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

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  • ericalee3012
    ericalee3012 Posts: 5 Member
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    I started Contrave last Friday and I dont get sick to my stomach but I do get a severe neck ache up the back of my head...almost like whiplash feeling. Has anyone else had this happen and should I just keep pushing through it? I dont want to feel bad every day because then I am less likely to get out and workout!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    ericalee3012 wrote: »
    I started Contrave last Friday and I dont get sick to my stomach but I do get a severe neck ache up the back of my head...almost like whiplash feeling. Has anyone else had this happen and should I just keep pushing through it? I dont want to feel bad every day because then I am less likely to get out and workout!

    Erica, you should not be having pain up the back of your neck like that, and you should not feet bad every day. I suggest you stop the contrave and call your doctor.
  • kmp1winnie
    kmp1winnie Posts: 1 Member
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    I just started the 4 a day stage and it's been rough. Headaches, stomach cramping, severe sweating, twitching and shakiness. Will this go away or should I back down to 3 a day which gave me no side effects? I'm also taking 1000mg of Metformin daily. I haven't lost any weight but I didn't feel it working until I started the 4. Now I have basically no appetite, which I love. I'm just not sure I can deal with these side effects. If they go away I can do it, if not I'll have to stop.
  • mmonroe2004
    mmonroe2004 Posts: 2 Member
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    For the first 2 weeks, I felt some side-effects. Weird feeling in my tummy, kind of cloudy headed, and strange dreams! All side effects are gone now... Also for the first 3 weeks, I lost about 12lbs (average of 4lbs/week), which probably was not super healthy. After that I hit a plateau, and only lost about 1-1.5 lbs per week for the next couple of weeks. It has been about 7 weeks since I started (May 30th) and I hit 20lbs today!! So needless to say, after that 2 week plateau, my weekly average went back up a little. Also, I never went to the full 2 pills in the morning, 2 pills in the afternoon... I am still only doing 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. It is still very effective for me, plus it lets me stretch out my prescription (since it is not cheap!)
  • mmonroe2004
    mmonroe2004 Posts: 2 Member
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    kmp1winnie wrote: »
    I just started the 4 a day stage and it's been rough. Headaches, stomach cramping, severe sweating, twitching and shakiness. Will this go away or should I back down to 3 a day which gave me no side effects? I'm also taking 1000mg of Metformin daily. I haven't lost any weight but I didn't feel it working until I started the 4. Now I have basically no appetite, which I love. I'm just not sure I can deal with these side effects. If they go away I can do it, if not I'll have to stop.

    I got to the 2 in the morning, 1 in the evening point.. I did that for about a week, then I went back down to 1 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon. I did this because as I upped the dosage, I realized I was eating nothing! I would eat about 600 cal/day! Not healthy!!. I've been on it for 7 weeks now, and I am still seeing progress just doing the 1 and 1. Plus like I said in my previous post, it helps stretch out the prescription since it is not cheap lol
  • MerriWthr
    MerriWthr Posts: 2 Member
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    I'm on week 3 of Contrave - so 2 in the morning and 1 in the evening. I'm a T2 Diabetic on insulin and have had to lower my insulin intake as I've gone hypo several times, usually after I've upped the dosage of Contrave. The first week I was really really tired, but I noticed my need for food decreased. But I also noticed I was dizzy and nauseous a lot! Second week, added the dry mouth. But realized that when I started getting dizzy I needed to eat something! So for me, I've started eating something every few hours, alternating fruit, veggie and protein. I've lost about 4 lbs since starting (so 2 1/2 weeks with a vacation thrown in the middle of it!!). Since starting week 3, I've gotten a lot more energy and drive to do more things. I took Wellbutrin for many years when I was younger for depression so I expected the boost in energy and drive. I'll start the 2/2 on Sunday so we'll see how I handle that. So far, the side effects haven't scared me away.
  • jenidallas
    jenidallas Posts: 8 Member
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    I'm on Contrave and have lost 19 pounds in two months.

    I agree with the posters above that this is NOT a magic pill. I still have to log my food and watch my macronutrients/calories and work out.

    The Contrave has kept me from being obsessive about my food choices or craving less healthy options. It's like someone hit the "reset" button and I'm back to thinking about food as fuel, not being an obsessive foodie (which was always my Achilles heel).
  • TEubank67
    TEubank67 Posts: 3 Member
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    Hello. Getting ready to start Contrave on Tuesday... hoping this will finally help me to lose weight!! Looking for people who are just starting :-)
  • megs2600
    megs2600 Posts: 3 Member
    edited August 2016
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    I am on it. I started in January and have lost 70 pounds. It is awesome. My only side effects are: it made me quit smoking, some foods taste and smell bad now - like bacon, I don't feel that great if I overeat or eat too fast (has only happened a few times), I poop less often, I am more forgetful and a little dumber in general, and dry mouth with bad taste and really bad breath. Nothing has been life disrupting or extreme.

