If your doctor gave you a prescription for a phentermine-based medication, you probably feel both excited and nervous. Making the decision to permanently lose weight is a big step, and when nothing else seems to work, your phentermine prescription can give you the head start that you need.
Your doctor and pharmacist are both able to answer questions about your new prescription, but without a basic understanding of what it is or how it works, it is hard to think of specific questions. Here are the basics of your prescription, and how you can maintain weight loss.
What is Phentermine?
Basically, phentermine is an appetite-suppressing prescription medication that will affect your eating habits. Your prescription will decrease your appetite and help you feel full longer. As a result, you will not consume as many calories. You could reduce your caloric intake without this medication, but phentermine helps you control your food intake without emotionally exhausting your willpower.
What Happens When You Stop Taking Phentermine?
In 1983, phentermine was approved for short-term medical weight loss. This means that your doctor can legally prescribe you phentermine for up to 12 weeks.
If you are starting your phentermine regimen, this is both exciting and concerning news. Studies have shown that many patients who lost weight on phentermine gain it back when they stop taking the drug. If you stop taking it abruptly, you will also experience fatigue and even depression.
These reports should not sway you away from your phentermine prescription. When the time comes, your doctor can help you wean yourself off of your prescription so that you do not experience the withdrawal symptoms.
Also, phentermine is intended to be used along with a healthy diet and exercise; when you stop taking phentermine, you should not quit your healthier lifestyle.
Phentermine: A Jump-Start Into Real Lifestyle Changes
Think of your phentermine prescription as a jump start into a healthier lifestyle, and not as the sole cause of your weight loss. Researchers believe that it takes somewhere between 21 and 45 days for you to break a bad habit and establish a good one; that means you can change your eating habits and develop a healthy exercise routine within 3-7 weeks.
Your doctor can keep you on your phentermine prescription for up to 12 weeks. So, phentermine can help you jump start your long-term weight loss by making it easier for you to stick with good habits in the early stages of your lifestyle change. You have enough time to make these habits second-nature so you can more easily maintain your weight loss when you stop taking phentermine.
If you'd like to know more or have other questions, contact a company like Riverfront Diet Clinic DBA Doctors Diet Program with your concerns.
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