Phentermine, Phentarmine, Phentirimine: Trust no one

If you've struggled with weight loss, it's possible a doctor may have prescribed you the drug phentermine.

It comes from the amphetamine family (its name is a composite of phenyl-tertiary-butylamine) and therefore is a Class IV controlled substance, putting it in the same league as Xanax, Valium and chloral hydrate, the stuff someone's always putting in James Bond's drinks to knock him out. No controlled substance prescription, no phentermine for you.

Remember the fen-phen scare from the 1990s? The combo of fenfluramine and phentermine may have helped some people lose weight, but it also gave them heart attacks, and litigation costs are still running into the gazillions.