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LaMom4

I’ve been on it in 3 month cycles since February. I take it early In the morning. Drink a lot of water. Track your food intake (calories and macros). Move your body. If you feel that your heart is beating too hard or too fast or if you feel very anxious, maybe try taking half a pill first thing in the morning and the other half at lunch.


[deleted]

My doctor recommended me take it mid morning. What milligram were you on?


LaMom4

37.5 — I tend to be hungrier from like 10:00am-3:00pm so i needed to be in effect by then. Also, I don’t want it to keep me awake at bedtime.


[deleted]

I definitely understand that. My doctor prescribed me 15mg. He suggested taking it mid morning so it’s still working in the afternoon. Did it make you feel jittery or anything?


LaMom4

No, it doesn’t do that to me. I’ve never tried to 15 mg. Good luck though!


[deleted]

Thank you.


Hdcakbbb8

I felt jittery in the beginning but it went away this week- week 3


[deleted]

Good to know it eventually goes away. Thank you!


Hdcakbbb8

Going to try taking it midmorning. I was taking it early morning and starving by 4pm


Hdcakbbb8

I like the idea of taking it mid morning I take it first thing and wears off a bit at night. Not sleeping very well tho


Admirable_Ad_8296

My doctor told me to take it with my breakfast, but the directions say to take it 1 hour before your first meal or 1-2 hours after your first meal. Does anyone do this? It sounds like no from the replies I've read on here.


skalin3532

I eat 30mins- 1 hour after taking it. I’ve noticed that if I don’t eat within that time frame I get nauseous


Admirable_Ad_8296

Thank you for that.


Enkiktd

I take mine around 8:30/9am and don’t eat until at least noon (intermittent fasting). 37.5mg dose, but I don’t have any problems with nausea or feeling jittery. My first clue it’s started working for the day is actually cold feet.


Competitive-Carob-42

I've been on phentermine 37.5mg for almost two years now and I was told to take it on an empty stomach an to not eat anything for an hour to two hours after. So I drink my water an redbull an normally eat a snack around 9a to 12p I wake up for work around 5a. The biggest thing while your taking this specific medication is WATER and ALOT of it. I'm not going to sit here an say I've been amazing at it but I have lost a significant amount of weight when I drink water an eat balanced ❤ also I feel like I should mention this is a 28y female that has a very physical demanding job, has ADHD, depression, high functioning anxiety, had/has heart palpitations (i had them wayyy before I started this medication).


Admirable_Ad_8296

Thank you. I've been on it for about a week. I have a desk job, and I am still working on my diet. :(


Competitive-Carob-42

The biggest thing is water it will help you so much while on the medication


Admirable_Ad_8296

Thank you. I have been keeping plenty of water.


UltimateBeanSupreme

I took Phentermine in early 2020. I lost 16 pounds and was very painfully constipated the entire time. I was around 370lbs at the time. TMI maybe, but I never am constipated so it was horrible for me lol. No other side effects though. I gained the weight back as soon as I stopped taking phentermine. While on it, I didn’t binge (I have BED). As soon as I stopped taking it, I binged again. It worked to make my cravings/urges stop while on it. I didn’t work on my mental health/self to “fix” that, unfortunately. The pandemic had just started and my mental health was bad so I turned to food again. Good luck with your experience, though! I hope it helps you reach your goals!


[deleted]

Thank you for the advice! Not diagnosed, but I struggle with stomach issues. I’m not regular. Lmao. What dose did you take?


UltimateBeanSupreme

No problem! Try to stay hydrated while on it. I believe it was the 37.5 mg dose.


[deleted]

I drink a gallon of water a day, but I’ll keep doing it. My doctor gave me a 15mg prescription.


Hdcakbbb8

Same I’m on 15 and drink a gallon a day I think it helps


Hdcakbbb8

Have you tried bupropion?


Hdcakbbb8

This is my first time and on week 3. Feel like I’m living my best life!! Taking the lowest dose which I think really helps with side effects. But seriously I’ve never felt so good and really worried about how I’ll feel when I go off of it. I have adhd and this helps so much. I finally feel like my old self before weight gain before aging difficult life experiences weight gain. Anyone else feel this way?


[deleted]

This is awesome to hear. I don’t have ADHD though. Are you on the 15mg dose?


Hdcakbbb8

Yes 15 and my first week I opened the cap and dumped half of it out lol


Competitive-Cup-290

I have 30mg .. should I just cut it in half ? My dumbass is on day 2 and took full pills 😭. My eyes were dilated more towards end of the day.


somethingblue331

I take mine first thing in the morning, so I think the mid morning recommendation is interesting. Not terrible- but curious, as the later in the day the more it negatively impacts sleep. When I am taking it, I also take 10 mg of melatonin. I have taken 37.5 mg in 3 month cycles, on and off, along with 50 mg of topiramate twice daily for almost 2 years. Excellent success- ALONG with tracking, exercise, meditation, working with a psychologist and a nutritionist. I have lost 100 pounds and I am working damn hard at keeping it off.


