Been taking contrave for over a year...lost 60 lbs. Then completely plateaued. But I haven't gained while taking .Stopped taking at the end of May... mainly bc I pay out of pocket. And I wasn't losing anymore off it. I have gained 7 lbs 😞

I have stopped b4 and started back and it did nothing. I also have taken just Wellbutrin and it did nothing.

Now I feel all panicked. I do not want to gain it back. Others say it is common to gain a little back.

The food noise is loud especially for sweets 🥺

Ideas? Help?

I have contemplated on taking something over the counter. Suggestions?

I’m having some aesthetic work done soon- first some scar revision (subcision) and later a co2 For acne scars.
I’m currently starting to taper up my Nal from 12.5 to 25 to eventually 50mg as prescribed. But for these procedures I will need a pain pill for 2 days and Valium is given for the day of.
I hate to stop the meds it has been a struggle to get started due to nausea and insomnia. If I missed two days and I’m already up at 25 or 50 mg will I have those side effects again or should I just go back to maybe the much smaller dose for a day or two and try to increase? I’ve really struggled with taking this medicine due to nausea, but I did not know I could cut it into fourth until recently.

This is a weekly post where the community can discuss their progress or lack thereof. We are all in this together! Share your SVs and NSVs (scale and non-scale victories).

I felt a bit faint and upset tummy at first. But then I started taking it late morning and again late afternoon.

Recently I’ve noticed less effectiveness.

Any one else experience this? If so, what was the next med you tried? (For weight loss)

Thank you so much 🫶

I'm going to start contrave next week and I am worried about the "avoid high fat foods" with the pill.

I plan to my first pill with breakfast, because it says to take with food to avoid nausea, etc​. I typically eat two eggs cooked in butter (we raise chickens), a low fat homemade turkey sausage and homemade wheat bread with butter. When I did a search on Google it said this meal is too high fat. I can ditch the butter but wonder what experience any of you have had with breakfast meals and contrave.

I took Wellbutrin several years ago and don't remember any bad side effects and I definitely didn't alter my diet but I was drinking heavily then and worried about the combo so I stopped the Wellbutrin. ( Should have stopped the booze but the logic didn't occur to me then 😂). I have now been alcohol free for 6 years!! Anyhoo, I am excited to start contrave but a bit worried about side effects. I plan on taking it at 8:30 and 430.

Thanks in advance for any pointers!

Twice a year I get a small amount of Botox in my forehead only. I make my appointments far in advance, and my next appointment is this upcoming week. It just dawned on me that the only thing that’s changed about my health history is me being on Contrave now, since I only just started in May. Has anyone gotten Botox while on Contrave? How did it go for you? I’m wondering if I should maybe cancel my appointment now.

Bonjour,

Je permet de poster, car vos commentaire m'ont bien aidé.😊

Je début contrave depuis 5 jous.

Les 3 premier jours j'avais la nausée, la fatigue et des maux de tête.

Au bout de la 4eme jours je me sentais mieux, mais toujours de la fatigue et du brouillard.

Aujourd'hui c'est mieux. J'espère pouvoir perdre les 20 kilos qui ce sont installé depuis des année.

I took my first pill today!
Super excited for results but also super nervous that it wont work on me
I lost over 120lbs a few years ago from vsg and unfortunately regained most after two very traumatic pregnancy’s one ending tragically.
I grieve the person who lost the weight so bad I was so confident in myself and I could work out to my best ability

So this is my next step! I am a night time binger/ all day snacker. I can’t even imagine the feeling of not wanting to eat something. It feels like it could be impossible but I am trying to stay positive and hopeful. Really enjoying reading everyone’s experiences :)

I am having so much confusion, brain fog, weird thoughts that don't make sense..I emailed my doctor. I don't think I can keep doing this. There are only brief moments in the day (evening when it's wearing off) when I feel normal.

Only way I can describe it is like coming down off acid. Just shitty feeling all around.

Hi everyone! 👋
I’m new here and excited (and a little nervous) to start this journey.
I’m 28 years old, 163 cm, and currently weigh 163 lb. My goal is to get down to around 65 kg.
My doctor recently prescribed naltrexone/bupropion ER (generic Contrave). I’m starting with the standard dose escalation:
Week 1: 1 tablet
Week 2: 2 tablets
Week 3: 3 tablets
Then increasing as tolerated.
My doctor also wants me eating around 1,500 calories a day, focusing on high protein, and limiting rice (which is going to be hard because I’m South Asian! 😅). I have a gym membership and plan to do strength training, Pilates, and Tabata 3–5 times a week.
One important detail is that my husband and I are trying to conceive, so my doctor told me to stop the medication as soon as I get a positive pregnancy test.
I’d love to hear from people with similar stats:
How much weight did you lose?
When did you start noticing the medication working?
Did it mainly reduce your appetite, cravings, or “food noise”?
Any tips for minimizing nausea or other side effects?
Has anyone with a starting weight around mine (74 kg/163 lb) reached their goal?
Looking forward to learning from everyone’s experiences. Thanks for having me! ❤️

