Does Contrave work? I am 20 and wondering if it works in younger people?

The doctor just prescribed me this. I more less begged for a weight loss aid. I am not obese and my Bmi was just at the mark to get prescribed this. I am having trouble loosing these last 20 pounds so I'm hoping this will help.
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Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Weight loss is a simple function of consistently burning more calories than you take in. A lighter body burns less calories than a heavier body. What exactly are you struggling with?
  • hossip1996
    hossip1996 Posts: 11 Member
    I just can't loose the weight!I lost over 100 pounds 4 years ago and I've gained 20 back. I've down the perfect diet my doctor recommended , i work out at least 3x a week, I only drink water and I've cut out sugar. No luck. Im5/6 and weight 160 so I'm not that much overweight. The doctor just prescribed Contrave so I'm praying it works.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited August 2016
    Yes, you are barely overweight. Is there a reason your doctor is so concerned about your weight that prescribing a drug with severe side effects outweighs the risk of staying at your weight?

    What is that perfect doctor recommended diet?

    You don't have to exercise to lose weight, you don't have to drink anything special, and you can't really cut out sugar - but you have to eat at a calorie deficit. At your current weight, you can expect to lose at most half a pound per week. Have you set up MFP? Have you used it? If so, what calorie allowance did you aim for? Did you manage to stick to it? If so, for how long?
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I thought it shouldn't be prescribed to anyone with as little to lose as you? You're not losing because you're eating too much, taking Contrave won't change that though it may artificially suppress your appetite.

    And to add to Kommode, do you weigh solids and measure liquids when tracking your intake? I suspect calorie creep has caused the regain and apparent inability to re-lose.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    If your diet is nutritionally perfect but you're still consuming too many calories, you won't lose weight. Did your doctor give you a calorie goal? If not, try using MyFitnessPal to set one and see how it goes. The Rx your doctor (reluctantly) gave you can be helpful, but you still need to do the work and have good habits established for when it's time to come off it.
  • hossip1996
    hossip1996 Posts: 11 Member
    She prescribed it becuase I'm having such a hard time loosing weight. I've been at the same weight all summer and I'm working out and eating healthy. She said this pill my also help with my mood because I've become very depressed due to my weight.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    You can work out and eat healthy all you want and not lose weight. You need to have a sustained calorie deficit to lose weight.
  • hossip1996
    hossip1996 Posts: 11 Member
    If it doesn't help any she said to come off of it. It's Just something to try to see if it will help.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Have you set up MFP to give you a calorie goal? If not, why not? If so, have you tried sticking to that and log your food? If not, why not? If so, how did that go?
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    What do you think Contrave does?
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    hossip1996 wrote: »
    If it doesn't help any she said to come off of it. It's Just something to try to see if it will help.

    Ok, but the pill doesn't cause weight loss on its own. It's meant to help you establish habits that lead to weight loss. I'm not second-guessing your doctor, but since you aren't responding to any questions about calories, either you didn't get proper guidance in using the drug, or you're expecting results that not Contrave nor any legal drug on the market will deliver.
  • hossip1996
    hossip1996 Posts: 11 Member
    I would appreciate it if y'all would stop with the negative comments. I work out everyday and I eat 1500 calories. I have lost over 100 pounds naturally and with hard work. I am hair having trouble with the last 20 pounds. If you can't say anything positive please don't comment on this. I don't need negative feedback this was a question not for people to tell me what I'm doing wrong.
  • Savyna
    Savyna Posts: 789 Member
    hossip1996 wrote: »
    I would appreciate it if y'all would stop with the negative comments. I work out everyday and I eat 1500 calories. I have lost over 100 pounds naturally and with hard work. I am hair having trouble with the last 20 pounds. If you can't say anything positive please don't comment on this. I don't need negative feedback this was a question not for people to tell me what I'm doing wrong.

    I think they were trying to let you know that the pill, even though prescribed by a doctor isn't a magic pill, and that it can come with negative side effects. Ive never taken it but I have taken those drug store raspberry ketones type of things. After a certain point it seemed like a waste to take them and I ended up just having to reassess my caloric intake, and my exercise. Maybe instead of working out everyday take a break for a few weeks by just maintaining your weight and then revisit with new exercises to make your muscles work at adapting to new movements.
    Otherwise good luck.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    You basically wore a doctor down to prescribe a drug that isn't suitable for your needs. I'll ask again, what do you think this drug does?

