PhenQ Vs. Duromine – What’s Better: OTC or Prescription Pill?

January 10, 2024 |

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Duromine gives you quicker weight loss results. However, it is not as safe as PhenQ, which is why not everyone is allowed to use it.

And even if you qualify for the prescription, I recommend you first check out the case studies (I have shared below) reporting the adverse effects of its active ingredient. 

That would help you determine if it is worth the risk or if you should go for an OTC fat burner like PhenQ.

To make this easier for you, I have compared their ingredients, working mechanisms, and side effects in this guide.  But if you are in a hurry, here are the key things you should know when deciding between PhenQ and Duromine:

Best Choice

PhenQ

Overall rating: 4.9/5
  • An OTC fat burner made in GMP-approved facilities.
  • Made with natural and herbal ingredients.
  • Reduces appetite and subsides sugar cravings.
  • Makes natural metabolism faster and more efficient
  • Few mild side effects
  • Readily available for online purchase within & outside the US
Best Value

Duromine

Overall rating: 3.8/5
  • A prescription-only pill
  • Based on a schedule 4, controlled ingredient (phentermine)
  • Curbs hunger and controls cravings
  • Causes a slight increase in fat metabolism
  • Severe side effects
  • Not widely available within the US and may require sourcing from overseas

What Is PhenQ & How Does It Work?

PhenQ is an over-the-counter supplement formulated to help you stay consistent with your diet plans and shed those stubborn fats. 

Its natural ingredients utilize multiple mechanisms to promote fat loss. For example, stimulatory and non-stimulatory thermogenesis, energy expenditure increment, and fat excretion with feces.

PhenQ bottles and pills

Similarly, stimulation, hormonal control, and glycemic management mechanisms are used to prevent binge eating. 

Plus, this diet supplement safeguards muscle from quick degradation and also provides clean energy.

PhenQ Pros

  • Natural and safe,
  • 3-tier appetite suppression
  • Burns stored fats and prevents re-accumulation
  • Better safety profile with a few short-lived side effects only
  • Comes with free shipping and a 100% refund guarantee

PhenQ Cons

  • You can’t buy it from your local pharmacy

What Is Duromine & How Does It Work?

Duromine is a highly potent anorectic drug (appetite suppressant), but its safety profile is murky.

This prescription drug is a brand version of the popular prescription appetite suppressant phentermine, a compound structurally resembling amphetamines.  Chemically speaking, it is called a sympathomimetic amine.

Duromine

Sympathomimetic drugs work by mimicking the action of neural stimulators. In turn, they trigger adrenergic pathways, causing stress response effects like appetite suppression, increased fat oxidation, and uplifted energy.

Duromine Pros

  • Curbs Appetite to restrict calorie intake
  • Mild thermogenesis to support weight loss

Duromine Cons

  • Not available over-the-counter
  • May cause a lot of side effects, including severe complications like heart attack and stroke

The price for duromine varies across different states and countries. Plus, to buy it online, you would need to submit your doctor’s prescription first. So, no link here, sorry. 🙁

PhenQ Vs. Duromine – Product Comparison

Brand Reputation

Duromine is produced by iNovo Pharmaceutical, an international drug manufacturer with established centers in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and Asia Pacific.

It is a reputable drug company whose history goes as back as 1846 (previously, it was known as 3M Pharmaceutical and Riker Laboratories). Besides Duromine, this pharma also produces the popular weight loss drug Contrave.

And Who Makes PhenQ

This fat burner is manufactured and sold under the umbrella of Wolfson Brands, a company serving the fitness and beauty industry since 2005. Their supplements are sold and used worldwide.

Only the PhenQ brand has a happy customer base of more than 190,000 people.

Key Ingredients

PhenQ is a blend of 13 natural ingredients that are either directly extracted from plants (caffeine anhydrous, piperine, Nopal cactus extracts) or are proprietary blends made with herbal components (like Capsimax, Innoslim, and a-Lacy’s Reset).

In contrast, phentermine is the only active ingredient in Duromine. Unlike PhenQ’s natural ingredients, it is a synthetic stimulant that triggers the nervous system to suppress appetite. 

