According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), phentermine is one of four weight-loss medications approved by the FDA and intended for short-term use only, up to 12 weeks. It's not uncommon for patients to take phentermine more than once, but it is not recommended that they take it for several years. Although phentermine is the agent of choice among physicians specializing in the treatment of obesity, its use by other doctors has been reduced due to misunderstandings about its safety. In the research and development phase, including clinical trials in which patients took phentermine and observed weight loss and side effects, it was only tested for short periods of time.
But weight gain after you stop taking phentermine is no reason to take it in the long term, as this will only delay the inevitable and put your health at risk. The study found that patients who took long-term phentermine and who stopped taking it abruptly because of their choice did not have an amphetamine-like withdrawal symptom complex. Participating patients who have taken long-term phentermine in this study will be asked to discontinue phentermine treatment for 48 hours to participate in the study. However, your prescribing doctor is the best person to talk to about strategies to avoid withdrawal from phentermine, as well as options for continuing to lose weight after phentermine.
Having to take phentermine many times would indicate that it is not effectively helping the patient achieve long-term weight loss, so alternative treatment, such as more personalized dietary and lifestyle counseling or advice, should be considered. These expectations were based on the structural chemical similarities between phentermine and amphetamine and on the evidence in rats that phentermine stimulated spontaneous activity. If phentermine is taken without any effort to change lifestyle in other ways, weight gain is to be expected once you finish the phentermine prescription. In this prospective study, the addictive potential of phentermine will be evaluated with validated psychometric scales to examine patients who have been taking it long-term for two years or more.
Other conversations about phentermine addiction include people talking about how they continue to take it even though they no longer need to lose weight or become dependent on it. Fear of the adverse effects of phentermine does not inhibit its use by specialists in the treatment of obesity. A recent retrospective study investigated the symptoms that occur when patients treated with long-term phentermine in a weight management program abruptly stopped taking it. As part of the best weight loss program with phentermine, in addition to eating healthy and exercising, it is important to establish a good sleep routine and take the time to de-stress and take care of your own well-being and emotional needs to create a balanced routine where you can continue to lose weight or maintain your ideal weight without phentermine.