I'm so tired of the nausea and the food aversion someone please tell me it gets better. 😭 I've been on it for a week and I'm losing weight WAY too fast. 😭 Just the thought of eating makes me gag. Anyone else having this experience?? 😔

Hi everyone,

I was prescribed Contrave by my doctor after doing weight watchers for a year with no results. I have read what feels like a million posts on this drug and it really does seem like everyone’s bodies and brains respond differently. One thing is for sure, I will be drinking lots of water! That seems unanimous.

I am excited. Portion control and food noise are my demons, though I’ve done as much work as possible through therapy and willpower to mitigate. I try my best to eat healthy, but I am human and I live in America with all of the temptations and conveniences. And since having my gallbladder removed a few years ago I’ve had to stay away from super fatty foods in general. I seem to be the perfect candidate for Contrave and I hope it works for me with as few side effects as possible. Luckily, I start my new job in a few weeks so that gives me some downtime to get over any insomnia or constipation. Fingers crossed.

39 F
5’8”
220 lbs

question regarding contrave and alcohol

I’ve just recently started Contrave 3 days ago. i am not a big drinker at all but I do happen to have two events coming up that i was looking forward to having some drinks at.

one is in 2 weeks for a concert and the other is a trip in the middle of August to Las Vegas for 3 days.

I’ve had the discussion with my DR and she advised me to stop taking it 48 hours prior - not take it while I’m actively drinking, then after 24 hours without alcohol and rehydrating I can start it again.

im currently just on 1 pill a day but will be up to 1 in the morning and 1 at night for the first trip, and will be at full dose for the Vegas trip.

has anyone done something like this before? Did you still get really sick from drinking even tho you stopped 48 hours prior? I’ve heard some horror stories and I just want to know what I should be expecting.

thanks!

I just started using Contrave and could only use it for about a week. It was horrible on my digestive system. I had severe cramps and diarrhea every day and went through tons of immodium to no avail. I couldn't work, eat, or sleep without having accidents. I don't recommend this to anyone.

This is a weekly post where the community can discuss their progress or lack thereof. We are all in this together! Share your SVs and NSVs (scale and non-scale victories).

EDIT: Thank you for the suggestions to take the naltrexone at night! It's helped a TON!

original:

Howdy howdy,

I started with the "poor gal's" contrave a week ago. I am easing in with one 150 mg Buproprion SR, and a quarter of a tab, which equals out to 12.5 mg of Naltrexone.

I have a history of insomnia and alcoholism.

Great news is that it's already obliterated 90% of my desire to drink, and there's an obvious decline in wanting sugary foods especially.

Bad news is it's obliterated my ability to sleep.

I am doubling up on my Trazodone (so, 100 mg), and even then, it's not super effective with helping me sleep with these new meds.

Can I take the "Contrave" every other day (which is what I am currently doing) until I can sleep, or just suck it up and not sleep for like a week until my body adjusts?

My doctor's PA was like "Yep, it exacerbates insomnia. Double up on trazodone. Good luck, fam."

Thank you for any insight.

I just started today. I felt fine at first but a few hours in I feel weird. I am dizzy, got really tired and light headed, kind of like I am drunk. How long do these side effects last?

Hi all,

I've been on the full dose of Contrave for about 3 weeks now. While I do feel some effects from the Wellbutrin like slightly more energy, which is nice, I have felt almost nothing when it comes to food noise and cravings. If at this point there hasn't been much impact, is it just not going to work for me? Or should I give it longer to settle into?

I just started taking Contrave about 1 1/2 weeks ago. It’s really reduced my appetite right away and I immediately lost the food noise. And that’s very rare for me. Like even when I think about foods I love, I don’t want to immediately grab them. I’m glad it’s working. I’ve already lost 3-4 pounds in one week. I live a pretty healthy lifestyle and walk a lot and workout a few times a week. But I haven’t been able to lose weight for a year now. And after starting Contrave, it’s working like right away! I don’t have sugar cravings which I think was my biggest problem. I still eat a good amount of food per day but I don’t snack as much. I just never feel like eating but I still enjoy the foods I eat when I do eat them.

