Looking for people who are trying out Contrave? Thoughts? Is it working?

amberly006

Hello all. I am new to the group and happy to have found others using this. On 04/19/15, I started week three of Contrave. So two in the morning, one in the evening. I have noticed dull headaches from time to time and some stomach cramping. I cant say that Contrave has yet to curb my hunger or take away cravings. I take that back, I had one day with no desire of food.
When I first started this, my doctor told me not to have any expectations until week 4, when it is two in the morning and two in the evening. Im going to have faith and keep going. Week four will start on 04/26/15.

I began the Scale Down program. Since starting Contrave, according to Scale down's scale, I have lost 16lbs. However, I have started a exercise routine and have taken myself to a 1200-1300 calorie diet. I went from completely not active to active so Im sure that has the weight loss booming at first. (I have tons to loose) I am not sure how confident I am with Scale Down's scale. Guess we will find out whenever I go back to doctor. *Crossing my fingers it's right!*

Anywho, great to find you guys and I hope you keep posting your journey.

mdarlingaz

I have been on contrave since November 18th and lost 30 pounds...:) I love it and has helped me so much.
P.S. You can be on Contrave long term as it is safe and obesity is a chronic condition.

dennie05

I just started my second week of contrave. Nausea was eliminated by not taking it in an empty stomach. Extreme fatigue for a few days, at first but now that has gone. No desire to eat. No desire to have a happy hour drink. Lost 5 pounds!! I have been keeping to a 1100-1200 calorie diet. My problem is now that I am taking the evening dose, I don't sleep. Has anyone just taken 1 pill in the morning with success and not graduated up to the recommended dose? The 1 pill a day is working. Any feedback is welcomed! Thanks!

amberly006

I am now on week four of Contrave. I had an allergic reaction and stopped taking it for a few days until I ruled it out. Thankfully it was just my shampoo that I was allergic to LOL. Ok, so week four and I FINALLY have noticed cravings have gone away. The thought of breakfast this morning repulsed me but I forced it down. My doc told me not to expect much until week four so those who had earlier results...congrats!

Side effects: Week 2: Dull headaches Week 3: Stomach cramping but it did go away. Week 4: Since doing the two and two I have noticed a little Nausea but took a motion sickness pill and it wiped it out. I hope this will even out in the next few days.

Results so far: I am down 21 pounds since starting Contrave. Along with the med, I have cut calories to 1200-1300 per day and an hour of cardio.

amberly006

dennie05 wrote: »

I just started my second week of contrave. Nausea was eliminated by not taking it in an empty stomach. Extreme fatigue for a few days, at first but now that has gone. No desire to eat. No desire to have a happy hour drink. Lost 5 pounds!! I have been keeping to a 1100-1200 calorie diet. My problem is now that I am taking the evening dose, I don't sleep. Has anyone just taken 1 pill in the morning with success and not graduated up to the recommended dose? The 1 pill a day is working. Any feedback is welcomed! Thanks!

Hi Dennie, I have seen some people said they spread their pills out throughout the day. I take my 2nd dose around 5p-7p and haven't had any sleeping issues...thankfully. That's awesome one pill is working!!! Keep tabs on your desires though. I have read that people lose desires to do a lot of things they use to, good things. I asked my friends to let me know if they notice a difference. So far, they just ask why Im happy all the time. Ha, Im loaded on bupropion!!! Sorry I couldn't help much and rambled on.

