The history of Phentermine is intriguing. It was first approved in 1959 by the FDA to treat obesity. After 1959, several other medications got approval. They were some form of Phentermine combinations (Like Fen-Phen).
These combination medications didn’t work very well. They all had some unpredictable side effects and people became wary of Phentermine. However, pure Phentermine HCL (white tablets with blue dots) never had many issues.
It was considered safe. It is still the number one weight loss pill and commands 80% of sales on the weight loss product market all over the world. ‘Old is gold’ is so true for Phentermine.
Up until 1983, Phentermine was an OTC (Over-the-counter) medication. Mothers used to mix a 15mg tablet with children’s milk. Since it is a stimulant, it would not only help lose weight but improve school performance as well.
As an appetite suppressant, it would also stop children at school from unnecessarily snacking. Phentermine hit a trifecta- control weight, stop children from snacking, and improve school performance. No doubt, it was the most popular medication in the ’80s.
However, when pharmaceutical companies tried to improve its effectiveness by mixing with other drugs, it became dangerous. The most dangerous of them all was Fen-Phen, a combination of Phentermine HCL with Fluoxetine.
Following were the predominant complications that occur when Phentermine was combined with some other drugs:
Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH)
PPH is a rare but fatal disease that has been reported in some cases when Phentermine was mixed with Fenfluramine or Dexfenfluramine. There is no direct proof that PPH can occur only by using Phentermine.
The primary symptoms of PPH are dyspnea, angina, and lower extremity edema. If you find yourself or a person having these symptoms, you should immediately discontinue the medication and report it to a doctor.
Valvular Hear Disease
Although the real Phentermine HCL was designed to be heart-safe for obese patients, the combination of Fenfluramine can cause heat valves to weaken. There have been several cases of fatality.
Although Phentermine cannot be directly proven to be the cause of that, it shares the blame as if it were guilty by association.
Development of Tolerance
Phentermine is a stimulant and an amphetamine substitute. Therefore, there is the potential for tolerance and addiction. However, it’s not taken properly. Phentermine is and always has been a short-term solution. It should not be used continuously for more than a month (4 weeks).
After that, the patient should be evaluated. If more weight loss is necessary, the doctor will advise waiting for 10 days before restarting. This way, the possibility of addiction goes away.
However, if someone decides to self-medicate and take Phentermine continuously for more than 3 months, addiction is a strong possibility.
What Happened After That?
Since there were some risks, FDA decided to take Fen-Phen off the market and also posed a Schedule IV label on Phentermine. It now requires a prescription in the USA. The UK, being a US ally also follows the same regulations.
Many other countries don’t agree though. There is still a strong debate in the medical community regarding the status of pure Phentermine HCL.
It is still sold under many brand names such as Adipex-p, Duromine, Metermine, and Suprenz. It is also commonly known as K25 pills.
Just because other US FDA thinks it’s a risk, other countries don’t agree. In many countries, Phentermine HCl is still an OTC medication and people can get it without prescriptions.
International online pharmacies also take that chance. You can literally buy Phentermine online without a prescription. However, you have to be careful of fraudulent pharmacies. The internet is full of them as well.
That’s why we have created an article called “How to Spot a Fake Online Pharmacy”. This will help you when you want to order Phentermine online safely. To learn more about Phentermine, please refer to our Phentermine FAQ.