What To Expect When Starting CONTRAVE
CONTRAVE is a unique combination of two drugs—naltrexone and bupropion—within a single extended-release tablet clinically proven to help you lose weight and keep it off when combined with diet and exercise.
Remember this journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Big changes won’t happen overnight. But when you take CONTRAVE as your doctor prescribed, coupled with diet and exercise, you are setting yourself up for success. Just stick with the plan, and even if you don’t see the scale move right away, you might witness other non-scale victories to help reinforce that you are on the right path.
CONTRAVE is Clinically Proven to Help You Lose Weight
Across 3 studies, patients who were overweight or suffering from obesity lost approximately 2-4x more weight over 1 year by adding CONTRAVE than with diet and exercise alone.*
Nearly half of the patients taking CONTRAVE lost 5% or more body weight and kept it off (vs 23% of patients taking placebo).*
Nearly half of the patients taking CONTRAVE lost 5% or more body weight and kept it off (vs 23% of patients taking placebo).*
One of the most important things to know when starting CONTRAVE (or any weight loss program) is that success looks different for each person. How fast this success happens for you and how many inches you lose or pounds you drop will depend on your body. In clinical studies, the most dramatic weight loss was typically seen after 4 months (16 weeks) of taking CONTRAVE as prescribed.
*According to 3 multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled obesity trials (BMI 2:30 kg/m2 , or BMI 2:27 kg/m2 with at least 1 comorbidity of hypertension, dyslipidemia, or type 2 diabetes) conducted to evaluate the effect of CONTRAVE in conjunction with reduced caloric intake and increased physical activity, the average percentage of weight loss in patients at 56 weeks ranged from 3.7% to 8.1% with CONTRAVE, compared to 1.3% to 4.9% with placebo. The percentage of patients who achieved a clinically meaningful treatment response (defined as achieving at least 5% weight loss after 1 year of treatment) ranged from 36% to 57% with CONTRAVE, compared to 17% to 43% with placebo.
Managing Potential Side Effects
CONTRAVE safety was evaluated in thousands of patients.
The most common side effects of CONTRAVE include nausea, constipation, headache, vomiting, dizziness, trouble sleeping (insomnia), dry mouth, and diarrhea. These are not all the possible side effects of CONTRAVE.
- Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
- This is important because CONTRAVE may affect the way other medicines work, especially opioid medicines or medicines to help stop taking opioids.
Here are some things you can try if you are experiencing the following side effects.
Nausea: Generally, you should drink plenty of water when taking CONTRAVE. If you experience nausea, you may also want to eat a small amount of dry toast when taking CONTRAVE. Your doctor may recommend an over-the-counter anti-nausea medication, or you can try ginger tea or ginger chews to help curb nausea naturally.
Constipation: To help with constipation be sure you are drinking about 8 glasses of water per day or more if possible. Eating foods high in fiber such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes can help your weight loss efforts and ease constipation. Light exercise such as walking has also been known to help combat constipation.
Headache, vomiting, dizziness, trouble sleeping, dry mouth, and diarrhea have also occurred and usually can be managed with over-the-counter products your doctor can recommend.
What else to know:
- People experienced side effects more often during the first 4 weeks of taking CONTRAVE. This is also the period when people taking CONTRAVE are slowly increasing the dose of the medication to a maintenance phase.
- The common GI-related adverse events, such as nausea and constipation, were generally temporary and resolved quickly.
- It is not recommended to drink alcohol while taking CONTRAVE (but there are plenty of delicious mocktail recipes out there).
If you’re experiencing any unwanted side effects of your medication, don’t hesitate to reach out to your healthcare provider or pharmacist—they can give you personalized guidance.
You are also encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.
Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Taking CONTRAVE
For best results, take CONTRAVE as directed by your healthcare provider. Most patients begin with 1 morning pill during the first week and gradually work their way up to 2 pills twice a day by week 4. Always take CONTRAVE exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Your doctor may change your dose as needed.
Not actual tablet size.
Drink Plenty of Water When Taking CONTRAVE
- A good rule of thumb is to take CONTRAVE with 8 oz of water, and then throughout your day, drink additional glasses of water.
