married

Welcome and Good Luck!!! Come back and tell us how it went! Looking forward to hearing!

No just a wannabe lawyer. LOL. People tell me I argue like one though. I actually didnt start off asking for peoples opinion. I think my original question was "Has anyone been prescribed phentermine while being banded" or something to that effect. And there have sure been alot of negative responses..but I can see why especially since alot of people have gained back the weight once they come off the pill sort of like gaining weight back after you go off a diet i suppose. Well thanks for your response to all the questions!

So far my BP has remained the same. How long were you on it? Did you come off once your BP became elevated? How long did it take for your BP to become elevated once you started taking it? I assume this was before you were banded? When you say a long time how long were you on it? Also did your BP come down when you came off? I have been on it for over a month and so far no high BP. Did you lose weight or did you regain it like some of the other people have mentioned. There does seem to be two camps here. Those who have taken it and were happy with the result and those who had bad experiences. Would you say you fall into the bad result camp because of the BP?

Ok I appreciate the warning. I will keep that in mind. I dont know if its inappropriate to ask you about your ADD in this forum. I know that I have had ADD all my life but have never gone to get diagnosed. I work for someone who has EXTREME ADD and is also not medicated. Suffice to say...we are a very unorganized twosome but we manage to with routine to do a great job. He is much worse than I am. Can I possibly pick your brain maybe in a PM about your ADD and the meds sometime? If not its ok. Thanks.

I spoke to the doctor about the safety of phentermine. He feels that it is a safe drug to take up to a year or possibly even more as long as it is prescribed by a metabolic/weight loss doctor who specializes in this field. In his opinion the reason phen fen was such a disaster was that the drug was prescribed by doctors who had no training and didnt specialize in that area and it was prescribed to people who shouldnt have been on it. Makes sense to me. My girlfriend was prescribed phen fen by her regular doctor and went on to experience heart problems. The fenfluramine was the part of the drug that was implicated. Phentermine has been studied for years and is deemed safe for some people...not all. Now I have not noticed any fluctuation in the tightness or looseness of the band. If it is because my blood pressure has remained the same...I dont know. As another poster had mentioned - it is a blood pressure issue that can make the tightness/looseness of the band fluctuate. As of now I have had no fluctuation. I wish there were days when I felt I could hardly eat anything but I have not gotten to that restriction point yet. I can imagine how your fluctuations must be very frustrating. I hope there will be a way for you to find a a solution to the fluctuations. Thanks for your post.

Ok thanks. I will read all of the suggestions. I really cant do the ones that taste too much like candy as sweets tend to set off cravings for more sugar. So i guess it has to be somewhere between not bad and not gross.

Hey thanks. I did read some other posts on calcium supplements but I am still not sure I understand why one is recommended over another. Oh well. I read the ingredients on Viactiv and I'm not sure but it looked like there was trans fat in it. I may be wrong. I tried another kind from a bariatric website. Totally disgusting. Like eating chalk but worse.

Is there a difference between calcium supplements and calcium citrate? I bought some calcium chews at GNC ..caramel flavor. They tasted too good..too much like candy and it almost set off a big sugar craving. But they werent calcium citrate. Just calcium.

Well blood pressure is the same so I dont think thats why he said that. I think it was more along the lines of what someone else said and thats that after awhile it doesnt work anymore but I suppose I shouldve asked why he said that. I was just glad he okayed it. So I am not really sure. Anyway...he did say that between the two things I should aim to lose 10 pounds by the time he sees me in 7 weeks. I am thinking thats probably doable...hopefully. The phentermine works really well at hunger and craving control at least for me. I will look up Fastin...never heard of it. Is it also an amphetamine and do you know of anyone who has taken it?

Tighter or looser huh? Wow. Well..that makes it more difficult to work with I guess. I went to see the surgeon today for a fill. He okayed the phentermine and said its ok for now. So I will definately keep everyone posted on my experience with it. And btw I do appreciate everyones input. If I find that taking phentermine has been a bad decision I will certainly let everyone know so that the info is out there for anyone considering it. Thanks everyone.

Yes amphetemine would do that. My blood pressure has always been in the normal range and still is after three weeks on phentermine. My question was regarding the statement that phentermine would keep you from finding your sweet spot due to a changing BP. My question is that if phentermine changes your BP or possibly makes it fluctuate..does that in turn tighten or loosen the stomach. Or was he saying that once you go off your stomach changes somehow. Obviously the band isnt changing. And also does that happen to someone who has a fluctuating BP and if not why not. How about people who lose weight and then their blood pressure goes down. Would that also make it hard to find the sweet spot. There are many people who have blood pressure changes throughout the day/week/month or situational BP changes. What about those people? I have read that tension makes the band tighter. Is that a result of BP or something else? Does anyone know?

Ok could you please clarify what you just said? It changes your blood pressure how? Raises it or lowers it? And does that tighten the band or loosen it? My blood pressure is the same not lower or higher than before. So I am guessing that if you are saying that if someone would be chasing their sweet spot..that means the band is looser? And is this from personal experience? Would a person who normally has a fluctuating blood pressure reading or high blood pressure have the same effect? Or are you saying that its just phentermine that does this? What if someone has low blood pressure ..do they experience always chasing their sweet spot? Perhaps you are saying that people with blood pressure issues cannot find their sweet spot? Most people have fluctuationg blood pressure. I see my doctor tomorrow and I will ask him if he has heard of this before. Is there any medical literature that would back this up and if so where? I am very interested to hear your answer.

