Contrave And Suboxone

I started today with my first dose of contrave, 1 pill in the AM. I also take suboxone 8mg (4 1 time a day). My doctor stated that the interaction of the two should be minimal..yeah NO! I got diarrhea, hot flashes, chills, body aches, and pretty much every withdrawal symptom known to man. I now dont want to take the contrave because I am not ready to stop the suboxone. Should I just stop the contrave and continue the sub? Or how should I go about this?

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Hello, Kiat! How are you? I'm very sorry about what happened.

Yes, the Naltrexone in Contrave can cause you to go into withdrawal from any opiate, as listed by the FDA, and you were doubling it up with the Naloxone in the Suboxone that does that same thing.

As to how to continue, it usually takes about 3 days, before you can safely take an opiate, again. Unless your doctor instructs otherwise.

Is there anything else I can help with?

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I'm confused. If Suboxone and Contrave have the same ingredient in them...And they BOTH block opiates, why do they not work well together?

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I'm confused. If Suboxone and Contrave have the same ingredient in them...And they BOTH block opiates, why do they not work well together?

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I've been talking about 1/8 Of an 8mg tablet of suboxone daily. I was given Contrave & I didn't read the risk of mixing the two. I've been sick with WD effects all day. I wanna stop the sub & take the contrave. Anyone know how long I'll feel this way? It says to be off the subs for 10 days before starting the contrave.

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I figure your getting double the blockers of the opiate which subs have so that's why the WD's bc of not only just one blocker but two? I'm very confused myself.

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Contrave and Suboxone are the same. While seeing the new commercials in my area I noticed that the ingredients were similar. I take 1 mg per day of Suboxone. There are withdrawal symptoms associated with that small amount and I have found it hard to stop. That's why I wanted to know more. Is this how the big pharmaceutical's make more money?
I don't understand either. Will people become dependent on Contrave also?

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My wife just got contrave and didn't tell her to stop the sub and now she is in wd and has been of pain pills for for a year and she is going through the wd bad how do I get them to stop

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If contrave and suboxone are the same why have I gained about 50lbs being on suboxone since June. I haven't changed my diet either.

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Naloxone in Suboxone is not absorbed due to Suboxones route of administration being sublingual (under the tongue).

Naltrexone in contrave is absorbed due to Contraves route of administration being oral (into da belly).

I hope that clears it up.. they're extremely contraindicated in the preparations known as Contrave and Suboxone.. you'll precipitate nasty withdrawals

(This stuff's so confusing.. and so important to know.. both of these medications can and have made drastic improvements to people's quality of life and they need to be understood rather than confused and taken away from everyone).

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Read this and possibly worry less:

Bupropion is not buprenorphine

Naloxone is not naltrexone. Though they are extremely easy to mix up.

Bupropion is a stimulant. BuprenORPHINE is an opioid like mORPHINE. Now that you see the orphine it should be easier to distinguish.

Suboxone delivers opioid effects. The naloxone is not absorbed efficiently orally or sublingually so letting it dissolve or eating the film (the delivery medium in Suboxone brand buprenorphine/naloxone preparation) results in a strong opioid effect with little to no effect from the opioid blocker present (it's there primarily to deter abuse and probably so they could repatent old goods hehe..).

Where as eating nalTREXone results in a much higher relative bioavailability creating a very strong and long acting opioid blocking effect..combine this with the stimulant of bupropion and the contrave/suboxone mixture sounds like the definition of a contraindication or two things that don't mix nicely.

Suboxone users who take contrave will precipitate typical opioid withdrawal symptoms.. avoid this! (The stimulant + withdrawals might make you feel extremely uncomfortable)..

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Ray, I am so sorry to hear that this very easy mistake has caused your wife discomfort in the slightest..let alone precipitated Suboxone withdrawals!

This condition can feel like you're dieing.. straight out.

