Your doctor may prescribe Adipex-P to help decrease your appetite and make it easier for you to lose weight, notes the Mayo Clinic. However, you should not take Adipex-P or similar appetite suppressants if you just have a few pounds to lose. Also, you must eat a healthy diet and exercise or you will regain any weight lost once you stop taking the drug.
Adipex Basics
Adipex-P contains the stimulant phentermine and is the most commonly prescribed diet drug in the United States, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Your doctor will either prescribe a single daily dose or one pill taken three times each day about 30 minutes before you eat. Most doctors will prescribe Adipex-P only for three to six weeks. You should not take it longer than 12 weeks.
Contraindictions
Do not take phentermine if you are over the age of 65 or have a serious medical condition such as high blood pressure, advises PubMed Health. Adipex-P is a habit-forming medication, and you should avoid it if you have a history of drug or alcohol abuse. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials issued a consumer alert regarding ordering a number of drugs, including phentermine. You should not buy this drug online or through a doctor you have never met; not only is this practice illegal, but it is also potentially harmful to your health.
Potential Side Effects
After taking Adipex-P, you might experience side effects such as a dry mouth, an unpleasant taste in your mouth, constipation, diarrhea or vomiting, according to PubMed Health. Unless these side effects become severe or do not go away, you do not need to call your doctor. However, you need prompt medical assistance if you experience increased blood pressure, itching, hives, chest pain, difficulty breathing, swelling of your legs or ankles or tremors after taking the drug.
Phentermine vs. Fen-Phen
Phentermine, the active ingredient in Adipex-P, was part of the fen-phen diet drug combo, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned in 1997. Fen-phen caused fatal heart and lung damage in some patients, according to the Mayo Clinic. While FDA officials banned only the appetite suppressants fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine, a few people have experienced severe heart and lung problems after taking just phentermine, warns the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
References
- Weight-Control Information Network; Prescription Medications for the Treatment of Obesity; December 2010
- PubMed Health; Phentermine; January 2011
- Mayo Clinic; Phentermine - Can Prescription Medication Help Weight Loss?; Donald Hensrud, MD; October 2009
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration; FDA Announces Withdrawal Fenfluramine and Dexfenfluramine (Fen-Phen); July 2005
- Drug Enforcement Administration: Consumer Alert
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