Phentermine
Pronunciation:FEN-ter-meen
Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number:122-09-8. (Hydrochloride form
1197-21-3)
Formal Names:Adipex-P, Duromine, Fastin, Ionamin, Obe-Nix 30, Umine
Informal Names:Robin’s Eggs
Type:Stimulant (anorectic class).Seepage 15
Federal Schedule Listing:Schedule IV (DEA no. 1640)
USA Availability:Prescription
Pregnancy Category:C
Uses.Phentermine is primarily used on a short-term basis for weight re-
duction. The compound is related to amphetamine. Effects are similar to but
weaker than those of dextroamphetamine. For example, phentermine can
make users more physically energetic. A study found phentermine more ef-
fective thandiethylpropionfor promoting weight loss, a superiority attrib-
uted to phentermine’s ability to retain therapeutic effectiveness longer before
tolerance sets in. Standard medical practice is to stop taking the drug when
tolerance develops, instead of increasing the dose.
In one study symptoms of depression improved among overweight people
using phentermine. Researchers ascribe that improvement to the drug, but
perhaps users simply felt good about shedding pounds. Some research indi-
cates that the drug acts as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), which
thereby associates phentermine with a number of antidepressants, but other
research has challenged that finding.
Drawbacks.Phentermine may interfere with sleep, cause dry mouth, make
bowel movements looser or harder, produce impotence, make people edgy
and ill-tempered, or (in contrast) create euphoria. The compound is suspected
of involvement with stroke, but reported cases have confounding factors. In
one instance the patient had a history of headaches before taking phentermine
and a family history of migraine and stroke. In another case the person was
also takingphendimetrazine, had used birth control pills for 14 years, had
smoked cigarettes for two decades, and had a personal history of migraines
and a family history of high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Phentermine
has also been linked to narrowing of abdominal arteries with a possibility of
ruptured aneurysms there. Uncommon accounts exist of phentermine users