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Does Qsymia cause constipation?

Bottom line

Yes. Constipation is listed among the common adverse reactions on Qsymia's own FDA label, published 2026-04-24. It is worst in the days after each dose increase, and Qsymia reaches its maintenance dose at week 3.

No clinician has reviewed this page. Label and trial statements are quoted from the FDA label or the trial cited beside them. General guidance is marked as such, and every price carries the date it was verified. That is sourcing, not medical review. What we do and do not check · Who checked the price

Last updated 2026-04-24 — the FDA label this page quotes. Read and dated by Alex Seot.

Does Qsymia cause constipation?

Yes, and it is on the label rather than only in reports: constipation appears among the common adverse reactions in Qsymia's FDA prescribing information, published 2026-04-24. Listed means it was seen often enough in the trials to be printed, not that it happens to everyone. Qsymia is not a GLP-1 and does not slow gut transit the way those drugs do; its label lists constipation among the common reactions without naming a mechanism. Eating much less compounds it on any weight-loss drug: less food means less fiber and less fluid, and both are what keep things moving. It clusters in the days after each dose increase. Qsymia steps up on a published schedule that reaches the maintenance dose at week 3. Most people see a few rough days after each step and a settling in between, not one long stretch. Once you are at 7.5 mg / 46 mg daily and no longer stepping up, the trigger stops recurring. What helps first: fluid first. It is the most common deficit and the easiest to fix. It stops being ordinary at a specific line: no bowel movement for several days with abdominal pain, distension or vomiting. That combination needs assessment rather than another laxative.

How long does Qsymia constipation last?

One capsule each morning. Each row is a step up, and the days after each one are when this tends to arrive.

WeeksDose
Days 1–143.75 mg / 23 mg
Day 15 and on7.5 mg / 46 mg
Higher steps11.25 mg / 69 mg then 15 mg / 92 mg

The full Qsymia schedule, and what each step costs →

What helps with constipation on Qsymia?

  1. 1Fluid first. It is the most common deficit and the easiest to fix.
  2. 2Fiber added gradually rather than all at once, which otherwise trades constipation for bloating.
  3. 3Movement, which does more for gut transit than most supplements.
  4. 4Asking the prescriber about a stool softener or an osmotic laxative before reaching for a stimulant one.

The label recommends a negative pregnancy test before starting and every month during treatment, and Qsymia is dispensed only through pharmacies certified under an FDA REMS. The top dose must be tapered rather than stopped, because stopping it abruptly can cause a seizure.

When is constipation on Qsymia serious?

No bowel movement for several days with abdominal pain, distension or vomiting. That combination needs assessment rather than another laxative.

Other reactions on Qsymia's label with a page of their own

Would switching drugs help?

Constipation is on 12 of the 13 FDA labels tracked here, so the other labels are worth reading before assuming a switch avoids it. What a switch does change is what you pay, and Qsymia is $75 a month at the maintenance dose here.

Every alternative to Qsymia, with each one's verified price and the date it was read →

Everything on Qsymia

The listing, the schedule and the warnings are read from FDA prescribing information for QSYMIA, published 2026-04-24; the notes on why it happens and what helps are general guidance, not label text. Information only, not medical advice — a symptom that worries you is a call to your prescriber, not a search result.

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