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Question:
there isn't a lot on phen-fen (sp?) here in australia, and one of the respondents to my initial thread on prozac's cultural implications (oh, god, it looks like i raised hell -- which is probably a good thing for an aspiring journalist) mentioned, "goodbye prozac, welcome phen-fen" (except that she spelled it right). what parallels are being drawn here, and is it actually achieving the same notoriety as the zac? is it a prescription drug? what does it do?
Answer:
Phen-fen is a combination of drugs for weight loss which suppress the appetite and speed up the metabolism. The reason you would need to say good bye to prozac and hello to phen-fen is you cannot take the medications at the same time. For myself, I have decided I would rather keep taking my Prozac and stay fat and happy, rather than take phen-fen and be thin and miserable. and the latest news, just heard on the radio today, is that there is an increased risk of FATAL heart problems for women (and i assume men, but the study said women) who use phen-fen; be CAREFULL if you decide to take this drug! Right about the weight. I know a girl taking diet pills who doesn't have sleep problems any more. Of course she is a butterball. I'm not. I still oversleep though the Prozac over time has made me more willing to get off my butt. I have things to do for myself. Prozac alone can't do it. When I began taking Phen-Fen to lose 40 pounds, I noticed a collateral effect: that I was feeling more like my old self. Now, I'd been depressed in the past--suicidally so--but this time around the depression was mild but insidious. It wasn't until I started feeling like my old self--less irritable, more energy, clearer thoughts, more initiative--that I realized I _wasn't_ my old self. Now it became clear why I had not progressed on my dissertation in over two years and why I had no desire to continue in my profession. I saw a doc and he said that my case wasn't at all unusual; he had seen more than one patient as a result of the Phen-Fen phenomenon. As a result, I'm off the speed, on the 'zac, and I am still a chunk but a happier one.
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