I would like to know what times of the day to take the medicine? I took one at 7:00 a.m. so when should I take the next one? Also, how long does it take for it to start working as still feel hungry? I went to the gym this morning like I do every morning, weigh 213 lbs and am hoping I don't feel so hungry soon, but how soon?
How To Take Belviq - What Times of the Day should I Take It?
Question posted by bellalove on 3 July 2013
Last updated on 4 October 2018
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
20 Answers Page 2
VickiAnderson
14 March 2014
I have been on it 3 months.My first week I lost 6 pounds by my third week lost another 7 pounds.As the weeks went on I've just stopped all together.3rd month and I'm starving, tired and now feeling like I'm waiting my money Help...
Linda2572
6 Aug 2014
It says if you dont lose 5% in 12 weeks you should stop taking it.
MBR1954
5 Sep 2014
When I started my doctor told me you have to lose 8-10 pounds per month and if your not losing that you must be taken off of it. But after only 2 and a half DAYS, the side effects are so bad for me I had to stop taking it! I guess for me I will do it the old fashion way or just stay over weight, I don't have health problems, I like who I am, but darn society keeps their commercials saying thin is what is best and fat is a freak of nature, I'm not listening to any of it any more, life is to short to have my life consumed with dieting! Good luck to all of you, I hope you all meet your goals.
lanyborg
25 Feb 2014
Hi, I have been on Belviq for 4 weeks and only lost 2 pounds. Did you ever figure out times to take Belviq. It doesn't seem to work that great for me. Still hungry alot. I hope it started working for you. Let me know. I wish you could find one place that says when you should take Belviq.
bellalove
25 Feb 2014
hi, there well ive been on it since july if you look at my first post, i was 213 lbs and now i weigh 185 lbs. ive lost 30 lbs it does work and the side effects do go away within a week or two of taking. i do feel full quicker and i notice i have better eating habits and portion control now than i did before. bcz even though i fee like i want to eat more i stop eating and see if i feel full with a few minutes and i always do. i do not get as full as i did at the beginning but if you eat the right more filling foods, less carbs less sugar, then you get full faster and stay full longer but i would have lost more if i didnt snack at times i love desert and stuff like that but just eat a little bit so i feel satisfied. overall i would recommend getting it bcz you dont feel like you are on a "diet" more like modification of portion. im sure if i went on a "diet of some kind" in would have lost more weight so far but im happy doing it this way bcz i know i wont gain it back. hope this helps.
lanyborg
26 Feb 2014
Thanks, Bellalove I will still stay on it for now and see what happens. Congrats on your weight loss. What times do you take your pills? Thanks
Ashleyemail
15 April 2014
Hi! I know 10mg is recommended as dosage for belviq but is anyone taking more than that 2/day? I thought I would ask u since u r doing so well on it. Maybe some people don't go we'll bcz they need more? Can anyone who has had success help me out?
Linda2572
6 Aug 2014
The max dose is 20 mg daily. So only 2 tablets a day!
PattyP11
7 Aug 2014
Taking more than 20mg of Belviq a day can cause hallucinations & mental issues.
snidemom
16 March 2015
I finally found an answer as to when to take Belviq. It said the time of day doesn't matter, just to try to take the doses at the same times every day. I take mine at 6:30, after I exercise and before I leave for work, and at 3:45, when I get home from work. I was hesitant to take it any later in the afternoon because nearly every medication causes insomnia for me... but I am so sleepy with Belviq, I think it would be fine to take it later. I have only been taking it for three days, and I really hope the drowsiness goes away soon. I also feel muscle fatigue, so much that I almost went back to bed this morning instead of exercising. Hopefully that will go away, too.
Acheyandtired
1 Sep 2013
I've been on Belviq for a week now..and have lost 4 lbs. Yay me... problem is ... I'm so achey and fatigued it not even funny! Seriously... I have fibromyalgia and if that wasn't bad enough... this Belviq makes me feel like somebody beats me with a bag of rocks EVERYDAY and I am so danged tired I couldn't beat my way out of a paper bag !! And forget about concentrating on anything! Aren't diet pills supposed to make you have energy?? I don't think I'm going to be able to handle these much longer.
KiaKim
1 Sep 2013
It's great to hear that you are doing well. I want to update you on the fatigue thing. For me, it was over very quickly--by the next week, I had no symptoms. I have lost 7 pounds since starting Belviq about 7 weeks ago. I had already started WW 1 week before starting Belviq, and I lost 3 pounds that first week (w/o Belviq). My weight loss has slowed and my appetite is not as suppressed as it was at first. I wonder if I've developed a tolerance already. I feel fine though--no side effects that I can detect. I hope this passes for you soon.
Acheyandtired
1 Sep 2013
Well I decided to do WW without the Belviq. The side effects aren't worth it..plus they're not sure of the drugs long term effects on the brain and body... and I'm not going to be one of their guinea pigs! Good luck to you though!
KiaKim
1 Sep 2013
I will see my doctor next Friday and will talk about the fact that I've been on a plateau for 2 weeks now and don't feel my appetite is as suppressed as it used to be. I may decide to stop Belviq soon too. No one should take a drug if it doesn't do what it's intended to do. I know that some people respond to it better than others and I'll be interested to see how this pans out over time. I wish us both success on WW. It's the healthiest program long term, but you have the use the tools and believe that this is a life-long journey to get/stay healthy. (I wonder why that is so hard to accept?? No brainer, right?)
trayrae
3 Jan 2014
Was wondering if your symptoms got better,,I am so sesative to pain... My joints just ache,,, sorry about miss spelling..vision is going too..
