Phentermine (phenyl-tertiary-butylamine) is a diet pill that is only available with a doctor’s prescription.

Although it had been in development for a number of years, the FDA did not approve its use as an appetite suppressing drug until 1959. Once it had been approved though, the drug’s ability to produce fast weight loss caused it to become very popular in a short space of time and by the 1970s Phentermine was available in all the US states.

However, the chemical properties of Phentermine are very similar to amphetamine so, bearing in mind the possible dangers of addiction, the drug’s present day prescription-only status is not too hard to understand.

Phentermine has also been linked to a number of side effects so doctors always monitor Phentermine use quite closely and only ever prescribe the drug for patients who are seriously overweight—probably to the extent that their present bulk is restricting the quality of their lives or possibly even placing them in jeopardy. In all cases Phentermine is only a short term solution (up to 12 weeks).

How Phentermine Works

Phentermine is an appetite suppressant. It works by stimulating specific glands in the brain, causing them to release the hormone norephine. This then triggers a state of flight or fight that causes the desire for food to subside.

Flight or fight is a condition that would normally be experienced during periods of extreme danger. When life/safety is threatened the last thing anyone needs is a growling stomach. It can be distracting, maybe even fatal. During a state of flight or fight all such distractions are removed and the body becomes ready to run or fight.

Once the appetite has been suppressed it becomes easier to eat less food and stick to a calorie-reduced diet. Eating less food invariably results in the body receiving a lowered amount of calories each day. This can prevent further weight gain, and if the amount of calories eaten each day is lower than the body needs it will need to source extra calories from elsewhere and begin burning fat to release the energy stored within it.

Clinical Trials

In 2005, scientists at Gachon University Gil Medical Centre (Incheon, Korea) conducted a study to evaluate the efficiency and safety of Phentermine when used as a short term obesity treatment.

For the purposes of the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 68 relatively healthy obese adults were chosen and split into two groups. Once group was given daily placebos, the other group received phentermine-HCl (37.5 mg).At the end of the study the scientists concluded: “Short-term phentermine administration induced significant weight reduction and reduction of waist circumference without clinically problematic adverse events on relatively healthy Korean obese people.”

User Reviews

At the time of this review the Drugs.com website contained 180 user ratings and the average rating was 9.1 out of 10. Other sources of feedback were equally praising of the drugs abilities, so it is easy to understand why Phentermine enjoys the reputation that it does.

One users writes:

Another one states:

Many users claim similar or better achievements and reports of side effects do exist but are rare – especially if the drug is administered under doctor supervision.

Concluding Thoughts

Phentermine remains one of the most powerful and sought after weight loss drugs in the world, but its prescription-only status means the benefits it can provide continue to be limited to a minority of dieters and overweight people. Although this may often be considered a bad thing, in actual fact it is not.

It provides doctors with a change to oversee the correct usage of the drug and make sure it is prescribed to those who need it the most. Doctors can then ensure their patients receive the optimum Phentermine dosage, for an acceptable length of time, and make sure any necessary changes to the diet and levels of exercise are made and adhered to.

Duromine is arguably Australia’s most recognised Phentermine based brand – click to read more