New Micromass Study Shows Metabolic Mindset™ May Be A Valuable Weapon In America’s Battle Against Obesity

Posted on August 15, 2010 in: Weight loss

Behavioral researchers at MicroMass Communications have identified a metabolic mindset™ that could be the key to helping physicians, nurses and other healthcare educators successfully influence patients with type 2 diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol to adopt healthier lifestyle changes such as losing weight, eating better, getting more exercise, and giving up cigarettes.

Jessica Brueggeman, director of behavioral sciences at MicroMass, says the research has important health and economic implications, especially in the nation’s escalating battle against obesity.

“Roughly a third of all Americans are obese, and half of this population lives with one or more metabolic diseases caused or made worse by self-destructive lifestyle behaviors,” she notes. “A tool for successfully changing these behaviors could lead to a significant improvement in the nation’s health and a great reduction in cost.”

The American Medical Association estimates that $575 billion is spent annually on the treatment of diseases or disabilities resulting from unhealthy, potentially changeable behaviors.

The MicroMass study reveals that while disease symptoms and treatment vary widely among individuals with metabolic conditions, there are remarkable similarities in patients’ motivations to change behavior and the barriers that stand in their way. MicroMass calls this common ground the metabolic mindset and believes it offers a vital key to successfully motivating people to make difficult behavior changes.

“We uncovered four distinct patient profiles that are the same regardless of which metabolic disease is being treated,” Brueggeman notes. “This makes it possible to create education programs, insurance-based incentives and other communications that work across metabolic disease states and address patients’ true motivations and obstacles to change.”

The four types of metabolic patients, their percentage of the total study population, and suggested ways of motivating each:

Cruise Control (19 percent)

These patients follow their doctors’ orders and manage their conditions pretty well, but may not understand the seriousness of their disease or the value of treating it by changes in behavior. This makes them vulnerable to backsliding. Strong and repeated reinforcement is a must, using self-assessment tools that concretely demonstrate the benefits of behavior change.

Taking Charge (30 percent)

These patients know the risks of unhealthy behavior and actively avoid them. They don’t require intense investment or intervention by their physicians. Healthcare providers should engage these patients as advocates and invite them to share their expertise with other patients.

Disengaged (20 percent)

This group is highly susceptible to setbacks because they feel that improving their condition is beyond their control. Healthcare providers should applaud each small success with these patients and allow them to choose which behaviors to work on, one at a time. They should also plan for relapses.

Overwhelmed (31 percent)

These patients want to change but don’t know how to start. It’s important to raise their self-confidence by doling out information in easy-to-digest bites, creating step-by-step action plans focused on small goals, and acknowledging their successes.

Brueggeman sees great potential benefit in adding a behavioral dimension to the treatment of patients with metabolic diseases. “Patients would gain better control over their health, physicians would see better outcomes, managed care companies would have fewer claims, public health professionals would see a turnaround in unhealthy trends, and even for-profit weight loss and smoking cessation programs would get new insights into improving their rates of success.”

About the Study

The MicroMass metabolic mindset study represents a continuation of the company’s investment in informing the national healthcare debate. For this analysis, MicroMass commissioned an online survey of more than 1,500 respondents from a representative demographic sample of the U.S. population. Each respondent had at least one metabolic condition. The results were then referenced against Simmons’ national database to create more complete profiles.

Source: MicroMass Communications, Inc

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Wealthier Families Benefit Most From Canada’s Children’s Fitness Tax Credit

Posted on August 15, 2010 in: Weight loss

When it comes to who gets the biggest bang for the buck from Canada’s Children’s Fitness Tax Credit (CFTC), it’s wealthier families that benefit most, University of Alberta researchers have found.

It’s the first study to look at the uptake and effectiveness of a tax credit to increase physical activity levels of children.

Behavioural scientist John Spence, and a team of researchers in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, conducted an internet-based panel survey in March 2009 to see how effective the $500 tax credit was in helping children become more active.

Of 2135 Canadians taking part in the survey, 1004 were parents of children between the ages of 2 and 18 years. Participants were asked if their child was involved in an organized physical activity program, what the costs were to register for the program, whether they were aware of the fitness tax credit; if they’d claimed for it in the 2007 tax year, and whether they planned to claim for it the next year.

Among parents, 54.4 per cent said their child was enrolled in an organized physical activity program; 55.5 per cent of them were aware of the program; 26.1 per cent of parents made claims for the tax credit in 2007, and 33.1 per cent of them planned to do so in 2008.

Overall, only 15.6 per cent reported that it had increased their children’s participation in physical activity programs; however, lower-income families used the tax credit less than wealthier families because they couldn’t afford the registration fees for physical activity programs to begin with.

The study was published in BMC Public Health in July 2010.

Source:
Jane Hurly
University of Alberta – Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation

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Americans Continue To Get Fatter, CDC Finds

Posted on August 15, 2010 in: Weight loss

The New York Times: “Americans are continuing to get fatter and fatter, with obesity rates reaching 30 percent or more in nine states last year, as opposed to only three states in 2007, health officials reported on Tuesday. The increases mean that 2.4 million more people became obese from 2007 to 2009, bringing the total to 72.5 million, or 26.7 percent of the population. The numbers are part of a continuing and ominous trend. But the rates are probably underestimates because they are based on a phone survey in which 400,000 participants were asked their weight and height instead of having it measured by someone else, and people have a notorious tendency to describe themselves as taller and lighter than they really are. … The report estimates the medical costs of obesity to be as high as $147 billion a year, and notes that ‘past efforts and investments to prevent and control obesity have not been adequate’” (Grady, 8/3).

