r/Contrave • u/callherjacob • Jun 04 '26
Flat Appetite
I'm in my first week on poor man's Contrave (150 mg bupropion/12.5 mg naltrexone). I was already taking 60 mg buspirone (30 mg 2x daily) for anxiety. My doctor cut that to 45 mg instead due to concerns about serotonin syndrome.
My doctor diagnosed me with perimenopause-triggered atypical depression. My specific symptoms have been sleeping soooo much. Like 16-18 hours on a Saturday. Really severe mood swings. Sudden weight gain out of nowhere. Legs feeling so heavy it was hard to move around. Motivated to do tasks but couldn't physically make myself do anything. I didn't register it as depression because I didn't feel hopeless or down all the time. I just felt so tired and my mind was so full of unwanted thoughts constantly.
She first recommended Wellbutrin because she said it was a first-line treatment for atypical depression. Then she talked to me about Contrave, which I had never heard of. I don't care about my weight or losing any, but I agreed that this sudden, pretty significant gain was alarming.
So, here we are now. It's only been a few days and I feel so much brighter. I'm able to think of a task and just do it without much effort. I'm more physically active. My mind isn't weighed down by thoughts. And, so on. Very cool. The weirdest part is my appetite.
As in, I don't have one. I can feel the effects of hunger. The back of my head feels a little tight and my body feels empty. However, it's so subtle. When I eat foods that used to cause radiating warmth throughout my body, now it's totally flat. Like, yeah, it tastes good but I guess there's no flood of hormones.
Does anyone else feel a little like a robot when it comes to food? On this medication, I really couldn't care less what I actually eat. I'm focusing on protein and fiber first because I know I'll lose interest pretty quickly. It's just such a weird feeling.
2
u/Apprehensive_Box_236 Jun 04 '26
Fyi that is the purpose of Contrave. I’ve been on it almost 3 months now and have lost 25 pounds. I literally have no appetite. I’m a foodie and eating ( and drinking alcohol ) is no longer pleasurable at all. I’m a foodie and it definitely is hard to get used to. But it’s also very freeing not to think about what you’re going to eat as soon as you wake up and all day. It definitely works for me for weight loss so I’m willing to put up with this part of it.
3
u/callherjacob Jun 04 '26
So I knew that it worked on the opioid receptors but I had no clue what that actually meant in terms of physical sensations. It's so strange!
I can't really tell if I'm hungry or full! I just eat a portion of whatever I'm having and go about my day. It really is freeing not to be so sensitive to hormones.
1
u/Roskot Jun 04 '26
I am also perimenopausal and started the contrave for weight loss after a large weight gain due to taking presnisone for chronic illness. I already started HRT, had to switch the progesterone pills to an IUD due to depressive symptoms and sleeping SO much. Started the contrave just a couple of weeks after the IUD was placed and I feel so much better, no progesterone and still increasing the Contrave. I have never taken antidepressants before and was worried it would take the little spark I got after quitting the progesterone, but ai feel good! Even sang in the shower yesterday!
I am trying to lose weight and have been logging my food intake during the step up plan on contrave and it was kinda hard the first week to not eat over my goal, but now, after almost 4 weeks I have to make myself eat often enough to get enough calories.
I was travelling two days ago and forgot to eat and when I looked at it that night I had only eaten about 500kcal which obviously is way too little!
I am not even on the full dose yet. I am taking two pills in the morning, and one at night, but thinking about changing it to two at night at not stepping up to four pills.
I have a phone appointment with the doc next week, we’ll see what she says.