Nursecutie67

Hello! I just started CONTRAVE this past Monday 5/4/15. The first thing I noticed was a definite decrease in my cravings and my stomach growling. My stomach hasn't growled all week!! That's the nice part. The other nice thing is that I used to have to take Trazadone to sleep at night and now I'm off of that! And I haven't had much of a need for my prn Ativan so backing slowly off of that as well! All good things Buuuut here it comes! A HUGE BUT! The waves of nausea and getting used to this medication comes all throughout the day...uuuugh. I am on Zoloft 25 mg as well and I find the nausea is worse when I try and space those two meds out. So this morning (Happy Mommie's Day) I took both medications with my surprise breakfast in bed (from my three grown children!) and so far no headache nor nausea. Yesterday...day 6 was horrible. Nausea all day with headache. Checked and my pb was normal but the nausea felt like morning sickness! The only thing I can gather is that I smoke an ecig since 8/13 and although have decreased my nicotine level to 8 mg I need to go ahead and reduce it to 0 mg and still smoke it for the flavor for now. I'm thinking that it's the nicotine reacting with the Wellbutrin in the CONTRAVE that's causing so much "ickyness"? I haven't vomited yet but felt like it. I have lost a few lbs...which is good thus far but I also have changed my diet to fat free since the risk of seizures is greatly increased when consuming a high fat meal with CONTRAVE. Has anyone experienced this type of nausea?? Also at different times the cramping us horrible! But never lasts long....also Ty to StephElizabeth for the advice on OTC antiemetic's. May need it this week!

Nursecutie67

StephElizabeth88 wrote: »

I haven't weighed recently but my clothes are fitting better. I do have an update on the side effects. Most of the people trying it are experiencing the headaches and extreme nausea and I have too. It was so bad yesterday afternoon that I left work and felt like I needed to go straight to bed but instead I stopped by Walgreens. Let me tell you, if you are experiencing the terrible side effects you need to get some Bonine motion sickness medicine, Dramamine and Aleve. I took a Dramamine last night and it completely wiped out that terrible sick feeling but it also made me very sleepy. I chewed the Bonine this morning since it's non drowsy and it kicked all those symptoms. Fatigue is gone, headaches are gone, nausea is gone and best of all, cravings and hunger is still gone too! Just wanted to share the wealth

Thank you for the advice!!

firefly4477

I just finished week 1. Didn't change anything and lost 3 pounds. This week I will adjust my diet and add exercise. I must say, adding that second pill is a doozy. Zero appetite, lil dizziness, foggy and a bit of Nausea. I'm normally hungry all the time. The psychological aspect of not being obsessed food takes some getting use to.

amberly006

Nursecutie67 wrote: »

Hello! I just started CONTRAVE this past Monday 5/4/15. The first thing I noticed was a definite decrease in my cravings and my stomach growling. My stomach hasn't growled all week!! That's the nice part. The other nice thing is that I used to have to take Trazadone to sleep at night and now I'm off of that! And I haven't had much of a need for my prn Ativan so backing slowly off of that as well! All good things Buuuut here it comes! A HUGE BUT! The waves of nausea and getting used to this medication comes all throughout the day...uuuugh. I am on Zoloft 25 mg as well and I find the nausea is worse when I try and space those two meds out. So this morning (Happy Mommie's Day) I took both medications with my surprise breakfast in bed (from my three grown children!) and so far no headache nor nausea. Yesterday...day 6 was horrible. Nausea all day with headache. Checked and my pb was normal but the nausea felt like morning sickness! The only thing I can gather is that I smoke an ecig since 8/13 and although have decreased my nicotine level to 8 mg I need to go ahead and reduce it to 0 mg and still smoke it for the flavor for now. I'm thinking that it's the nicotine reacting with the Wellbutrin in the CONTRAVE that's causing so much "ickyness"? I haven't vomited yet but felt like it. I have lost a few lbs...which is good thus far but I also have changed my diet to fat free since the risk of seizures is greatly increased when consuming a high fat meal with CONTRAVE. Has anyone experienced this type of nausea?? Also at different times the cramping us horrible! But never lasts long....also Ty to StephElizabeth for the advice on OTC antiemetic's. May need it this week!

Welcome to the Contrave family lol. Around week 3 I had cramping. A weird cramping at that but it did go away. I am now on week 6. It took me until week four (four a day) to notice my cravings diminish. I get it works on everyone differently. The start of week four and five were hell with the nausea. It was to the point Id rather carry my weight then feel ill all day. I am happy to say week 6 and the nausea has lessened greatly! Thank goodness. Its funny you brought up smoking. I have noticed after I smoke, usually later in the evening, I get that icky feelling. Hmm. I just assumed it was the contrave. I ll have to start paying more attention to the correlation of smoking and icky. I have also noticed that I smoke more out of habit now than cravings. I keep saying that Im going to only smoke when I have a craving but Im a sucker for going outside with my coworkers. I notice I eat out of habit too. "Oh look, its noon, lunch time, time to eat. Oh its 6pm, dinner time, time to eat." Today I have started the eating when hungry and not out of habit. I ate at 9a because I was hungry (seems to be my hungriest, is that even a word, time.) I just had a handful of trail mix and water and Im good to go. No hunger. Now if I can implement this all the time...

