Diethylpropion for weight loss (Tepanil, Tenuate)

What is diethylpropion?

Diethylpropion, sold under the brand names Tepanil and Tenuate, is a medication prescribed on a short-term basis. Diethylpropion reduces a person’s appetite and is typically prescribed in conjunction with a meal and exercise plan.¹

What are the risks of using diethylpropion for weight loss?

Although some people use the medication diethylpropion for weight loss, its continued use still poses certain health risks. Diethylpropion is a Schedule IV controlled substance, which means it has the potential for misuse. Misusing Tenuate for weight loss can be dangerous and lead to many harmful consequences, especially considering it is structurally similar to amphetamine, a stimulant drug.²

Moreover, misusing diethylpropion, especially for longer than prescribed or recommended, could be a sign that someone is struggling with disordered eating or a clinical eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), or binge eating disorder (BED). That’s because taking a diet pill like diethylpropion for weight loss doesn’t happen in isolation—people are influenced by nefarious societal factors like:⁴

• Diet culture
• Fatphobia
• Body dissatisfaction
• Internalized body ideals

Diethylpropion side effects and health risks

In rare instances, diethylpropion use can lead to severe health risks, such as:²

• Psychosis
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat)

Other concerning diethylpropion side effects may include blurred vision, skin rashes, problems breathing, fainting, feet or ankle swelling, and painful urination.¹ Call your doctor if you are in pain or experiencing severe distress.

Can you overdose on diethylpropion? 

Yes, it is possible to overdose on diethylpropion. Signs and symptoms of a Tenuate overdose may include:³

• Tremors
• Confusion
• Aggression
• Hallucinations
• Panic attacks
• Circulatory collapse
• Irregular heart rate
• Convulsion
• Coma

The problem with using a "weight loss medication" like diethylpropion

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Research indicates that taking medication like Tepanil is strongly associated with other disordered eating behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting and other forms of purging, like laxative use or compulsive exercise.⁴ The same study found that anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa were significantly associated with diet pill misuse.⁴

Engaging in disordered eating, including using a “diet pill” like diethylpropion, increases your risk of developing an eating disorder, which is a complex medical and mental health disorder that severely affects a person’s ability to function. Those with an eating disorder might experience obsessive thoughts about food, eating, and weight, experience a pathological desire for thinness or weight loss, and are unable to function due to disordered eating behaviors and thoughts.^4,5

The connection between diethylpropion use, fatphobia, and diet culture

One of the many problems with diethylpropion use is that it is prescribed to treat people living at a higher body weight, which is harmful because it pathologizes fatness. The truth is that people can be healthy at different sizes and weights. Pathologizing people living in larger bodies influences weight stigma, fatphobia, diet culture, distorted body image, and so much more. 

The reason people may take medication to try and lose weight is because of a desire for thinness, influenced by society, food labels, advertising, and everything around us. False beliefs about so-called “body ideals” can have devastating effects, like low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, negative self-talk, disordered eating, and even eating disorders.

Getting help for an eating disorder

Fortunately, once we become aware of our fraught relationships with food, eating, movement, and our bodies, we can get the support we need to heal.