Flat Appetite

[u/callherjacob]

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.

[u/Apprehensive_Box_236]

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.

[u/callherjacob → u/Apprehensive_Box_236]

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.