In September, 2014, the US FDA approved a new weight loss medication called Contrave, a combination of the well known mood stabilizer, Bupropion and a narcotic deaddition medication called Naltrexone.
What is Contrave?
Who should consider Contrave?
CONTRAVE should be considered for any one who is obese with a body mass index of 30 or more or those with a body mass index of >27 with other comorbidities with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity.
Does Contrave work for weight loss?
In one 56-week study, people who took CONTRAVE along with a program of reduced-calorie diet, behavior counseling, and increased physical activity, about 42% of the treatment group lost the minimum of 5% compared to 17% of those who did not take CONTRAVE.§ Individual results may vary.
Dosing of Contrave
The recommended daily dose of Contrave is two 8 mg naltrexone/90 mg bupropion (8/90) tablets taken twice daily for a total daily dose of 32 mg naltrexone/360 mg bupropion (32/360). Upon initiation,
Contrave dosing should be escalated starting with one tablet taken daily for the first week, followed by the addition of another tablet each day during each subsequent week, until the total daily maintenance dose of two tablets twice a day (32/360) is reached at the start of Week 4.
Assessing effectiveness in 4 months
Most patients who respond to Contrave will do so in about 4 months of treatment. If a patient has not exhibited clinically meaningful weight loss (e.g., at least 5%) after 4 months of treatment, the physician should consider discontinuation of Contrave and initiation of other weight management strategies should be considered. Patients may experience elevated blood pressure or pulse during Contrave treatment; the risk may be greater during the initial 3 months of therapy. If clinically relevant and sustained (e.g., at least two consecutive measurements) increases in blood pressure or pulse occur, Contrave should be discontinued. As patients with hypertension or a history of hypertension may be at increased risk of blood pressure elevations, care should be exercised when initiating treatment with Contrave in such patients.
Benefits of Contrave
Contrave trials demonstrated beneficial effects on prespecified weight-related cardiometabolic parameters, including:
• waist circumference,
• triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol,
• high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP),
• glycemic control (fasting glucose, fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR], and, in patients with diabetes, hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c]),
• quality of life and control of eating.
Consistent with the known pressor effect of bupropion, Contrave-treated patients experienced increases in blood pressure and heart rate compared to placebo, although reduction in weight was associated with reduction in mean blood pressure in both treatment groups. Across all of the secondary manifestations of the illness of obesity, the greatest benefits of Contrave are likely in patients who achieve and maintain at least a 5% reduction in body weight.
Side effects of Contrave(also called NB)
The most common side effects of CONTRAVE include:
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Trouble sleeping
- Dry mouth
- Diarrhea.
Price of Contrave
Contrave is priced about $275-300 per month although there are coupons that can bring the cost down to about $100-115 per month without insurance and with insurance, it can be lower.
Comparision of Contrave
Compared to the other new weight loss medications approved a few years ago, Belviq and Qsymia, Contrave is somewhat in the middle in terms of weight loss results, a bit better than Belviq but less than Qsymia in the opinion of this blogger, Dr. Prab R. Tumpati, MD, founder of W8MD medical weight loss centers.
W8MD's locations for Contrave / Doctors who prescribe Contrave
While Contrave might be offered by many physicians
For those living in New Jersey looking to try Contrave, please contact the W8MD weight loss program in Cherry Hill NJ
140 E Evesham Road Cherry Hill NJ 08003. 800-W8MD-007
Frequently asked questions we can answer at W8MD
- How do you take contrave for best results?
two tab PO twice daily, before meals
- What is the average weight loss with Contrave?
Depends on the diet. At W8MD, we expect about 2-3 pounds per week as we can combine Contrave with instructions on how to eat properly for weight loss.
- Is Contrave a controlled substance?
No, Contrave is not a controlled substance.
- How do I stop taking Contrave?
No taper needed to stop.
- Can I drink coffee while taking Contrave?
Small amount of coffee is OK, like 1-2 cups per day.
- Is Contrave better than Phentermine?
Contrave is comparable to Phentermine in results.
- What time of day should I take contrave?
Morning and evening once titration is completed.
- Does contrave give you energy?
Bupropion can give you some energy although not as much as Amphetamine drugs like Phentermine
- What is the strongest weight loss prescription pill?
Qsymia or Phentermine with Topiramate has the most weight loss in a large comparison study.
- Will contrave show up in a drug test?
While it depends on what they are testing for, it is not a controlled substance so it is not a problem even if they test for it and most drug tests do not test for this.
- Is Wellbutrin and contrave the same thing?
- Can I take contrave every other day?
- What are the side effects of stopping contrave?
- Can you take contrave at bedtime?
- Does contrave help depression?
- What happens if you drink alcohol with Contrave?
- Does contrave cause hair loss?
- Is Contrave safe for weight loss?
- How long does phentermine take to work?
- How long can you take phentermine?
- Can contrave cause liver damage?
- Can I drink alcohol while taking Wellbutrin?
- Does insurance cover contrave?
Glossary of terms
obesity - noun more than average fatness
patient - adj. enduring without protest or complaint; enduring trying circumstances with even temper or characterized by such endurance; noun a person who requires medical care; the semantic role of an entity that is not the agent but is directly involved in or affected by the happening denoted by the verb in the clause
dose - noun a measured portion of medicine taken at any one time; the quantity of an active agent (substance or radiation) taken in or absorbed at any one time; street name for lysergic acid diethylamide; a communicable infection transmitted by sexual intercourse or genital contact; verb treat with an agent; add (an agent) to; administer a drug to
treatment - noun care by procedures or applications that are intended to relieve illness or injury; the management of someone or something; a manner of dealing with something artistically; an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic
symptom - noun anything that accompanies X and is regarded as an indication of X's existence; (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease
drug - noun a substance that is used as a medicine or narcotic; verb administer a drug to; use recreational drugs
inhibitor - noun a substance that retards or stops an activity
impairment - noun damage that results in a reduction of strength or quality; the act of making something futile and useless (as by routine); the occurrence of a change for the worse; the condition of being unable to perform as a consequence of physical or mental unfitness; a symptom of reduced quality or strength
risk - noun a venture undertaken without regard to possible loss or injury; the probability of being exposed to an infectious agent; the probability of becoming infected given that exposure to an infectious agent has occurred; a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune; verb expose to a chance of loss or damage; take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
medicine - noun the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease; the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques; punishment for one's actions; verb treat medicinally, treat with medicine
diabetes - noun any of several metabolic disorders marked by excessive urination and persistent thirst
prescription - adj. available only with a doctor's written prescription; noun written instructions from a physician or dentist to a druggist concerning the form and dosage of a drug to be issued to a given patient; written instructions for an optician on the lenses for a given person; directions prescribed beforehand; the action of prescribing authoritative rules or directions; a drug that is available only with written instructions from a doctor or dentist to a pharmacist
healthcare - noun the preservation of mental and physical health by preventing or treating illness through services offered by the health profession
craving - noun an intense desire for some particular thing
pain - noun a somatic sensation of acute discomfort; emotional distress; a fundamental feeling that people try to avoid; a bothersome annoying person; a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder; something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness; verb cause emotional anguish or make miserable; cause bodily suffering to and make sick or indisposed
liver - adj. having a reddish-brown color; noun large and complicated reddish-brown glandular organ located in the upper right portion of the abdominal cavity; secretes bile and functions in metabolism of protein and carbohydrate and fat; synthesizes substances involved in the clotting of the blood; synthesizes vitamin A; detoxifies poisonous substances and breaks down worn-out erythrocytes; liver of an animal used as meat; someone who lives in a place; a person who has a special life style
External links for Contrave
Results / success storiesManufacturer coupons
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