Adipex-P and Fastin were at one time simply two different trade names, or brand names, for the popular and highly effective diet drug phentermine. Due to the acquisition of the Fastin name by a dietary supplement manufacturer, however, there is now a great deal of confusion over what the Fastin name represents.
Phentermine Facts
Phentermine was approved for use as a weight loss aid in 1959 and has been in use ever since. It is still one of the most commmonly used diet drugs available because of its low price, efficacy, and long history of use. There are only two accurate chemical names for this drug: phentermine and phentermine hydrochloride, usually written phentermine HCL. Phentermine is a sympathomimetic amine, meaning it causes an increased release of catecholamines, which in turn causes the anorectic and increased energy expenditure effects of the drug.
Phentermine Manufacturers
Phentermine is currently sold under the brand name Adipex-P in the United States, manufactured by Gate Pharmaceuticals, and as Lonamin in Canada, from Celltech Pharmacueticals. It is also available as a generic from at least 10 different manufacturers. The brand name Fastin was used by King Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of SmithKline Beecham, but production was stopped in 1998.
Phentermine Fakes
Because the name phentermine is easily confused with similar-sounding drugs and is frequently misspelled, there is a lot of opportunity for unscrupulous online vendors to trick potential buyers into purchasing products labeled with names such as phentarmine, fentermine, fentiramine, phentramine, phentremine, phentiramine and phentirimine. Usually these products are made of herbal combinations that may have some stimulant effect, such as phenylephrine or caffeine, but they are absolutely not phentermine.
The Fastin Trick
The supplement manufacturer Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals is responsible for one particularly creative game that has been played with the diet drug's name. This company bought the rights to the Fastin name after SmithKline withdrew Fasin from its product line. Hi-Tech now markets an over-the-counter product it calls Fastin, which is made to look very similar to one of the common generic phentermine forms. The product contains phenylethylamine HCL, whose chemical name is also remarkably similar to phentermine HCL. There is no clinical evidence that phenylethylamine HCL has any significant effect on body weight. But the two products are easily confused, and no doubt many unsuspecting consumers are duped into wasting their money on this pretender.
Phentermine: The Real Deal
If you are interested in trying Adipex-P or one of the generic forms of phentermine, you will have to get a doctor's prescription, because these medications are considered Schedule IV controlled substances by the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Don't be taken in by any of these phentermine look-alike or sound-alike scams.
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