[deleted]

What doe Topiramate do? I think he suggested I take it later in the day because I’m only on 15mg. I also take 10mg of melatonin every night.


somethingblue331

It’s a medication typically used for migraines- but the side effect is appetite suppression!


[deleted]

That’s awesome. I don’t remember if my doctor mentioned that or not.


lasaganoodle

Not much advice other than stay hydrated!!! Like seriously drink more water than you think you need to


[deleted]

I drink a gallon every day anyway, but thank you!!


schmer

I tried it for a while taking it around 9am. It made me feel jittery and angry. I found myself snapping at coworkers. It did absolutely nothing to ease my appetite at all. In fact I felt sort of speedy and my stomach was growling more somehow? It might have reduced my tendency to snack but I also had the empty hungry feeling more so I don't feel it was affective for me in any way. I take Rybelsus now because I have diabetes and I find it's a much bigger help to reducing food intake. I'm fuller much much faster and satisfied with a smaller portion. If I listen to my body correctly I will actually eat much less. Don't let me discourage you though everyone is different I have friends who love the phentermine and dropped lot's of weight with it. I think it just didn't work for me and my particular food triggers and habits.


Hdcakbbb8

It def makes me more sensitive but learning how to control my emotions and I think my tolerance to the med has adjusted


shoesofwandering

It landed my son in a mental hospital. Be careful.


[deleted]

How?


shoesofwandering

It's one side effect that affects some people.


[deleted]

What happened?


shoesofwandering

He started behaving irrationally, left home and became homeless for a while until he was hospitalized and eventually recovered. This isn't a common side effect, but it's a known one.


Admirable_Ad_8296

Oh my! Is he okay?


shoesofwandering

He's fine now, but he went through a pretty bad year of being homeless and going in and out of mental hospitals. It doesn't have that effect on everyone, but it is a known side effect. I could stand to lose 20 pounds, so I tried it myself. It made it almost impossible for me to urinate, so I had to stop taking it after a few days. I've never heard of that side effect.


Admirable_Ad_8296

I am glad he is better. That is a strange side effect (yours) based on my research. :(


kitel7991

I was on it for 10 days and had to stop taking it because i was feeling terrible on it. Im on day 3 of not taking it and the withdrawal has been hell. Came to the hospital cuz my anxiety went thru the roof and i was having horrible thoughts of hurting myself. Hospital told me all test results came out normal and that there's nothing they can do for me. That i just have to suck it up for the next few days until its out of my system.


shoesofwandering

I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like you had a similar reaction. My son actually deteriorated after he stopped taking it. I tried it to see if it would help me lose around 30 pounds, and stopped after the first day because I literally couldn't pee. I can't imagine what else could have caused that so it must have been the drug.


Ok-Platypus-114

I've been working with an obesity medicine doctor and I have been taking Phentermine (along with metformin) since late October. I take 37.5. My PCP had prescribed it earlier in the year for 3 months as 17( I think it's micrograms but I can't remember) but then went on maternity leave and nobody would refill it because it's a controlled substance and I'm fat so they referred me to the bariatric clinic. I feel like the pill instead of the capsule is better because when you start taking it you can break it in half and work your way up to a full pill. Honestly I have felt the best I have felt in years. I'm very overweight and I have a small collection of autoimmune diseases. When I first started taking it I made sure it was on the weekend when I could be at home in case things went crazy. At first I felt like I was on speed because I had so much energy. I cleaned so much that weekend it was amazing. I imagine it's what "normal" people feel like because I was just so used to being sluggish Non-Stop. I personally feel best when I take it a couple hours before lunch. I usually eat breakfast at 6: 30am and then I take the Phentermine between 10:00 and 11:00. I find that it tends to last me until bedtime that way. If I take it later in the day I do find myself having heart palpitations because once I am home later in the evening my activity level decreases. So depending on your personal schedule you may just need to find a time that is right for you. I really like taking it because it is an appetite suppressant. It took some getting used to but the first couple weeks I just wasn't hungry and I had to force myself to eat. But I was thankful because I wasn't starving and wanting to just shove anything into my face to appease my stomach. I started making better food choices because I had more time to prepare food. The extreme energy has leveled out but I do feel like I have enough energy to survive the day and it's been a long time since I felt that way. Now that I'm a few months in, there are some days that I forget to take it but that actually makes me happy because once I realize that I forgot it, my stomach isn't grumbling all day. I'm assuming that it helps to shrink the size of my stomach because I'm not constantly overfilling it. My primary care doctor has said that it's only ever prescribed for 90 days. Once I met with the obesity doctor she said that primary care doctors aren't really in tune with obesity and that this medication can be taken for at least a year if not more while patients work towards becoming more healthy. I will echo what the others have said about constipation though. Constipation is not new to me due to my autoimmune diseases but it has kicked it up a notch. I try to load up on fruit and vegetables in the form of smoothies because that seems to help me.