    Feel free to add me. I need more friends on C here.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    megs2600 wrote: »
    I am on it. I started in January and have lost 70 pounds. It is awesome. My only side effects are: it made me quit smoking, some foods taste and smell bad now - like bacon, I don't feel that great if I overeat or eat too fast (has only happened a few times), I poop less often, I am more forgetful and a little dumber in general, and dry mouth with bad taste and really bad breath. Nothing has been life disrupting or extreme.

    Feel free to add me. I need more friends on C here.

    With all due respect, some of these symptoms sound pretty life disrupting to me. Have you spoken to your doctor about these symptoms?
  • Sdharrison69
    Sdharrison69 Posts: 4 Member
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    Ive been on it for 10 weeks, have lost 24 pounds and I feel great. I do the 2/2. I had hardly any noticeable side affects, but we all react differently to medications. I do find myself not eating enough some days, hardly 600 calories, So I have to stay on top of that. But over all I like and am happy taking it!!
  • dawnireynoldsfb
    dawnireynoldsfb Posts: 2 Member
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    I've been using Contrave for a month. The beginning, even with raising the dose slowly, was pretty awful. Nausea and constipation and a loopy feeling. Now, after a month, most of the symptoms have disappeared except for an overwhelming sleepiness about two hours after taking the morning dose. I'm going to try taking it a little later in the day and see if that helps because dozing off at work is not a good career move. I have noticed that I am sleeping really well at night which is a plus. I'm also a lot more light-hearted and happy and little annoyances are not bothering me anymore. I've lost 7.5 lbs. You do have to work at it. The mental cravings are still there and I have to talk myself out of eating sugar but the physical hunger is gone so it's a little easier to make good choices. So far, I'm pretty happy with the results.
  • TEubank67
    TEubank67 Posts: 3 Member
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    Thank you all, I am on day 2 now... yesterday i did have over whelming sleepiness, i was off work today and feel asleep watching Star Wars with my husband... LOL (thought it was just the movie). I do have the nausea but it comes and goes. I'm a bit embarrassed to say i'm having difficulty trying to figure out how to commuite on this. :p
  • hossip1996
    hossip1996 Posts: 11 Member
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    The doctor just prescribed me this pill. I am 20 years old and wondering if it works on younger people? My bmi is at the lowest it can be to et this pill prescribed to me. My goal is to loose 20 pounds and I'm just wondering if anybody has had any luck?
  • mesa1964
    mesa1964 Posts: 1 Member
    edited August 2016
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    I've been on Contrave for the last 4 months, really no side affects except for the occasional hot flash. I lost 10 lbs. the first 2 months and now haven't lost anything the last 2 months at all, in fact I keep going up & down the same 4 lbs. anyone else have this happen so early? I should add I'm also 51 which seems to make things even harder. My Doctor has to see me every 2 months so now I'm afraid she won't refill my RX because I haven't lost any more weight...
  • hm12345678
    hm12345678 Posts: 1 Member
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    I have been on Contrave since August 19. Just started my two pills in the morning. I have not had any side effects at all. My craves may be gone a little but not completely. I have lost maybe 2 pounds. I am just not sure if it is working. I am going to keep taking it and hopefully it will really start to work. Just wondering if when I start taking the two in the morning and then the two twice a day will kick in. Love to hear if anyone else has not felt very much from this.
  • sparklesLe
    sparklesLe Posts: 1 Member
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    My doctor just put me on contrave. So far no side effects that I noticed. But he had me start it in the evening 1 pill pm the later 1 & 1. Now 2pm 1am. Also added metformin which I take at night since I hate the abdominal upset from it. So far nothing yet.... Hoping for the best
  • Junebuggyzy
    Junebuggyzy Posts: 345 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Anyone here besides me get mad at yourself for gaining weight? To make yourself feel better, you eat. And you gain even more weight. Then you just give up and go on what I call a binge because I don't know what else to call it. It's been six months of out of control eating for me. I've thrown my hands up in the air and said I don't care anymore. Do you think Contrave will help me with this crazy cycle of just wanting to eat and eat?
  • Junebuggyzy
    Junebuggyzy Posts: 345 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I just started Contrave yesterday. I'm sad I gained most of the weight back that I lost with Phentermine. After two years on Phentermine it just stopped working at all for me. How are you doing on Contrave?

    In case anyone is curious about how the Phentermine worked, I lost 44 pounds in the first 10 months I was taking it. I carefully logged my food and exercise. I had ten months of amazing weight loss. The Phentermine worked, by motivating me to eat right and exercise. I felt great. It was a pleasure to go buy new clothes and look in the mirror.

    Unfortunately I gradually started losing a few pounds and gaining a few pounds over and over. I was fighting to keep that weigh off that I lost. I got tired of taking it since it wasn't working anymore. I lost the motivation I had from taking Phentermine.

    In the past six months I have just stopped caring. I stopped exercising, and started eating junk food and nothing that is healthy for me. The funny thing is I before I stopped caring, I preferred lots of vegetables, nuts, fruits. But now all I want to do is eat and am back to drinking a couple of glasses of wine a day. Which makes me hungrier :(

    I am skeptical about Contrave. Please continue sharing your stories, this is really helpful.

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