My doctor just put me on Phentermine, what do you think of this?

I can assure you that the anti-depressant is strictly for my
depression. However, I have been on prozac for a very long time and in
the last couple of months the doc wanted to switch me on Wellbutrin
because she did say it could help me with weight loss. I, however, am
not taking it for that reason and I don't think it helps that anyway.
Personally, I don't think it works near as well as the prozac! My next
appointment is next week, I am going to ask that I be put back on
Prozac. I am sick of feeling this way! And after this long of being
on Wellbutrin, I should be feeling the full effect. Not crying myself
to sleep a couple of nights a week. I hate this.

Nuclear Girl- (sorry, I don't know how to quote, but will copy and
paste what I want to reply to)


Evaluation is a good thing. And no medicine will help if the
person is not ready to be helped. Regardless of the mediciation or
reason for it, if she isn't ready to "try and respond" to whatever
kind
of thearpy, it won't do any good.

I do agree with this, but I also believe that in many people simply
getting a medication such as prozac into your system will help you make
the steps you need to make in order to live a healthier lifestyle. I
can tell you that I wouldn't have gotten SO depressed and hide in my
house all those years if I would have stayed on an anti-depressant.


Personally, I struggled for 20+ years to buck it up and not
take medication, because "I should be able to do this on my own".
Well, maybe others could, but I had a totally miserable existance and
I
couldn't. It's a miracle that I survived. I just didn't want
someone
who needed help to not try and get it.

I totally can relate to this as I did the same thing! And even
suggesting someone that truly needs help to stop taking medication is
like sentencing them to hell.


It's hard with or without the pills.
Absolutely! Just taking pills does not do everything, it just takes
the edge off. Makes it POSSIBLE for ME to do it!

Really looking at yourself is
hard and painfull.

Yes, it definitely is! And when you finally take a good look at
yourself it comes as a shock to you. I believe I finally took that
good look in the mirror recently and I don't mean JUST my weight, I
mean ME!

To really want to change something about yourself
that you have blamed for all your troubles for x years is scary

I don't know how to get past that. But, I am not saying *I* am not
responsible because I know it was my own doing. I know what I need to
do to become healthy. I am just afraid of it. I am afraid of failing
AGAIN. I am so afraid of losing weight and then gaining it back and
then some, I have done this countless times in my life.



And many for years have hidden in panic, pain, lonliness, fear of
being
found to have a "mental illness". The public perception of MI is
right
up there with the nasty looks you get for being obese. It's a stigma,

not unlike a scarlet letter that people fear will be waved in their
face, till they refuse to even consider they might (I said Might) need

help of some kind. While in that all consuming vortex of self-pity,
self-loathing, self-abuse, cycle of MIs, it's a little difficult to
get
out of the box that is your world. Oh, you can look at someone elses
box and see what they need, but for the person to see it for
themselves
takes an introspective analysis that the majority aren't ready to
handle....with or without medication. I don't know very many people
that could handle analysing theirself, problems, personalities, etc.
Who really wants to see what they're really like and then deal with
it?

This entire paragraph made such perfect sense and is very true. In my
case, as well.



Doesn't mean the OP
should just give up and say "woe is me. I can't be fixed". Just that

it takes a hericalean effort to realize it, then another to even try
and do something about it. And there are times, that pulling yourself

up by your own boot straps and exercising (yes, that god of weight
loss) just isn't the right formula to fix the world/problem.
Endorphines are great, but they are not eternal.

I believe I have come a very long way. However, I know I have a very
long way to go too. I get discouraged. I worry of the "what ifs". I
started my journey back to "me" with the basic stuff, the stuff that
seemed most important to me and maybe trivial to people like Joni. And
that was just taking a step outside of my house! Slowly, slowly taking
one more step and one more step until I could finally go out in public.
Then it was building up the courage to go to the doctor and ask for
help. Oh boy, was that hard! It was so hard to actually tell a doctor
what was going on with me. It was hard to face it. So, no, I have
never expected a pill to just do it for me. I don't think there is a
pill out there that just "fixes" a person, anyway. I don't mind hard
work, I have struggled my entire life! But something that feels
"impossible" to me, is more than just a struggle.
Okay, I'm going to jump off my soap box and try not to land in a hole
now. Sorry, but this is a sensitive topic that print doesn't relate
well.

