Hair loss on phentarmine

Hi, I started taking phentarmine in June 2008 and have lost 12kg so far. I would like to loose another 3kgs to reach my target weight BUT i'm experiencing massive hair loss... I think phentermine may be causing it and my dietician told me stop taking my tablets for 2 weeks before starting to fase the drug out of my system gradually (apparently your body will react adversely if you stop all of a sudden). I'm also having a CBC with my iron levels and thyroid function checked.

Has anyone else out there experienced severe hair loss while on phentermine and if so: Did it grow back??? I'm a bit scared, and surprised with the outcome of my phentermine experience. I think this drug is a great weight loss aid for those commited to loosing weight and dieting properly, but this is a side effect i wasn't expecting at all...

Help anyone?

Phentermine is a great aid in weight loss.  I was on it for about 9 months and saw great benefits with weight loss.  However, I had to be taken off of it when I landed in the hospital with a very serious illness that compromised my heart and lung functions.  Do not take yourself off Phentermine abruptly and I would consult with you primary care physician, not your dietitian, because there can be some serious side effects that can occur and you want your primary care physician to be onboard with monitoring you to ensure that you're healthy coming off the drug.  Regarding the hair loss, initially I did experience some hair loss but it did grow back. I attributed it to my body, diet and cycle being modified for weight loss and everything was fine.

how do you get phenteramine if you are only 3kg away from a healthy weight - i thought you had to be 30% overweight to get it rx'd?

i was on it yrs ago - from a diet doc in nyc who rx'd it to anyone - even to me when i was underweight it really worked and fast and to answer your question i had no hair loss from the drug.

good luck with your goals and congats on your weight loss.

I suppose everyone is different because I lost some weight from it but the main problem is I got roid rage- It isn't classified as a steroid but it made me get mad for anything; I would even wake up mad for no reason- mind you I am normally a very happy, chipper person so this was very noticeable for me. I also got it from a Dr.. but when they weigh you they don't account for muscle size and I had a decent amount of it when on the drug..I was classified as overweight but I only had a Body Fat % of like 20 at the time I was taking it; which isn't considered over weight at all even though I thought that I was because the scale told me a high number. I hate the scale and now refuse to get on one for the life of me. I only use what the mirror tells me and I get my Body Fat tested every other week or so to see how far I have progressed.

Best of luck on it!

I do not know how long you were on Phentermine and how much but I was told that you would be irritable for a certain amount of time until your body got used to it and then you would be fine.  I found the same with my being moody and emotional and after a while it did subside... and by while, I do not mean more than a month... more like days to a weeks time it would clear up.

Hi, thank you for your replies. Since I last posted on this forum regarding phentermine and hair loss I had my blood test results back and my iron levels are normal. My hormonal function is normal as well so there is a chance phentermine and stress (and coming off the pill) may be causing it. Several factors in the mix unfortunately so it is quite difficult to isolate the cause of the problem. Apparently coming off the pill may have an almost immediate effect on the condition of your hair as the high estrogen levels make the hair look and feel fuller. So this could explain the thinning (but not the severe hair loss). In any case I'll see my GP again soon.