Wanting To Quit Taking Contrave (Page 2) (Top voted first)

I need to know how to stop taking contrave. Can I just quit cold turkey or do I wean off? If I wean off how do I do it?

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Ok, here goes, I retired from the military 7 years ago. Toward the end of my career I was fighting my weight to stay within military standards. 6'0 with a max weight of 203. While I was active duty I ate pretty much everything I wanted and after age 40 I was struggling to make annual weight requirements. I was usually about 220 and would have to sit in the sauna for a couple of days sucking weight. Well here I am 50 and retired. Got on the scale in December 2016 and weighed 301..... Not the highest I've been. Last year I was at 317 and was feeling pretty bad. I dabbled with the idea of bariatric surgery, and even got evaluated for it. After I spent 5 months contemplating never eating a steak no bigger than 2 ounces I just opted out and decided to ask my new doctor for some help. There is a lot of stuff out there, but he talked to me about Contrave. He prescribed 3 months worth and I'm at the end of my second month in Feb 2017. I'm a pretty disciplined guy with most things in my life. I guess the worst discipline is to clean my plate at every meal. I also like to eat until I'm stuffed. Don't know why, just the way I am wired. So I needed some help. I don't go to doctors often, and I don't take medication other than Asprin. I started the Contrave. (great Tricare Prime doesn't cover it. Absolutely idiotic!) It's about $260 for a month supply. There is a web-based Contrave company that offers this at your pharmacy at a very reduced rate if your insurance doesn't cover it. I'm getting it for $92 a month. That I can cover. 1st week I didn't have many side effect symptoms. Maybe a slight headache but nothing major. I started ramping up with 1 in the a.m. and 1 in the p.m. On week two went to 2 and 2. Some dry mouth, and that was about it. So I'm 9 weeks in. I weighed in Wednesday Feb 22nd 2017 at 252. That's not a typo. I am a youth athletic coach, and am outside regularly, but haven't been to the gym due to my weight since I started the Contrave. I also been on a diet since starting the Contrave. What Contrave has done for me is controlled my hunger. My diet is a intermittent fasting diet. You have to be disciplined on it, but I can tell without a doubt that Contrave is the reason that I have been able to stay on it. Now when I eat, I eat fewer times during my meal time, much less, and feel fuller much sooner. My target weight is 225. I see my doctor in early April for my 3 month check up. I intend to be pretty close to that weight as long as I don't taper off losing. Additionally I'll be back in the gym on the elliptical next week. So that, combined with the diet, and Contrave and of course support from my wife is getting me through. Contrave is not a miracle drug. You are going to have to work at it some. It will help you curve that appetite. You have to give it a month. Stay on your diet, and get some exercise. Even if it's a walk for 30 minutes a day. Good luck and I'll be posting in the early part of April 2017.

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I've been on Contrave for 10 months. I lost 37 lbs. I'm eating healthier and having smaller portions. The constipation however is now at a point where I'm going to wean myself off of Contrave. I noticed the constipation after several months and I was able to relieve it with OTC laxatives. Now it has gotten to where I'm told I need lubiprostone (Amitiza) to get relief. These drugs are just to strong for me to handle.......back to Weight a Watchers.

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It is listed among the common side effects reported by users, once it was released onto the market, according to the FDA. It just wasn't included in the studied ones provided by the manufacturer.

That is normal, there are always more that are discovered, once a broader base of people is taking a medication.

Have you made your doctor aware of the issue?

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I quit cold after 4 months. I gained 10 pounds within the first few days off of it. Now with consuming only 800 calories and excercise have still gained weight havent lost a single pound . The issue my doctor said: my colon needs cleased from the meds. Today, he put me in a regimen of milk of magnesia every other day. i hated taking contrave. It kept my weight at a standstill like lost people that take it. There are other solutions after you are fed up by the complications of contrave. Good luck.

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I've been on contrave for 9 months now and I have lost 52 pounds,if u eat right exercise ,and drink plenty of water u will lose,I lost it slow but my Dr. said that was best.the only problem I have is constipation , but my Dr.put me on metformin to help with that,I have never takin anything that has done as good as contrave??

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There is no harm in weaning off the same way you weaned on. One of the ingredients in Contrave can cause a seizure if you stop taking it suddenly. Better safe than sorry. I lost 40 pounds and have plateaud. I'm weaning off now and will wait about a month for it to clear my system and then I will do another round. Best of luck.

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I took Contrave for 2 months. I titrated to 2 in the morning, but didn't need the 2 in the evening because it had suppressed my appetite so much that I didn't want to eat. At my 30-day follow up my doctor told me that dosage was ok if it's working for me. My first week was horrible with nausea & diarrhea. I found that taking it after breakfast helped with the nausea. The 2nd week was constipation, so I tried to increase my fluids. I quit, unintentionally, at around 10 weeks. I would forget to take it before leaving work, but noticed that I still wasn't feeling hungry. I wasn't motivated to restart primarily because of the slow rate of weight loss... 6lbs in the first week and that was it! I haven't experienced any other side effects, but at $95/month I can put that toward a gym membership.

