Phentermine History

The Phentermine diet pill is one of the most commonly prescribed appetite suppressants for people interested in weight loss. This is partly due to its effectiveness and also due to the fact that people choose to buy cheap Phentermine instead of other pricey FDA-approved diet drugs such as Meridia and Xenical. Family physicians around the world prescribe Phentermine to nearly fifty-percent of the people diagnosed with obesity.

For nearly 50 years, prescription Phentermine has been used as a treatment for those who need to lose weight. It provides the fastest weight loss when used in combination with exercise. Phentermine resin as a prescription medication was first approved by the FDA back in 1959 as a diet aid and appetite suppressant. In the early 1970’s, Phentermine Hydrochloride was approved by the FDA.

Phentermine Brand Names

The Phentermine pill is available as a generic medication, “Phentermine.” Brand names available include Ionamin® (Medeva Pharmaceuticals) and Adipex-P® (Gate Pharmaceuticals). The brand Fastin® (formerly produced by King Pharmaceuticals for SmithKline Beecham) was withdrawn from the market in December 1998.

Fen-Phen and Dexfen-Phen

Since the Phentermine diet pill has been in circulation for a large number of years, there have been no new efficacy trials, except in the case of the Phentermine and Fenfluramine combination (fen-phen) in the early and mid 1990s.

Fen-phen was withdrawn due to high risks and potentially death related to taking the drug. The FDA never approved the Fen-Phen combination, but doctors prescribed it at will; this was considered "off-label," not approved by the FDA to be used in combination. By 1996, the Fen-Phen cocktail became an overnight sensation with 6.6 million prescriptions in the U.S even though it had never been tested for safety.

Another combination, or cocktail, of Phentermine and Dexfenfluramine or Redux became a popular diet drug prescribed by physicians. Dexfenfluramine received FDA approved in 1996 as an appetite suppressant for obesity management. It also was not tested for safety even though it was very popular.

Both Fen-Phen and Dexa-Phen were shown to cause abnormal heart valve problems in patients taking the medications. In September 1997, the FDA requested drug manufacturers to voluntarily withdraw Fenfluramine and Dexfenfluramine and recommended that patients using either Fenfluramine or Dexfenfluramine stop taking them.

The FDA did not request the withdrawal of Phentermine. The food and drug administration continues to update findings about the use of Phentermine and supports the use of Phentermine prescriptions today.

Phen-Pro

The newest cocktail using Phentermine is "Phen-Pro." The "Pro" is short for Prozac, but any of the antidepressants such as Zoloft, Celexa, Luvox, Trazadone or Effexor may be used in lieu of Prozac.

This antidepressant is used in the Phen-Pro cocktail because the effects of Phentermine, when used alone, the effects lessen over time. The Phen-Pro cocktail prolongs the effectiveness and increases the potency of Phentermine when used in this combination. No deadly side-effects are known to date, but the combinations is considered to be "off-label."

Remember: Before you buy Phentermine prescription 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, Herbal Phentermine pages for more information on whether this drug is right for you.