Kansas Health Institute: “The U.S. Surgeon General in 2001 set the goal of each state reducing its prevalence to 15 percent of the population by 2010. That target date has arrived and instead most states are moving the other direction. No state, not even the leanest, has met the 15 percent goal set a decade ago. … Colorado was the leanest state, according to the new report, with an obesity rate of 18.6 percent. … Kansas Department of Health and Environment has a number of programs aimed at reducing obesity, including help with community audits for figuring out the obstacles or impediments to exercise presented by lack of sidewalks or other infrastructure friendly to walking or bicycling. The agency also has helped promote farmers’ markets” (Shields, 8/3).

Bloomberg BusinessWeek: “While the findings support a general trend, some groups were more seriously affected. Obesity has caused black women to lose the greatest amount of time spent in good health (more than 24 fewer such days per year). That number is 31 percent higher than for black men, who lost the second highest amount of healthy time due to being obese, and 50 percent higher than that of whites. Most of women’s healthy days lost to obesity were due to illness, while most of the men’s loss was due to early death, the study found. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 39 percent of black women and 31 percent of black men are now obese. Hispanics, with an obesity rate of 29 percent, tend to be slightly more obese than whites, at 24 percent, according to the CDC. But the amount of lost healthy time was about the same for both groups in the study” (Holohan, 8/3).

NPR: “Officials say states are going to have to work hard to stop the epidemic” (Neighmond, 8/4).

This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org.

© Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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Adolescents With Type 2 Diabetes Have Diminished Cognitive Performance And Brain Abnormalities

Posted on August 14, 2010 in: Weight loss

A study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have found that obese adolescents with type 2 diabetes have diminished cognitive performance and subtle abnormalities in the brain as detected by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Identification of cognitive impairments as a complication of type 2 diabetes emphasizes the importance of addressing issues of inactivity and obesity, two important risk factors for the development of the disease among the young. The study appeared online in the journal Diabetologia, July 30, 2010.

“This is the first study that shows that children with type 2 diabetes have more cognitive dysfunction and brain abnormalities than equally obese children who did not yet have marked metabolic dysregulation from their obesity, ” says Antonio Convit, MD, professor of Psychiatry and Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research. “The findings are significant because they indicate that insulin resistance from obesity is lowering children’s cognitive performance, which may be affecting their ability to perform well in school.”

Researchers studied 18 obese adolescents with type 2 diabetes and compared them to equally obese adolescents from the same socioeconomic and ethnic background but without evidence of marked insulin resistance or pre-diabetes. Investigators found that adolescents with type 2 diabetes not only had significant reductions in performance on tests that measure overall intellectual functioning, memory, and spelling, which could affect their school performance, but also had clear abnormalities in the integrity of the white matter in their brains.

“We have previously found brain abnormalities in adults with Type 2 diabetes, but believed those changes might have been a result of vascular disease,” adds Dr. Convit. “Now we see that subtle changes in white matter of the brain in adolescents may be a result of the abnormal physiology that accompanies type 2 diabetes. If we can improve insulin sensitivity and help children through exercise and weight loss, perhaps we can reverse these deficits.”

Co-authors of the study include P.L. Yau, W.H. Tsui, B.A. Ardekani of NYU Langone Medical Center and the Nathan S. Klein Institute for Psychiatric Research.

Source:
Lauren Woods
NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine

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Weight Gain During Pregnancy Increases Weight Of Child Independent Of Genetic Factors

Posted on August 14, 2010 in: Weight loss

A study analysing the weight gain during pregnancy of mothers with more than one child shows that pregnant women who put on more weight are much more likely to have heavier babies. Given the association of birthweight with adult weight, the authors of this new work say that obesity prevention efforts targeted at women during pregnancy could have beneficial effects for their children. The Article, published Online First in The Lancet, is written by Dr David S Ludwig, Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, and Dr Janet Currie, Columbia University, New York, USA.

While other work has shown that excessive weight gain during pregnancy seems to increase birthweight (and the offspring’s risk of obesity later in life), this association might be confounded by genetic and other shared effects. Thus in this study, the authors analysed multiple single pregnancies in the same mother, so that the genetic element could be excluded. The authors used US-state-based birth registry data that allowed this comparison. All known births in Michigan and New Jersey, USA, between Jan 1, 1989, and Dec 31, 2003, were studied. From the sample of women selected, the following exclusions were made: gestation less than 37 weeks or 41 weeks or more; maternal diabetes; birthweight less than 500 g or more than 7000 g; and missing data for pregnancy weight gain.

The final analysis included 513 501 women and their 1 164 750 offspring. A consistent association between pregnancy weight gain and birthweight was shown, with each kg gained by the mother in pregnancy increasing the baby’s birthweight by 7.35 g. Infants of women who gained more than 24 kg during pregnancy were around 150g heavier at birth than were infants of women who gained 8-10 kg. Women who gained more than 24 kg during pregnancy were more than twice as likely to give birth to a child weighing 4 kg or more compared with women who gained 8-10 kg.

