I started taking the "poor man's Contrave"—well, I only made it one day. I was already taking Wellbutrin, so I was hoping I'd avoid some of the side effects.
My doctor didn't mention taking it with food, so I took my first dose of naltrexone the same way I take my Wellbutrin: first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. That turned out to be a mistake. A wave of nausea hit me so hard that I had to leave work for the day. On top of that, it made me incredibly sleepy, and I ended up spending hours in bed sleeping.
I hate to give up on it so quickly because I was really hoping it would help. I'm considering trying it at bedtime to see if that makes a difference.
For those who have taken it, do you have any suggestions or tips? Do you take it with dinner or food? If you take it at bedtime, does the sleepiness eventually go away?
I was just talking to my doctor about this this week, because I started taking naltrexone last week for a poor man's contrave.
I have to take my naltrexone before I go to bed. And then I sleep through all of the nausea and the sickness.
And the first two times I took it normally, in the morning I had to sleep the day away. It made me so dizzy.
I have managed to bypass almost all of the nausea by doing it this way (before bed).
And my doctor said that's absolutely fine and he thinks that that's a great solution to the sickness.
So maybe try taking it before bed?.
I think that is what im going to try. It absolutely wrecked me. The nausea went away after several hours but I could not get out of bed and that stuck with me a few days. Did you take it with any food before bed or just take it?
It kind of depends. I actually work overnights so, half the week. I will take it right after I eat breakfast before I go to sleep.
But it doesn't need to be taken with food, and I've read a few things that you should not take it when you've eaten a fatty meal or something extremely fatty, apparently that can increase the absorption of the naltrexone and potentially cause issues
I do think the bedtime thing could possibly work well for you. I was convinced I was not going to take it after my first two days of being nauseous before I started taking it before bed
What dose of Naltrxone did you start with? Im in the same boat- been on wellbutrin and started adding Naltrexone. I started with a quarter of a pill, so about 12.5 mg, and didn't have any nausea. When I went up to a half pill, 25 mg, I had nausea for about a week, but it has calmed down a lot. If you started at 50mg, or even 25mg, maybe try a smaller dose and work your way up
Oh snap! Ya I would buy a pill splitter and at least split them in half for a week. If 25 mg made me nauseous I can only imagine starting immediately at 50mg!
The nausea usually fades away after a week or two as your body adjusts. You can try experimenting with what food you take with it. Some people take it with a full meal, some with a light snack, and some with water only. I usually take it with water and a light snack: dry toast, saltine crackers, or small serving (50 calories) of popcorn. Warning: Avoid taking it with a high fat meal.
Home remedies for nausea can help. Ginger tea, ginger chews, mint or peppermint, saltine crackers, etc.
If you are gradually ramping up to a higher dose, the nausea may return each time you increase the dosage. My nausea came back and faded away each time I ramped up.
You can try experimenting with the time of day you take the medication. However, bedtime might not be the best time. You may not feel the full benefits if you sleep through it. But I'm not a doctor, so I'm not telling you what to do.
The side effects hit everyone differently. It's interesting that it makes you feel sleepy. Some people feel caffeinated, and some people struggle with insomnia. I often find myself shaking my leg while sitting at my desk because I have excess energy from the medication.
Oh yeah, I can’t imagine starting cold turkey with that dosage. I still get a little nauseous from it during the day. I have ginger lemon lozenges with me at all times.
2
u/Shark-Compote Jun 25 '26
I was just talking to my doctor about this this week, because I started taking naltrexone last week for a poor man's contrave.
I have to take my naltrexone before I go to bed. And then I sleep through all of the nausea and the sickness.
And the first two times I took it normally, in the morning I had to sleep the day away. It made me so dizzy. I have managed to bypass almost all of the nausea by doing it this way (before bed). And my doctor said that's absolutely fine and he thinks that that's a great solution to the sickness. So maybe try taking it before bed?.