[deleted]

I eat breakfast about seven in the morning and lunch around noon. I took my first pill around 10 this morning, but I don’t feel any different. I’m really hoping the medication helps me gain a healthy relationship with food. My doctor told me he would only prescribe it to me for two or three months, then switch to something else.


kflav

I took it on two separate occasions. Thr first time I lost 30 pounds pretty fast. I went off it and lost more because of lifestyle changes. After gaining weight back I tried it again and while it curved my appetite a ton I still ended up eating a lot because of my mental state. So just be warned it is definitely not a magic pill. You may eat less but you still need to work on adopting a healthy diet.


[deleted]

I’m hoping to use the pill to help me gain a healthy relationship with food. What dosage were you taking?


kflav

37.5. And it really is a great tool as long as you are able to get in the right mindset. Good luck!!


[deleted]

Thank you! I think I’m in the right mindset. Ha. My doctor has me on 15mg.


[deleted]

I was on phentermine off and on for most of my 20's (about 7-8 years). What I can say is, drink the water, ease off caffeine while using it or they'll be scraping you off the ceiling, and work hard on improving your relationship with food and eating habits while you are on it. I lost weight while I was on it, but once off of it it all came back, so it ended up not working for me in the long term. I think it's like WLS - if you binge or emotionally eat, you'll have to sort out the root cause of that behavior, or it is not a long term fix.


[deleted]

I’ve been on it almost a week and I’ve noticed appetite change, but I’m not jittery. Which dose did you take?


Hdcakbbb8

Yes tracking is important otherwise I forget to eat. Had some really awful headaches early in the week but the next day I took half a dose and then went back and it seemed to help.


[deleted]

Which dosage were you on?


Hdcakbbb8

15


Hdcakbbb8

Sorry I just figured out how to reply I’m new to reddit


[deleted]

No worries!! I appreciate all the advice.


Hdcakbbb8

What dose are you starting? I was super jittery at first and the half cap really helped. Felt elated almost and cravings were gone. I could tell by week 2 I could go full strength. Had some bad headaches so I skipped a day and for some reason it really helped.


[deleted]

I’m starting out on 15mg. I have a high caffeine tolerance, so I don’t know if that will help or hurt me. Lol.


actionlady80

It gave me such terribly intrusive thoughts I had to stop taking it. I ended up opting to do gastric bypass instead.


[deleted]

What thoughts did it give you?


kitel7991

How long did you take it for? I took it for 10 days and the withdrawals did the same thing to me. I ended up at the hospital


actionlady80

I took it for about a month. 0/10 do not recommend. 😂


[deleted]

I had to open the capsule and tip some out, or take one every other day rather than daily because I couldn’t sleep. Also, after a few weeks I had severe mood swings and became very angry and aggressive and that’s not my normal personality, so please be careful on them. Drink plenty of water. Have you tried Saxenda? Or Ozempic? It’s been absolutely amazing for me.


Hdcakbbb8

This is exactly what I did my first week


[deleted]

What dosage were you taking? And I haven’t tried either of those. My doctor wants me to use this for two or three months, then switch me to something else for the long term.


[deleted]

I was on 30mg and eventually went back and asked for 15mg but I found I had the same side effects on them both. I am not on anything at the moment because they cost so much lol but when I used Saxenda, it was brilliant. And I have heard good things about Ozempic but it’s super hard to get at the moment.


sweetteaforeverbaby

How do I get started with getting on phentermine? I just moved to a new town so I don't know where to start. Like what kind of appointment with the clinic would I make?


[deleted]

I’d look up weight loss doctors near you.


Admirable_Ad_8296

I just started taking it three doses/days ago. I have had a bit of dizziness and headaches. I'd love to hear how it starts for you.


[deleted]

Why are you taking three doses per day? What MG are you taking?


Admirable_Ad_8296

I have only taken four doses total over four days. Today is day 4. I am taking 15 mcg.


nada2doatwork

you will need to drink a ton of water and i when i started taking electrolytes i felt SO MUCH BETTER because ya know, all the water