Common Ingredients:

No common active ingredient

Unique Ingredients:

PhenQ 

  • L-carnitine L-tartrate
  • Innoslim
  • Caffeine Anhydrous
  • Capsimax Powder
  • ɑ-Lacy’s Reset  
  • Nopal Cactus
  • Piperine
  • Chromium picolinate
  • Vitamin B3 or Niacin
  • Vitamin B6 
  • Vitamin B12
  • Copper
  • Iodine

Duromine

  • Phentermine

Dosage Regimen

The recommended daily dosage for PhenQ is 2 pills/daily in 2 servings, one before breakfast and the other before lunch.

But with Duromine, you only need to take 1 pill in the morning, and that’s enough for the whole day.

It is necessary to stick with dosage recommendations for both medicines, especially for the latter, as phentermine (Duromine ingredient) overdosage can result in more severe side effects than caffeine (PhenQ ingredient) overdose.

verdict

Duromine’s manufacturer iNovo Pharmaceuticals specializes in producing OTC and prescription drugs for general health, while PhenQ producer Wolfson’s Brands is mainly a fitness supplement producer.

PhenQ’s ingredients are natural, but the Duromine active agent is a synthetic compound. Its 1 capsule is enough daily, but PhenQ gives the best results with 2 servings of 1 capsule each.

PhenQ CT

Duromine Vs. PhenQ – Which One Is Best For Weight Loss?

PhenQ Uplifts Fat Loss More Effectively Than Duromine

PhenQ ingredients affect metabolism at different levels using multiple mechanisms, ensuring quick fat loss without adversely affecting your health. 

In contrast, Duromine induces fat burn only as a stress response resulting from phentermine overstimulation. 

Such fat loss is unnatural and unhealthy due to phentermine’s high stimulation potency.

Duromine Is The Stronger Anorectic, But PhenQ Is Natural And Safer 

Duromine (phentermine) is a highly effective anorectic drug, used for many decades for its hunger-suppressing properties.  As discussed above, your appetite goes away after taking this pill because of the sympathomimetic effects of phentermine. And having a potent stimulant as its core ingredient, Duromine can make you drop a whooping amount of weight in a few weeks.

PhenQ also helps you avoid binge eating and minimize food cravings, but stimulation (from caffeine) has only a small contribution to it.

Instead, it is formulated to curb hunger more naturally and treat the underlying issues behind excessive food cravings and binge eating habits like insulin resistance. 

  • Innoslim in PhenQ tends to reduce insulin resistance and stabilize blood glycemic levels. As a result, you feel less sugar cravings and stay full for longer.
  • Cysteine from ɑ-Lacy’s Reset suppresses appetite without any stimulatory effects by lowering the secretion of hunger hormone (ghrelin). 
  • Fiber from Nopal cactus fills up physical space in the gut and makes food stay there for longer, keeping you satisfied for many hours after your previous meal.

Overall, PhenQ diet pills are formulated to give you more control over your eating habits, but they do not suppress your appetite to the extent that you cannot enjoy your meals.

PhenQ Shields Muscles From Atrophy, Duromine Doesn’t

5 PhenQ ingredients (L-carnitine, Vitamin B3, B6, B12, and ALA) help you retain muscle mass, especially when taking a restricted calorie diet and exercising harder to get that slim figure.

As these components make muscles more resistant to injury and breakdown, you will get more benefits from your workouts.

In contrast, Duromine has no preserving effects on muscles. Phentermine gives you energy but does not increase muscular strength or endurance.

verdict

PhenQ natural ingredients employ different strategies to uplift metabolism and lower appetite, resulting in gradual and healthier weight reduction. Conversely, duromine uses phentermine stimulation to provide quick weight loss.

Hence, I suggest choosing PhenQ over Duromine for long-term, effective, and health-friendly weight loss.

PhenQ CT

PhenQ and Duromine Side Effects – Which Is Safer?

