I am a transgender person undergoing gender transition, and I'm having a (relatively) minor problem.
I am "assigned male at birth" and in my mid 30s, I am taking hormones to "feminize" my body to alleviate gender dysphoria. I'm seeing some good results so far, but there is one thing that bothers me about my body's response to hormones.
Male and female bodies, on average, have different body fat "distributions", and what I mean by that is that a male person of a healthy weight will generally carry more fat on his torso and his abdomen in particular while a female person of a healthy weight will generally carry more fat on her breasts and thighs.
When one takes hormones for gender transition from male to female, it is expected that the patient will lose some of the fat from their torso while gaining some around their thighs (and the reverse for female to male).
After over a year of hormone therapy, I'm seeing some welcome results. I'm seeing softer skin and body hair, breast development, and more body fat around my face and thighs. I actually went from 165 lbs to 175 lbs (about 5'11"). The problem is that the "male pattern" fat around my abdomen is stubbornly still there.
I don't want to try to explain exactly how gender dysphoria works, but generally speaking, I want to bring my body into line with what I would expect it to be if I had been assigned female at birth. I told my physician that I feel "disgusted" by seeing my apple-shaped body in the mirror.
My physician sees mostly transgender patients and he prescribed 37.5 mg daily phentermine; he said that the average person who takes this loses 10 to 20 pounds. If I were to lose 20 pounds, my BMI would drop from about 24.5 to 21.5, well within the healthy range, so I think that should be fine. Hopefully, if I were to regain some of it, the weight would end up on my thighs and not on my tummy owing to the hormones I inject regularly.
I started the drug today, taking my first dose at about 3 PM because I was in a situation earlier today where it would be dangerous if the drug prevented me from thinking clearly. I'm instructed to otherwise take the drug in the morning because it can interfere with sleep.
I'm just feeling a bit concerned having read some of the literature about phentermine. I've read that it is similar to amphetamine drugs, to which I had an unpleasant reaction years ago. I've read that it is generally considered a serious drug to be given to obese patients and not to people with only a small amount of weight to lose.
My limited understanding is that the drug should basically "speed up" my body and reduce my appetite. I am prone to insomnia and I hope I'll be able to rest well at night!
I don't know what it is that I hope you'll tell me, but I just feel a bit nervous about taking this drug after seeing what others are saying about it.
One particular question I would like an answer to is this: If I experience unpleasant side effects, should I expect that such side effects are likely transient and will go away with continued use, or should I expect that whatever side effects occur will likely last the duration of my treatment with phentermine.
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