If she has benzodiazapene prescriptions from a doctor filled by a pharmacist in her name she could try taking one.. if the nausea prevents her from eating it call a doctor and ask about having her put one under her tongue and maybe go shower if she can stand it.. wait about 20-45min to attempt to allow it to sublingually absorb (straight to the blood stream from the vessels under your tongue)

Other non-prescription things that have helped others in the past:
Ginger for the nausea and magnesium for the anxiety/discomfort .. some people said treating it like a flu and using a "carpet bomb" preparation like day/nightquil...

Just do what you can to comfort her and let her know it will subside within 24 hours .. Naltrexone has a 4 hour halflife and its metabolite a 13 hour half life..

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How about subutex and contrave? Would they be compatible?

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The reason you most likely have gained weight with the suboxone actually has nothing to do with the suboxone ironically. Generally when you get sober, especially from opiates, you start eating better and more! Meaning that when you were on said opiate you probably didn't eat much or had a notso good diet. So when taking the suboxone you are now healthy again, therefore you're eating right and that's generally what causes the weight gain. It has nothing to do with the drug itself. Also as to why the sub doesn't keep the weight off like contrave, 1. This is probably weight your body needs, 2. Contrave is similar but not the exact same drug. They have different ingredients, therefore you won't experience the same results.

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I am currently on Suboxone due to opioid addiction. I do not plan to take the Suboxone while I am on Contrave, but I am curious if you can tell me in lay terms, what happens to a person who takes both at the same time? Thank you.

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In lay terms if you take naltrexone present in contrave it will attach to the same spots in ur brain that the buprenorphine (subutex/suboxone brand active ingredients) does. However you will create cold turkey withdrawals as though you immediately stopped taking the opioid. This will be irreversible for the entire time the naltrexone you ate (from the contrave) is active in your system.. up to 2 days of cold turkey opioid withdrawal that can't be stopped because you ate a drug with opioid cancelling effects and it lasts longer and is a "stronger" compound in that it kicks buprenorphine off the receptor.

Don't take any oral naltrexone (like in contrave) unless you can go two days straight without subutex or suboxone without any discomfort.

Very confusing due to similar names however they are very very different. Naltrexone is not naloxone because you can eat naloxone without effect; however eating naltrexone will give you an effect. Naloxone is mainly used medically via other routes like IV to stop an impending opioid overdose... when u eat naloxone it does nothing so suboxone is basically subutex with an abuse deterrent built in (u can't melt suboxone and take intravenously because the naloxone will block the effects)...

That's about as "lay" as it gets and all this has been stated previously in this conversation! Be responsible, it is your body and your quality of life and your loved ones who have to deal with you if you accidentally throw yourself into cold turkey buprenorphine withdrawals!

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She has to take the opiate and only that. Only take the pain pills. Call the Dr. too.

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Yes because subutex does not contain naloexone. May be misspelled. It is minus the opioids blocker Suboxone contains

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You more than likely gained weight because your eating food again (with a primary craving for carbs in the form of sugar if your a normal addict). Happens to be a positive side effect of having more rational drives on recovery.

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Good Afternoon,

About 2 weeks ago, I was prescribed Contrave for weight loss. Ever since I began the medication, I haven't felt right. I feel like my emotions are all over the place and my anxiety is through the roof. However, I know the medication is working because I have already lost 7 lbs and my appetite had decreased greatly. I am having some issues though... First, let me tell you a little about myself. I am a 40 yr old caucasian female who has been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Narcolepsy, Restless Leg Syndrome, ADD, and have a history of opioid abuse, but I have been sober since August of 2013. Here is a list of the medications that I am on:

1-Mirapex 1mg x Day = RLS, 2-Provigual 200mg x 2Day = Narcolepsy, 3-Dexedrine 20mg x 2Day = ADD, 4-Klonopin 1mg x 3Day = Anxiety, 5-Humira 40mg Inj's. x 2 every other week = Crohn's, 6-Suboxone sublingual film 8mg/2mg x 1day = Opioid Addiction, 7-Risperidone .5mg x 2day = Anxiety, and 8-Lexapro 10mg x 1day = Anxiety (which I stopped taking over a week ago because I read that it was a major contraindication with Contrave); which would be medication #10 8mg/90mg x 1day = weight loss.