MBR1954
5 Sep 2014
I have been taking this only 2 and a half DAYS! My back feels like someone beat the heck out of me, I had to sleep sitting up last night, and still didn't sleep, I am so fatigued that I can't hold the phone in my hand. But the worse thing is the horrible upper back pain, so bad I can't sit still. My doctor just called and said it takes up to 36 hours to get out of my system! OMG the thought of 36 more hours of this, I'd rather be fat!
Lpena2513
9 April 2015
I have been on Belviq a week. I am also following the Jenny Craig diet but i have to say this pill makes me dizzy and very very fatigue. I feel like a zombie
I will weigh in on Sat I hope to have ;lost some weight as I have been suffering with these side affects since pill one. These pills need to make my weight loss significant-if they don't I feel the intense side affects are not worth it. Hopefully my body gets use to the pills and and the side affects subside
Lpena2513
9 April 2015
I have been on Belviq a week. I am also following the Jenny Craig diet but i have to say this pill makes me dizzy and very very fatigue. I feel like a zombie also I have not had the feelings of any loss of appetite actually the opposite I feel starved!!
I will weigh in on Sat I hope to have ;lost some weight as I have been suffering with these side affects since pill one. These pills need to make my weight loss significant-if they don't I feel the intense side affects are not worth it. Hopefully my body gets use to the pills and and the side affects subside
movado77
3 March 2017
How did you do in Belviq after 4 years? Did you lose weight? If so, how much? I just started taking it last week and have lost about 3 weeks. I also feel so achy and tired. I wonder if it's worth taking..
ajohnson201376
4 Aug 2013
Sometimes it is better to take medications on an empty stomach. It gets absorbed better. The only meds you might not want to take on an empty stomach are nsaids (iboprophen) or narcotics (codeine, hydrocodone, vicodin, percocet). Ask your physician.
Linda2572
6 Aug 2014
I disagree on the empty stomach comment! I did that once! Once was all I needed! It quadrupled the side effects. Now, I take it after breakfast!
rshail
26 Aug 2015
I'm going to try taking it after food tomorrow. I swear it feels like an intense buzz and my chest gets tight, however I'm constantly yawning!
The last 2 days burping. No real bothersome symptoms till week 3.
dd11
17 Sep 2015
Never take medical advice from someone that can't spell ibuprofen
KiaKim
15 July 2013
I'm glad that you asked this question--I had it too. I'm taking it roughly 12 hours apart, but have been on it for 5 days and still feel hungry (absolutely no change in appetite). Everyone who commented (per the link provided by the other responder) seems to have felt less hunger right away. I may be a non-responder, and this drug may not work for me. I'm going to continue for at least one month and then review with my doctor. I think they want folks to continue for at least 12 weeks, but I am not sure I want to incur the additional cost/risk of side effects if my doc thinks it's likely Belviq will not work for me.
bellalove
15 July 2013
sometimes it works good to make me feel full and sometimes it doesnt. i do however, feel very tired from taking it and achey. but ive lost 4 lbs so far in 8 days so im going to keep going on it all the other side effects have dissipated but not the tired feeling...
KiaKim
16 July 2013
Thanks for the update, and I'm glad you are losing weight. I am on Weight Watchers too and am losing weight, but it's definitely the same as it was before I started taking Belviq (about 1/2-1 pound per week). I just started feeling fatigue, so it was interesting that you mentioned this. Yesterday, it hit me hard--going to Jazzercise was out of the question. Today I noticed I was having issues climbing stairs--not normal for me (I climb stairs about 6-8 times per day). I'll keep note of this as a side effect and hope it ends. Sounds as if we might have similar experiences, though I'm very happy to hear you are losing weight! Thanks again for your update.
bellalove
16 July 2013
It's very easy to misbehave I notice as time is going by... it's still very hard. But I am able to show more restraint with my portions..and belviq keeps my bathroom visits more regular... I do love to eat...
MBR1954
5 Sep 2014
I have been taking this only 2 and a half DAYS! My back feels like someone beat the heck out of me, I had to sleep sitting up last night, and still didn't sleep, I am so fatigued that I can't hold the phone in my hand. But the worse thing is the horrible upper back pain, so bad I can't sit still. My doctor just called and said it takes up to 36 hours to get out of my system! OMG the thought of 36 more hours of this, I'd rather be fat!
pryce50
12 Nov 2014
hello i started belviq on october 10th weigh in at 264lbs,and today 11/11/14 i weight in at 239lbs so am happy with the result,also no side effect,but a little dry mouth.good luck to everyone who is on belviq.
jewelzzzz
14 Aug 2015
Hello I have been taking this med for over a month.. I take one pill around 7am and another one at 3pm... This way I get morning and lunch with the first dose and then dinner and late night snacking with the second dose. I have felt the fullness right away and I think because the proximity of taking each pill. I would try that and see how you feel after a few weeks.
SusanJB
7 Aug 2018
I participated in a clinical trial with Belviq. We were told to take it at 7am and 2pm. It worked great. I lost 19 pounds in 12 weeks. The trial was to see if it was compatible with Phentermine. It was obvious that I only had Belviq with a placebo, not with Phentermine. I felt tired in the beginning and had a headache the first few days. After that, the only problem I had was ongoing constipation.
demikara
4 Oct 2018
I have realized for Belviq to work for me I HAVE to eat or drink something after taking the medication. Then the hunger goes away and you have that full satisfied feeling that lasts. It doesn't have to be much, but it's best if its healthy and has protein in it.
Related topics
weight loss (obesity/overweight), medicine, belviq
Further information
- Belviq uses and safety info
- Belviq prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Belviq (detailed)
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