Phentermine / topiramate and Blurred Vision: What Users Say

• Jac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 20, 2019

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I am a 48-year-old female started on 7.5 mg of Qsymia. My starting weight was 238 lbs, and six days later, my weight was 221 lbs. The first couple of days, I had very low energy and felt a little groggy, but I had to learn to force myself to eat because I don’t have an appetite. I do have slight blurred vision at times. I feel like it’s worth it for the weight loss. I have dry mouth as well. I have done absolutely no exercise at all but plan to start."

• Wor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 2, 2016

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "This medication has worked great. You must drink plenty of water! Also, start taking it on a Friday or better yet, start Thursday and take Friday and Monday off of work if possible to give your body time to adapt. My body took a few days to adapt when I first started taking Qsymia as well as between dosage changes. Though it was much less noticeable between dosage changes. For me, the side effects of blurred vision, not being able to think sharply, feeling jittery, etc., only lasted a few days. If you can take the time to get over the hump, it is totally worth it. Also, I have cut out sugary drinks, snacking, and eating after dinner. I drink 8-12 16oz bottles of water per day. I have been on Qsymia for 1 month and lost 13 lbs."

• Jez...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 11, 2016

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I started this medication 4/20/16 at 5'1'' 237lbs after going over all options with my endocrinologist. This website had me really terrified, honestly, with some of the side effects, but I had to take the chance. Started at the lowest dose for the 2-week trial, Qsymia had a free 14-day trial. Rare side effects: headaches, tingly hands and feet, irritability outside my normal b*tchiness once, lol, blurred vision once when I was very tired. While I'm very overweight, I've never had much of an appetite so that did not change. The kind of food I've been eating while on Qsymia has definitely changed, though, all healthy, ONLY water, no food after 6 pm. I have not been exercising, upped dose 5/4, same minimal side effects, down 13 lbs in 20 days."

• Mom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 9, 2016

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I am 5'2, started at 187. Have been on it for 3 days, down 4 lbs! The only side effects are blurry vision & no appetite! Since I am a foodaholic, I still find myself thinking about food, but I ask myself, 'Am I really hungry or do I just want to eat?' The answer is usually that I just want to eat. I am using this time to make healthier choices and lifestyle changes, so when I get off, I will have less of a chance of gaining the weight back. I will keep you updated."

• JYa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 4, 2019

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "Female, 56 years old. I have been taking Qsymia for 18 months. I lost 33 pounds in about 8 months. I went from size 14 to size 6-8 pants. I keep taking Qsymia to maintain my weight. I sometimes go to one pill every other day, but as soon as I start gaining some weight (up to 4 pounds), I go back to one every day. Side effects: I had eye and hand tingling for two or three weeks, permanent dry mouth, dry eyes, food tastes bad, but you get used to it. My vision was getting worse, and the ophthalmologist told me that it had nothing to do with the medication. Recently, I have had blurred vision and eye pain that worsened this past weekend. I am calling my endocrinologist on Monday. I am going back to one pill every other day and probably stop the medication to see if that helps, but I am concerned that I will gain some weight."

• MRN...
• May 19, 2016

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "You may lose weight, but you will probably lose your mind, too. This stuff gave me the worst ADD and confusion. I was constantly like, 'What was I doing? Where did I put that? What was I saying?' I mean, it was BAD!! And the longer I took it, the worse it got! And the headaches and irritability, the racing heart, shortness of breath, the blurred vision, it's just awful!! Sure, I lost 10 pounds in 11 days, but I felt like I was going to absolutely die. So I took a break for a couple of weeks and thought I would try it again. A week into it was the same exact scenario. And exercise? How? My heart already feels like it is going to explode when I'm just sitting around! This stuff is toxic. A gastric bypass would be healthier!!"

• McC...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 2, 2023

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "This medication is dangerous. I started out on the normal dosage that the doctors left me on it for 2 years, and I only lost 10 lbs. I gained it back because I stayed constipated. I worked out and starved myself and still didn’t lose any weight. After two years on the normal dose, I was bumped up to 8.5 mg and had no weight loss, but did get stomach pain from constipation, forgetfulness, exhaustion, and weakness. I was bumped up to 11 mg despite my not wanting to. Still, no weight loss, still experienced stomach pain from constipation, forgetfulness, exhaustion, weakness, blurred vision, light sensitivity, light-headedness, dizziness, tremors, numbness and tingling in the back of my head, the bottom of my feet, weakness in hands, and my vision worsened. All symptoms went away within 3 weeks of discontinuing the medication."

• ann...
• September 9, 2015

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I'm always leery about primary care providers pushing weight loss meds like Belviq and Qsymia and insulin pens that make you lose weight. After all, what incentives are they getting from the company? The upside to this medicine is the trial basis took care of my cervical neck pain, but the combination of the meds was a disaster. I felt moody, irritable, anxious, depressed, hopeless, tingly all over, headaches, nauseated, thirsty, never hungry thanks to nausea, sleeplessness, wired!!! and tired!!! Odd sensations, cold and heat intolerance, panic, blurred vision. No thanks, I would rather be fat and happy! I was eating healthy and drinking only water but was unable to lose the weight. This is a horrible medicine!!"

• Sle...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2019

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "The first few days of taking Qsymia, I had really bad headaches. After a month, I had to get prescription glasses due to blurred vision, so I will no longer be using it. From June 20 to July 24, I lost 8.2 lbs with no Qsymia, just counting calories. From July 30 to Sept 5, with Qsymia and counting calories still, I lost 7.6 lbs. So somehow it’s had negative side effects and slowed my weight loss. This is not worth the $118 I had to pay."