The authors conclude:

Because high birthweight predicts BMI later in life, these findings suggest that excessive weight gain during pregnancy could raise the long-term risk of obesity-related disease in offspring. High birthweight might also increase risk of other diseases later in life, including asthma, atopy, and cancer.

In a linked Comment, Dr Neal Halfon and Dr Michael C Lu, Center for Healthier Children Families Communities, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA, say:

Although a better understanding of the effect of gestational weight gain on the developing fetus and metabolic functioning of the newborn child is important, research is urgently needed into how to help women of reproductive age attain and maintain a healthy weight before and during pregnancy. With a growing focus on preconceptional health, there is an opportunity to develop effective interventions to help women conceive at a healthier weight. More effective population-based strategies are needed to produce healthier life-long weight trajectories, and to interrupt the cross-generational cycle of excessive weight gain.

“The association between pregnancy weight gain and birthweight: a within-family comparison”
David S Ludwig, Janet Currie
The Lancet August 5, 2010. DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60751-9

Source: The Lancet

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Research Shows Sugary Drinks Do Not Cause Weight Gain

Posted on August 14, 2010 in: Weight loss

New research from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh(1), shows that sugary drinks, consumed in moderate quantities, do not promote weight gain, carbohydrate craving or adverse mood effects in overweight women when they do not know what they are drinking.

The study(2), conducted by Marie Reid, Richard Hammersley and colleagues set out to determine the long-term effects of adding a sucrose drink to the diet of overweight women (BMI 25-30), on dietary intake and mood. The results show that overweight women do not suffer adverse effects, such as weight gain or mood fluctuation, if they do not know whether or not they are drinking a sugary or artificially sweetened drink. Instead women took in fewer calories elsewhere in the diet, to balance the calories in the drinks.

These findings suggest that because it is widely believed that sugary drinks are bad and part of an unhealthy diet, people then go on to behave accordingly. Prof Marie Reid, Professor of Applied Psychology at Queen Margaret University concludes: “Widespread publicity about the supposed harmful effects of sugar may make such effects more likely, as believing sugar to be harmful may encourage negative emotions after eating sugary food and lead to the abstinence violation effect. In other words, knowing that you’re drinking sugary drinks, while believing that they’re harmful, might result in the derailing of a generally healthy low-fat diet”.

“Sugar in moderation plays a neutral role in the balanced diet, but an emotionally charged role in the psychology of food choice,” she added.

The research studied 53 overweight women and subjects were monitored eating, drinking and exercising as usual throughout the study, while completing food, mood and activity diaries. Each week subjects consumed 28 bottles of unidentified drink – one group of women was given sucrose drinks and the other aspartame (artificial sweetener).

The new research replicates a previous study conducted by Reid et al. (2007)(3), with normal weight women. The results substantiate those of the earlier study and show that women reduced their voluntary energy intake when the sucrose drinks were added to the diet. By the final week of the study, women had reduced their total energy intake back to baseline levels.

Notes:

1 Psychology Department, Queen Margaret University, Mussleburgh Campus, Edinburgh

2 Reid, M., Hammersley, R., & Duffy, M. (2010) Effects of sucrose drinks on macronutrient intake, body weight, and mood state in overweight women over 4 weeks. Appetite, Volume 55, Issue 1, 130-136.

3 Reid, M., Hammersley, R., Hill, A. J., & Skidmore, P. (2007) Long-term dietary compensation for added sugar: effects of supplementary sucrose drinks over a 4-week period. British Journal of Nutrition, 97, 193-203.

Acknowledgements

The research was funded by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and The Sugar Bureau.

The Sugar Bureau

The Sugar Bureau is an association fostering research, communication and information on sugar and health. http://www.sugar-bureau.co.uk/

Source: Queen Margaret University

Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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Dietitians Should Lead In Preventing And Treating Obesity

Posted on August 14, 2010 in: Weight loss

Weight and obesity are never far from the headlines and with figures reaching epidemic proportions, dietitians are on the frontline when it comes to effective prevention and treatment.

“Dietitians must be prepared to lead the charge”, believes Joyce Thompson, who was involved in the development of the latest national obesity management guideline.

Published in February by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), SIGN 115 states that lifestyle change – diet, physical activity and behaviour change – supported by medication and/or bariatric surgery where necessary, is the appropriate way to prevent and treat obesity in children, young people and adults.

Joyce, a British Dietetic Association (BDA) member and co-chair of the SIGN115 Guideline Development Group (GDG), said that dietitians should be leading on implementation of the guideline:

“Dietitians have come a long way since the formation of Dietitians in Obesity Management (DOM UK) in developing specialist expertise in the management of obesity. Dietitians have established an advanced knowledge base and skills set that is central to the prevention and treatment of obesity and are therefore vital to the successful implementation of this guideline.

“It may also be part of their role to support others to deliver some components; for example, utilising support workers more in order to deliver lifestyle management interventions. It is vital that dietitians ensure their practice is evidence based and of best value, also that they audit practice and apply a continuous improvement approach,” she added.

