Switching From Wellbutrin Xl To Contrave?

Hi - I am switching from Wellbutrin XL 300 mg/day (brand) to Contrave. I do not have the Rx yet but wanted to ask in advance - will I still need to do the taper up to the full dosage of Contrave since I have already been on Wellbutrin XL 300 mg for a long time? Or could I start at the full dosage of Contrave since the amounts in a full days dosage (4 pills) is comparable to a days worth of Wellbutrin. As I understand it the main side effects are a result of the bupropion and not the second part of the combination and this is why they start you out slowly and then increase dosage gradually. Please let me know if you have any ideas! I try to be as informed as I can when I go to my PCP.

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Hi Leann,

My theory is that because Contrave and Wellbutrin both contain bupropion, you should be able to start off at the same dosage of bupropion that you were taking before the switch... However, with naltrexone now being added to the picture, I don't know if it effects the efficacy/potency of bupropion in such a way that causes the bupropion to work differently... So this would be something to discuss with your prescribing doctor or pharmacist just to be on the safe side.

Naltrexone aside, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to take the same dose of bupropion, but maybe it would be a good idea to start off with less for your initial dose - that way you can better assess how your body responds to the addition of naltrexone. Hopefully you can work closely with your doctor to address this concern before undergoing the process of trial and error, whereas you could end up "wasting" a couple doses trying to figure out what amount to take. I wish I could be of more help.

Does anyone else have some suggestions?

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Hi LeAnn
You are having the same issue as me. My doctor has cut me back to 150 mg. of buproprion. She wants me to take that for 2 weeks. Then she has me discontinue the buproprion and start on contrave. I am on my 5th day of 150 mg and i am feeling a little light headed. I am out of work until April so I'm going to fight through it. I have an issue with drinking so hopefully contrave helps me with not only weight loss but my alcohol also.

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This is an older post but I wanted to see how things worked out with your contrave startup being that you were on Wellbutrin. Did you take the full dose to start and if you did were you impacted by the naltrexone?

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