I told my PCM Dr (who prescribed me the Contrave last week that I had stopped taking the Lexapro and she said that was fine as long as it had been 3 days w/o any major problems. I am to see her in 2 weeks for a F/U appt. My question is, I know something is wrong with me and it has to be the Contrave mixing with one or more of my other medications. Plus, I have been on antidepressants for almost 15yrs and the Lexapro was helping. My problem is, I want to continue to take the Contrave because I am losing weight (I am 30lbs overweight, but losing it finally, and I do workout). But, I feel extremely manic and have increased anxiety ever since starting the Contrave. What do I do?

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They block each other which causes withdrawal because the ingredient in suboxone has narcotic a very powerful one even if they its a analgesic

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Re: Jaz (# 76)

Omg same. When do the withdrawals go away?

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If I just tried one Contrave 1 time, how long do I wait before taking a Suboxone and not have to worry about withdrawals?

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Your dr sounds like a buffoon firstly how would he know that withdrawal from anything may be minimal he probley has read a text book secondly 8 is far to much sub to take a day it will do your head in besides depression anxiety and if you do need pain relief nothing will work for you. It's no wonder drug!!

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Re: Kat (# 13)

One of the smartest replys I've read yet.

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Re: Dweeb (# 10)

Sounds like hell to me. I am prescribed naloxone/buprenorphine tablets. I would never take these 2 medications together. Sounds like people are just trying to get a double dose of their suboxone, not realizing what they going to go through. Us drug users do extensive research into what we are taking and no one is doing it by accident.

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Hi there. I wouldn’t take Contrave with Suboxone. I’m on 1 mg of Suboxone and I had very bad withdrawals. Contrave is not for everyone.

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Re: Dweeb (# 56)

I’m so glad you are on the thread, I swear I have read all 4 pages; every single time I am thinking “What?! Oh dear, some of these poor people are so badly misinformed.”… or “What?! Why is this person trying to inform people when they themselves aren’t correctly and fully informed”, there you are to answer or correct with the PROPER medical terminology and information! So THANK YOU!! People who don’t know should not pretend to and advise others, especially on medication interactions. **Yes, I realize my previous reply looks like a 12 year old typed it bc I accidentally hit “submit” before I went back to proof and correct misspellings I knew I made as I was typing quickly w the intention of returning to correct before submitting and looking like a DUMBA$$, but now I get to live with looking like a dummy, so there is that** Anyway, thanks again for correctly getting this information out there to help people who don’t quite understand.!

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Re: Dweeb (# 10)

I’m glad someone finally said this! I ended up here bc I was curious if I could take Contrave as I am already on Suboxone and am not at a place of getting off of it yet. The first thing I noticed was the medications combined in Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) were very similar BUT still NOT the same as the medication combination in Suboxone (Naloxone/Bupronorphine). So I wanted to research the difference before going any further. After looking up both medications used in Contrave I grew more concerned about the possible contradictions in the two taken together. So I search using Contrave with Suboxone and was brought here. I was reading all the comments yet thinking, but they are NOT the same ingredients in both. Why is everyone saying that? So I was glad to come across your comment. Thank you for being diligent and paying attention to detail so you can help inform people and hopefully keep many others from making the not so difficult to make mistake of seeing those ingredient names and thinking “oh it’s the same as Suboxone” when in fact a few letters changed in each make all the difference in the world. Also, as precipitated withdrawals are the WORST experience I’ve ever been through. So much more intense and painful than the already immensely horrible regular opioid withdrawal. Thanks again for being the one to point out this difference for people!

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Re: Susie (# 6)

They are not the same Bupropion is Wellbutrin which is not found in suboxone.

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Re: Susie (# 6)

There not the same ie do not mix Suboxone with contrave, it's has 1mg of naloxone a opiate antagonist and will serious with drawal.

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