Phendimetrazine is available only with your doctor's
prescription, in the following dosage forms:
Other medical problems-The presence of other medical
problems may affect the use of appetite suppressants.
Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any
other medical problems, especially:
- Alcohol abuse (or history of) or
- Drug abuse or dependence (or history
of)-Dependence on appetite suppressants may be more
likely to develop
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus-The amount of insulin
or oral antidiabetic medicine that you need to take
may change
- Epilepsy - Diethylpropion may increase the risk
of having seizures
- Family history of mental illness - Mental
depression or other mental illness may be more
likely to occur
- Glaucoma or
- Heart or blood vessel disease or
- High blood pressure or
- Mental illness or
- Overactive thyroid-Appetite suppressants may
make the condition worse
Kidney disease-Higher blood levels of the appetite
suppressant may occur, increasing the chance of
serious side effects
Proper Use of Phendimetrazine In order to prevent
trouble in sleeping, if you are taking:
One dose of Phendimetrazine a day, take it about 10
to 14 hours before bedtime. More than one dose of
Phendimetrazine a day, take the last dose of the day
about 4 to 6 hours before bedtime. For patients taking
a long-acting form of Phendimetrazine:
Swallow these capsules or tablets whole. Do not
break, crush, or chew before swallowing. For patients
taking mazindol:
Phendimetrazine may be taken with food, if needed,
to prevent stomach upset. Take Phendimetrazine only as
directed by your doctor . Do not take more of it, do
not take it more often, and do not take it for a
longer time than your doctor ordered. If too much is
taken, it may cause unwanted effects or become
habit-forming.
If you think Phendimetrazine is not
working properly after you have taken it for a few
weeks, do not increase the dose. Instead, check with
your doctor.
Dosing
The dose of appetite suppressants will
be different for different patients. Follow your
doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The
following information includes only the average doses
of appetite suppressants. If your dose is different,
do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do
so.
For benzphetamine
For oral
dosage form (tablets):
For appetite suppression:
Adults - At first, 25 to
50 milligrams (mg) once a day, taken in midmorning or
midafternoon. Your doctor may need to adjust your
dose.
Children up to 16
years of age - Use is not recommended.
For
diethylpropion
For oral dosage form
(tablets):
For appetite suppression:
Adults - 25 milligrams
(mg) three times a day, taken one hour before
meals.
Children up to 16
years of age - Use is not recommended.
For long -
acting oral dosage form (extended-release tablets):
For appetite suppression:
Adults - 75 mg once a day,
taken in
midmorning.
Children up to
16 years of age - Use is not recommended.
For mazindol
For oral dosage
form (tablets):
For appetite suppression:
Adults - At first, 1
milligram (mg) once a day. Your doctor may need to
adjust your dose.
Children up to 16 years of age-Use is not recommended.
For phendimetrazine
For long
- acting oral dosage form (extended-release capsules):
For appetite suppression:
Adults - 105 mg once a
day, taken thirty to sixty minutes before the morning
meal.
Children up to 16
years of age - Use is not recommended.
For oral
dosage form (tablets):
For appetite suppression:
Adults - 17.5 to 35 mg two
or three times a day, taken one hour before meals.
Children up to 16 years of
age - Use is not recommended.
For
phentermine
For oral dosage form
(capsules):
For appetite suppression:
Adults - 15 to 37.5
milligrams (mg) once a day, taken before breakfast or
one to two hours after breakfast.
Children up to 16 years of
age - Use is not recommended.
For oral dosage form
(tablets):
For appetite suppression:
Adults - 15 to 37.5 mg
once a day, taken before breakfast or one to two hours
after breakfast. Instead of taking it once a day, your
doctor may tell you to take smaller doses thirty
minutes before meals.
Children up to 16 years of
age - Use is not recommended.
For oral resin
dosage form (capsules):
For appetite suppression:
Adults - 15 to 30 mg once
a day, taken before breakfast.
Children up to 16 years of
age - Use is not recommended.
Missed dose
If you miss a dose of
Phendimetrazine, skip the missed dose and continue
with your regular dosing schedule. Do not double
doses.
Storage
To store Phendimetrazine:
Keep out of the reach of children.
Store away
from heat and direct light.
Do not store in the
bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp
places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to
break down.
Do not keep outdated medicine or
medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded
medicine is out of the reach of children.
Precautions While Using Phendimetrazine
Your
doctor should check your progress at regular visits to
make sure that Phendimetrazine does not cause unwanted
effects.
If you think Phendimetrazine is not working
properly after you have taken it for a few weeks, do
not increase the dose. Instead, check with your
doctor.
Do not take an appetite suppressant with or less
than 14 days after taking a monoamine oxidase (MAO)
inhibitor. If you do, you may very suddenly develop
extremely high blood pressure.
Taking a sympathomimetic appetite suppressant may
cause a positive result in urine screening tests for
amphetamines.
Phendimetrazine may cause dryness of the mouth. For
temporary relief, use sugarless candy or gum, melt
bits of ice in your mouth, or use a saliva substitute.