I have lost about 24lbs. The past two weeks I have slacked big time on exercise and counting calories. It is so easy to fall off the wagon than to stay on. Hopefully with the new eating when hungry and not out of habit will help. Keep documenting the journey!!!

Nursecutie67

Hello Amberly006! Congratulations on the 24lb loss in week 6!!! WOW! I'm now on day 10 and the nausea is getting better! I discussed it with my pharmacist and I'm going to take the one pill for two weeks then in the third week start the 2 pills. I had so much nausea in the beginning that easing into the 2 pills I think will work better for me. I am so anxious to start the 2nd pill, 3rd pill etc. and see the weight come off! I'm so happy I helped you regarding the smoking. Yes, it makes a huge difference with the nausea...or ickyness. please keep me posted about you! My stomach still has not growled...that was my problem....I was hungry all day and night since I started taking SSRI's last year. I'm currently not working which is why I'm taking advantage of my time at home to do this. I feel for you at work!! Coworkers are hard to say no to when you are used to bonding thru food/smoking. I understand completely!!

dennie05

I've been on Contrave for about 3 weeks now. Since my post on May 1, I just increased my dose to 2 tabs first thing in the morning with food and 1 around 3pm. So far so good. I think everyone's body gets used to the dose at different intervals. About 8 pounds!

ldnewberryKY

I just started Contrave yesterday. Immediate dull headache (similar to that I experience w caffeine withdrawal). Immediate appetite suppression and fatigue. Took first "week one" dose at 1pm upon Rx being filled. Could not eat remainder of day. No nausea.

amorebride

I am starting on Contrave today. I have read everything and can't find if you take it with or without food. also, I am a coffee drinker, I cant find anything on caffeine with it either. I appreciate any advise :-)

katrinamc2012

I am on week 2 of contrave, 1 pill in am and 1 in pm, but experiencing the horrible nausea and just icky feeling, I feel like my appetite has decreased so I really want to give it a try, has anyone's nausea went away and when did it go away, I notice after I eat it goes away, but comes back shortly. Has anyone been on it for quite awhile and had good success? Also I noticed it says not to take it with a high fat meal, I am eating low carb, high fat, so that kind of scares me!

nhellerud

I started taking Contrave 5/9 and am now up to the 1 AM 1 PM dose. The first day I noticed the appetite suppression, but it has since mellowed out. I do have the occasional nausea, headache, and hot flashes, but the thing I do not like is the constipation. I am used to going everyday now it seems like every other if that. When I started on 5/9 I was 270 and I weighed my self this morning and I was 260. I have been eating around 1300-1500 calories a day. I work in a cubicle so my life style at this point is sedentary. I hope to change this soon. I have also experienced the insomnia at night, but it's not too bad at this point.

I am nervous at this point to start the 2 AM 1PM dose. I wonder if the symptoms will continue or get better.

katrinamc2012 wrote: »

Also I noticed it says not to take it with a high fat meal, I am eating low carb, high fat, so that kind of scares me!

This actually scares me as well. My doctor said that the high fat diet could increase your risk of seizers. So I have drastically cut down on my fat intake.

Does anyone else have the constipation/hot flash problem? If so, did it get better?

JimS2014

I'm just finishing my first month of Contrave (just refilled yesterday in fact.). So far, I've lost 14 lbs. The side effects I feel the most are the sleep issues (not really insomnia, just not great, restful sleep), the occasional stomach cramps, and the constipation. That's the worst part for me. On my wife's advice, I've attacked it in two ways. First, twice a day I take my Metamucil. Second, I drink a lot of water...like a LOT of water. I have a glass with me at all times. It took 3 or 4 days to kick in and break the log jam. I still have it, but it's not so bad now.

