Phentramin-D Diet Pill Review: The "Legal" Phentermine?
The folks marketing Phentramin-D™ seem to have no problems pushing the limits with their advertising spiel...
"Phentramin-d uses an advanced Scientifically Developed Formula to produce the Most Powerful Weight Loss Pill legally available without a prescription."
Of course, if I had a nickel for every time I've heard that one, I wouldn't be typing this right now; I'd be sipping a drink—relaxing under a palm tree on a tropical island somewhere, as opposed to dealing with the onset of yet another brutal Canadian winter.
They also claim their product is similar in chemical structure to the prescription diet drug Phentermine (a statement that means nothing, as there a zillions of compounds that share a similar chemical structure) and produces near-similar appetite suppressing results.
Of course, there is absolutely no clinical data on any sort to validate any of these statements. We're to take this all on the word of the retailer.
How does Phentramin-D™ work?
Well, if you read the advertising copy, you'll no doubt be impressed by how "scientific" it all sounds. There's lots of talk of "sympathomimetic amines", "cyclic AMP" (cAMP), and the "manipulation of catecholamines." It really appears like this product is on the cutting edge of science. Pay no attention to this; it's a perfect example of the retailer trying to baffle you with bulls**t.
So what's in Phentramin-D™?
1) 1,3.7 Trimethylxanthine: Elissa wrote a great blog post recently about how some retailers will use complicated nomenclature to hide the true identity of ordinary ingredients. In this case, 1,3.7 Trimethylxanthine is more commonly known as "caffeine."
Nothing wrong with including caffeine in your weight loss product, of course—research shows it does offer some benefit for weight loss (see Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):44-50, Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97)
It's a completely different thing when you try to disguise it, and even go so far as to bash competitors for using it in their formulas...
"We recommend that you compare this formula with other diet pills claiming to work like Phentermine. They haven't caught on yet - they're still selling big capsules with hoodia and caffeine powder. We promote other diet pills, but only Phentramin-D gets 5 stars for its unique and powerful formula."
And then they go and put it in their own product! Go figure!
Obviously, they also don't have a lot of respect for you, their potential customer either; bad-mouthing their competitors' for using a low quality, common ingredient while hiding that same ingredient on their own product label?
They're assuming that you're an idiot, apparently.
Back to the caffeine content...
Unfortunately, we also do not know how much caffeine is included in this formula and whether or not it is included in a potent enough dosage to elicit any effect. I would suspect it is; it's cheap enough, and one of those ingredients customers can definitely "feel."
2) 1,3-Dimethylpentylamine: Again, this looks much more "scientific" than simply labeling it as "geranamine", a geranium oil derivative (you'll also see it labelled as DMAA, 1-3 dimethylamylamine). Geranamine is a very potent central nervous system stimulant commonly used as a nasal decongestant.
Several supplement companies are using geranamine in their product's formulas claiming it suppresses appetite, elevates the metabolism and ramps up cAMP levels.
One such company, Ergopharm, received some pretty negative publicity from the Washington Post when it launched a geranamine-based fat burner called AMP into the marketplace—so little is known about this substance that its safety and even its "legaility" was being called into question.
However, according to our scientific and technical advisor Elissa, the aforementioned Washington Post article is a little over the top, and in keeping with the mainstream media's if-you-don't-know-what-it-does-then-it-must-be-deadly point of view. She also made this valid point...
"Still, there's a larger message in the article too, that people should heed: if you don't know what you're taking, then you can't assume it's safe, either. All too many companies use their customers as guinea pigs, so it pays to be a little cautious."
That aside, no one has been able to present any clinical data to validate geranamine's weight loss benefits—and that includes the manufacturers of Phentramin-D™.
As a CNS stimulant, it is not unreasonable to assume that geranamine might provide some (or all) of the weight loss benefits common to ephedrine or amphetamine-like compounds (i.e., appetite suppression, etc). Just how effective it is in comparison to these, or even to plain old caffeine, is a matter of speculation.
It may be moderately helpful—as helpful, more, or even less so. There are certainly plenty of anecdotal comments online from people using it for "the buzz" or to get ramped up for a workout... but as far as weight loss goes?
Who knows?
No one—and certainly not the retailers of Phentramin-D™. And there's not one iota of evidence to validate the "better than phentermine" claim. This is marketing, pure and simple.
At the end of the day, Phentramin-D™ is a caffeine-geranamine blend of indeterminable strength and potency.
It's hard to justify $67 for a month's worth for a product that has only one proven ingredient (i.e., the caffeine, and you can buy it dirt cheap).
Even if you really wanted to experiment with the DMAA/caffeine combination you could do it much cheaper...
- At the time of this update (March 2011), iHerb sells a dedicated DMAA supplement for $27 (use the coupon code FAT259 to get $5 off your first order).
- Over at BodyBuilding.com, you can pick up a bottle of 100 caffeine tabs for less than $5.
Yes, even if you factor in the cost of shipping you're still saving a ton of cash. Plus, you're getting enough product for 6-8 weeks of supplementation. A word to the wise though; DMAA is extremely potent and not something you should experiment with if you have any health issues, or are sensitive to stimulants (for more information, check the complete DMAA, 1-3 dimethylamylamine review).
Additionally, I have a problem with companies that "cross over the line" with their marketing; the claims made for Phentramin-D™ are totally outrageous, and show nothing but disdain for the intellect of their potential customers.
If you have to experiment with a geranamine-based supplement, I'd be more comfortable recommending Ergopharm's Amp V2 simply from a savings perspective—it's available for $29.99 at BodyBuilding.com (at the lowest dose, this provides a month's supply). That, or making your own stack, as documented above.
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