Taking phentermine together with other diet medications such as fenfluramine (Phen-Fen) or dexfenfluramine (Redux) can cause a rare fatal lung disorder called pulmonary hypertension. Do not take phentermine with any other diet medications without your doctor’s advice.

Common Medications that Pose Increased Risk in Pulmonary Hypertension

• Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory pain medications (NSAIDS)
• Nerve Pain Medications.
• Antibiotics With PAH.
• Sleeping Pills With Pulmonary Hypertension.

Illicit drugs likely to cause PAH include: Amphetamines. Dasatinib. L-tryptophan….Documented drugs implicated in PAH include:

• Aminorex.
• Fenfluramine.
• Dexfenfluramine.
• Toxic rapeseed oil.
• Benfluorex.
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

A diet rich in iron, found in red meat and dark, leafy greens, and vitamin C, found in bell peppers, orange, tomatoes and broccoli, can help manage the symptoms of the disease.

Exposure to the anorectic drug fenfluramine, alone or in combination with phentermine, a noradrenergic central nervous system stimulant, has been associated with unusual cardiac valvular morphology and resultant regurgitation of the left- and right-sided heart valves.

Medications

• Blood vessel dilators (vasodilators). Vasodilators relax and open narrowed blood vessels, improving blood flow.
• Guanylate cyclase (GSC) stimulators.
• Endothelin receptor antagonists.
• Sildenafil and tadalafil.
• High-dose calcium channel blockers.
• Warfarin (Jantoven).
• Digoxin (Lanoxin).
• Diuretics.

Riociguat is the first approved medication from the novel class of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulators and the only agent approved for treating both chronic thromboembolic hypertension (CTEPH) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Group 3: Pulmonary hypertension caused by lung disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Scarring of the tissue between the lung’s air sacs (pulmonary fibrosis) Obstructive sleep apnea. Long-term exposure to high altitudes in people who may be at higher risk of pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension cannot be cured, but treatments can reduce your symptoms and help you manage your condition. If the cause is identified and treated early, it may be possible to prevent permanent damage to your pulmonary arteries, which are the blood vessels that supply your lungs.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol should be avoided because they can increase blood pressure. Choose non-caffeinated and non-alcoholic drinks.

Phentermine may cause a serious increase in your blood pressure. This may make your heart work harder. The extra stress on your heart may make your heart disease worse. For people with history of hyperthyroidism: Tell your doctor if you have hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid).

Fen-Phen is the common name of a weight loss protocol heavily marketed in the 1990’s that combined phentermine with either fenfluramine (Pondimin) or dexfenfluramine (Redux).

Lung transplantation: Currently, this is the only cure for pulmonary hypertension that is caused by chronic blood clots. Transplantation is reserved for advanced pulmonary hypertension that does not respond to medical therapy. The right side of the heart will generally return to normal after the lung/lungs have been transplanted.

Fatigue, dizziness, and fainting spells also can be symptoms. Swelling in the ankles, abdomen or legs, bluish lips and skin, and chest pain may occur as strain on the heart increases. Symptoms range in severity and a given patient may not have all of the symptoms.

Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Pulmonary hypertension is when the blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs becomes abnormally high due to narrowing of the vessels. This strains the right ventricle of the heart and could lead to heart failure.