    I would put money on the issue being logging errors and portion creep. People are trying to help you by offering a solution to your situation that no drug in the world can fix.
  • hossip1996
    hossip1996 Posts: 11 Member
    I KNOW THAT THE PILL IS! I KNOW THE PILL IS AN APPETITE SUPPRESSANT ! All I asked was has the pill helped anyone (helped curve their appetite) and if anybody in there 20s has taken it.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    It didn't help :)
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I just looked it up to better educate myself. You don't meet the pr script ion criteria and your doctor should not have prescribed it.

    The side effects are pretty scary, especially the risks of taking it with a high fat meal. We're not being mean, this is a serious drug and at 20 years old with such successful losses so far, being open to tweaks and help with logging would be the way to go if I were in your shoes.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    hossip1996 wrote: »
    I KNOW THAT THE PILL IS! I KNOW THE PILL IS AN APPETITE SUPPRESSANT ! All I asked was has the pill helped anyone (helped curve their appetite) and if anybody in there 20s has taken it.

    Whether or not it helps depends entirely on how you will put it to work, which is what everyone was asking about. Nobody said anything negative. People here don't deal in validation. They deal in information. Cause and effect. That sort of thing.
  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    edited August 2016
    I just looked it up to better educate myself. You don't meet the pr script ion criteria and your doctor should not have prescribed it.

    The side effects are pretty scary, especially the risks of taking it with a high fat meal. We're not being mean, this is a serious drug and at 20 years old with such successful losses so far, being open to tweaks and help with logging would be the way to go if I were in your shoes.

    Wouldn't this be grounds for malpractice due to the side effects? As a doctor, I'd be more concerned about that and losing my job versus someone complaining about being 20lbs from goal.

    So once again, I revisit my point, OP. It is not a drug someone at your size should be taking and you need a new doctor.
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
    What kind of doctor would prescribe a drug like this to a 20 year old with only 20lbs to lose?!

    The better prescription would have been advising them to set up MFP for a lower goal (like 1lb a week or less) and a food scale for total accuracy.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    It's dumb to take it as there is NO reason to do so. Period. Full stop.
  • k_diddly
    k_diddly Posts: 11 Member
    I KNOW THAT THE PILL IS! I KNOW THE PILL IS AN APPETITE SUPPRESSANT ! All I asked was has the pill helped anyone (helped curve their appetite) and if anybody in there 20s has taken it.

    LOL troll.

    first...."curve" is curb....and if no one you know is using it, then you are too old. It is only for people 10 years younger than you.
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,412 Member
    Contrave, a combination of buproprion and naltrexone, helps curb appetite and seems to decrease "food thinking", i.e., obsessing about food.

    There is nothing addicting in Contrave.

    Contrave is quite expensive.

    It is unusual for it to be prescribed for someone with 20 lbs to lose. All drugs have a long list of potential side effects.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    misskarne wrote: »
    What kind of doctor would prescribe a drug like this to a 20 year old with only 20lbs to lose?!

    The better prescription would have been advising them to set up MFP for a lower goal (like 1lb a week or less) and a food scale for total accuracy.

    My doctor prescribed the highest dose of phentermine when i had around the same amount to lose as the op. He didn't offer it to me, but was more than happy to write a script when i asked for it.

    OP if you think contrave will help you lose weight, then so be it. My only advice is to keep tight control of your calories when you eventually stop taking it, so you don't regain the weight again..
  • Bearbo27
    Bearbo27 Posts: 339 Member
    edited August 2016
    I don't think anyone is being negative. They are just giving you answers you don't want to hear. If the pill is just an appetite suppressant, it will force you to eat less and then yes, you may lose weight. There will most likely be side effects along with that though. Also, if you gained 20 pounds back, it's because you were eating too much, plain and simple. If you don't fix that, as soon as you come off of this pill, the weight is just going to come right back. This is not being negative, it is stating facts.
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    from someone who has lost the same weight more than once , i have always noticed the closer i get to my goal the harder it is to loose . so if I had 20 more to loose i would have to really watch my eating habits ,, Thats Normal in my book . As far as the medicine goes im not a doctor so dont really know . i would use MFP to track exercise and calories to obtain my goal . its really pretty easy to use ..

    Good luck and hang in there
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Has the risk of mental side effects (you already said you were depressed, this could make it worse). If can also cause seizures along with a host of other side effects.

    Sorry but I am not sure that this medication is worth it for only 20lbs.