[tmralston]

I have a major rant about my Drs. I have expressed before that my Dr will not prescribe phen. I have heard many people say that they have asked their Drs for phen and receive the same reply. My Dr stated that she was not comfortable prescribing phen because it has dangerous side effects and is addictive.


Then I go to a surgeon because I am having a very minor operation on my hand. I will not even be put under this is how minor this surgery is, once stitches are removed in five days I will be back to myself per the Dr.


He says he called in some pain medicine to help me get through the first few days after surgery. I go to pick it up and it is 60 Vicodin 10mg pills! Talk about overkill!

Are these not even more addictive then Phen!


Sorry it just blows my mind that pain killers which are constantly abused can be obtained so easily and I can't get a weight loss drug in this town????????????

[rebeleagle1965]

I agree! I asked several of the doctors at my primary care clinic, thinking that atleast one would sympathize. One of them was even downright rude, and made me feel like I was wasting his office time and with something as ridiculous or mundane as being fat.
These drugs are regulated by the fda just like everything else, and there are alot more dangers and risks of dependency with many other drugs that they write a script for at the drop of a hat.
Honestly, I think that most doctors don't have alot of experience dealing with overweight as a health problem. While our surgeon general has declared it an epidemic in the US, statistics show that most doctors don't even bring up in conversation the weight of an obese person at a visit. This is not just an issue of vanity-obesity is at the root of a myriad of preventable diseases and health problems. It's a sad situation that it isn't taken more seriously and with a proactive approach.
I also believe that there is a discriminatory mindset against overweight people in society in general, which unfortunately extends to many doctors. They're only human. He will give you the vicodin because you can't control your own pain. But alot of people think that for obesity we could and should just stop being lazy, put the fork down, and get up off our enormous butts and fix this problem ourselves. A diet pill is viewed as a crutch.

[goodmockingbird]

It's all about the liability.

Many of us are technically within the 'healthy' height /weight range and yet we have a lot of extra fat to get rid of.

But some doctors think there is no good reason to prescribe something to a "healthy" person -- because according to the charts "there's nothing wrong" with us. And if the one in a million thing happened and we had a severe negative reaction to a medication such as phentermine, the doctor would be found liable for "causing" it.

There's no sense in blaming the doctors -- they're just covering their own butts.

[susanpesek]

I agree, TM! I think most doctors associate phentermine with the very dangerous older drug mix that caused so many heart problems, Phen-fen. The reason we are here on this board is to say the present day phentermine is safe when used as directed.
Unfortunately, there will always be folks who take it for 'energy' or 'for fear of gaining', which it is NOT designed for.
Sometimes all the doctor needs is a short print out of phentermine's safety to change his/her mind and allow you to have it if you need it. A hint: Copy something from a DOCTOR'S site, webmd, medscape, Docguide, etc. to give them! It can be enlightening!

[rebeleagle1965]

I agree with ya mockingbird on the whole "one size fits all" graph and chart theory, but the standard industry criteria for giving any kind of prescription or medical intervention for weight loss is for the patient to have a bmi of atleast 27. When I went to my doctor to ask for a prescription, I weighed 215 pounds, and MORE than met that need. According to research, it is at that bmi and above that our weight puts us at serious risk of complications, like heart problems, diabetes, etc.
I never thought of doing that Susan-maybe that would have helped. I think that many primary care physicians are just unfamiliar with it, and since it isn't technically a necessity in their eyes, like say an antibiotic or blood pressure med, they don't want to take the chance of wading into unfamiliar territory.
I just wish that the whole profession would be a little more aware, educated, and concerned about this problem. Being overweight can not only cause discomfort and self esteem issues, but if left untreated can lead to complications that are fatal. In my experience, too many doctors are just either unable or unwilling to treat this as they would any other symptoms or disease that goes through their office-seriously and actively.

[nikkimacawgirl]

i understand completely! i called 10 docs on my insurance plan found 2 that will prescribe and a possible third. the first docs office gave me around about my insurance which is through a hospital (to cover the exam) the second docs office wanted me to pay $160 and not use my insurance (why dont they want to use my ins?) and the third said they arent excepting any new pts, and the recep would call me when they could get me in and she thought the doc would prescribe phen. this is ridiculous. my main doc wont prescribe it at all!

[dontwannabechubby]

The first time I spoke to my Dr. about prescribing a weight loss drug for me, (about 2 years ago), she literally came out and said that she would rather I go to Weight Watchers with her, and after me explaining to her that weight watchers is her choice not mine, she gave me Meridia, which did work for me, but she would only give it to me for 3 months, because she wanted me to do it on my own. I decided that I would go back to the Dr. and ask her for something to really help me, and to give it to me long enough for it to actually work. To my surprise she suggested Phen, and said that it worked for everyone she prescibed it for, so it is worth it if I was willing to take the risk, and I am. So today I start my journey.

[wvbcfan]

No doctors around me prescribe it but we have a weight loss clinic that gives you the prescription at your visit.