Although Joyce strongly believes that dietitians are crucial in leading the campaign against obesity, that is only part of the battle:

“One of the challenges is getting weight management higher up on the NHS agenda”, she said; yet figures show that in Scotland almost two-thirds of men, more than half of women, a third of boys and a quarter of girls are overweight or obese, and this is on the rise, costing NHS Scotland 175m in 2007/08.

So will this new guideline put obesity more firmly on the NHS agenda, and is it making any new recommendations?

“We hope that the guideline will actively assist and enable health care professionals to improve the quality of weight management services in their area, to help them make rational clinical decisions and strengthen the position of the patient in the process. “The guideline builds on the earlier work, but with greater emphasis on some areas and new recommendations – particularly looking at referral and service provision in adults,” explains Joyce.

Paediatric dietitian Laura Stewart, also a BDA member and on the GDG, was involved in the 2003 SIGN69 guideline on childhood obesity and was asked to join the SIGN115 GDG as a result of her earlier involvement:

‘For me the most important recommendations for dietitians working in childhood obesity are the use of BMI charts in diagnosis. Added to this is the inclusion of behavioural change tools/techniques in any weight management programme.’

The new guideline has influenced the development of the clinical pathways/intervention for weight management locally where Joyce works for NHS Tayside. The new Paediatric Overweight Service in Tayside (POST), lead by Laura, also reflects the guideline by using an evidence based programme as their clinical intervention for children and young people.

Source: The British Dietetic Association (BDA)

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Ionamin (Phentermine resin) – CUSTOMER REVIEW

Posted on June 8, 2010 in: Ionamin

30 mg Ionamin capsules

30 mg Ionamin capsules

Currently, you cannot buy Ionamin online legally.

Ionamin, generic name Phentermine, is a diet medication available by prescription.

To get Ionamin, ask your doctor to prescribe the generic Phentermine, rather than the name brand.

You can buy Phentermine no prescription at our online pharmacy

This is one of the few amphetamine type substances (chemically and pharmacologically related to amphetamines) available for prescription in Malaysia. Ionamin is the only phentermine resin complex available (no generics) and it’s a “diet drug” (appetite suppressant/metabolic booster). It is only indicated for the short term treatment of obesity, and unless I’m prepared to eat 10 whole chickens and chug 3 liters of cooking oil a day for a week, my Body Mass Index (BMI) does not qualify me to obtain a prescription from a doctor legitimately. I don’t think I’ll enjoy chugging 1 liter of cooking oil, much less 3 liters.

However, I do have a friend who has a pharmacy. ;)

Jump to the Ionamin (phentermine resin) report if you’re not interested in the pointers for fellow Malaysians interested in doctor shopping or pharmacy runs (otherwise known as prescription fraud and obtaining/possession of a controlled drug). *cough*

Malaysia does not have prescribed methamphetamine or dextroamphetamine for treatment of narcolepsy or ADHD/ADD. The word amphetamine in any chemical probably causes the Malaysian government to get their panties all in an uncomfortable twist. ;) Heh, check it out if you don’t believe me:

Courtesy of:
National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau
Drug Control Authority
Ministry of Health Malaysia

It’s the Malaysian scripter’s best friend. :) Ritalin which is Methylphenidate hydrochloride (Look ma, no “-amphetamine”!) is available though. I’m surprised to find oxycodone (Oxycontin) available as well! It wasn’t the last time I checked. Anyway, the link was posted ages ago on this very site too. It’s easy to type in the generic name of any potentially recreational pharmaceutical and see if it’s in the database. They show ALL the available products of the drug you typed in (product names, dosage forms it comes in etc).

Example with phentermine:

Your search : PHENTERMINE
Search result : 5 record(s) matched your query

1. MAL19871772A ADIPEX RETARD CAPSULE 15MG GERMAX SDN BHD
2. MAL19871769A DUROMINE CAPSULE 15MG 3M (M) SDN BHD
3. MAL19871774A DUROMINE CAPSULE 30MG 3M (M) SDN BHD
4. MAL19871770AR IONAMIN 15 CAPSULE ZUELLIG PHARMA SDN BHD
5. MAL19871775AR IONAMIN 30 CAPSULE ZUELLIG PHARMA SDN BHD

The registration number is clickable to show more information eg all the substances contained in the preparation and they’re adding in the packaging (quantity) and prices slowly eg “10 x 10 blister pack – RM 34.60″. This really helps when you’re doing pharmacy runs/doctor shopping. Not all pharmacists here are familiar with every generic name, so before they browse their outdated book, say something like “It’s lorazepam, it comes in a pack that says Ativan and has 10 tablets, but I’ve had another pharmacy give me something from this big bottle called APO-LORAZEPAM, he said it’s the same thing”.

Say thank you if you aren’t aware of the Ministry of Health (Malaysia)’s Drug Control Authority product database and its uses for unscrupulous scripters. ;)

Oops…sorry that’s not harm reduction at all, moving back to my experience report. :p

Ionamin (Phentermine resin)

Retail price: RM 2 (A$ 1) for 30 mg capsule. I can’t believe the online pharmacy prices! Obscene!

