phentermine or orlistat

[JokerzWild]

I'm curious about something. How does a doctor determine what prescription drug would be better for a person to take? Looking at phentermine and orlistat, both have been on the market for years, but they function differently. Is one more dangerous than the other and does one have a great success rate over the other?

[2strikes]

It's not that one is more dangerous than the other. It's more about what is safer for you as an individual. Do you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a history of heart disease? Then you're more than likely not going to get phentermine because that's a powerful stimulant that can increase your heart rate and blood pressure more...I'd say the benefits don't outweigh the drawbacks since it can leave you with a bad case of being dead.

[PamelaPoison]

I think that phentermine is more dangerous but it's also more effective for what you need to do if you plan to keep it going long-term. To keep the weight off, you can't go back to the lifestyle that put it ther ein the first place. Phentermine helps you while you build those habits. Orlistat is essentially a punishment for eating too much fat in your diet. It'll work temporarily but once you're not taking it, there's nothing stopping you from going back to eating what you used to. Negative reinforcement doesn't work very well.

[JokerzWild]

I think that phentermine is more dangerous but it's also more effective for what you need to do if you plan to keep it going long-term. To keep the weight off, you can't go back to the lifestyle that put it ther ein the first place. Phentermine helps you while you build those habits. Orlistat is essentially a punishment for eating too much fat in your diet. It'll work temporarily but once you're not taking it, there's nothing stopping you from going back to eating what you used to. Negative reinforcement doesn't work very well.

Thanks. I never thought of it that way, but I think you're right. Orlistat does sort of function like a punishment if you eat too much fat and negative reinforcement doesn't work...and once you stop taking it, you're likely to go back to those old habits, once you realize the punishment isn't there anymore LOL.

[MadMike]

Thanks. I never thought of it that way, but I think you're right. Orlistat does sort of function like a punishment if you eat too much fat and negative reinforcement doesn't work...and once you stop taking it, you're likely to go back to those old habits, once you realize the punishment isn't there anymore LOL.

I hadn't thought of that, either. That's a good way to look at it. I guess that's an added thing to ask your doc if you're debating between the two.