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How should you take this medication?
Phentermine comes in tablets and extended-release capsules. It usually is taken as a single daily dose in the morning or three times a day 30 minutes before meals. Follow the directions on your prescr
iption label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take Phentermine exactly as directed.
Most people take the drug for 3-6 weeks; the length
of treatment depends on how you respond to the medication. Phentermine can be habit-forming. Do not take a larger dose, take it more often, or for a longer period than your doctor tells you to.
To prevent side effects, Phentermine should be taken with meals. If you are taking an extended-release (long-acting) product, do not chew or crush the tablet.
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Other medical problems
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it may do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For Phentermine, the following should be c
onsidered:
- Allergies¡XTell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or amphetamine, dextroamphetamine, ephedrine, epinephrine, isoproterenol, meta
oterenol, methamphetamine, norepinephrine, phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, pseudoephedrine, terbutaline, or other appetite suppressants. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic
to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.
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What Is It
Phentermine are used in the short-term treatment of obesity. Their appetite-reducing effect tends to decrease after a few weeks. Because of this, these medicines are useful only during the first few w
eeks of a weight-loss program. The Phentermine can help you to lose weight while you are learning new ways to eat and to exercise. Changes in eating habits and activity level must be developed and con
tinued long-term in order for you to continue losing weight and to keep the lost weight from returning.
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What side effects may occur?
Abuse of a Phentermine (taking the medicine in larger doses or taking it more frequently or for a longer time than the doctor ordered) can cause the following side effects:
Changes in person
ality; excessive, excited activity; irritability (severe); mental illness (severe), similar to schizophrenia; skin disease; trouble in sleeping (severe
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Other Medicines
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of appetite suppressants. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
Alcohol abuse (or history of
) or
- Drug abuse or dependence (or history of)¡XDependence on appetite suppressants may be more likely to develop
- Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes)¡XThe amount of insulin or oral antidia
tic medicine that you need to take may change
- Epilepsy¡XDiethylpropion may increase the risk of having seizures
- Family history of mental illness¡XMental depression or other mental illnes
may be more likely to occur
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Other medical problems
Before taking Phentermine,
- tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to Phentermine or any other drugs.
- tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescriptio
n medications you are taking, especially fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), guanethidine, insulin, MAO inhibitors [phenelzine (Nardil) and tranylcypromine (Parnate)] even if you stopped taking
them within the past 2 weeks, medications for weight loss and depression, paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft),and vitamins.
- tell your doctor if you have or have ever had heart disease, high
blood pressure, arteriosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries), hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland), diabetes, glaucoma, or a history of drug abuse.
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