Phentermine Risky For Dieters In Any Form

There has been no shortage of people wanting to try the diet-drug regimen known as phentermine, and no shortage of doctors and diet centers willing to prescribe it.

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IntegraRx: Click to Buy Diet Drug Phentermine Cheap Online

However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned doctors of evidence linking phentermine to heart-valve problems.

But what about Herbal Phentermine, a nonprescription dietary supplement that's "just like" prescription phentermine? It's sold in health-food stores and by Nutri/System, one of the nation's largest diet-program companies. A two-week supply costs about $20.

Herbal Phentermine is nothing like the prescription drugs. They combine fenfluramine, which raises brain levels of serotonin, a chemical messenger that helps you feel full; and phentermine, which stimulates your metabolism. Herbal Phentermine is a combination of extracts of Saint-John's-wort, a mood-boosting herb, and ma huang, a stimulant also known as ephemera.

Just as the combination of drugs in prescription phentermine may have dangerous side effects, so may the ephemera. in Herbal Phentermine. The FDA recently investigated reports of 38 deaths among more than 800 cases of unexpected side effects associated with using products containing ephedrine alkaloids, one of ephemera's components.

The FDA wants to limit the amount of ephedrine alkaloid in pills, tell people not to use them for longer than a week, and require health warnings.

Herbal Phentermine is just the sort of product the FDA's proposed regulations would affect. Herbal Phentermine's daily dose of 40 to 60 milligrams of ephedrine alkaloid far exceeds the 24-milligram daily limit the FDA wants.

However, a Nutri/System spokesperson says the company has had no reports of significant side effects and unless the FDA's restrictions are finalized, there will be no change in formulation or sales plans.