My problem has always been a severe craving for sweets...I could eat a quart of ice cream a night and still want more. Cookies, candy, sugar, cake, pie...the cravings I had were unbearable, and usually it was at night. I would get up every 20 minutes, go to the kitchen and snack. That craving stopped almost immediately. In the past month, I've had one piece of cake, and shared an ice cream dessert with my wife. I never would have imagined that anything could control that craving!

I'm now at the point where I really have to work to get the proper calories. If I don't pay attention, I'll go 3 or 4 days consuming only 1600 calories a day at most. I caught myself checking in one night last week, and had only eaten 900 calories, yet wasn't hungry at all.

As for the scale, I notice that I weigh a little more on it than I do on my other scale. My take is as long as there is positive change, I'm not too caught up on accuracy. I've stepped on it everyday since I've had it, save for two days when I was on a business trip. Believe it or not, I got a text message telling me that the scale missed me. :-)

As for the high fat meals, yeah, I would suggest staying away from them. Not that they are dangerous, it just that the one time I had pizza (dripping with that delicious fat!), my gut hurt for a few hours, so now I stay away. I also have also only drank once on this...I noticed that the tequila hit me a lot sooner and a lot harder than usual and it also gave me a pretty bad headache later on, so I'll most likely stay away from that as well.

Over all, this has been a savior drug for me!

amorebride

nhellerud wrote: »

I started taking Contrave 5/9 and am now up to the 1 AM 1 PM dose. The first day I noticed the appetite suppression, but it has since mellowed out. I do have the occasional nausea, headache, and hot flashes, but the thing I do not like is the constipation. I am used to going everyday now it seems like every other if that. When I started on 5/9 I was 270 and I weighed my self this morning and I was 260. I have been eating around 1300-1500 calories a day. I work in a cubicle so my life style at this point is sedentary. I hope to change this soon. I have also experienced the insomnia at night, but it's not too bad at this point.

I am nervous at this point to start the 2 AM 1PM dose. I wonder if the symptoms will continue or get better.

katrinamc2012 wrote: »

Also I noticed it says not to take it with a high fat meal, I am eating low carb, high fat, so that kind of scares me!

This actually scares me as well. My doctor said that the high fat diet could increase your risk of seizers. So I have drastically cut down on my fat intake.

Does anyone else have the constipation/hot flash problem? If so, did it get better?

I can't give lots of advise yet for Contrave as I am only on day 3, I'm actually looking for advise on caffeine, mostly in the morning. But I can give you some insight on constipation. I have been on a weight loss program for a few months, lost 40 lbs! Thru a weight loss team at our local hospital. Have more loss to go, so switching to Contrave. But in first initial few weeks I started a healthy, lower calorie diet, I got a little constipated. The constipation wasn't really that, but rather not as regular as I had been, like maybe only going every 2 or 3 days. My dietician pointed out this was normal, that I wasn't eating as much food, and my regularilty would probably change to few days, not daily, and that was how it was for alot of people on a new, less food program. Hope that helps, and good luck, you have done great already!

amberly006

Hey all just wanted to check in. NURSECUTIE67, thank you. Ok, I have sucked the last few weeks in the way of diet and exercise. Today, I decided to stop that. While I have lost another pound, I should and can lose a lot more. I have enrolled in a year of zumba so hopefully this gets me back on track. It's so easy to veer. So far, all nausea has went away. Thank goodness. It was rough! I have noticed now that I eat out of habit opposed to hunger. Usually, I will eat breakfast, skip lunch, not really be hungry for dinner but say, "hey, its dinner time." So...I eat.

Keep up the good work all!!!

amberly006

Nursecutie67 wrote: »

Hello Amberly006! Congratulations on the 24lb loss in week 6!!! WOW! I'm now on day 10 and the nausea is getting better! I discussed it with my pharmacist and I'm going to take the one pill for two weeks then in the third week start the 2 pills. I had so much nausea in the beginning that easing into the 2 pills I think will work better for me. I am so anxious to start the 2nd pill, 3rd pill etc. and see the weight come off! I'm so happy I helped you regarding the smoking. Yes, it makes a huge difference with the nausea...or ickyness. please keep me posted about you! My stomach still has not growled...that was my problem....I was hungry all day and night since I started taking SSRI's last year. I'm currently not working which is why I'm taking advantage of my time at home to do this. I feel for you at work!! Coworkers are hard to say no to when you are used to bonding thru food/smoking. I understand completely!!