• Dee...
• March 18, 2016

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I was at 260 pounds, which made me very scared and determined to do something about it. I started Qsymia on Feb. 13 and have only been on the starter dose of 3.75. I have been using MyFitnessPal and tracking my food intake, trying to eat fewer carbs/sugars and more proteins and more complex carbs (like vegetables and whole grains). I went to the doctor today, March 18, and lost 9 pounds. I am super happy. I have tingling toes and fingers. I have somewhat blurry vision, but it's not that bad. My goal is to get off high blood pressure meds and get to a healthy weight. The doctor upped my prescription to 7.5, and I'm hoping for even better results."

• Pea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 15, 2016

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "Run from this medication, it is toxic. I took it from Jan 26, 2016, to Feb 13, 2016. Here is how my doc prescribed it: a 14-day starter pack, then I started the higher dose on Fri, 2/12/16. Sat was my last day taking that poison. Today, I feel as if I'm withdrawing from something much stronger that I've been on much longer, and what's worse, this is the only medication I was taking. From day one, I felt so bad, but I thought it would get better. It never did, it only got worse. Here are/were some of my side effects: dry mouth, fast heart rate, anxiety, insomnia, nervousness, anger, gums hurting, blurred vision, rash. This is from 16 days only because I skipped a day or two. Trust me, stay away from Qsymia, it is not worth any weight loss."

• kok...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 17, 2018

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I have been taking Qsymia, the starter dose, for 6 days now. The first 3 days I immediately experienced blurry vision, dizziness, headaches, dry mouth, and head fogginess like I was in outer space, but it wasn't horrible. It's worth it if you want to lose weight. I didn't lose my appetite completely, but I definitely don't crave junk and fast food like I used to, and I'm not hungry all the time. I feel full a lot. After the 3rd day, all those bad symptoms went away, I'm guessing my body adjusted to the meds. I haven't really been eating the healthiest since I started and only worked out twice, and I lost 2 pounds so far. I will return with another review when I finish with the starter dose."

• Dia...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 2, 2017

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I have lost 18 lb, but the side effects are: severe groin pain, severe leg cramps, muscle spasms, blurred vision, chest pains, unable to sleep well, cannot walk right, shoulder bone aches. I thought it was due to age, but it's not! Even though I have lost weight, it's not worth feeling the way I feel! I'm not going to take this medication any longer! I have taken two other weight loss medications that did not work. This medication worked, but the side effects are horrible! I would not recommend to anyone!"

• Qsy...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 19, 2016

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "My personal experience with Qsymia was not favorable. However, other people have shared their experience with me and didn't experience the same side effects. The blurred vision was enough to seriously scare me away from this drug. After about an hour after taking Qsymia, it was extremely difficult for me to drive due to blurred vision. I couldn't make out anything on my computer monitor at work after a couple of hours and started having migraines. It may be effective, but I didn't think the side effects were too harsh on my body."

• Fie...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 21, 2016

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I've been taking phentermine for almost 5 days, and I've lost 7 lbs so far. I also take topiramate, but that is for sleep apnea and my migraines. I've been eating only good things and only drank water. I find it extremely hard to eat over 1000 calories because I get full so fast. I have had some hallucinations and blurry vision, as well as stomach pains. But other than that, it's been going great!"

• Pre...
• February 29, 2016

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I'm losing weight like crazy. December I weighed 330. February 28, I weigh 284. Dry mouth, blurred vision, itchy feet and dry eyes, blood pressure going down. I'm going to go have my sugar levels checked just in case I have diabetes. But I don't feel like I do. You are all describing my symptoms."

• Jes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 27, 2016

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I've been on phentermine/topamax combo for about a week now. When I started, I was 218. I'm down to 210, so that's 8 lbs in a week. :) Yeah! But the topamax is nasty stuff, makes me feel weird, eyes sensitive to light, blurred vision. Confusion, hard to concentrate, itchy skin. And grumpy. Thank God my plan is to only use this for a short while. It does seem to help with hunger. However, it's still not a cure-all. For me, it's worth it because I couldn't lose the weight on my own. If you can stand the side effects, I would recommend it."

• Toa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 2, 2016

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I have been on 25 mg 2x a day for a month now for weight control and as a mood stabilizer. When I started, I weighed 235 lbs and I am 5' tall, and I have lost 11 lbs. It makes it so I just don't want to eat as much. I feel full very quickly. I get thirsty very fast, so I keep drinking a lot of water, but that isn't a change for me. I have noticed that my feet and hands go numb, but it is worth the weight loss. My vision is blurred a bit even with my glasses, but nothing terrible. I'm hoping to keep going and continue with my weight loss."

• Tab...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 12, 2019

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I'm a 37 y/o female weighing 348.4 lbs. My health issues are: PCOS, hypothyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, hypertension, anemia, vitamin D, and magnesium deficiency. Prior to hypothyroidism, I only had PCOS. Last year, I injured my back. The injury and the health issues have led to a 130 lb weight gain. My endocrinologist put me on phentermine 30 mg and topiramate 25 mg. I have taken phentermine in the past successfully. I am on day three of this combination. I have noticed side effects. For me, they are dizziness, diarrhea (constipated as well), blurry vision, drugged feeling, anxious, slight nausea, and dry mouth. My medicine says to take with or without food. I've been taking it without food 30 minutes to an hour before eating. The dizziness, nausea, and drugged feeling get better once I eat. Drinking water also helps. Starting tomorrow, I'll be taking it with food. I know that there is often a period of adjustment. I will update in a week or so."

• Blu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 29, 2016

Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate) for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "Tried for a couple of days and could get past the blurry vision and agitation."