However, if your mouth continues to feel dry for more
than 2 weeks, check with your medical doctor or
dentist. Continuing dryness of the mouth may increase
the chance of developing dental disease, including
tooth decay, gum disease, and fungus infections.
Phendimetrazine may cause some people to feel a
false sense of well-being or to become dizzy,
lightheaded, drowsy, or less alert than they are
normally. Make sure you know how you react to
Phendimetrazine before you drive, use machines, or do
anything else that could be dangerous if you are dizzy
or are not alert.
Before having any kind of surgery, dental
treatment, or emergency treatment, tell the medical
doctor or dentist in charge that you are using
Phendimetrazine. Taking appetite suppressants together
with medicines that are used during surgery or dental
or emergency treatments may cause serious side
effects.
Check with your doctor immediately if you notice a
decrease in your ability to exercise, if you faint, or
if you have chest pain, swelling of your feet or lower
legs, or trouble in breathing. These may be symptoms
of very serious heart or lung problems.
If you have been taking Phendimetrazine for a long
time or in large doses and you think you may have
become mentally or physically dependent on it, check
with your doctor.
Some signs of dependence on appetite suppressants
are: a strong desire or need to continue taking the
medicine. a need to increase the dose to receive the
effects of the medicine. withdrawal side effects (for
example, mental depression, nausea or vomiting,
stomach cramps or pain, trembling, unusual tiredness
or weakness) when you stop taking the medicine. For
patients with diabetes:
Phendimetrazine may affect blood sugar levels. If
you notice a change in the results of your urine or
blood sugar test or if you have any questions, check
with your doctor. If you have been taking
Phendimetrazine in large doses or for a long time, do
not stop taking it without first checking with your
doctor. Your doctor may want you to reduce gradually
the amount you are taking before stopping completely.
This will help prevent withdrawal side effects.
Side Effects of Phendimetrazine
Side Effects
of Phendimetrazine Appetite suppressants may cause
some serious side effects, including heart and lung
problems. You and your doctor should discuss the good
Phendimetrazine may do as well as the risks of taking
it.
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause
some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side
effects may occur, if they do occur they may need
medical attention.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the
following side effects occur:
Rare
Chest pain; decreased ability to exercise ;
fainting; swelling of feet or lower legs; trouble in
breathing
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any
of the following side effects occur:
More common
Increased blood pressure
Less common or rare Difficult or painful urination;
fast or irregular heartbeat; feeling that others can
hear your thoughts; feeling that others are watching
you or controlling your behavior; hallucinations
(feeling, seeing, or hearing things that are not
there); headache (severe); mental depression;
numbness, especially on one side of the face or body;
skin rash or hives; sore throat and fever (with
diethylpropion) ; talking, feeling, and acting with
excitement and activity you cannot control; unusual
bleeding or bruising (with diethylpropion)
Symptoms of overdose
Abdominal or stomach
cramps; coma; confusion; convulsions (seizures);
diarrhea (severe); dizziness, lightheadedness, or
fainting; fast breathing; feeling of panic; fever;
hallucinations (seeing, hearing or feeling things that
are not there); high or low blood pressure; hostility
with urge to attack; irregular heartbeat; nausea or
vomiting (severe); overactive reflexes; restlessness;
trembling or shaking; tiredness, weakness, and mental
depression following effects of excitement
Abuse of a sympathomimetic appetite suppressant
(taking the medicine in larger doses or taking it more
frequently or for a longer time than the doctor
ordered) can cause the following side effects:
Changes in personality; excessive, excited
activity; irritability (severe); mental illness
(severe), similar to schizophrenia; skin disease;
trouble in sleeping (severe)
Other side effects may occur that usually do not
need medical attention. These side effects may go away
during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine.
However, check with your doctor if any of the
following side effects continue or are bothersome:
More common Constipation; dizziness or
lightheadedness ; dryness of mouth; false sense of
well-being; headache; irritability; nausea or
vomiting; nervousness or restlessness; stomach cramps
or pain ; trembling or shaking; trouble in sleeping
After the stimulant effects have worn off,
drowsiness, unusual tiredness or weakness, or mental
depression may occur.
Less common or rare Blurred vision; changes in
sexual desire or decreased sexual ability; diarrhea;
drowsiness; frequent urge to urinate or increased
urination; increased sweating; unpleasant taste
Although not all of the side effects listed above
have been reported for all of Phendimetrazine, they
have been reported for at least one of them. However,
since all of the Phendimetrazine are similar, any of
the above side effects may occur with any of
Phendimetrazine.
After you stop using Phendimetrazine, your body may
need time to adjust. The length of time this takes
depends on the amount of medicine you were using and
how long you used it. During this time check with your
doctor if you notice any of the following side
effects:
Extreme tiredness or weakness; mental depression;
nausea or vomiting; stomach cramps or pain; trembling;
trouble in sleeping or nightmares
Other side effects not listed above may also occur
in some patients. If you notice any other effects,
check with your doctor.
