Newbie introduction

[Rava]

Hiya @SEJ and welcome

I know it can be scary reading all the side effects that others post, but remember it is different for everyone

I know how you feel, because I too felt quite similar - but my drive to lose the weight ended up overwriting what I was feeling. You have to remember it is one of the oldest diet pills around - and that is because it works .

Did your GP talk to you about the effects it could have? Did they take your blood pressure? If so, then they obviously think that this is a good option for you to try.

My experiences for the first 3 days was a rush of energy with great focus. Things I put off or were in the too hard to do now pile, were breezed through . I did have a dry mouth and a constant thirst. Lack of sleep for me is one of the biggest side effects I experienced - but it is getting better! I had a good convo with my GP just last weekend, and went through the options.. it turns out that what I was doing (using an OTC sleeping aid) was a great choice.

The greatest thing about taking Duromine is that your appetite IS SUPPRESSED. Took a short amount of time for me to start looking at food as FUEL, and my snacking went down to nil from day one.

Maybe you might feel more comfortable speaking to your GP again?

 

[SEJ]

Hi Rava,
Thank you so much for you reply, my GP didn’t take my blood pressure so that’s concerning but after reading your reply I think I’m ready to give it a go tomorrow!
I look forward to keeping up with how well you are going ahead of me!
Thank you again!

 

[Rava]

@SEJ no problems whatsoever!

If you haven't had blood pressure issues in the past, I don't think it is a concern - truely! Mine has always been on the low side, and with the Duromine - completely normal. If you don't want to go back to your GP, a lot of chemists have the blood pressure machines out where they will take it for no cost . Just another option for you!

I think its always good to be aware of what side effect's could happen it makes you really listen to your body, and I think that helps when you start taking them. If you do start suffering from any effects - and if its not a serious one ie; sleep, dry mouth etc.. just acknowledge that your having them and move forward. If you feel worried about any other side effects - get yourself to your GP simple as that *hugs*

My GP is a good one - I have 2 that I regularly see, one for womens issues and then if I cant see her a lovely gent that I go to for anything else, and I am lucky in as much that both have said to me "you know, we are here for you - and it is part of our jobs to listen" which always makes me feel that no question is a silly one

@Determined93 is on 40mg as well - have a look at her thread/journey and her blog - there might be something there that you will relate to in regards to how it affected her, with the strength she was taking . I am on the 30mg and these work fine for me, but there was a time I even thought about dropping down to the 15mg ones - so just remember these are all options as well!

 

[SEJ]

Wow, you are so knowledgable, thank you so much for taking the time to reply with so much helpful information! That is such a great idea to get my blood pressure taken at the chemist, would have never thought of that! My regular GP is constantly booked up and old school so I don’t think she would have prescribed me the duromine, I went to a medical clinic and the doctor was happy to prescribe it to me without any hesitation.
Thank you, i’ll have a look at their thread now!
Thank you so so much!!!

 

[Determined93]

Hi @SEJ I’ve been on 40mg twice now, the first time was years ago and the biggest side effects I experienced were dry mouth, the inability to sleep, extremely increased energy and random moments where I would see things that weren’t there but I think that last one was brought on from not sleeping as I would do a 3 day stint of no sleep at a time (which I think was due to taking duro too late in the morning).

This time I started straight off with taking it a lot earlier in the morning and although my sleep was still affected for the first little bit of my journey I would still get some amount of sleep each night and no seeing things.

Dry mouth seems pretty unavoidable, I don’t think I have heard of anyone that hasn’t experienced this but as annoying as it is a positive is that it helps to make you reach your water intake each day. I did find that it settled down after a while, until I missed a day of duro and then it came back as bad as the beginning and has been with me again since.

Increased energy and the “go go go” feeling is pretty common for people on a higher dose for the first few days to week until your body gets used to it and then it settles down. My best advice is to make the most of it if you experience this and expect to have pretty bad sleep for the first few days at least.

I recommend taking your tablet at about 4-4:30am when you first start until you know how it is going to affect you, then you can adjust the time based on how you are feeling by that afternoon/evening. I started out this time taking mine at about 4:30-5am and then as my body got used to it I moved the time later by about an hour at a time until I found the right time that would give me enough energy to get through the day but wouldn’t keep me up at night.

The biggest bit of advice I can give to you in terms of side effects is to not think about the possibilities as if you start thinking about them chances are you will trick yourself into thinking that you are experiencing them. This was true for me with the heart ones, I was so worried about missing the symptoms and something going wrong that I would have moments where I would freak myself out and make myself feel like my heart was pounding and not normal, until I took a couple of deep breaths and told myself I was obsessing and then that feeling would go away and I could continue on with my day.