PhenQ Fat Burner Side Effects

PhenQ complaints are mostly reported during the first few days of supplementation. And as your gut gets accustomed to concentrated thermogenic blends, side effects also wear off.

Usually, it causes mild side effects, including nausea, diarrhea, headaches, stomach ache, and bloating owing to potent thermogenic ingredients.

PhenQ Contradictions

PhenQ is not recommended for children below 18 and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers as a precaution.

Similarly, no drug interactions have been reported by real PhenQ users. However, it is highly recommended that you stick to the dosage guidelines, as overdosing on some of its ingredients can lead to unwanted results, as explained in this guide.

Duromine Side Effects

The list of side effects is quite long for duromine, and all the blame goes to phentermine’s stimulatory content.

In fact, it is such a strong stimulant that the FDA has placed it in Schedule 4 drugs (these are the drugs with a high abuse potential).

Common Side Effects

Common side effects are rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, sleep issues, tremors, headache, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, abdominal cramps, dry mouth, unpleasant taste, skin rashes, and euphoria (often followed by depression and anxiety).

As Duromine common side effects are also quite severe, even the people who lost a lot of undesired weight with this drug don’t recommend it. For instance, see Lizzie K review, who dropped 15 kgs in just 2 months.

But she also experienced insomnia, dangerously high blood pressure, and irregular heartbeat. 

Plus, it caused her severe anxiety and panic attacks, making her feel suicidal. 

Allergic Reactions

According to the drug information leaflet, Duromine can also trigger allergic reactions in some people. Symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, swelling of the lips, tongue, or other body parts, and itching or hives on the skin.

Serious Side Effects

As phentermine is a potent stimulant and increases heart rate and blood pressure, its continuous usage can lead to severe cardiovascular side effects like heart attack, stroke, angina, myocardial infarction, and difficulty breathing.

Many users like Ryley J from Australia report rushing to the emergency while on Duromine because if such symptoms are not treated timely, they can even lead to death.

Duromine Contraindications

Duromine is not recommended if you have the following medical conditions:

  • Unregulated blood pressure, especially in the lungs
  • Heart valve disorders
  • Cerebrovascular diseases
  • Heartbeat irregularity
  • Narrowing, thickening, or hardening of the blood vessel wall
  • Overactive thyroid gland
  • Psychiatric illnesses, including anorexia nervosa
  • Glaucoma

Besides that, these pills are unsuitable for people with a drug abuse history or those taking antidepressants (especially MAOIs).

Also, children below 12 and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers should not use duromine. That’s because phentermine-containing drugs during pregnancy can damage the mother’s health and cause developmental abnormalities in the unborn baby.

verdict

Duromine is associated with numerous side effects, mild and serious. In contrast, PhenQ is way safer than Duromine owing to its natural composition and mild stimulatory content. That’s why PhenQ pills are a better choice for safer weight management.

PhenQ CT

PhenQ or Duromine- Which One Is More Affordable?

PhenQ Price & Where To Buy?

PhenQ is sold exclusively through the official website for $69.9 per pack, lasting a month. 

Also, the price decreases to $46.66 per pack with the 3-month bundle and $41.99 per pack with the 5-month bundle. Besides that, you will save on delivery fees as all PhenQ orders are shipped free of cost.

Another financial benefit is that you can claim a 100% refund within 60 days if PhenQ weight loss results fail to impress you.

Duromine Price & Where To Buy?

Duromine is not widely available in the USA.

However, you can order it from countries like Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore from local and online pharmacies like Pharmacydirect and Sienahealth. A pack of 30 pills (30 mg) costs from $75 to $115, depending on your location and pharmacy.

But as phentermine and Duromine are chemically the same drugs, you can use them alternatively.

Generic phentermine (both quick and extended-release versions) is available for $11-15 for a 30-pill pack of 30 mg tablets at physical and online pharmacies.

[Check phentermine price lists by different pharmacies in the US, UK, and Australia.]

verdict

PhenQ is hands down a more budget-friendly option. Plus it comes with free shipping and 100% refund security as well.

PhenQ CT

Which is Best For Weight Loss?

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