Experience #1
The first time is always the best

Substance: Ionamin (Phentermine resin complex)

Dose: Ionamin 150 mg total
Ionamin 90 mg (3 x 30 mg capsules) at T+ 0:00
Ionamin 30 mg (1 x 30 mg capsule) booster at T+ 1:00
Ionamin 30 mg (1 x 30 mg) booster at T+ 1:30

Route: Oral

I took 3 capsules of Ionamin (without attempting to foil the time release) right after I woke up and chased it down with a bottle of water. I had an empty stomach (last meal was a good 18 hours before) and I felt stimulated about 30-40 minutes after that and felt “speeded up” like on amphetamines. It was looking promising, so I put on some gabba (gotta love hard music on stimulants) and wrote a post, the one below which mentions that I’m tweaked. :)

Contents of the 30 mg Ionamin capsule

Contents of the 30 mg Ionamin capsule

I felt quite good at this time, so I opened up a capsule to examine its contents. I noticed that half the capsule is filled with white powdery stuff and half of it was some kind of beady black spheres. The white powder had no taste to it and I think the spheres are the phentermine resin. I don’t know what the white powder is, I don’t think it’s filler/binder/some inactive agent since it’s a capsule. I would guess that it’s some kind of GI tract pharmaceutical to decrease absorption? That’s a guess though, does anyone know for sure?

Anyway, I crunched up everything (including the capsule) an hour after the first dose as a booster. I worked it with my teeth real good to try and see if that would break the time release, but I’ve read somewhere that Ionamin isn’t really “time release” in the traditional sense. Could the mysterious white powder have something to do with it? Anyway, the black spheres are quite hard to crush! I had to really work on it before it powdered, your dentist would not like this. ;)

It’s quite compulsive, I felt the urge to crunch up more capsules when I reached that certain state of tweak bliss. However, I have to state that I’m very fond of stimulants so take that as you will. I took another booster 30 minutes later (1 hours and 30 minutes after my initial dose) and that put me in a nice tweak zone for most of the day. I’m really surprised at the duration of this, unlike the short, steep peak – medium length plateau – steep return to baseline of (meth)amphetamines, phentermine resin has a longer peak – very long plateau and a VERY steep return to baseline.

Methamphetamines

Methamphetamines

My apologies for the crude diagram. This is an observation from personal experience, not scientific data. x and y refers to the axis, which I didn’t draw. Start and stop points are baseline (normal).

The intensity wasn’t as good as (meth)amphetamines, but it does rival methcathinone’s intensity. Oh, you really have to drink A LOT of water, like the manufacturer says. I had an extreme thirst the whole time and heaps of water, but it came out too (no problems with urination) so that’s cool. When I’m on meth, I find myself stuck doing something for a long time (intense concentration) and nothing can pull me away from it. It was the same with Ionamin so I think this could be a good study drug as well, but the mental clarity is inferior to (meth)amphetamines and feels more like the scattered caffeine state of mind towards the end.

Well, I went out for a long walk and felt a good body buzz but rather disturbing cardiovascular manifestations. It has been 4-5 hours since the first dose and I was still feeling great. I didn’t eat anything, the appetite suppressant effect of phentermine is equivalent to that of meth, food was the last thing on my mind. I went for a night out with friends and came down (crashed would be a better word) about 8 or 9 hours since the initial dose right before going out. Certain GABA agonists were necessary to reduce the comedown effects, and to maintain a level of acceptable sociability. ;) The above GABA agonist worked very well in smoothing the comedown. Shh, it’s obvious to fellow recreational drug users, but please don’t state it out loud it, since I’m being obscure intentionally. Much later in the night, I took 2 mg alprazolam (Xanax) and was asleep in seconds, but that was probably due to the abovementioned GABA agonist. No “hangover” effects were noticed on the second day, even with just 6 hours of sleep.

Scanned capsules of Ionamin (30 mg phentermine resin)

Scanned capsules of Ionamin (30 mg phentermine resin)

Experience #2
Giving methcathinone a good run for its money

Substance: Ionamin (Phentermine resin complex)

Dose: 240 mg total
150 mg (5 x 30 mg capsules) at T+ 0:00
60 mg (2 x 30 mg) booster at T+ 1:05
30 mg (1 x 30 mg) booster T+ 4:35

Other possible interactions:
27 mg bromazepam (Lexotan) at T- 14:00
5 mg alprazolam (Xanax) at T- 10:00
3 mg alprazolam (Xanax) at T- 09:00
Note: The subject is a long time user of benzodiazepines, has high tolerance and suspected constant plasma levels of unknown quantity.

Route: Oral and “intranasal”

Haha! That intranasal thing shouldn’t even be mentioned. Basically, I opened a capsule to display its contents on a clean surface and while licking the contents, I accidentally breathed in some. :) Accidental insufflation. Anyway, I crunched up 5 capsules of Ionamin in the afternoon on an empty stomach (12 hours since last meal). I’m starting to like that salty tang, I find that it’s nice to chew for a long time, getting the little hard black balls between your molars and grinding, grinding, grinding till you can feel the brittle powdery texture. I don’t know if that actually breaks the time release though, but I like to have some of it down with the time release intact for a longer plateau.