They are hard to say no to. I haven't stopped smoking although I have noticed the cravings dwindled big time. I still have them here and there. I should quit. Hmmm. How's your progress coming along?

Hollysue22

My Dr just gave me a script for Contrave today. He also put me on precose (acarbose) which he says is a sugar blocker. I'm really nervous about starting these!

amjane17

Hi! I am starting week three tomorrow. I have felt a significant loss of hunger. So glad I found this board. It's nice to get and give advice when you are going through something new.

Harmonyruhls

I have been on contrive now for 6 1/2 weeks. The first month I lost about 15 pounds but it has now plateaued and I am fluctuating two pounds, up one day, down the next. I have not changed my eating habits or exercise in any way. I am on two pills in the morning and two in the evening. The initial symptoms that included slight nausea, sleeplessness, slight headaches and unable to focus subsided after two weeks. I occasionally have dizziness but it is not to the point that it bothers me or stops me from daily activity in any way. At the beginning, my doctor informed me that I would lose only about 10 pounds and that at the least, it will jump start my weight loss to encourage me to go on, which it has. I am happy that I lost about 15 pounds but I am not certain that I will continue to take Contrive after this month if I do not see any further weight loss. And it appears from the posts, it is not as successful as it claims. I see in a previous post someone mentioned hot flashes. I get them as well but I am not certain it is due to Contrave based my age.

JKGoehring

I've been on Contrave for about a month, but had to stop for a period of two weeks due to horrible side effects/possibility of pregnancy. I even lost 10 pounds in the first week and a half. Now that I know I'm not pregnant, my doctor and I decided to give the Contrave another try. I was having intermittent nausea, bad headaches, and vertigo, which did not start until the second or third day into the third week of the Contrave. Once stopping the Contrave, my nausea did go away, but the vertigo stayed for another 2 weeks nearly. One thing to note is that I also take Vyvanse for binge eating disorder. I actually started the Vyvanse first because of the BED. It helped a lot, but really not as much as we hoped it would. However, it made me focus like a champ, so my Dr. agreed to let me continue taking it per my request, as I am in nursing school! The best thing we could figure out symptom-wise was that it was related to the meds. Vyvanse taken with Contrave will lower the seizure threshold even more, so I know that's just once of the risks I'm willing to take to give me the push I need to correct bad habits. I've been back on Contrave now for a few days, and the only negative effects are nearly-continuous headaches. I was prescribed Bupap and Meclizine PRN to help with all that, and it seems as though they're helping. I am loving the fact that my mind is no longer constantly focused on food anymore (more like, I keep thinking about how I have no desire to eat at a given point in time and how crazy that is for me). I never thought I'd be one to rely on a medication to help me through this struggle, but it's been a rough 2 years involving depression and the death of my mother. It's crazy that something so awful can really affect your life. I was on Lexapro for depression, but went off to start the Contrave. I can say that the Wekllbutrin component alone has amde such a huge difference in me. The Lexapro just didn't seem to helo like the Contrave does. Regardless of the weight issue, this medication has helped me get back to my old self. And, while my "old self" was able to diet and exercise on my own, I believe the Contrave has been the key to getting me back to that point where I have self control and discipline. I've got a long road ahead of me, but for once, I think that I'm headed in the right direction. Good luck to you all!

michaeladamsfla

I started Contrave on 4/23. The first couple of weeks were amazing. i attributed that somewhat to the Placebo effect. I had no desire for food at night. At first I was very pleased and saw no side effects.

About the time i started the 2 am and 2 pm i started to have intense stomach cramping. i also started my fitness pal to coordinate my eating and started back to the gym on a regular routine on 2/28. my ultimate goal was to lose 15 lbs.

