Phentermine makes part of the phenythylamine category of drugs, medicines that act as brain neurotransmitters. Phentermine is an appetite suppressant that is used for treating overweight and obesity, however, it should be noted that Phentermine was designed for short term weight loss programs. This diet pill is to be used by people who were clinically diagnosed as overweight or obese and are vulnerable for obesity related health risks such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
It is always very interesting and beneficial to know how does a medicine we are taking work and affect our bodily functions. Even if you are just curios by nature, it’s only better for you to find out how exactly the drugs function in our body to achieve the needed result. While most individuals do not complicate themselves with such things, thinking innocently that drugs to are like magical potions that work in a hidden and incomprehensible way that frees us from our medical woes, drugs are actually concrete substances that are created to act in a particular way in our bodies and make it react as it is intended to. So let’s find out more about the mechanism that is triggered by consuming Phentermine.
How Does Phentermine Work?
There are numerous substances that work by affecting certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Such substances include most antidepressants, stimulants and phentermine shares the same mechanism of action. Different neurotransmitters have different purposes but they all act like messengers in the human brain, transmitting information from one neuron to another throughout the brain and the nervous system. The activity and number of neurotransmitters as well as the way they transmit messages between the cells can affect human behavior and if not functioning properly can lead to different medical conditions such as depression, panic attacks, anxiety, increased or decreased appetite, etc.
There is a certain type of neurotransmitters in the human brain, called catecholamines that are released the moment Phentermine starts stimulating particular nerve groups in our brain. These nerve groups include the following three: Dopamine, Epinephrine and Norepinephrine. Epinephrine is better known to the general public as adrenalin and norepinephrine as noradrenalin.
When Phentermine is taking it is affecting the hypothalamus gland in the central nervous system of the brain. It disrupts the signal transmission from neurotransmitters making the brain believe that the body is not hungry thus decreasing the appetite, thus feigning the brain to believe that the body is not hungry at all. This due to Phentermine’s ability to affect leptin levels in the brain. Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells in the body, playing a significant role in body weight regulation by affecting the hypothalamus gland in our brain. This results in decreased appetite and body fat burn from the adipose tissue, the tissue used for storing fat. Some scientists think that Phentermine raises leptin levels, the chemical that signals the feeling of satiety in the brain. Scientists also argue that the drug increases the levels of the catecholamines which results in suppressing another neurotransmitter know as neuropeptideY. This messenger initiates eating, decreases energy expenditure, and increases fat storage.
Although phentermine is known to be very effective in treating obesity it is not recommended to be taken for a long period of time. In fact doctors recommend not exceeding a six month course of the drug. Clinical test have shown that using Phentermine in conjunction with special diet and exercise course results in a 5 to 22 pound weight loss. But in reality the results are even more promising. This should be a good encouraging for those of you who have their weight loss goals and want to reach them effectively.