If you ever want to talk about anything you are experiencing no matter how small don’t hesitate, that’s what we are all here for and we’re happy to help when we can

 

[SEJ]

Hi Determined93,

Thank you so much for your post above, it’s so incredibly detailed and really helped!
I took my first duromine pill this morning at 6:30am and so far haven’t had any side effects (hopefully not jinxing it), we’ll see if I’m able to sleep tonight but I have eaten far less than usual and whilst I didn’t have the massive burst of energy others talk about I did have very constant energy with no dips during the day. I’m a very energetic and outgoing personality in my workplace as I work in childcare with toddlers everyday so if I was to get even more energetic I don’t think my coworkers could handle it

I had enough energy that I was able to finish my ten hour shift and then go to my gym for an hour! I’m sure this excitement won’t last but it’s just been so amazing to not be hungry...to think about other things and not have food at the forefront.

Thank you so much for offering more help, I’m sure I will need to pull on your knowledge again soon ☺️☺️

 

[Rava]

Hey @SEJ great to hear that you started your course!

@Determined93 is absolutely great in explaining things (just ask me I know) and she has helped me out tremendously

The focus is pretty good eh? and I am so glad that you were able to kick butt in the gym!

Hope you had a peaceful night sleep.

 

[SEJ]

Hey @SEJ great to hear that you started your course!

@Determined93 is absolutely great in explaining things (just ask me I know) and she has helped me out tremendously

The focus is pretty good eh? and I am so glad that you were able to kick butt in the gym!

Hope you had a peaceful night sleep.

Hi Rava! Yes both of you have helped me out so much, I’m so appreciative!!

I haven’t had any of the normal side effects I don’t think i.e . No dry mouth, no racing heart beat, no shaking, no headache, etc so far! However I did have a dreadful nights sleep last night, I couldn’t properly fall asleep and ended up just getting up at 3am...just wondering if it would be too soon to get an otc sleeping pill? Both studying and working full time I actually do function quite well on little sleep but not having any at all and no “rest” time for my brain/mind is my concern... thanks ☺️☺️

 

[Rava]

I haven’t had any of the normal side effects I don’t think i.e . No dry mouth, no racing heart beat, no shaking, no headache, etc so far! However I did have a dreadful nights sleep last night, I couldn’t properly fall asleep and ended up just getting up at 3am...just wondering if it would be too soon to get an otc sleeping pill? Both studying and working full time I actually do function quite well on little sleep but not having any at all and no “rest” time for my brain/mind is my concern... thanks ☺️☺️

@SEJ - Great to hear you aren't suffering from all of the most common side effects - thats fantastic! However, don't be surprised if they do creep up on you after a while . Especially the dry mouth its a killer!!

I also wanted to mention constipation because I don't think I have before. Just be aware that it might creep up on you. It did for me, and then finding something that worked without giving me cramps was awful! (TMI I know - sorry!)

What type of food plan are you following? Would love to know your daily meals - even just for some inspiration . For me its basically either rolled oats with skim milk in the morning or a protein shake. Lunch is some type of protein typically with a salad and dinner again some type of protein with either veg or salad.

The sleeping side of things - I would definitely get an OTC now and plan out how you will have them. I wish I had gotten mine earlier, because I know that the lack of sleep played a huge part with my energy levels and with the utter exhaustion I was feeling. It was day 6 before I even slept for more than 5 hours!

I purchased "Restavit" and only take either a half or 1 full tablet. For me it is a really strong OTC aid! Knocks me off my feet!!!!

What I am doing now is if I go for two nights in a row with little to no sleep (less than 6-8 hours over a 48 hour period), then on the third night I will take it. Half is generally plenty for me, as sometimes a full tablet still makes me feel a bit groggy in the morning. If you do end up purchasing the same - make sure you have a loud alarm that will go off and wake you up! On more than one occasion I have switched the alarm off and slept for another 2 - 3 hours!

I only just spoke to my GP about these (Restavit) last week, and she was ok with it but didn't want me to rely on them too heavily. When I explained to her my routine - it was all good

Let us know how you get on!

 

[Determined93]

I second @Rava ‘s GP warning about not relying on restavit too heavily, I was struggling with sleep a couple of years ago and started taking these daily and other then building up a tolerance to them and having to keep increasing my dose I eventually became unable to sleep at all without them. It was a long and exhausting road to get back to being able to sleep without them so I do advise caution.