I felt sleepy (!!!) about 5 minutes later and went to take a nap, hoping my “dexamphetamine trick” aka The Dexamphetamine Alarm Clock will work with Ionamin. Well, the dexamphetamine trick is for the occasions when you HAVE to wake up but you’re too sleepy from the previous night’s benzo consumption (or lack of sleep). Anyway, the trick is to reach for the dexamphetamine bottle when your alarm clock goes off and gobble a few of them before going back to sleep. Hehe! In 15-20 minutes (for me), I’ll suddenly bolt upright and feel ENERGIZED and ready to take on the day! :)

Well, I woke up an hour or so later feeling slightly stimulated and yet slightly sedated. I had a lot of benzodiazepines last night, so that could be the problem. I took a 60 mg booster dose upon waking up and felt tweaked (similar feeling to amphetamines), and the urge to consume more. I wanted to take another capsule after a while, but I was having shortness of breath, chest pains and my toe nails were turning a disturbing shade of black. I have existing hypertension, so I decided not to push it and live to tweak another day. :) I think I’ve lost my significant amphetamine tolerance, which is a Good Thing, my wallet is extending its gratitude every day. Heh.

I’m still feeling good now, still at the plateau, but personally I noticed that with every crunched up capsule comes another peak and another peak and plateau rather similar to the first, so that was why I wanted to take another, but I’m not going to. Pupil dilation does occur at high doses, personally, it’s not the saucers I get while on MDMA, but the dilation is quite similar to (meth)amphetamine at recreational doses. I just checked and I have a fever. No, not using my cold, clammy hands, with a thermometer. Nope, I’m not going to have anymore today. :)

I’m still feeling good by the way. Also, there isn’t any paranoia present but then again that usually only happens on long meth runs, and I don’t like the idea of going for a phentermine run with this heavy body load. I hear the LD50 is 20 mg/kg and I do not want to approach that, with my hypertension. I’m having breathing difficulties now, that is the thing that’s bothering me more than anything, but I’m okay. :)

Anyway, I mentioned before that I don’t fully defeat the timed released capsules, I allow some of the spheres to go un-harassed by my molars, so I’m still up. Oh, if you haven’t figured out by now, this is a running experience report aka “living document”, I write a bit, go out or do other stuff and then come back and update and I post it after it’s complete. I also took another capsule just now. Anyway, after the health issues of the past few hours subsided, I decided to take another 30 mg Ionamin capsule to establish the dose-response curve. ;)

Well, in all seriousness, I was curious to see if tolerance develops quickly on this substance since it’s new to me, so I didn’t just take another one to keep me awake. Booster doses (re-dosing) seems to be more effective than (meth)amphetamines in terms of efficacy. Of course, phentermine does cause tolerance, but qualitatively, a small booster dose will bring me to a plateau again, but a lower one, of course. A disturbing pain is evident in my right eye, but whether that is related to this is unknown. Sleep is still far away, benzodiazepines are definitely necessary for sleep tonight, since I will not be going out. I might comedown anytime and the harsh body load is still very noticeable, so I would prefer to remain sedentary for most of the night. Ionamin lasts a long time too, and I have developed a scary tolerance to benzodiazepines after constant recreational use, but I am doing something about it, so I’m okay. :)

That said, I still love benzodiazepines though, and I hope to try every single one in that happy, large family. =D I have to time it well though, because the Ashton taper plan is not forgiving. The mantra seems to be “always go down (lower the dose), go sideways (take the same dose) if you must, but never go up (take a higher dose)”. Well, I don’t have that big of a problem, so seriously, forget I brought it up, I’m perfectly fine. :) I will still do reviews of benzos (see above about happy family), but for recreational use, I’m going to cut down to the point where I don’t take them every day, maybe just weekends or something. That is a personal decision, coz a benzodiazepine problem is not the best thing in the world to have. :)

I digress, back to Ionamin, there is something quite interesting (disturbing?) about it. It happened during the first time, but I wrote that off as an isolated incident, but it happened again today. The first time it happened was in the shower after my first phentermine experience. I took a piss and during that final muscle squeeze to get the last bit out, semen came out. Wtf? I wasn’t sexually aroused at any point so that was indeed puzzling, but I thought it was just a manifestation of that feeling you get when you take dexamphetamine and potentiate it with baking soda ie the feeling that no matter how hard you strain, you still can’t get that last bit of urine out, it’s just stuck there. This happens on phentermine for me too.

Well, I took a piss late into the second trip and something which looks suspiciously like pre-cum came out, again during the final squeeze. My understanding of the male anatomy says that ejaculation and urination cannot happen at the same time, due to an “either or” valve somewhere along the piping. Very puzzling, especially since there was no erection or sexual arousal at any point. Well, my penis is perfectly fine, thank you very much. :p I was just wondering if anyone had the same experience.

Well, my first two experiences with Ionamin (Phentermine resin) suggests that it certainly is fun. I would try the hydrochloride salt next time to compare against the resin complex. I find it to be quite recreational, but it’s not something I would take frequently due to the heavy body load. Right now, I’m having very disturbing manifestations of hypertension. Here’s an interesting tidbit about Ionamin:

Blood levels obtained with the 15 mg and 30 mg resin complex formulations indicated slower absorption with a reduced but prolonged peak concentration and without a significant difference in prolongation of blood levels when compared with the same doses of phentermine hydrochloride.