I had burst blood vessels in my eye when i woke up from surgery. It is scary looking but not dangerous and it goes away in several weeks.

No offense taken. Like I said before...I am hoping that once I reach the proper restriction that I will no longer need the phentermine. Right now it seems to be helping alot. I dont have a problem with it being legal meth. (Yes I hear the groans and the gasps.) Its not bought on the street..its legal and prescribed by an MD. So I do appreciate what you are saying. I understand the concern. And I am aware that when you stop the med that the hunger and cravings come back. But thats where I am hoping that the surgeon will have gotten me to the proper restriction point and I will be in a better place than I am now. I do appreciate the lively debate on the subject. All opinions are valid.

I have lost weight and gained back more (alot more) on every diet I went on. I started off at a very good weight of around 150 in my 20s and 30s. Then proceeded to diet my way up to gain over 100 pounds. You dont need phentermine to do that. All you need to do is diet often enough which screws up your metabolism. Most yoyo dieters are not phen phen users. Any yo yo dieter will tell you that they have gained more weight each time they lost and regained. Its not a phen phen issue. Its a metabolism issue. Not to say that you didnt have problems with phen phen. My best friend had heart damage done by phen phen so I am aware that it was bad. However that weight loss and gain has happened to probably 100% of the people here and without the help of diet pills of any kind.

Thank you. I hope that you are one of the ones who loses weight quickly after being banded. Do you have a surgery date? I think its very good that you have been researching and reading for five years. Thats the way to do it so that you go into it knowing as much as you can. Good luck with your banding.

Well I have been banded since Dec. 08 and lost no weight. One cant be sure that the band is the answer either. Everyone is different. My girlfriend has done very well but I havnt fared so well. If you read the posts you will see that some people lose alot of weight right after surgery and some dont. Now I hope that when I get to the correct restriction that the weight will come off. I am very aware that the pill is a temporary fix and that the weight can come back. So can the weight come back with the band. THere have been MANY people who have gained back their weight with the band only. So this is not a phentermine problem/issue only. This is an issue for every overweight person banded or not. Diet pills or not. Anyone who thinks that the band guarantees that the weight will stay off is wrong.

Phen Phen is different from phentermine. If I remember correctly..phen phen was a combination of two medications (the the other half of it was the one that was giving people heart problems etc.) I was not losing weight after having my fourth fill despite doing all the right things. I went to a weight loss doctor who was I was actually referred to by my surgeon because this doctor is an expert in weight loss issues and does thorough blood tests after surgery. I dont know if my surgeon advocates phentermine or not because I have not seen him for two months. My fifth fill was postponed for an extra month. (Surgeon totally overbooked) Back to phentermine. I read the post below of the horror story and I would just like to respond that most people who have been on a diet have regained the weight and more. (I have done that a million times) And I have never taken phentermine before now. I have had a great experience with phentermine. It helps cravings and appetite control. You cant be on it forever but in my case it has been a good thing. I have finally started losing weight and dont have any adverse side effects. I do have to say the first week I was on it I did feel buzzed and tired all at once and it wasnt a good feeling. That went away and I now feel totally normal minus the cravings and appetite. I think its a very personal decision. Of course I wouldve preferred to have lost the weight without the phentermine. However this is working for me and I am very pleased. Once I get to the proper restriction ..I am hoping it will be easier to do the band alone. So obviously there are differing opinions on the subject. Several people have quite strong opposition to it. But as for me..I find it extremely helpful at this time. Hope that helps.

Hey! I know Pleasantville...spent some childhood years there. How are you doing so far?

THe weight loss wasnt happening after four months of having the band (after 4 fills). I was watching what I ate and following the rules and nothing was happening. I went to a metabolic doctor who put me on phentermine. The weight is now coming off. Has anyone else had an experience with this?

Well yes that is a good point. I think the key is to communicate with the doctor about whether there is restriction or not. I think you can diet the pounds away but the whole point of the band is to not be able to eat much. So I guess the doctor may think that if you are losing weight it must be working. But also as you lose weight the doc has to fill anyway. So it is sort of a catch 22 I suppose isnt it?

Yes he will because i am not feeling near enough restriction and I will tell him that.

Wow. Well thank you for sharing your experience with it. So far my moods have been stable. It also hasnt taken away all my appetite but it does seem to control cravings which i am thrilled about. I am careful to eat just like I would with the band so that when I come off this drug it wont be a change. I think like most people on this site we have dieted our way to the weight we are now. I only got heavy after my baby was born. Gained 60lbs and after went on weight watchers lost the sixty but gained it back and ALOT more. So I think that there are alot of ways we can screw up our metabolism. I feel right now that this is my only option because the weight loss just wasnt happening and no one can tell me why. All I know is that until I get to the restriction that will work I think I will keep taking the phentermine for as long as the doctor will prescribe it. And that is providing that I dont start having any negative side effects like what you had mentioned. Thanks again for sharing your experiences with it. I will watch out for things like drastic mood swings.

my doctor fixed my hernia that i didnt know that i had while he was in there doing the lap band

Fax a letter with a complaint to the office manager that you have not been able to get a call back and you NEED to have the results. I have found that fax is better because it is seen by more people that way. A letter will sit on someones desk...so will a message on someones voice mail. Be a real pain in the butt...keep calling..keep faxing..someone will get sick of it and send the results.