Why are you talking about Phentermine?

Honestly, I'd rather not. But of all my Instagram posts, my Phentermine post is the one I consistently get questions on. I'll get into why "I'd rather not" talk about it later in this post. That Instagram post is below.

What is Phentermine?

Phentermine is a medication prescribed by a doctor to help you lose weight. Sometimes it's prescribed with an additional medication to help more, such as Topiramate or B-12 shots. Topiramate helps accelerate the weight loss. B-12 helps with energy.

What does Phentermine do?

Phentermine makes you not hungry at all. Sometimes, even kind of nauseous. You just don't want to eat, nothing sounds good. You really have to force yourself to eat on it.

How much weight did you lose? How long did it take?

I lost 45 pounds in about 2 months.

Can you eat anything you want while taking Phentermine?

Sure! If you don't want to lose weight. The 2 months I lost 45 pounds I was very strict on my diet. I had barely any carbs and did a juice cleanse during it. I've taken Phentermine since then and didn't lose a pound due to my diet, so it really does matter. If you don't eat enough, you won't lose weight either.

Do you have to workout while taking Phentermine?

No, I didn't. But you should! Phentermine gives you energy, so you should use that extra motivation to workout. Plus if you're losing weight that fast and not working out (like I did) then you're going to end up being skinny fat...aka you look skinny but you're super out of shape and really jiggly.

Did Phentermine cause any hair loss for you?

No, not for me! But I can't speak for everyone.

Update - I do think it thinned my hair some now that I can see how my hair is while I'm not on it.

Did you gain any of the weight back?

Unfortunately, yes. I gained about 19 pounds back of the 45 that I'm still working on losing.

Where can I get Phentermine?

A doctor needs to prescribe it to you. There are some weight loss clinics that prescribe it as well, but most of these don't advertise Phentermine specifically, so you have to ask them.

Are there any con's to Phentermine?

YES! These are the reasons I really didn't want to talk about Phentermine. But I wanted to give an honest review...so here we go.

First, it's very expensive. Each of my visits to the doctor would cost $120-150 per month. Plus the cost of the prescription. I used GoodRX to save some money on the prescription because you can't use insurance on Phentermine! Before I found GoodRX I was paying $100 for the prescription, with GoodRX I got it down to $35 (for both the Phentermine and Topiramate).

Second, it makes your heart race and gives you crazy anxiety. Like cry because someone didn't smile at you type of anxiety. (Seriously don't drink caffeine or alcohol with it!)

Third, keeping the weight off is a STRUGGLE. You didn't lose that weight naturally, so how is your body supposed to naturally keep it off? I've gained back 19 of the 45 pounds I lost and am currently working those off (in healthier ways).

Would you take Phentermine again?

I'm not sure. It really hurts my stomach so I'm focusing on healing my gut right now through my diet. To be fair, I do have acid reflux and have had a ton of stress ulcers. So, if you have no stomach issues, you could be fine! I'm hoping that exercise helps take care of any unwanted weight I have too.

I really hate how it makes my stomach feel and the anxiety it gave me, so that makes me never want to take it again. But you lose weight FAST!

Anything else people should know about Phentermine?

It makes you REALLY thirsty! So make sure you drink plenty of water. I always carry around a thermal of water since I've taken Phentermine. I would also sleep with XyliMelts in my mouth (you can find them on Amazon). Those really helped with the dryness.

Also, it does kind of mess with your heart. When I did a workout while taking it, my heart would beat much faster than it normally would.

Conclusion

Phentermine can be a great way to jump-start your weight loss, but remember you have to make permanent changes or you're just going to gain the weight back (clearly!). The doctor won't even prescribe it for more than 3 months at a time so it's really not something to be on long-term. If you decide to take it just be sure to listen to your body and remember to drink water and eat!