I haven’t tried phentermine hydrochloride, but yeah, even before I even read this I already noticed that phentermine resin’s plateau was unexpectedly long!

Ionamin Thoughts:
It’s strangely dehydrating, you really need to drink a lot of water! It’s unlike meth/speed, where you know you’re thirsty but you don’t care coz the current thing you’re doing is more important. With phentermine, you know you’re thirsty and the thirst is bad so you reach for the water bottle. I drank an obscene amount of water during both experiences! Be careful and monitor your water intake.

It’s a good cheap and dirty amphetamine substitute. After a certain (high) dose threshold, amphetamine type effects predominate – full body buzz, slight arousal and sensitivity in the genitalia, head rush when urinating, excessive talking and writing (just look at the length of this post!) and of course EUPHORIA! :) Mental stimulation is also present, thought processes remain quite clear (unlike caffeine), though not as clear as meth(amphetamines).

Phentermine resin seems to have a heavy body load. My heart felt like it was going to fail anytime from the fast heartbeats and the elevated body temperature raises concern about possible brain damage. I also felt out of breath on higher doses and the comedown is quite harsh and remarkably similar to (meth)amphetamines – tiredness, slight depression, muscle aches etc etc. However, qualitatively, the comedown effect of a single day’s use is equivalent the comedown of a 3 day meth run! It’s quite unacceptable, considering the heavy body load and lower intensity.

The dose-response curve seems to be less steep than other amphetamines. Re-dosing at a low level (30 mg) at the tail end of the run seems to produce effects, which though inference and extrapolation seems less pronounced than what a 30 mg dose would provide without tolerance, but it is keeping me awake and slightly stimulated. Phentermine does produce tolerance as the literature states, but surprisingly, it doesn’t seem to develop as fast as (meth)amphetamines, so re-dosing (booster doses) does work, though of course, at a decreased rate. However I have to re-iterate that I don’t think it’s a very good idea to go on long phentermine runs, considering the body load.

My personal (based on the things I’ve had experience with) stimulant potency hierarchy:

(in decreasing order of qualitatively perceived strength)

Methamphetamine (meth, shabu, ping)
My favorite drug, I use it very frequently in Melbourne – and the only drug I’ve IV (injected with a syringe through a vein). New readers can read my experiences here:
Methamphetamine IV Part I: Intravenous injection
Methamphetamine IV Part II: Hitting the vein, synergies and the comedown [sixthseal.com]
or just browse the Sticky Posts at the right (under Recent Comments and above Archives) since they’re all best of the best posts on sixthseal.com or so I like to think :p

Dexamphetamine (d-amphetamine – speed, just the stronger non-racemic kind)
The potent dextro isomer of amphetamine. Amphetamine = speed, and this only has the dextro isomer, which is good since the levo isomer isn’t recreational. I love this too, a bottle (500 mg or 1/2 a gram) of pure amphetamines can disappear in two or three days.

Amphetamine (speed)
The racemic mixture (contains both d-amphetamine and l-amphetamine), so it’s a step down the ladder since l-amphetamine is not as recreational (doesn’t get you high) as d-amphetamine.

Methcathinone
It makes me sad during the comedown, but it’s an okay stimulant. I’ll write a post (not everything, just my experiences with the stuff, and ONLY that) when technical problems resolves itself.

Phentermine (resin)
Hi!

Pseudoephedrine
Oh, my poor overworked heart.

Caffeine
Well, if you have nothing else…

Again, I reiterate that this stimulant potency hierarchy is based on personal experiences and YMMV.

Caution: Taking more than 100 mg of phentermine may be dangerous.

Currently, you cannot buy Ionamin online legally.

Ionamin, generic name Phentermine, is a diet medication available by prescription.

To get Ionamin, ask your doctor to prescribe the generic Phentermine, rather than the name brand.

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Avoid the Pain…Maintain!

Posted on May 28, 2010 in: Stop Thinking Diet

Most people who do manage to lose weight will gain it back again. A lot of crash diets fail in this area. While this fact might seem obvious it bears repeating. Don’t let this happen to you! Don’t be another statistic! There are a few simple steps you can use to avoid letting this happen to you. There are also warning signs to watch for, let’s look at them:

1. Speed. Avoid any kind of program or diet that either promises rapid weight loss or makes you lose weight too fast. This is a definite warning sign. The longer it takes you to get the weight off the longer you will keep it off, period. The idea of losing weight fast might be tempting and can be done but why take the chance? Why risk something you don’t need to? Usually losing weight too quickly means starving yourself and when it’s over you will start to eat more again to compensate. Your body will be craving food and you’ll have to give in.

2. Monitor. When you first lose the weight and especially if you are inexperienced you need to frequently monitor your weight before it is too late. Once you get used to your habits a little more and experiment you will be able to go longer periods of time between weigh-ins. The key here is to catch the weight before it becomes noticeable to you and to others. When the scale says you’re over by two pounds it won’t show, you still have time. If the scale says you’re over by seven…chances are you waited too long and by this point you will see it.