The last two weeks i began to feel just out of it, almost constant cramping and no sleep patterns. weird dreams and totally exhausted.

i tried going back to 1 am and 1 pm but just did not like how i felt. i stopped a couple of days ago and am feeling better daily. still groggy and weird but a little better every day.

maybe if i had fought through the next few weeks my mind/body would have adjusted better but just did not like the way i felt.

i hope it works for you but for me i am hitting the gym, walking/cardio and trying to eat better. also $70 bucks is a lot for me.

best wishes.

futuremrsjonstafford

Anyone tried cutting pills in 1/2? I know its the SR version, but my body just cannot handle a full pill. I cut the pill in 1/2 this morning, and so far I seem to be feeling normal. About a month ago I started on week 1 and had to stop after 3 days because I couldn't tolerate the way it was making me feel- nauseous, light headed, very tired. I knew from that point that there is no way I will ever be able to increase my dose to the full 2am/ 2pm. The most I will be able to work myself up to is going to be 1am/1pm. Just wondering if anyone else has had success in cutting the pill in 1/2 to build up a tolerance?

shenan32

So glad I found this board! I just started Contrave yesterday. Today has been pretty miserable. The nausea and "high" or vertigo type feeling is crazy. And I would pay a million dollars right now to just go to sleep lol. I work a desk job 8-5 and it has been torture all day just to keep my eyes open. But I have had ZERO food cravings. In fact, the thought of food makes me want to hurl. I've had a birthday cupcake on my desk from a coworker since before lunch and I have absolutely no desire to touch it. I hope that part continues! I have a big sugar craving usually. Actually, any food that is bad for me I usually want. I have about 30 pounds to lose so hopefully this is a short term solution. I work out doing Jiu Jitsu twice a week. I'm also curious about adjusting the dose when it comes to 2+ pills per day. I'll keep my eye on this board for suggestions about that. I'll also continue to update on my progress!

butterflyl

I am on my 3rd day of Contrave. My doctor told me to start the one pill a day. He also said some people are fine taking less than the normal dose of two in the morning and two in the evening, building up to this of course. I reluctantly started taking this pill after reading all the reviews. I am a diabetic, have had a very bad last year with Graves' disease, afib several bouts, having radioactive iodine treatment and now hypo-thyroid (sluggish metabolism). Before starting this drug I recently got off of beta blockers and blood thinners. I have been on metformin, onglyza, and tanzeum for my diabetes. I decided to stay off all of my meds when I started taking this drug. I was hoping it will help me pinpoint any side effects or negative reactions. So far I have only had an occasional headache. I read somewhere if you drink water it should help and it does! I've had no nausea and probably due to the fact I'm not eating any fatty foods. I had also read fatty foods cause the nausea. My cravings are going away between meals. I feel like for the first time in my life I have a possibility of achieving my goals if this keeps up. It definitely forces me to eat better so I won't have side effects. My blood pressure has been normal which is a new one for me. My blood sugar was 162 after a meal, which is not perfect but I usually run about 200 after meals with no meds. These are the best readings I've had while not being on my diabetes meds. If anything I feel like Contrave may give me the boost I need to change my lifestyle eating habits. I plan to go up in doses until it makes me sick then I'll back off since the doc said it would be ok. I trust this Doc with my life because he has helped me so much thus far and helped keep me alive when I was near death! Add me as a friend if you wish...I would love to hear of your progress good or bad since I'm new to the drug as well. Wishing you great success on your journey....butterflyl

JillsARealtor

futuremrsjonstafford wrote: »

Anyone tried cutting pills in 1/2? I know its the SR version, but my body just cannot handle a full pill. I cut the pill in 1/2 this morning, and so far I seem to be feeling normal. About a month ago I started on week 1 and had to stop after 3 days because I couldn't tolerate the way it was making me feel- nauseous, light headed, very tired. I knew from that point that there is no way I will ever be able to increase my dose to the full 2am/ 2pm. The most I will be able to work myself up to is going to be 1am/1pm. Just wondering if anyone else has had success in cutting the pill in 1/2 to build up a tolerance?

JillsARealtor

I have heard, but cannot confirm, that you are not supposed to cut the pills in half due to them being time release.

bradstone68

If anyone is using Scaledown do you know how to change your goal weight?