I think the typical recommendation is not to take for more then 3 days in a row but if you do as Rava has done and only take it every few days when you are really feeling as though you are lacking in sleep you should be okay.

Other things to try to help sleep is ..
- try taking your tablet a couple of hours earlier in the morning (can take it really early and go back to bed until it kicks in)
- Avoid caffeine (especially after lunch)
- Have an Epsom salt bath with lavender oil before bed
- Try herbal tea’s leading up to bedtime
- Put a few drops of lavender oil on your pillow at bedtime
- Avoid carbs in the evening
- Really watch for your bodies tired cues (I would run into the problem of getting tired for a short period but would ignore it and continue on with what I had to do and then it would pass and my body would wake right back up and I would then struggle to sleep)

You can also try some herbal supplements that are supposed to help with sleep, I say supposed to because they never worked for me but if they work for you they can be a good alternative to otc sleeping aids that can knock some people around quite a bit.

If you do decide to go the restavit route and have never had it before make sure you don’t take it too late in the evening as like Rava said it can make you groggy the next day.

Good luck and I hope you get some sleep soon.

 

[lembu07]

Hey guys, I got my prescription of Duromine today from my doctor today.

Backstory is: My heaviest was 90kg, and I lost 30kg in a year from bad dieting, starving etc...This was bad as I lost not just weight but my hair, my hair droppings were like a cancer's patients. I wish I was exaggerating.. It was so bad I had to go to hospital after fainting.

After I stopped starving myself, my hair stopped dropping like crazy. I stopped being depressed and was back to my happy self.

Check another year later, I have gained back 20kg. I assumed this was because of the yo-yo effect and I did not lose weight healthily. So my weight gain was fast. I needed to start back on a healthy note, so I consulted my doctor and he prescribed me a box of 30mg.

I am planning to use this as a starting point so that I am able to stable myself into proper dieting and exercising as I work long hours office job that involves working on weekends, I need a launching pad cause I am not losing weight at all no matter how hard I try. I really hope this will boost my motivation. I am losing weight because of my health and I have a year to my wedding, so fingers cross this helps!

Here's my details:
Height: 154cm
CW: 80.6kg
GW: 58kg (for a healtyh BMI range)

I am planning to use Duromine to help at least lose at least 10kg hopefully, and I will eventually learn to be independent. I will be incorporating strength and cardio before work every day. At least 20 minute per day and no more than 1200 calories per day.

I am going to be using this thread to update daily, hopefully to also continue to motivate me along the way. I will update at the end of the day, just took my first pill this morning so I will update tonight.

 

[Rava]

Hi @lembu07 and welcome

Its a great idea to use Duromine as a starting point to get back to healthy habits! For me personally it has made me able to cut down portion sizes, and think of food as fuel for my body quite quickly. My water intake is around 1.5 litres a day - and for me thats huge as I never used to drink any at all, and my coffee and added sugar has been reduced dramatically.

I also encourage to you write every day I find it really helps to keep me motivated as well be more accountable on a daily basis.

If you haven't considered it as yet, look at downloading one of the free apps in regards to calories like "my fitness pal" (you can download to your computer and phone). Awesome tools to allow you to not only keep track of calories, but look at the sugars, carbs and proteins you are eating. Once you get into the habit of it, its also becomes really beneficial in reviewing your weeks, and helps pinpoint where you might have gone off track or when you have had a really good result

I am so sorry to read about your hair loss! From what I understand its not uncommon when you really crash diet - so with Duromine, it might be a really good idea to start taking vitamins on a daily basis - your B's and C's are water soluble - so what your body doesn't need, its just going to pee out. A multi vitamin would probably cover you on all things . I know that @Rachel Fitton takes berroca as well as biotin for hair - and she will probably be able to give you more info in that regards

I cant wait to read how your journey continues and I just bet you are going to do great!

 

[lembu07]

Hi @lembu07 and welcome

Its a great idea to use Duromine as a starting point to get back to healthy habits! For me personally it has made me able to cut down portion sizes, and think of food as fuel for my body quite quickly. My water intake is around 1.5 litres a day - and for me thats huge as I never used to drink any at all, and my coffee and added sugar has been reduced dramatically.

I also encourage to you write every day I find it really helps to keep me motivated as well be more accountable on a daily basis.