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Re: Diana (# 106)

I was taking two pills in the morning and one at night. The first week I dropped down to one in the morning and one at night. Second week I took one in the morning and none at night. Third and final week, I took one every other morning. I'm completely off now and feel normal.

I will admit there were some days that I was a bit foggy coming off.

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Re: Mechalle (# 110)

I tapered off over 4 days just to be sure. I came with off with no problem. I will NEVER take that stuff again. It made me feel terrible.

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Re: Sally (# 6)

I have been on it 8 months and I am down 25 lbs and my body too, no more loss. I am holding at 150, even with the same habit changes I did when I started.

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I started Contrave December 2015 & I went off of it January 2018. I'm not going to lie the first year to year & half the nausea was something horrible! like almost debilitating at times, but after a year & half it subsided for the most part. I lost approximately 18-20 pounds over the 2 year period on it (with no change in diet or exercises & I also have PCOS which caused me to gain 90lbs), so I do believe it does help with weightloss by itself.

However my prescription insurance changed Jan 2018 & the cost went up 3 times as much as I was paying, so I decided to go off of it (I just couldn't fathom nearly an extra $800 a year), unfortunately I did not have enough left in the bottle to taper down for as long as the dr recommended, and I have been completely off the medication for about 3 weeks now & I tell you I am having some severe foggy brain issues... I literally cannot focus or think on anything (to the point where it's interfering with my work/school/home life), I also am having horrible short-term memory loss to go with it.... I've thought about paying the more expensive price for another refill to see if taking a lower-dose for longer will help with the brain/memory issues.... but since I've been completely off of it for 3 weeks now & I'm afraid adding it back in may start up in the intense nausea I had in the first 1.5 years.... my recommendation would be to follow the weaning-off procedures as best as possible.

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Re: Sally (# 6)

I took Contrave for two and a half years. I lost 25 pounds in about a years time. While I stayed on Contrave I kept the weight off. I weaned myself off for three months and gained almost all of my weight back. There were some factors to that I had to take steroids for illness too. I noticed my food cravings came back and I never felt full. I also after the three month mark noticed some depression as well. I have restarted it and I feel much better.

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Heather,
I was wondering what you chose to do! I have been taking Contrave for about 5 months. I have only lost 2.5 pounds. The nausea, however, is horrible. It is bad if I forget the meds and worse if I take them! Two days ago, I got so sick with horrible stomach pains. I know that it was related to the meds. This is the second time that it has happened to me, so I decided to quit. Enough is enough. To top it off, my insurance decided they wouldn't cover it, so I just paid $224 only three days ago! I couldn't take anything yesterday, and have not taken them again today. I was taking 4 pills a day. I am more afraid to take Contrave than I am to have the nausea from detoxing off them! I guess I plan to stay on the cold turkey plan. I just wondered how you are doing! Keep smiling...

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I have continued on the contrave program. I have lost 14.5 pounds. I continue to like using Contrave. The nausea I experienced at first has decreased dramatically since I started taking my multiple Vitamin at night. My goal is to drop at leadtb25 pounds by the end of February.

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Thanks for the info Berwon. We did do a UA as a precaution and my practitioner did say that 4 of her 6 patients taking Contrave have experienced the same symptom. I had not been able to find it documented anywhere.
Thanks again!

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I am at 1 month on this medication. 2am 2pm, I have had no symptoms and do not ever feel full or not eat because I feel the same. Anyone out there who is not getting any benifit from this?

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This the exact same experience I have had. I am satisfied with my weight loss. The drug seems to loose its effectiveness after prolonged use. I was able to change the way I eat (more veggies) and exercise more(long walks 2x day). I will continue the wellbutrin due to add. Do not eat fast food, and realize food like chips and other snacks have food additives that make you crave more( 60 minutes episode). Don't panic or give up. Try to eliminate as much salt as possible; by adding salt after cooking and try to get sweets naturally, no refined sugar. If you have hunger pains, go for a walk or do yard walk, it will pass. I follow my diet all week and indulge on Saturday. I find if i eat junk food, I feel worse and my hunger goes out of control. stick to real food. just think; if I can loose 2 lbs. a week, that a potential of 104 lbs in one year. Go low and slow(weight loss) and keep it up. If you lose too fast you gain it right back.

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Hi Annie, I have had the same results as you. I am going to stop taking it and see if the 35 pounds stays off if I keep the same regiment of exercise and eating right. I have been seeing some memory issues ever since I have been on it.
I plan to titrate down same as I titrated up, but will check with my doc on Monday.

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Try taking a prebiotic every day. This cleared my constipation.

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I have been taking Contrave for a month. I have just started to get terrible, almost unbearable stomach cramps. Has anyone else experienced this? If it's from the Contrave, I'll have to stop it because I can't live like this.

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