Duromine (Phentermine: Adipex) and Cozavan (Losartan: Cozaar)..

[Maril3]

Hello! Thanks for clicking on my inquiry... here is all the info and my related questions....

56 year old caucasian female, post-menopausal, healthy diet, inability to exercise more than mildly (so just regular activity, frequent walking, everyday tasks etc no problem, full range of motion for non-exertive stuff), obese but not morbidly, taking losartan potassium daily for mild hypertension (a decrease from quite high blood pressure 2 years ago), no other medications, stable in all respects...
I was prescribed Duromine (slow-release resin of phentermine) 30mg (so not the fast acting 37.5mg Adipex-P a lot are familiar with).
I don't know this doctor very well as mine has retired, and he is aware of my medical history obviously, and my struggle with weight loss as well as my attempt to keep my diet as healthy as I can (despite occasionally messing up from time to time due to lethargy, stress from work and genuine hunger...)

Can I trust that my blood pressure won't skyrocket???

I have a 1 month's supply to re-kick start my metabolism and give me enough energy and motivation to do the little exercise I can and ensure my diet is kept healthy and nutritious and portion-controlled.
I lead an extremely busy life and right now Any help would be a godsend,
but I don't want to put myself at risk of heart attack or anything very dangerous..

I am also aware that phentermine isn't legal everywhere, and by contrast, as it's a med for obesity I would naturally assume that nearly all people who have it prescribed have (like me) tried other traditional methods for weight loss and are in turn people that are at risk for/ already suffer from conditions like hypertension!!!!

PLEASE please advise...

What is the highest my blood pressure can go within safety limits while I take Duromine (in conjuction with Losartan of course)??
Is there a drug interaction I should be aware of?
My last doctor never prescribed this to me, but two years ago I had quite high blood pressure (the reason my new doctor suspects) and then I lost some weight and got healthier so here I am...
Anyone out there taking this combination??
I would really like to give this a go (I would also really appreciate it if people against the use of meds for weight loss refrained from lecture in this case) but I'd like some more information or opinions on the matter first...
Please help... Thanks so much for taking the time!

ps. sorry if i posted this in the wrong section, it seemed the most relevant

[Barb135]

Everyone is different and what might be too high a blood pressure for me could be just fine for you.  From what I've read, phentermine is not usually given to those with high blood pressure.  I agree that you should talk to your doctor and make sure he understands your blood pressure issue.

I also agree that you should look eliminate hypothyroidism as a cause of your weight issues.  You should also get checked for insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome, since high blood pressure is a marker for metabolic syndrome.  I've recently been diagnosed with that, and it does require a very special diet to maintain blood sugar levels, so insulin doesn't spike.

Both my daughter and son-in-law were on phentermine at one time; they both lost some weight, but gained it all back, plus some, as soon as they went off it, because they did not maintain a healthy diet.

For drug interactions you can check rxlist.com or drugs.com. Actually, I just looked.  Can you verify the spelling of the Duromine?  Could it be Duomine, instead?  If so, drugs.com doesn't list any known interactions between the 2 drugs, but that doesn't mean there isn't.  Duomine/phentermine "does" interact with levothyroxine used to treat hypothyroidism.

[courtney48]

Hello, Like you, I am sometimes reluctant to add new medication and I'm am always wanting to check and double check drug interactions.  Have you discussed your reservations with your new doctor?  Is he aware of your past blood pressure?  Have you asked specifically if you should monitor your BP at home and what the "too high" of a number would be?  If not, I think you should call and ask for a little more info.  Our pharmacist is very helpful too, so perhaps yours might be a good resource.  

Have you had other labs, such as thyroid tests, to be certain there are no other health matters to factor into the mix?  One of my kids has taken phentermine and it did help a little.  However she has just this week learned she has hypothyroidism and that may be another reason her metabolism is sluggish.  She is now on thyroid medicine and hoping it may be somewhat helpful in the big picture.  

Wish I could be more helpful.  I hope you get answers soon.  Good luck!