- This can help with both weight loss and, for some people, with preventing constipation.
Swallow CONTRAVE Pills Whole
- DO NOT cut, chew, or crush CONTRAVE pills. Tell your doctor if you cannot swallow CONTRAVE pills whole.
- DO NOT take more than 2 pills in the morning and 2 pills in the evening.
- DO NOT take more than 2 pills at the same time or more than 4 pills in 1 day.
- DO NOT take CONTRAVE with high-fat meals. It affects the absorption of the medication which can increase the risk of seizures.
- If you miss a dose of CONTRAVE, wait until your next regular time to take it. DO NOT take more than 1 dose of CONTRAVE at a time.
Resources to Support You from the Start
We know that being successful in achieving your weight-loss goals takes planning and time – that’s why we want to make sure you have all the resources you need to start your journey.
VISIT OUR BLOG
Get recipes, workouts, success stories, and healthy lifestyle tips on
The CONTRAVE Chronicles Blog
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
What is CONTRAVE?
See More
CONTRAVE can cause serious side effects including:
Suicidal thoughts or actions: One of the ingredients in CONTRAVE is bupropion. Bupropion has caused some people to have suicidal thoughts or actions or unusual changes in behavior, whether or not they are taking medicines used to treat depression. Bupropion may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in some children, teenagers, and young adults within the first few months of treatment. If you already have depression or other mental illnesses, taking bupropion may cause it to get worse, especially within the first few months of treatment.
CONTRAVE is a prescription weight-loss medicine that may help some adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obese), or adults with a BMI of 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) with at least one weight-related medical problem such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes, lose weight and keep the weight off.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
See More
CONTRAVE can cause serious side effects including:
Suicidal thoughts or actions: One of the ingredients in CONTRAVE is bupropion. Bupropion has caused some people to have suicidal thoughts or actions or unusual changes in behavior, whether or not they are taking medicines used to treat depression. Bupropion may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in some children, teenagers, and young adults within the first few months of treatment. If you already have depression or other mental illnesses, taking bupropion may cause it to get worse, especially within the first few months of treatment.
What is CONTRAVE?
See More
CONTRAVE is a prescription weight-loss medicine that may help some adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obese), or adults with a BMI of 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) with at least one weight-related medical problem such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes, lose weight and keep the weight off.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
What is CONTRAVE?
See Less
CONTRAVE can cause serious side effects including:
Suicidal thoughts or actions: One of the ingredients in CONTRAVE is bupropion. Bupropion has caused some people to have suicidal thoughts or actions or unusual changes in behavior, whether or not they are taking medicines used to treat depression. Bupropion may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in some children, teenagers, and young adults within the first few months of treatment. If you already have depression or other mental illnesses, taking bupropion may cause it to get worse, especially within the first few months of treatment.
While taking CONTRAVE, you or your family members should pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. This is very important when you start taking CONTRAVE or when your dose changes.
Stop taking CONTRAVE and call a healthcare provider right away if you or your family members notice any of the following symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you: thoughts about suicide or dying; attempts to commit suicide; depression; anxiety; feeling agitated or restless; panic attacks; irritability; aggression, anger, or violence; acting on dangerous impulses; an extreme increase in activity and talking; other unusual changes in behavior or mood; trouble sleeping.
CONTRAVE is not approved for use in children under the age of 18.
Do not take CONTRAVE if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure; have or have had seizures; use other medicines that contain bupropion such as WELLBUTRIN, WELLBUTRIN SR, WELLBUTRIN XL, APLENZIN and ZYBAN; have or have had an eating disorder called anorexia or bulimia; are dependent on opioid pain medicines or use medicines to help stop taking opioids, or are in opiate withdrawal; drink a lot of alcohol and abruptly stop drinking, or use medicines called sedatives (these make you sleepy), benzodiazepines, or anti‐seizure medicines and stop using them all of a sudden; are taking or have taken medicines called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) in the past 14 days; or are allergic to any of the ingredients in CONTRAVE.
Tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions including if you have: depression or other mental illnesses; attempted suicide; seizures; head injury; tumor or infection of brain or spine; low blood sugar or low sodium; liver or kidney problems; high blood pressure; heart attack, heart problems, or stroke; eating disorder; drinking a lot of alcohol; prescription medicine or street drug abuse; are 65 or older; diabetes; pregnant or planning to become pregnant; or breastfeeding.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
CONTRAVE may cause serious side effects, including:
- Seizures. There is a risk of having a seizure when you take CONTRAVE. The risk of seizure is higher in people who take higher doses of CONTRAVE, have certain medical conditions, or take CONTRAVE with certain other medicines. Do not take any other medicines while you are taking CONTRAVE unless your healthcare provider has said it is okay to take them. If you have a seizure while taking CONTRAVE, stop taking CONTRAVE and call your healthcare provider right away.
- Risk of opioid overdose. Do not take large amounts of opioids, including opioid-containing medicines, such as heroin or prescription pain pills, to try to overcome the opioid-blocking effects of naltrexone. This can lead to serious injury, coma, or death.
Get emergency medical help right away if you take opioids and you:
- have trouble breathing
- become very drowsy with slowed breathing
- have slow, shallow breathing
- feel faint, very dizzy, confused, or have unusual symptoms
- Sudden opioid withdrawal. People who take CONTRAVE must not use any type of opioid including street drugs, prescription pain medicines, cough, cold, or diarrhea medicines that contain opioids, or opioid dependence treatments, for at least 7 to 10 days before starting CONTRAVE. Using opioids in the 7 to 10 days before you start taking CONTRAVE may cause you to suddenly have symptoms of opioid withdrawal when you take it. Sudden opioid withdrawal can be severe, and you may need to go to the hospital. Tell your healthcare provider you are taking CONTRAVE before a medical procedure or surgery.
- Severe allergic reactions. Stop taking CONTRAVE and call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away if you have any of the following signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction: rash, itching, hives, fever, swollen lymph glands, painful sores in your mouth or around your eyes, swelling of your lips or tongue, chest pain, or trouble breathing.
- Increases in blood pressure or heart rate. Some people may get high blood pressure or have a higher heart rate when taking CONTRAVE. Your healthcare provider should check your blood pressure and heart rate before you start taking, and while you take CONTRAVE.
- Liver damage or hepatitis. Stop taking CONTRAVE and tell your healthcare provider if you have any of the following symptoms of liver problems: stomach area pain lasting more than a few days, dark urine, yellowing of the whites of your eyes, or tiredness. Your healthcare provider may need to stop treating you with CONTRAVE if you get signs or symptoms of a serious liver problem.
- Manic episodes. Bupropion can cause some people who were manic or depressed in the past to become manic or depressed again.
- Visual problems (angle-closure glaucoma). Signs and symptoms may include: eye pain, changes in vision, swelling or redness in or around the eye. Talk with your healthcare provider to find out if you are at risk for angle‐closure glaucoma and to get treatment to prevent it if you are at risk.
- Increased risk of low blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus who also take medicines to treat their diabetes (such as insulin or sulfonylureas). You should check your blood sugar before you start taking CONTRAVE and while you take CONTRAVE.
The most common side effects of CONTRAVE include nausea, constipation, headache, vomiting, dizziness, trouble sleeping, dry mouth, and diarrhea. These are not all of the possible side effects of CONTRAVE.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
What is CONTRAVE?
CONTRAVE is a prescription weight-loss medicine that may help some adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obese), or adults with a BMI of 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) with at least one weight-related medical problem such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes, lose weight and keep the weight off.
CONTRAVE should be used with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
It is not known if CONTRAVE changes your risk of heart problems or stroke or of death due to heart problems or stroke.
It is not known if CONTRAVE is safe and effective when taken with other prescription, over-the-counter, or herbal weight-loss products.
CONTRAVE is not approved to treat depression or other mental illnesses, or to help people quit smoking (smoking cessation).
Please see Full Prescribing Information, including Medication Guide, for CONTRAVE.
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