If you haven't considered it as yet, look at downloading one of the free apps in regards to calories like "my fitness pal" (you can download to your computer and phone). Awesome tools to allow you to not only keep track of calories, but look at the sugars, carbs and proteins you are eating. Once you get into the habit of it, its also becomes really beneficial in reviewing your weeks, and helps pinpoint where you might have gone off track or when you have had a really good result

I am so sorry to read about your hair loss! From what I understand its not uncommon when you really crash diet - so with Duromine, it might be a really good idea to start taking vitamins on a daily basis - your B's and C's are water soluble - so what your body doesn't need, its just going to pee out. A multi vitamin would probably cover you on all things . I know that @Rachel Fitton takes berroca as well as biotin for hair - and she will probably be able to give you more info in that regards

I cant wait to read how your journey continues and I just bet you are going to do great!

Hey Rava, thanks for the warm welcome!

Yes I have been using myfitnesspal to track my calories, but I haven't been religiously typing my food intake in. So with this new journey with Duromine I will have to be more strict with myself to remember to track what I eat.

Thanks for the heads up, I will definitely take note, I do have some vitamin supplements and fish oil supplements and I plan to take that together in the morning!

 

[lembu07]

Day 1:

Took the pill at 10am. After reading tons of reviews and other diaries, I was expecting to be getting side effects immediately, but surprisingly the side effects I had were minimal! I will be writing my points in point form for easier reading.

Supplements/Medicine taken together:
1. Flu pill as I am sick
2. Garcinia cambogia (I take this every day but I was not expecting to be prescribe Duromine today either, I will be leaving this out in my future intakes.) P.S: This doesn't seem to work to suppress my hunger for me been taking for 3 weeks
3. Fish oil supplement
4. Vitamin C supplement

Workouts:
1. 30 minutes pilates
2. 100 squats

Food intake:
Calories: 911
This is the lowest calories and it is not on purpose. I really have no appetite and I get full in a few bites its crazy.

Breakfast:
Kaya and butter toast - 309 calories
Meiji Pasteurized milk 200ml - 140 calories

Lunch:
100g spaghetti pasta - 148 calories
Braised mackerel in miso sauce - 217 calories
Cherry tomatoes 2 pieces - 17 calories

Dinner:
Few pieces of cubed yellow watermelon - 46 calories

Snacks:
Meiji wheat crackers, plain, 2 pieces - 34 calories

Side-Effects:
Pros:
1. Energized
I feel energized today whilst doing work. Usually by midday, I would be realllly sleepy. But even now I am at home and I still feel sort of awake, tired but awake.. If that make sense. I would've usually knocked out by this timing. It's 10.30pm. This is a pros for me as I managed to do some workout after work. (I don't usually workout on weekdays due to long office hours) But today just felt different, like, I had the energy to workout and I felt great!
2. I drank ALOT (2 litres at least)
3. Absolutely no cravings. (I tried to take a bite of a chocolate tart in the fridge but I spat it out unknowingly right after cause... I just wasn't craving it and the chocolate felt too sweet suddenly idk I just had no room in my stomach for the sugary things, my mind just automatically rejected it.)

Cons:
1. Dry mouth so I slap on a ton of lipbalm and drank loads because I was that thirsty (especially after my workout and where I live the weather is a killer)
2. I am not sure why but I sweated more than usual. Where I lived it's generally humid and hot so I do sweat on a daily basis but today felt extra sweaty... Will have to observe more

Morning weight: 80.6kg
Night weight: 79.3kg <--- I am really not sure if this was water weight cause I mentioned I sweat like mad today plus I workout, so we gotta see

Am heading to bed soon, no records of sleep yet hopefully I sleep well.

P.P.S: I could feel my stomach getting hungry but the moment I take a sip of water the hunger is gone it's so weird. I made sure I had a few bites after workout for my dinner as I did not want to get gastric since it's kinda dangerous cause you feel full the whole day so... gotta make sure I ate.

 

[lembu07]

Day 2:

Updating earlier today as I need to OT and I don't think I am going to update once I get home nor workout..

