JazzVibe

ITS nickname is "legal speed'' and the potentially deadly weight loss drug Duromine's popularity is experiencing a dangerous revival.

The drug, which boasts of suppressing the appetite and assisting in rapid weight loss, has an active ingredient (phentermine) which can have the same affect as speed. Duromine is one of the oldest diet pills in the marketplace.

Phentermine can cause restlessness, insomnia, agitation, increased heart rate, headaches, increased blood pressure, dry mouth and vomiting.

While it is advised the use of the prescription-only drug should be reviewed every three months, Australian Medical Association president Dr Christian Rowan said abuse was rife.

"We know that there have been adverse side effects and also some people have abused the drug from a dependency perspective," he said.

"It really has a limited role when it comes to weight loss and in very limited circumstances."

The Therapeutic Goods Association has recorded 16 adverse event notifications in the past three years, up from 15 between 2008 and 2010 and 12 between 2005 and 2007 including a fatal cardiac arrest in 2011 listing Duromine as a suspected cause.

Morgan Higgin said she always struggled to maintain her weight and was prescribed the drug, which the TGA has approved for people with a body mass index of 30, or in some cases, above 25kg/m2, by her GP after being diagnosed with an under active thyroid.

The 22-year-old said she had experienced some side effects including a higher-than-usual heart rate and becoming emotional, and had decided to look for other weight loss tools.

"Sometimes I find myself overly emotional," she said.

"For example reading funny insults online made me cry or hearing my brother sing made me extremely angry - watching Big Brother I got way too overwhelmed during their arguments."

Another Duromine user, Mia Conlon, admitted to abusing the drug, visiting different GPs so she could continue using it for a 12 month period - four times the recommended duration.

"There should be stricter guidelines ... but you can't blame doctors for prescribing things when you ask them for help."

Mia said she had achieved a dramatic weight loss of 30kg over six months thanks to the drug, spending about $140 a month, but had experienced drastic side effects.

"You do lose weight quickly but you get really bad skin, your hair starts to fall out ... but that's how important it is to be skinny these days.

"I would rather have falling out hair and breaking nails than be fat," Ms Conlon said.

iNova Pharmaceuticals supplies the drug in Australia and recommends it to be used as short-term therapy. iNova scientific communications manager Naomi Adam said side-effects were "part and parcel" of drug use.

"Every drug has side-effects, it's a question of the risk-benefit ratio," she said, adding the drug was not addictive and Duromine was only the ''suspected'' cause of the 2011 fatal cardiac arrest, not proven cause.

She said the drug did have similar effects to speed "at face value" but was designed for weight loss.

Eating Disorders Association Queensland co-ordinator Desi Achilleos said the abuse of Duromine had resulted in serious outcomes for people struggling with their weight and self-loathing.

"It helps you decrease your appetite but it affects your sleep and all sorts,'' she said. "People are so focused on weight loss that these kinds of pills affect other areas of your health in a negative way."

Nutrition Australia Queensland senior nutritionist Aloysa Hourigan said she would never recommend the drug.

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