Hi, wsherry. Ok, here goes nothing. This is MY personal outlook on diet
drugs. I have seen people use the combo phen-fen (the fenfluramine is no
longer prescribed) and lose tons of weight. I have also seen them gain
it back and then some. Two of my family members got very, very thin
while taking it and today are more overweight than they were when they
started taking it. When they heard it was being taken off the market
they both panicked, which goes to show how dependent they were on the
pills. They thought they 'needed' them to stay thin. All I can say is do
NOT get into that mindset while taking the pills. Use them to give you
extra help while you learn new behaviors, like portion control and
healthy eating. If the phentermine helps you make progress, great, but
realize you cannot take them forever. JMO.

Wendy

"wsherry72" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have been struggling with weight my entire life. I am so sick and
tired of being this way. I am fatter than I ever dreamed I would be.
I absolutely despise what I see in the mirror and often wonder why my
husband stays with me.


I have a lot of health issues. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, overactive thyroid, sleep apnea, enlarged heart, fatty
liver and I am sure there are more but haven't been figured out yet.
Oh yeah, did I mention depression? lol It seems the weight is what
has caused every single one of my health issues.


I am 36 years and female.


I am currently on a ton of meds, but have recently been switched from
fluoxetine to wellbutrin. I am on my 3rd month of this switch and I
find that the wellbutrin doesn't help at all. I am so miserable and
wasn't feeling this way on fluoxetine. My doc says that fluoxetine and

phentermine can't be taken together.


I finally get the doc to prescribe me this drug and I have to go off
the one drug that makes my quality of life feel so much better. Yeah,
I have lost 36 lbs in the last 2 months, wonderful. Wish I felt like I

have lost weight, I still see the same ugly person in the mirror.


Is it even possible to lose a lot of weight and keep it off without
surgery? I have lost and gained sooo much weight in my life, over and
over again and always gain it back plus some. Is there anyway I can
lose weight this time and not gain it back? Am I destined to be
bed-bound because I am just to fat to move around?


sigh, hope someone has something good to say to me. I don't know much
about phentermine, ok, I know nothing about it. What do you think of
this drug?


I told my doctors to take a flying leap, though not in so many words, when
they wanted to put me on drugs for high bp and cholesterol without trying
exercise and diet as recommended by the American Heart Association web site
for my numbers. I did it myself -- got my butt off the chair and in 2 1/2
months my numbers were normal. It took weight off too. It treats
depression and diabetes and sleep apnea, prevents the top two killer cancers
plus osteoporosis plus dementia. I would have been spending $1500 a year on
drugs and instead I spent $100 a year on cross trainers. Can't beat that
with a stick.

Right Wendy. This was a concern of mine too. However, I am very aware
that I can only be on them short-term. You see, I woudln't even
consider it, nor would my doctor, but I am so overweight that I could
have a stroke any day. She and I both weighed out the pros and cons
and then decided which risks were more risky. And quite frankly, being
so overweight is more of a threat to me right now than the drugs. She
basically wants me to take off a chunk of weight quickly so that I can
get out of that very high risk category.

My concern is gaining weight back and then some. I have done this more
times in my life than I can count. I think I was 12 the first time I
went on a diet. I was probably 20 lbs over weight but thought I was
HUGE! I lost all the weight and then some. Then I gained it back and
ended up 30 lbs over weight and I went from there to more diets, losing
more weight and gaining it back, over and over again. But, the
difference is this..... Every time I went on a "diet", I kept the same
mind set. And that was "I am only on this diet long enough to lose
weight, then I can eat "normal" again" and "once I am thin, then I
won't have to diet anymore". Well, now I know this is not true. I
know that most people gain their weight back and then some and the
reason for that is because they keep this mindset. They think they can
go back to their old way of eating. And this is not the case.

