Starting Contrave

After discussing Contrave with my doctor and doing so research on my own, I believe it may be the final thing I need. I have been working with a trainer for two months and have been diligent about healthy eating and I am losing weight. Fiben my appetite/craving issues, my doctor suggested adding the Contrave to what I am already doing. My only concern is its effect on blood pressure. I have high BP but it is controlled with meds. I am sure the high BP is due in part to the extra weight I am carrying, but I do not want to risk a heart attack or stroke by adding Contrave in my effort to lose that weight.

So, I am curious how much of a risk of increased BP is their on Contrave and, given that mine is controlled with meds, will Contrave counteract my BP meds and send my BP into heart attack or stroke territory? I suppose the short version of my question is -- is Contrave safe in terms of BP?

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I have been on contrave since
June. I have lost 30 pounds. I have high blood pressure controlled with Metoprolol. I have not experienced any increase in blood pressure. The only side effect has been some nausea but I don't mind that because obviously then I'm not as hungry. I hated taking phentermine because of the way it made me feel but I feel like I could take contrave forever.

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@Miles,

I think your concern about Contrave raising blood pressure is "just". I was recently reading another Contrave thread here where someone has reported an increased heart rate (and tremors) as a result of taking this drug. You can view their story on the following page: Discuss/Does-Contrave-make-anyone-elses-hands-shake-294647.htm. I'm only posting this so you can be aware that Contrave does appear to have an affect on blood pressure / heart rate in some people who take it; but not necessarily everyone.

Having said that, I don't think there's any way to know how it will affect you until you try it. But if you do decide to go that route, I would encourage you to discuss these concerns with your doctor so he/she can at least monitor your blood pressure periodically to be on the safe side.

Some things to keep in mind:

NIH.gov lists tremors, irregular heartbeat, fast or pounding heartbeat, trembling, hyperventilation, shortness of breath, restlessness, and trouble sleeping, as possible side effects associated with Bupropion (one of the main active ingredients in Contrave) at: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0045026/#DDIC600283.side_effects_section

They also list "fast or pounding heartbeat" as a (less common) side effect of Naltrexone (the other active ingredient in Contrave).

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