Starting Contrave

pennypinktoes

Hello all,
First post here. Started Contrave September 8th, 2015 with a starting weight of 224. My heaviest EVER, and I hate it.
I joined their weight loss program where you get the free scale and got it yesterday in the mail. Believe it or not, but in my 39 years, this is the FIRST scale I've ever owned!
I weighed myself immediately after opening the box and (after 1 week and 3 days into Contrave) I weighed 221.
This morning, first thing out of bed, I weighed myself and I was 219.4! This is crazy! I haven't changed anything really except I'm noticing I don't have quite as much of a ravenous appetite, but yeah I still get hungry. Today, I had to force myself to stop what I was doing at work and eat 2 Uncrustables (thawed PB&J sandwiches) because I had the shakes. Came home and resisted the urge to get Chinese takeout, I nuked a Lean Cuisine FitKitchen meal. They're really good, if you haven't tried them!! High in protein!

As far as side effects are concerned, surprisingly I haven't had anything noticeable. I'm currently on Week 2, I take 1 in the morning, 1 at bedtime. With my Trazodone (for sleep), I make sure I have SOMETHING in my stomach (like a single slice of bread) to combat nausea. This coming Tuesday, 9-15-15, I will start Week 3 (2 pills in the am, 1 in the pm).

So, yeah, 1 week 3 days into Contrave and I'm already down 5 pounds and haven't really done anything different.

I set a pretty high goal for myself to lose 70 pounds, but didn't say WHEN I wanted to lose it by. I want to see how much weight and how fast I will lose after I've been on the full 4 pills a day dose for awhile. I know I'll eventually hit a plateau, so I wanna see how much I've lost when I hit that plateau. Then, I'll re-evaluate my goal and what I need to do to achieve it.

One reason I am not doing any physical activity is because I am nursing a messed up left knee, and had plantar fasciitis surgery on my right foot a year ago and it's still painful. They're not excuses but they are hindering me from many cardio workouts. And before you all say something, I realize there are other things I could do that are lower impact. I'll get there, just give me some time.

mrsbusby1019

Hey, I was going through the community stuff and am glad to have found someone that is using this medication. My doctor has prescribed it for me but I've not been able to fill it yet because of the cost. I hope that it works well for me as it seems it is for you.

-Michele

NikkyT30

I've lost 10lbs in month one and two. Currently in the third month on the meds. I have never needed more than a pill when I wake and maybe a pill around two in the afternoon .....when I remember. I workout 3 to 5 days a week and calorie track everything. Started at 194 and am now 169. I feel like I could have done it on my own to be honest. Good luck to you both

NikkyT30

Oh... And the scale down program was more stress than it was worth for me. Weight naturally fluctuates and I couldn't mentally handle the gain days. I now only weigh once a week and it's greatly reduced my stress.

pennypinktoes

Today I started Week 3 pills, 2 in the morning and 1 at night. I hope I don't experience any nausea or dizziness with the increased dosage. Yes, I agree on the cost, it is pretty pricey, $70 for the first two fills and then $60 for fill 3 and beyond. And I have health insurance!! The only reason I can afford is because I have a heath savings account plan with my insurance. Otherwise, there'd be no way. Because, in all reality, if I could afford $70 out of my own pocket each month, then I could afford a gym membership and probably some personal training sessions. I am still sitting at 219.0 but haven't really done anything different. I have been a bit more mindful of my caloric intake. I am sickened by all of the horrible food I have laying around, but I can't get up the courage to throw it away, but at the same time, I don't have any desire (or appetite, really) to eat it.
I can definitely see how the Scale Down program could lead to more stress than help, especially with natural fluctuations in weight. I've already been frustrated when I've been stuck at 219.4 for a couple of days. On one hand, I am glad I am not gaining, but not losing either. It will be interesting to see if I will lose another 5 with the dosage increase this week. I'm not putting too much pressure on myself to lose because I am well aware that I am not doing any sort of exercise.

jerushac

I started taking Contrave yesterday. It made me very nauseous. I skipped the dose today and I was still feeling pretty nauseous today. I am going to try again tomorrow with half a pill to see how I feel.

pennypinktoes

Have you tried taking it with food? It might help having something in your stomach instead of just the medication. I have a very sensitive stomach too. Before bed, I eat one slice of whole grain bread before I take my medication.

pennypinktoes

Btw, 217.9 today! Woot!

pennypinktoes

217 today!

pennypinktoes

215!!

cmorris30316