Phentermine diet pills have been around since 1959 and are used primarily as an appetite suppressant. This popular drug was prescribed to individuals that were obese, and whose obesity represented a significant health risk to them. First approved in 1959 Phentermine became widely available to the public in the 1970's as Fastin from King Pharmaceuticals. Phentermine also has been sold as Ionamin and Adipex and available in a generic form. King pharmaceuticals withdraw Fastin off the market in 1998. Soon after Phentermine diet pills emerged on the market, came the advent of the highly publicized Fen- Phen which is a combination of Phentermine and Fenfluramine. Fenfluramine, another drug being used for the short term treatment of obesity, was approved in 1973. While the FDA never approved the combination of the two drugs, since both drugs had been approved independently of each other doctors were free to use them and combine them at will.

The combinations of Fenfluramine and Phentermine diet pills became popular after a study was published in 1992 citing Fen-Phen as being more effective in a combination than dieting or exercise and its use in chronically obese patients was promising. Fen-Phen seemed to have few immediate side effects unlike many speed diet drugs. Fen-Phen rapidly grew in popularity with 6.6 million prescriptions for the diet drug cocktail being written in 1996. The next Phentermine diet pills to hit the mainstream were the combination of Dexfenfluramine and Phentermine, or Dexfen-Phen and much like Fen-Phen, it became an instant success. None of these combinations though were tested with each other so when the news came from the Mayo Clinic in 1997 of 24 cases of heart valve disease that were claimed to be linked to the Fen- Phen cocktails the government was quick to take action.

While the phentermine diet pills had been used for years without side affects it seemed the combinations would not be as reliable as evidence mounted and more heart disease was reported from the used of the two combinations. In 1997 the FDA asked manufacturers to withdraw Fenfluramine and Dexfenfluramine from the market and advised all patients to stop taking the drugs. Phentermine diet pills are still available by prescription under the names of Ionamin and Adipex but King Pharmaceuticals stopped making their brand, Fastin in 1998. Now there are many diet drugs that claim to be Phentermine or natural herbal substitutes for Phentermine, some of these drugs are legit and others are not, but the new natural Phentermines have enter the market as the new generation of highly effective diet drugs.

What makes these drugs so popular is they not only really work for weight loss they suppress appetite, increase energy and elevate moods, making dieting a much more manageable process for many. Fastin now sold by Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals is newly reformulated with compounds that are natural, safe and effective. Phentermine diet pills are still available by prescription but if you are looking for an over the counter alternative then look no further than Wholesale Health Direct, they sell a full line of health products at wholesale prices.