I thought for sure that since it's been two days that I'm off it, that my heart would do better but I'm still having the palpatations. Its really quite scary.
Has anyone had a similar situation? What did you do?

**rinny39** · March 4th, 2010, 06:42 PM

this is my 2nd time on phen and i have noticed my heart feeling funny too and sometimes i feel dizzy,my mouth is always dry,i have to make myself eat.
my dr is against diet pills,but because i gained 22pds. while on zoloft she allowed me to be on phen for the next 3 months. my dr. told me if i have heart problems to stop taking it. good luck!!

**Kelliee** · March 4th, 2010, 07:37 PM

I too have had some heart palpitations but I also noticed them before I started Phen. My doctor said that fluttering can be due to hormonal changes as we get older and toward menopause....not sure how old you are, but it explains mine. I think the Phen has just made it more noticeable but I only notice it the first few hours.

I have not had a hard time exercising though or doing heavy lifting...so not sure if the two would be related. If you are concerned, you might want to talk to your talk doc again and have your BP checked. Hope you get some anwers soon....or better yet....it goes away.

**pixiegirl** · March 5th, 2010, 02:18 PM

I did just turn 40, so maybe it can be an age thing? Also, much has changed with me since I last took phentermine to lose weight. Since then, I've become hypothyroid with lumps on my thyroid and also suffered from severe preeclampsia when pregnant with my 4yr old. And soon after delivering him, it had even gotten worse.

I just never noticed any palpatations or anything before though, and it really was noticeable after taking the phentermine.
I'm so bummed about it and yet scared too. Today is my third day off of the phentermine and so far I haven't had any palpatations that I can feel. The funny thing is that they have been starting in the afternoon and come and go til late at night. (kind of odd?) So we'll see if they start again later today.

I do have an appt. for later today with my primary care doctor, just to see what he thinks. If the palpatations are gone, I'll definately be happy and very relieved.

Interesting thing.. My weight doctor has told me he can put me on tenuate or didrex instead of the phentermine. But the phentermine has me pretty worried as it is and I think the others also mess with the heart.
I admit I need the help, but I don't know what to do now.

**BigJoe** · March 5th, 2010, 03:40 PM

As a big guy who loves to dance I too have noticed an increase in heart rate and palpatations. I'm just gonna have to take it easy, when I have to. So practice some breathing exercises!

**Bombshell76** · March 5th, 2010, 04:02 PM

Are you all drinking enough water??? I mean everyone's body is different and responds differently obviously but whenever I feel light-headed or 'feel' the Phen so to speak I just drink more water and it goes away. I've learned a lot on this forum just from reading everyone's posts and it seems that water is key. It is scary stuff, anything with the heart so I hope it decreases for you as your body adjusts. On my first 2 days I only took half of my 37.5 pill. Even on taking the 1/2 I felt a surge of energy and an increased heart beat, but nothing alarming, pretty much like what too much caffeine will do but all at once. Then on my 3rd day I started the whole pill and I was fine after that, just drinking lots of water like I said (half your weight in ounces plus more if you exercise) Hope that helps!

**xAtomicxCupcake** · March 9th, 2010, 05:35 PM

my heart beats really fast some times to,today it is particually bad, it kinda scares me, i donno if i should stop taking it or not, im so with myself happy for the first time in a long time because ive lost weight, someting that has always been hard for me. but i donno if this is hurting my heart or what.

**Bombshell76** · March 9th, 2010, 06:36 PM

xAtomicxCupcake - Have you tried taking it at different times? i.e. i tried taking it after i ate, before i ate, etc. I found what works best for me is taking it around 8-9am and I eat breakfast an hour later. I drink water before I take it too...I've seen some threads where people if they feel their heart racing take a day or two off the Phen and re-start. Maybe try that and re-start with only half a pill???

**xAtomicxCupcake** · March 9th, 2010, 11:56 PM

ya thats what i was thinking to do. Thank you. =)

**pixiegirl** · March 10th, 2010, 08:45 PM

Well, it took about 7 days off of the phentermine before I stopped noticing the bad palpatations.
I have my own stethoscope and it was getting quite scary listening to what my heart was doing. I would know exactly when to listen because I could literally feel the fluttering.
It was as if my heart was having trouble getting back on track and I ended up making a doctor appt. who did an EKG for me.
He firmly believes it was the meds causing it and my EKG looked really good. (whew!)
I was definately drinking enough water and I wish it was just a water issue causing it. I would have loved staying on the phentermine for sure because I had such great results in the past with it! Also, now I basically lost about 350.00 because I had to stop. I don't understand what caused the side effect this time around.

**lizmcgarry** · March 11th, 2010, 12:46 AM

GO TO YOUR DOCTOR DO NOT MESS AROUND WITH PALPATAIONS EVER! I am a nurse btw

**pixiegirl** · March 18th, 2010, 12:21 PM

Thanks lizmcgarry~
Yeah I knew it wasn't something to mess with and am glad I stopped and saw my doctor.

My weight doc called me yesterday and it seemed of like he didnt believe me.

I have an appt. with him today and I'm not sure if I want to go but then I still feel like I may need help. I hate not knowing what to do.

I believe I'll be walking out the door with a script of tenuate. I hope I can handle it because otherwise It's more money thrown away.

If it's not meant for me, then that's the last of it.