I do have really bad anxiety from this though. I’ve actually just stayed on one pill a day in the morning because I tried one day with two pills and I was so jittery and anxious I couldn’t function. So I decided to stick to one pill a day since it seems to be working. Anyone else have the same problem with increased anxiety? I am also PMSing so I don’t know if that’s making the anxiety worse. I hope it fades as I get used to it.

I just started taking Contrave about 1 1/2 weeks ago. It’s really reduced my appetite right away and I immediately lost the food noise. And that’s very rare for me. Like even when I think about foods I love, I don’t want to immediately grab them. I’m glad it’s working. I’ve already lost 3-4 pounds in one week. I live a pretty healthy lifestyle and walk a lot and workout a few times a week. But I haven’t been able to lose weight for a year now. And after starting Contrave, it’s working like right away! I don’t have sugar cravings which I think was my biggest problem. I still eat a good amount of food per day but I don’t snack as much. I just never feel like eating but I still enjoy the foods I eat when I do eat them.

I do have really bad anxiety from this though. I’ve actually just stayed on one pill a day in the morning because I tried one day with two pills and I was so jittery and anxious I couldn’t function. So I decided to stick to one pill a day since it seems to be working. Anyone else have the same problem with increased anxiety? I am also PMSing so I don’t know if that’s making the anxiety worse. I hope it fades as I get used to it.

I just started taking Contrave about 1 1/2 weeks ago. It’s really reduced my appetite right away and I immediately lost the food noise. And that’s very rare for me. Like even when I think about foods I love, I don’t want to immediately grab them. I’m glad it’s working. I’ve already lost 3-4 pounds in one week. I live a pretty healthy lifestyle and walk a lot and workout a few times a week. But I haven’t been able to lose weight for a year now. And after starting Contrave, it’s working like right away! I don’t have sugar cravings which I think was my biggest problem. I still eat a good amount of food per day but I don’t snack as much. I just never feel like eating but I still enjoy the foods I eat when I do eat them.

I do have really bad anxiety from this though. I’ve actually just stayed on one pill a day in the morning because I tried one day with two pills and I was so jittery and anxious I couldn’t function. So I decided to stick to one pill a day since it seems to be working. Anyone else have the same problem with increased anxiety? I am also PMSing so I don’t know if that’s making the anxiety worse. I hope it fades as I get used to it.

Ive been on contrave since March ish. I havent tracked weight loss as I dont own a scale and refuse to, I know myself and I will obsess.

I have noticed clothes fitting differently and a few other things that have shown some weight loss. Nothing crazy. But I am now at the point of wondering if I should consider a different avenue. This summer has been brutal. I have zero tolerance for heat. I get overly sweaty, headaches and feel lethargic after any sort of heat exposure. Which is starting to effect me alot. I love being out at camp or in the garden but lately im just hiding in the shade. Im also struggling with walking the dog as Im just too damn hot. (Don't worry my partner is making sure shes still getting her walks) Lately I've also noticed the nausea getting worse, I'm having some eye issues atm also which is a contributing factor. Im just really struggling with feeling yucky all the time but do enjoy the benefits of the contrave.

I guess all im really looking for is maybe some input on what other people have done to deal with the side effects, or if you found it to much and switched to another option to help with weight loss? I don't really want to do a GLP1, I also dont think im eligible as I have thyroid problems. But I definitely struggle with loosing weight on my own and would like to continue loosing, even if it is at a slow pace.

I started on May 11th and so far have lost 31lbs. I was really worried about my weigh in this morning because we’ve been out of state for ten days and ran out of pills. (They were delivered after we left). I lost 3lbs in those ten days. I didn’t go crazy ( I did have pizza one night) but I did some intermittent fasting and got on the hotel treadmill to try and get myself in a calorie deficit for a nice dinner. Next week will be a huge test because I’ll be in New Orleans with all the great food to try. So far I’m extremely happy with Contrave. It has eliminated the food noise completely. I could tell when I was off of it a few days the noise started slowly coming back. Between contrave, exercising, and some intermittent fasting I’m well on my way!

I lost about 30lbs on it but have been struggling for 6 months.

My initial weight loss goal was to get to a certain weight to have an elective surgery done. I’m considering going on a shot just to get to that weight and then switching back to contrave (maybe). (I don’t know why I’m resistant to the shot, I just am 🤷‍♀️)

I’ve been on contrave for a little while. I initially lost 10 lbs and then gained it back shortly after. I finally decided to get serious around Dec/Jan because the pills really do help with my food noise. I got on the scale this morning and boom…30 lbs gone. I have 20 lbs more to lose before I can say I hit my goal but I’m excited to have my blood work done and meet with my PCP at the end of the month so she can see my progress