WHAT TO EXPECT

The Venture Medical Weight Loss Program focuses on the essential components needed to achieve healthy weight loss, a healthy diet with hunger control, and exercise with a boost of energy. A medically trained staff, under the supervision of a physician, assists you with every step of the way! This, coupled with lifestyle changes and healthy eating habits will ensure sustainable weight loss.

Initial Visit: On your first visit, the attending physician will provide an assessment with a thorough medical history and targeted physical exam, and answer any questions you may have. We will walk you through the systematic step-by-step approach of our weight loss program and leave you with goals you WILL be able to achieve.

PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS

Most of our patients start at 15 mg phentermine once a day before quickly moving to twice a day. As time goes by, some patients may need to be on 45 mg or 60 mg total for the day. On your subsequent visits, we do not hesitate to increase your dose to keep your hunger in control. Our doctors have extensive knowledge of the pharmacology of this medication, (how it behaves in your body) which has been around for over 65 years. Depending on your prior treatments, how many days or months ago you took it, how long, how much dosage, all depends on how your body will respond to the medication this time around. How exactly you take the medicine this time when (before or after a meal), how far apart determines how long and how well it will be effective for your hunger control. This is where guidance from our clinic can make a huge difference in whether you are successful or not compared to an ordinary “pill mill” clinic. Many patients have found that no matter how many times they tried the same medicine somewhere else, they were back at square one. But after starting to come to our clinic, and taking it the way we guided, the pounds started to come off again for many of our patients. Our tried methods have also allowed most patients to continue hunger control longer, with meds AND after they are tapered off.

So what are you supposed to do if Adipex (Phentermine) is not the Appetite Suppressant for you? Some patients feel that Phentermine no longer works for them. May be because they have become tolerant to its hunger suppressing qualities (some call it “becoming immune”); maybe because they developed side effects such as insomnia, constipation, etc.; or they simply did not qualify for phentermine for one reason or the other. Back in 2012, the FDA approved the introduction of a combination of phentermine with topiramate, sold as Qsymia. Similar to Phentermine, Topiramate has been around for many years. The FDA approved it back in 1996. It was initially introduced for the treatment of Seizures and Migraines. Just like how Rogaine (Minoxidil) was introduced to control high blood pressure. Minoxidil was later found to be useful for the regrowth of hair and treatment of baldness and made a market entry as Rogaine.

Similarly, patients taking Topiramate were observed to experience weight loss due to the suppression of hunger. Research trials were conducted and it was also approved for this purpose, in a combination called Qsymia along with Phentermine. While Qsymia is available as a prescription medication for weight loss, sometimes its price can be inhibitive to many patients. Many primary care physicians have prescribed Topamax in combination with Phentermine to achieve weight loss for their patients. Although specifically not FDA approved for weight loss by itself, to some extent topiramate has shown promise by reducing hunger. Our doctors have extensive knowledge of the pharmacology of phentermine as well as topiramate and their combinations. Sometimes, if phentermine alone won;t work for you, you may be a candidate for the combination or other medications that we can prescribe and dispense.