I am using these pills to help me get into the right habits. To try to
shrink my stomach enough that it won't feel hungry all the time. To
try to make new habits and realize that I can actually live my entire
life this way. I don't HAVE to have all the high calorie and fat
foods. And exercise. I know this has to be a daily routine. Every
single day for the rest of my life I need to get enough activity to
stay healthy. See, in the past, I could do all these things and I did
them well! Yep, I have lost 20 lbs, 40 lbs, 50 lbs, 75 lbs, 100 lbs
and more many times over. I have done it so many times and just ended
up gaining the weight back so many times that I am fearful. I have
been afraid to lose weight for the fear of ending up even bigger! So,
some of the changes I have made in my life, I have made slowly. And I
have made realistically. Changes I can tolerate for the rest of my
life. Some simple ones... quitting the regular pop. (ok, so this
wasn't simple at all because I hate diet colas, but found that there
are some diet drinks that I do like, finally, for the first time, I
have quit pop and switched to diet and stuck to it, it has been about
10 months since I have had a sugar-filled pop! and I used to drink 4-6
cans a coke every single day!) I have increased my water intake. And
because I get grossed out by so many things, I can only drink bottled
water, which makes it harder because it is more expensive to drink a
large amount of water. So, I am trying so hard to drink tap water. I
wish it didn't gross me out so much! I can't even eat ice from a
freezer because that grosses me out too. Only ice from bags of ice
work for me. But then, what can I put in with the ice if I can't
tolerate tap water? Anyway, that is something I am working on.

I have switched from whole and 2% milk to fat-free milk. I made this
switch for my entire family, so the whole family will benifit from
this. Although, I am the only one over weight in my family. I have
always made sure my kids eat healthy and stayed active in sports, etc,
because I didn't want htem to go through what I have. Other changes
are going from white bread to wheat, instead of margarine we eat the
low fat stuff. I have gone from regular mayonnaise to the fat-free
stuff. Other fat-free changes I have made are yogurts, cream cheese,
sour cream. I stock pile on the healthy choice type frozen dinners so
that I have a lunch ready for me everyday. I have found that if I have
to search around for something to eat during the day, I am more likely
to choose something that is quick and easy but higher in
calories/fat/carbs. Plus, so many foods gross me out, especially
something that has sat in the fridge more than a day or two. I know
the food is ok, but I can't choke it down. Some things that vary from
that are mayonnaise and dressings, etc. However, if they are anywhere
near the expiration date or if I find a bit of food that has fallen
into the jars, I am done for with that item. Anyway, other changes I
have made are making sure I have a large salad with both lunch and
dinner. I always eat the salad first. I just can't change my
dressing, which I hope I can at some point. I have bought the low fat
and fat free bleu cheese dressing and it is so yucky. I have been
using about 1 tablespoon (sometimes less) of regular bleu cheese since
it is the only one I like. (If anyone has any other ideas of what is
good and low cal, let me know! For now, I have like 10 different salad
dressings in my fridge I have bought and tried and hated!!) I have
definitely added more veggies to my diet, although, we always have
eaten a lot of them. I am so much more conscience of how I prepare
meals. No sense in adding that extra blob of margarine or chug of
whole milk. I make my food more low fat than my husbands and kids
because they can handle more fat and I think restricting them too much
could cause problems later on.

I have been eating more things like cream of wheat and oatmeal. I
changed from regular sugar to splenda. I make sure I trim any piece of
meat before cooking it. I buy lean meats and try to eat mostly
chicken. I wish I liked fish. I keep trying different kinds hoping I
will find the one I like. But to date, the only ones I find that I
enjoy are the battered and deep fried stuff and well, that kinda takes
the healthy reason out of eating the stuff I like halibut, but
don't like the fresh stuff you cook. I need to figure out a good way
to cook it, I think.

We go on nightly walks, the entire family. I have an exercise machine
sitting my living room. I can watch a tv program while I exercise.
This works out well.

There are, of course, many other changes, but these are some of the
main ones I have made and believe I can live with!

So, basically, this is waht I am doing... finding ways of changing
things a little at a time. I try different products till I find the
one that I can live with. I intend on keeping this up. I know I feel
so much better and have even cut down to almost no diabetes meds! My
blood sugars have been outstanding. My blood pressure is very good
also, but I am on medication for that.

Anyway, this is me rambling. Can you imagine what it must be like
talking to me in person? lol Well, I just wanted to try to explain my
mindset. I truly am not a big fat person that sits on the couch eating
doritos and chugging down the pop. I have never been like that.
Although I was a coke drinking, I wasn't a sit on the couch and eat all
day type a person. I am not lazy. Although people equate fat with
lazy. This is not the case. I have to eat less than the average joe
to maintain weight. If I eat as much as my thin neighbor does, I will
get fatter and fatter. I hope that I can find a way to speed up my
metabolism. I have found that eating less carbs (stuff like sweets,
breads, pasta, rice, etc) I don't feel as hungry as I did before.

