Adipex and back pain...

Question
I took adipex for about 4 months 4 years ago and lost 15 pounds. I have recently purchased another supply, but notice that I have lower back pain and head pressure almost immediately. Since this is a diuretic, I wonder if I am depleting the discs in my back of fluids! I have always taken only 1/2 tab, and at the peak of my dieting that was maybe 4 times a week. Now, the half tab has been so occasional, I have stopped completely since noticing this back pain.  Have you heard of this?

Answer
Hi Carla, I would like to start off by saying that Adipex is not a diuretic (a diuretic is a drug that rids the body of fluids), but rather, is similar to amphetamines ("uppers").   In fact, it actually has the reverse effect as a diuretic, and would actually cause the body to retain water.   It can also cause heart palpitations and high blood pressure, which is the most likely cause of your immediate head pressure.   You never mentioned your age, but factors that would increase your risk of high blood pressure would be if you are overweight, taking birth control pills or other medications,  consuming caffeine, if you have diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, smoking, diet high in salt/sodium, and genetic factors.   Your blood pressure should be Less than 120/80 to be considered normal and healthy.   You should really have it checked--you can even go the CVS pharmacy or drug store and use the blood pressure machine for a ballpark reading.
As far as the back pain, there really isn't anything specific to that drug that causes back pain, but there is one thing that really concerns me---if you say that you experience sudden low back pain and pressure IMMEDIATELY after taking this drug, I would advise you to STOP taking it, because back pain in the context that you have described suggests something of an arterial nature--meaning you may have an aneurysm in your aorta (the large vessel that comes out of your heart, and provides fresh oxygenated blood to the rest of the arteries in your body)--otherwise known as a "triple A"= Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.   Sudden back pain when taking amphetamine-like substances could also indicate aortic dissection--which is when the vessel wall of the aorta weakens, and the blood begins running in between the layers of the aorta, instead of inside of it.  However, if you had a dissection, you wouldn't be typing me this email right now (usually fatal in majority of cases) but I wanted to show you that your symptoms can indicate much more serious problems than you may think.    I don't want to scare you, but at the same time, these symptoms that you describe raise a red flag, and I would immediately urge you to see your physician and tell them about your symptoms.     I would rather have the back pain be some unrelated problem, than an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.   Please go to your doctor and tell her/him what you told me.
And let me know what they say!

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