GLP-1 TV · Patient story · views checked Oct 2026
I Lost 15 Pounds in 4 Weeks on Phentermine| Try This if You Can't Get GLP1 Weight Loss Medication
Our summary
In this video, a creator who goes by Deja says she lost 15 pounds in 4 weeks using phentermine after she could not get a GLP-1 medication. She explains that her insurance only covers those drugs for people with diabetes, and she is pre-diabetic, so her doctor suggested a daily pill instead. She says she was first given phentermine together with topiramate, disliked the combination, and was allowed to continue on phentermine alone.
One person's experience, in their words. Not medical advice.
Where GLP-1 costs least today
The three cheapest partner programs for GLP-1, all in per month, checked weekly.
What else the video covers
She reports taking phentermine from December 2 to December 20, on and off, skipping it on days she planned to drink. By her account she went from 281 pounds at the doctor's office to 266 pounds on January 1, and did not regain weight during the 11 days she was off it. She says she also raised her protein intake, drank a lot of water, walked toward 10,000 steps a day, did home workouts of about 30 minutes, and used a steam sauna. She says she went from roughly 4,000 calories a day to about 1,200, and credits the medication with reducing food noise.
She lists side effects she experienced: dry mouth, feeling overly happy or spaced out, constipation, frequent urination, and mood changes such as getting angry more easily. She says people with depression or anxiety may not be suited to it because it is a stimulant, and that anyone considering it should check with their primary care provider. She notes she cannot drink alcohol while on it, and that she plans to take it daily for 15 more days with a goal of losing another 15 pounds by her birthday. She adds that the medication will not work without diet and exercise.
Our summary of what is said, in our words. Doses, results and prices are the speaker’s, not advice.
Takeaways
The main points, in the order they come up. Tap a time to play from there.
- 1:01 She says she was told her insurance covers GLP-1 drugs only for people with diabetes, so she was offered phentermine instead.
- 2:32 She reports disliking phentermine combined with topiramate and continuing on phentermine alone after her doctor agreed.
- 4:05 She says her weight went from 281 pounds to 266 pounds between her first doctor visit and January 1.
- 4:35 She describes eating more protein, drinking more water, and staying in a calorie deficit, with the medication reducing food noise.
- 7:10 She says walking, short home workouts, and steam sauna sessions were part of her routine.
- 9:14 She lists her side effects, including dry mouth, constipation, mood changes, and frequent urination, and advises checking with a primary care provider.
Key moments
From the creator's own chapters. Tap one to play from there.
What the video says
As stated in the video, not checked by us. Doses and results are the speaker’s, not advice.
- Point in the journey
- Week 4
- Weight loss mentioned
- 15 lb, in the title
- Side effects mentioned
- constipation and fatigue
- Who is speaking
- Patient
Questions this video answers
How much weight did she lose on phentermine in 4 weeks?
She says she lost 15 pounds, going from 281 pounds to 266 pounds. She also says she took it for about 20 days, on and off, and kept the weight off during about 11 days without it.
What side effects did she have on phentermine?
She reports dry mouth, feeling overly happy or spaced out, constipation, frequent urination, and a shorter temper. She says she takes laxatives in the evening to help with constipation.
Why did she try phentermine instead of a GLP-1 medication?
She says her insurance requires a diabetes diagnosis to cover GLP-1 drugs, and she is pre-diabetic but not diabetic. She also says she did not want to pay $2,000 out of pocket.
Videos on the same question
The closest videos in the library by what is said in them, not by title.
Hit a Weight Loss Plateau on GLP-1s? Doctor Explains Your OptionsIn this video, Dr. Spencer Nadolsky explains how he approaches patients who say they have maxed out their GLP-1 dose and stopped losing weight.
Fine Summer Challenge wk.1 Rybelsus (Semaglutide) vs. Phentermine and Wegovy, OzempicIn this first video of a summer weight loss challenge, the creator says she is starting Rybelsus, the pill form of semaglutide, about three and a half weeks before filming.
Mounjaro for Weight Loss week 1 | I’m SHOCKED at how much I lost!Brittany, who runs the Brittany Rose GLP1 channel, records her first week of taking Mounjaro together with Phentermine for weight loss.
Zepbound Weight Loss on Lower vs Higher Doses? (Obesity Doctor)In this question-and-answer session, Dr. Meghan, who describes herself as board certified in internal medicine, lifestyle medicine and obesity medicine, answers viewer questions about GLP-1 medications and related topics.
From Pre-Diabetes to Healthy Wins See My Progress!Rhonda, who runs the channel The Mature Diva, gives a one-year update on her effort to lose weight and manage pre-diabetes.
Read next
Our guides closest to what this video covers, with prices checked weekly.
- How to get a GLP-1 covered by insurance, in the order it actually works
There are four gates and most people fight the wrong one first. Before any clinical criterion applies, your employer has to have bought the weight-loss drug category at all, and if they did not, no BMI number and no comorbidity will change the answer. Once past that, the published criteria across the major insurers are strikingly consistent: BMI of 30 or more, or 27 with a weight-related condition, plus a documented period of lifestyle change, plus roughly 5 percent weight loss to stay approved at renewal.
- Your GLP-1 was denied. Which kind of no was it?
Three different things get called a denial and only two are worth appealing. If your plan excludes weight-loss drugs as a category, the refusal is not about you and no amount of clinical documentation moves it. If it is step therapy or unmet criteria, both are answerable, and the answer is usually documentation rather than argument. Here is how to tell which one you got, and what each needs.
- The best GLP-1 for weight loss, ranked by the evidence and then by the bill
By weight lost, the order is settled: tirzepatide (Zepbound) first at 20.2% in the only head-to-head, then semaglutide 7.2 mg (Wegovy HD) at 18.7%, then semaglutide 2.4 mg (Wegovy) at 13.7% to 15.6%, then the pills. By what you pay, the order nearly inverts: compounded semaglutide from $69 a month, the Wegovy tablet from $149, Wegovy pen $349, Zepbound $299 to $699 by dose. The best one is where those two lists meet for your budget and your plan.
Find more like it
Side effectsWeigh-in and resultsFood, protein and eatingFood noise and cravingsMood and mental healthCost and insuranceExercise and strengthAlcoholConstipationFatigue
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