I only took half a phentermine pill today in the hopes of seeing my
appetite being lessened, but it doesn't seem to be, so i guess I will
keep taking a full pill for awhile longer. I really hope I can
decrease my appetite with reducing my food intake on these pills so I
can do it on my own after I am no longer taking the pills. If anyone
has any ideas, I would love to read about them.

Thanks and sorry for this epic post!

Jake,
I can't go on a "diet" or I will fail. So, I will never "diet" again.
However, changing my eating habits could work (yeah, I guess they
are essentially the same thing, but I just can't word it that way. I
have to do it differently this time.)

And you are SO right about "dieting" and depression. Who can even
consider what is healthy for them when they are so far in the dumps
that they can't see out. I must say, however, today I feel much better
than I did yesterday or the day before. This may be a little too much
info, but being very overweight, as I am, messes with a womans menstral
cycle and so I never know when it will start. Sometimes twice a month,
sometimes twice a year.. anyway, I discovered today that that could be
the reason I have been so freaky the last few days PMS and me is
not a good mix! I get crazy! And it is hard for me to even tell the
difference in me having PMS and my regular crappy depression because I
am just not myself at all. I am always relieved when I start my period
though, cuz I know the emotion crap is over.

And by the way, because of this, I feel maybe the wellbutrin is working
better. I have felt the last few days it wasn't working at all, but it
could just not be enough to help me through PMS?? Who knows! But,
feel sorry for my husband! LOL I am so lucky because he is so patient
and kind to me, no matter what!

When I was first diagnosed with high bp, diabetes, etc, The doctors had
me try diet and exercise and it worked at first, but gradually got to
where it wasn't enough.

"wsherry72" wrote in message
oups.com...
Nuclear Girl- (sorry, I don't know how to quote, but will copy and
paste what I want to reply to)

First the useful stuff:
To quote, rather than clicking on the "reply" option on the bottom you need
to click on "show options" at the top of the post. Then click on the "reply"
option that appears.

Now for my rant, stop reading now if you like:

Stop bitching about the way you look. You've lost 36 pounds in 2 months;
that is fabulous success. If you are like everyone else in the world your
weight loss is going to be much slower as time goes by. Yes weight lose and
maintenance is possible without surgery but it requires patience and
persistence.

Joni has made some rather ignorant posts but they don't justify you're
passive aggressive behavior towards her. She is not the reason you are fat
or depressed. As you posted earlier, you are fat because you "have obviously
not been eating and exercising the way I should be." You have to make
changes in the way you are eating and the way you are living and they must
be permanent.

Don't overlook exercise. If you believe yourself to be "too fat to move
around" you will no doubt become bed bound. Do whatever exercise you can.
Aerobic exercise especially can be mood enhancing for many people. Perhaps
you can start with walking. With consistency you will almost certainly make
improvements.

Continue seeking support from all the sources you can. I look forward to
read of your CONTINUING success.

Matthew

Stop bitching about the way you look.

I was having a bad day. I thought that venting was a good thing? So,
it is better to just keep those feelings stuffed up inside?


You've lost 36 pounds in 2 months;
that is fabulous success. If you are like everyone else in the world
your
weight loss is going to be much slower as time goes by. Yes weight
lose and
maintenance is possible without surgery but it requires patience and
persistence.

I asked this question in the hopes of finding others that have been in
my shoes. I hoped to hear some positive stories.


Joni has made some rather ignorant posts but they don't justify
you're
passive aggressive behavior towards her.

They don't justify it to you, but they do to me. It sure sounded to me
as if she was snubbing her nose at me. I mean, come on, someone tells
someone that is on an anti-depressant medication to basically stop
taking the medication, buck up and do it on my own? I think she was
very ignorant and rude in making that comment. There are many people
that snub their nose at fat people. This is exactly what she was doing!

She is not the reason you are fat
or depressed.

Ok, now you lost me. Where did I indicate that it was Joni's fault?
That is rediculous to even say. lol

As you posted earlier, you are fat because you "have obviously
not been eating and exercising the way I should be."

Yes I did. I also posted the HUGE changes I have made over the last 2
years. I have come a very long way.

You have to make
changes in the way you are eating and the way you are living and they
must
be permanent.

I am sure working on it, can't do more than that. As I said, I came
here in the hopes of hearing some success stories. Something to give
me encouragment. I hoped to use this forum as a tool in my life change
journey.

