Phentermine & Long Term Weight Gain

Physician-guided weight loss centers are popping up on street corners across the nation, and were even featured in a recent Oprah magazine. Many of these clinics are making claims of rapid and extreme weight loss in very short amounts of time by prescribing restricted diets that may include low calorie foods, meal replacement drinks and supplements. At one Arizona weight loss center, practitioners advocate a cup of tomato soup for lunch and a cup of chicken soup for dinner. You may be wondering how people survive on such meager calories and limited nutrition....The answer comes in a pill.

Phentermine is a prescription weight loss medication that is similar to an amphetamine. It acts by stimulating the central nervous system and increasing the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine. Phentermine increases heart rate and blood pressure and causes appetite suppression. Side effects of this drug include chest pain, heart palpitations, restlessness, elevated blood pressure, nervousness, bowel changes, headaches, insomnia, and dry mouth.

Phentermine also has a significant effect on an individual’s metabolism. Although Phentermine initially increases metabolism, we find that patients have a considerable decrease in metabolism after discontinuing the medication. Patients who have taken Phentermine in the past almost always regain the weight lost while on the drug, and have a much harder time losing weight for the rest of their lives.

ALETRIS naturopaths do not recommend rapid weight loss or the use of stimulant drugs to assist with weight loss. Naturopathic physicians advocate a whole foods diet combined with weight training and cardiovascular exercise to encourage maintainable, long-term weight loss and enhance general health and natural beauty.

To further investigate the cause of weight-loss difficulties, naturopathic physicians will evaluate labwork to find and treat the root cause of a patient’s inability to lose pounds. Common causes of weight gain and difficulty losing weight include hormone imbalance, adrenal fatigue, insulin resistance and thyroid disorder.