Fen-Phen & Dexfen-Fen Education: Fen-Phen (or Phen-Fen)

Several years ago, you may have heard about the life-threatening side effects of Fen-Phen. Fen-Phen was a combination of Fenfluramine or Pondimin and Phentermine. In 1973, the FDA approved Fenfluramine for short-term treatment of obesity.

Without FDA approval, doctors prescribed the Fen-Phen diet drug coctail because together these drugs had very powerful results. The FDA never approved Fen-Phen, and it was considered "off-label" and not recommended.

In 1992, Dr. Michael Weintraub and several colleagues at the University of Rochester published a study in the May 1992 issue of "Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics," that showed fen-phen to be more effective method than dieting or exercise in reducing the weight of the chronically obese.

This took four years to complete, but the study participants who were given the two drugs never used them in a combination form.

Fen-Phen appeared to have no immediate side effects. By 1996, there were 6.6 million Fen-Phen prescriptions in the U.S.

Dexfen-Phen

Dexfen-Phen is the combination, or cocktail, of Dexfenfluramine or Redux and Phentermine. The FDA approved Dexfenfluramine in 1996 as an appetite suppressant to manage obesity.

Dexfen-Phen also became very popular due to its effectiveness in weightloss.

Disasterous Side Effects of Fen-Phen and Dexfen-Phen

Neither Fen-Phen nor Dexfen-Phen were tested for safety. By the summer of 1997, there was an unusual cluster of 24 Fen-Phen users with heart valve disease reported by the Mayo Clinic. This suggested that Fen-Phen use causes heart valve disease.

In 1997 the FDA published a Public Health Advisory on the Mayo findings in the August 28th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Reports of heart disease from using the drug coctail continued to pour in. There were also reports of heart disease in patients who had only taken Fenfluramine or Dexfenfluramine.

Approximately 30% patients taking Fenfluramine or Dexfenfluramine had abnormal valve findings. This suggested that Fenfluramine and Dexfenfluramine were the likely causes of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH) and valvular heart disease.

In September 1997, the FDA recommended people stop taking Fenfluramine and Dexfenfluramine, and drug manufacturers voluntarily withdrew these drugs from the market. The FDA did not request the withdrawal of the Phentermine diet pills, since no harmful effects were found from using this drug alone.

Remember: Before you buy Phentermine prescriptions online, you should know there are certain contradictions when using any type of diet drug. Phentermine should not be used in combination with other diet aids. It should only be used by people who are obese or overweight.

This drug should not be used by children, or by women who are pregnant or breast feeding. Please refer to our Phentermine Side Effects, Phentermine Uses, and Phentermine Contradictions pages for more information on whether this drug is right for you.