Didrex - an overview
Didrex is the generic name benzphetamine hydrochloride. It is a prescription medication to help a person start to lose weight. It should only be taken for short term and should be used with a healthy diet.
The maker
Pfizer, Inc. is the maker of Didrex.
How it works
Didrex helps to suppress your appetite and it might also help to boost the metabolism.
Didrex effects
There have only been short studies to determine how effective this medication is. These studies involved people that took the medication and lost a greater amount of weight than those that did not take it, but it was only a fraction of a pound. Studies have also found that the benefits of this medication decrease after a few weeks.
Weight Loss Dosage
It is recommended that you start taking Didrex at a dose of 25 or 50 mg taken once a day in the mid morning or afternoon, as your eating habits dictate. Didrex is thought to be more effective when taken only about three hours before your main daily meal. If you do well with the medication, your doctor might recommend that you take more of the medication, as much as three times a day.
This medication is only meant to be taken for a few weeks. It is not likely that taking it for longer periods of time will make it more effective, because the body becomes used to the effects of this medication. Didrex also can be potentially abused, which might be another reason that it is meant to be taken only for a few weeks.
Secondary effects
There have been many clinical trials of Didrex.
These studies gather and record the secondary effects that take place among the group that take the medication and compared to the secondary effects of the group not taking the medication. This makes it possible to determine what side effects there are, how often they occur and how they compare to the group that doesn't take the medication.
Newer medications display the exact percentage of side effects, but older medications do not have this information available.
Studies showed that secondary effects with this medication include:
- Restlessness
- Hyperactivity
- Insomnia
- Dizziness
- Sweating
- Tremors or shaking
- Dry mouth
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Unpleasant flavor in the mouth