Effect of phentermine on weight reduction in a pediatric weight management clinic

Phentermine is the most widely prescribed obesity medication in adults, yet studies of its use in the pediatric population are limited. We conducted a retrospective chart review of adolescents with obesity treated in a pediatric weight management clinic to examine the weight loss effectiveness of phentermine added to standard of care (SOC) lifestyle modification therapy versus SOC alone. All patients receiving phentermine plus SOC ( n =25) were matched with a comparison group receiving only SOC ( n =274). Differences at 1, 3 and 6 months were evaluated using generalized estimated equations adjusting for age, sex and baseline body mass index (BMI) and robust variance standard error estimates for confidence intervals and P -values. Phentermine use was associated with a greater percent change in BMI at 1 month (−1.6%; 95% confidence interval (CI): −2.6, −0.6%; P =0.001), 3 months (−2.9%; 95% CI: −4.5, −1.4%; P