Supplements/Medicine taken together:
1. Flu pill
2. Fish oil supplement
4. Vitamin C supplement

Workouts:
1. 100 squats

Food intake:
Calories: 650

Breakfast:
2 half boiled eggs with a little bit of soy sauce - 169 calories
1 small handmade chocolate chip cookie - 130 calories

Lunch:
Chicken cooked in chilli gravy, 1 piece - 140 calories
1/4 bowl of rice - 42 calories
Fried tofu with gravy - 116 calories

Dinner:
Tea with evaporated milk no sugar - 80 calories

Snacks:
Rondnoir Dark Chocolate Ferrero 1 piece - 53 calories

**Note: I don't know the accuracy of these as these are from MFP app

Side-Effects:
Pros:
1. Energized
Still felt as energized as yesterday.
2. I drank 1.5 litres
3. Still no cravings

Cons:
1. Dry mouth still persists. No issue as long as I keep myself hydrated + use lots of lip balm
2. I noticed my breath stink a bit, it is similar to when I am fasting, lack of food maybe... not sure but I drank alot
3. Throbbing headache towards the end of the day but it could be because of work

Morning weight: 79.3kg
Night weight: 78.4kg

Yesterday's sleep: 6 hours, not bad considering my normal sleep hours is usually 7 hours

 

[April]

looks like it's going pretty well. I see that you do your best to make changes that you can stick to after finishing Duromine. SO these small treats will help you stay away from caving.
Unfortunately, bad breath is one of possible side effects of Duromine and, of course, like you mentioned, not eating enough, i.e. fasting. First week is usually good for reviewing your menu and getting an understanding of what and when to eat to fell 100% comfortable with the new appetite regime. Best of luck for your journey!

 

[lembu07]

looks like it's going pretty well. I see that you do your best to make changes that you can stick to after finishing Duromine. SO these small treats will help you stay away from caving.
Unfortunately, bad breath is one of possible side effects of Duromine and, of course, like you mentioned, not eating enough, i.e. fasting. First week is usually good for reviewing your menu and getting an understanding of what and when to eat to fell 100% comfortable with the new appetite regime. Best of luck for your journey!

Hi April! Thanks for dropping by! Yes I would like to use Duromine to aid me to change my lifestyle and habits permanently and so far it is only day 2 but it felt like I've gotten used to it! Yeah the bad breathe can't be avoided, was thinking no sugar mints could help. Technically it is not as bad as the breathe I get when I am fasting, at least! Thanks for the luck, definitely will need it

 

[lembu07]

I just realised my calorie intake is very low. Either the food I chose in myfitnesspal is not 100% accurate or I am really not eating alot... To be honest I really do not have appetite at all and its only day 2. I work an office job so I am not really active most of the day so I am not sure if that contributes to me not being really hungry. It's very unlike me cause I loveeee food. Wondering if it could also be due to my body still adjusting to the pill.

 

[Rava]

I just realised my calorie intake is very low. Either the food I chose in myfitnesspal is not 100% accurate or I am really not eating alot... To be honest I really do not have appetite at all and its only day 2. I work an office job so I am not really active most of the day so I am not sure if that contributes to me not being really hungry. It's very unlike me cause I loveeee food. Wondering if it could also be due to my body still adjusting to the pill.

In regards to myfitnesspal don't forget you have the option to add your foods in (create them) if your not sure if its 100% accurate. I use "Lose It" and sometimes I find there are like 5 - 7 entries for the same food, but not all of them will list all the macro's so I just add/create them myself

The lack of hunger is definitely the Duromine kicking in! I remember being so surprised that I wasn't even thinking of food that it blew me away

Your doing great @lembu07 !

 

[lembu07]

Day 3:

Feeling sick today. Flu from before I took duromine is still present. I am considering laying off the pill for a day or two cause of the motion sickness. Maybe I will not take it during the weekends. Tomorrow is Friday, I will try again as it is only 3rd day today.

Supplements/Medicine taken together:
1. Flu pill
2. Fish oil supplement
4. Vitamin C supplement

Workouts:
1. 100 squats
2. Jogged 2km

Water intake:
1.6 litres

Food intake:
Calories: 959

Breakfast:
Cheese Stringers Bega (Pre-runsnack) - 62 calories
Mee Goreng (Fried noodles) 200gm - 331 calories
Yellow Watermelon 1 cup diced - 46 calories

Lunch:
Smoked Chicken Sandwich - 295 calories (Based on the cafe's menu from where I bought it from)

Dinner:
Black coffee no sugar - 60 calories
Meiji Pasteurized Milk 200ml - 140 calories
3 cherry tomatoes - 25 calories

Snacks:
-

Side-Effects:
Pros:
1. Lips are less dry today
2. Still no cravings

Cons:
1. Excessive sweating, especially when I was running
2. Stinky breathe
3. A little headache that came and go whilst at work
4. MOTION SICKNESS, very terrible motion sickness when taking vehicles like bus/cab

Morning weight: 77.6kg
Night weight: 77.6kg

Yesterday's sleep: 4 hours, sleep is getting lesser...