3. Don’t push it too far. Sure you can eat more and for longer periods of time once you are thin but don’t get carried away! You could even binge for a week if your metabolism is cranked enough but watch one week doesn’tbecome two and so on. The thing with food is that’s it’s very addicting. It doesn’t take long if you are not careful to get back fully into your old habits. Save your bingeing for when you really need it like the Christmas holidays or vacations!

4. Boredom or depression. Sometimes you can just say ‘you’ve had it’ because you’re tired of constantly thinking of the timing of meals and when to exercise etc. This is very understandable. In this case you want to just drop everything. Take a week or two off and do things you like. Read, watch movies, or anything to get your mind off of it all. Before you know it, you will miss these things and be craving to get back into the swing of things like your exercise or making a delicious chocolate shake. Whatever your routine is. If you keep these steps in mind after you have lost the weight it will become very difficult to put it back on. Don’t get stuck in a rut. You’ll be where you want to be and looking the way you want. The world is yours!

Climb the next mountain and tackle the next barrier in your life! Good luck!

Key points
- Avoid losing weight too fast, you will be starving your body of vital
nutrients
- Implement frequent weigh-ins at first to avoid noticeable weight
gains
- You can eat more after it is off but watch you don’t take it too far
- If you grow tired of everything just drop it all and take a week or
two off
- Stay focussed and aware of what you are doing

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Sudden Change-Unlock Your Potential

Posted on May 27, 2010 in: Stop Thinking Diet

Are you surprised, discouraged or perhaps even amused by those before and after diet ads that show people miraculously transformed in a matter of months? Well, while some of them are legitimate some are often not. I say they are not legitimate not in the sense that they didn’t work but rather how they go about it.

What they fail to mention is that often the models are tanned, pulling in their stomachs more than they were at first, and have their wardrobes slightly adjusted. That’s what gives them that ‘polished’ look. Even if these things were not done there would be noticeable results I’m sure. My point? It is possible!

Then you often have the crash diet pictures where the models are often clothed. While harder to tell, it is probable that most of these people have
tried to lose the weight without any kind of physical activity whatsoever. If you could see them unclothed they generally would look like a smaller version of what they were before.
Most of the cases that I just mentioned in the second example are the ones who are more likely to put the weight back on than the ones who exercise. The more you put into it the more you get out of it. The less you change your lifestyle, the less you get out of it…

While I’m not saying you’ll always have to exercise as much or even at all, it will help tremendously when starting out. What you want is the fastest, safest changes you can manage so you can get on enjoying life! Not too fast though, as with your eating program you want to be comfortable and enjoying what you’re doing. First you want to get into some kind of cardiovascular activity. This will
help the greatest in burning fat.

Here’s a sample beginner program that you can try:

Week 1

Day 1- walking-20 minutes
Day 3- walking-25 minutes
Day 5- walking-20 minutes

Week 2

Day 1- walking-25 minutes
Day 3- walking-20 minutes
Day 5- walking-25 minutes and so on…

Keep this up until you are satisfied with yourself and/or your time

constraints. You don’t have to necessarily walk either. If you have or prefer a stationary bike for example you could use that. Second, yu need some type of resistance training. This will help you burn more calories at rest and will also help to shape your body so that you will create the illusion of a slimmer person by widening your shoulders and your outer thighs. This will help make your waist appear smaller.

Again, here is a sample program:

Monday

• Pushups, as many as you can for 3 sets. Side laterals, 3 sets of 15 repetitions

Wednesday

• Lunges, 15-20 for 3 sets. Rowing, 3 sets of 15 repetitions

Friday

• Bicep Curls and Tricep Presses, 3 Sets of 15 repetitions

You can do abdominal crunches as well after each workout. Try three sets of 20-25 but do not use any resistance. You don’t want your waist any thicker! Incase you don’t know, a repetition or rep for short is one performance of an exercise and a set is a group of repetitions. You can rest a minute or so between sets, usually when your breathing returns to normal. To warm up before your exercises just stretch whatever muscle groups you are working and/or do some light cardiovascular activity for 5 minutes. This will get your blood flowing and your muscles warm. Since you are not training heavy or for really big muscles there is less risk of injury. Any kind of resistance will do. You can use free weights, machines, soup cans, or rubber bands. Whatever is available to you and most convenient. Remember that pretty well anything will work if you use it! There! Doing this program will ensure you greater success than if you didn’t exercise at all. Since I mentioned some of the benefits elsewhere in the book

I won’t go through them again.

More Encouragement

What? It’s dinnertime? Hmmm, try a grilled chicken sandwich or maybe a few extra lean hamburgers. Remember, just watch what you put on these things! That’s what will get you in the end…literally!

Studies show that it takes around 21 days to develop a habit. Before that happens I’m sure you’ll find these things relatively enjoyable if you stay focussed and not stray too far away. I know you will look the same tomorrow (and even the next day) but remember it’s not what you do in one day that makes the difference but what you do over and over again. Losing weigt is based upon the same time principles as gaining weight. It takes time, even though one might be easier than the other might. Accidents happen, we’re all human. The point is to just get back on your bike and keep riding! And in 21 days you will notice a difference, whether on the scale or in the mirror! When you are on a maintenance program you won’t have to do a fraction of what you are doing now. Keep that in mind to look forward to!

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