Don't overlook exercise.

As I sad, I have been exercising everyday. You know, I even said in my
OP that I have lost weight over and over in my life. I know how to
lose weight. I know how to exercise. And I know what you need to do
to lose weight. I am certainly far from a newbie to this. I also know
I must do something different this time in order to keep this weight
off. However, I also need to know it is possible! That others have
been succesful! Not that only 1 in a million over weight people have
been succesful. If I feel this is fruitless, then I will lack
motivation. I came here hoping to find motivation by those that have
been there before me.

If you believe yourself to be "too fat to move
around" you will no doubt become bed bound.

I didn't say that. I explained my fear in continueing losing weight.
As I said, I have lost a lot of weight in the past. I have been
dieting all my life. Each time I lose weight, I gain in back and then
some. This is how I have creeped up to my current weight. I fear
history repeating itself, only this time, if I am much fatter, I would
be too fat to move around.


Do whatever exercise you can.
Aerobic exercise especially can be mood enhancing for many people.
Perhaps
you can start with walking. With consistency you will almost
certainly make
improvements.

As I said, I have been walking. I walk every night with my entire
family. We have been doing this for the past 2 years, however, there
were gaps of time in between that I would skip a day here or there.


Continue seeking support from all the sources you can.

Another reason I am here. I am not here to bitch or complain. Vent,
yeah, I guess so. I was having a rough few days, I mean really rough!
I haven't been that down in probably a year or more.


I look forward to
read of your CONTINUING success.

And I look forward to continue reading your ranting You know, I am
and have always been a "say it as I see it type of person." I felt
Joni was mocking me, if you will, and I found it insulting. There is
just nothing worse than someone that has never had a weight problem,
some 110 lb perfect body woman telling ME how easy it would be to take
off some of those dreaded pounds. (certainly not saying Joni is a
skinny minnie, but she did jump in here and decided to judge my
situation based on her medication beliefs without even knowing much
about me. It was rediculous and frankly, I am still annoyed but it.)

Oh, and thanks for the lesson on quoting
Sherry

Ignoramus29808 wrote:
I am highly doubtful that phentermine would do anything in the long
run. It can happen, that would be great, but it is unlikely. It does
not permanently solve your problem, specifically that you want to eat
a lot more than you need to eat to be a person at a sensible weight.

Check out


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=15251779

You would see that phentermine does produce some good weight loss,
and
then weight loss stops at still high weight (average BMI goes down
from 45 to 37 in the first year, rises back to 38 in the second
year).
The dropout rate is 42% in the first year, and 68% in the second
year.

Besides phentermine, I would also give gastric bypass a serious
consideration.
Not an option. We would have to pay 100% for it and we sure don't have
it. Otherwise I woulda had one already

If I was in your position, from a decision making standpoint, I would
probably do the following. 1. Skip phentermine, go on a low carb/eat
less diet, and do at least some minimum of exercise . I would try to
do it in a very "focused" manner. (focused being an euphemism of
"obsessive", that is, paying dieting a lot of attention and making it
a highest priority)

This is something I have done so many times and I know it isn't
succesful for me. I get obsessed with it and then I lose tons of
weight, too fast. I need to just make small changes with adding
exercise, like I have been doing.
The phen helps me stay focused. I am hoping that I can get a good
start with the phen, then continue once I am off the drug.

If that does not work, I would 2. do a gastric bypass. People will
say
how dangerous it is, because of complications, but complications from
serious overeating are even worse. If there is a better alternative
like actually losing weight through diet, great, if dieting does not
work, it is better to do a GB.
This is how I see taking the phen. Yes, the medication isn't the best
thing to be putting in your body, but complications of being overweight
are worse. And I wouldn't go as far as saying "seriously overeating."
Overeating, yes, but not like TONS of food. Heck, my 15 year old could
out eat me on my best day and he is a very lean kid.
I would also try to simultaneously seek some endocrinologist, perhaps
some highly recommended specialist, to see if they can find something
that might be causing your problems. Not just some guy in a suburban
mall who is mostly interested in billing insurance companies. It is
possible that there is some undiagnosed condition that is the cause
of
all your various problems. It is worth exploring this, without
postponing trying to lose weight.
Oh my. I love my doctor. She really cares about my success. She has
helped me tons, I couldnt' even consider finding a new doc.