Contrave® contains the active ingredients naltrexone hydrochloride and bupropion hydrochloride. Contrave is used in obese or overweight adults to manage weight together with a reduced calorie diet and physical exercise.
Contrave® is used for weight loss, in addition to diet and exercise, in adults aged 18 years and above who have:
- a BMI of 30 or more (obese), or
- a BMI of more than 27 and less than 30 (overweight) and weight related health problems (such as diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal levels of fats in the blood or breathing problems during sleep, called ‘obstructive sleep apnoea’).
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you. Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.
Prescription only
This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription.
Private script
This is a private script, and it is not eligible for government PBS subsidy. The cost of this may be claimed from private health insurance providers depending on the level of cover.
Dose
Take tablet with food following dosage guide given by your doctor.
Active Ingredient
Naltrexone hydrochloride & Bupropion hydrochloride
Available Strengths
8mg
Side effects
Increased blood pressure, anxiety, and insomnia. Other side effects include constipation and dizziness.
The dose provided is from the
consumer medicines information leaflet.Always follow the doctors direction when using prescription medication.
The most commonly reported side effects are nausea, vomiting, dizziness, dry mouth, constipation and headache. These usually go away within a few days or weeks of continued use and do not require medical attention.
Vomiting - generally goes away within one week.
Nausea - almost all people will feel better within 4 weeks.
Although many people using this medication do not have serious side effects, your dose will be adjusted slowly over several weeks to minimise them.
Do not increase your dose, take it more often, or stop taking it without consulting with a doctor first.
Contact your medical team immediately if you experience serious side effects, including:
mental/mood changes (anxiety, agitation, confusion, memory loss)
- uncontrolled movements (tremor)
- ringing in the ears
- fainting
- severe headache
- fast/pounding/irregular heartbeat
- chest pain
- eye pain/swelling/redness
- widened pupils
- vision changes (such as seeing rainbow around lights at night).
Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure about what medicines, vitamins or supplements you are taking and if these affect Contrave.
Some medicines may increase your chance of having a seizure when taking Contrave. These medicines need to be used very carefully. Examples include:
- antidepressants
- antipsychotics
- asthma medicines such as theophylline and systemic corticosteroids
- antimalarials
- sedating antihistamines
- quinolone antibiotics
- insulin or oral diabetic medicines
- sedatives, such as benzodiazepines.
Some medicines may interfere with Contrave and affect how it works.
These include:
- Medicines for depression known as monoamine oxidase inhibitors, even if you have stopped taking them now, but have taken them within the last 14 days. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you what to do if you are taking any of these medicines.
- opioid painkillers e.g., codeine, methadone.
- medicines used to treat high blood pressure such as metoprolol.
- medicines used to treat irregular heart rhythm such as propafenone or flecainide.
- medicines for Parkinson's disease such as levodopa or amantadine.
- ticlopidine or clopidogrel, mainly used in the treatment of heart disease or stroke.
- medicines used in the treatment of HIV infection and AIDS, such as efavirenz and ritonavir.
- medicines for depression or other mental health conditions that affect serotonin levels, such as amitriptyline, desipramine, venlafaxine, imipramine, paroxetine, fluoxetine, citalopram, escitalopram, risperidone, haloperidol and thioridazine.
- digoxin, used to treat certain heart problems.
Do not use Contrave if you:
- have high blood pressure that is not controlled with medicines.
- have ever had a seizure.
- have a brain tumour.
- are usually a heavy drinker and have just suddenly stopped drinking a lot of alcohol or are going to stop while you are taking this medicine.
- have recently stopped taking sedatives (sleeping tablets) or medicines to treat anxiety or epilepsy or you plan to stop them while you are taking this medicine.
- are taking any other medicines containing naltrexone hydrochloride or bupropion hydrochloride.
- have an eating disorder or had one in the past, such as bulimia or anorexia nervosa.
- are regularly using opioids or opiate agonists (for example methadone), or you are going through acute withdrawal (cold turkey).
- have or have had a bipolar disorder (extreme mood swings).
- are taking medicines called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) or have taken them in the last 14 days.
- have severe liver disease.
- have end-stage kidney disease.
- the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering.
Check with your doctor if you:
- feel depressed, contemplate suicide, have a history of attempting suicide, experience panic attacks or any other mental health problems.
- are aged 65 years or older. Contrave has not been adequately studied in older people to know if they will respond to Contrave in the same way as younger adults.
- have high blood pressure.
- have heart disease.
- have liver or kidney problems.
- have mood disorders including depression or mania.
- are galactose intolerance, Lapp lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption.
- take any medicines for any other condition.
- are at risk of having a seizure. Contrave may cause seizures (fits) in some people. Seizures are more likely while taking Contrave if you:
- have had a serious head injury, head trauma or stroke.
- regularly drink a lot of alcohol.regularly use medicines to help you to sleep (sedatives).
- are dependent on or addicted to cocaine or other stimulating products.
- have diabetes for which you use insulin or tablets.
- have a brain or spinal tumour or infection.have severe liver disease.
- have low blood sugar or salt levels.have hypoxia, a condition where oxygen levels in your tissues are low.
- are taking medicines that may increase the chance of having a fit.
Before you use
Contrave 8/90
(
Naltrexone hydrochloride & Bupropion hydrochloride
)
, it is important that you read the consumer medicines information leaflet for information including side effects, warnings, dosage, ingredients and other useful information.
In clinical trials, most people had significant weight loss 4 weeks after starting treatment with Contrave.
Contrave may cause dizziness in some people and therefore may affect alertness. Avoid or minimise drinking alcohol when taking Contrave. Tell your doctor if you drink alcohol. Excessive use of alcohol may increase your chance of having a seizure
Contrave should be taken by mouth in the morning and in the evening. The tablets should not be cut, chewed, or crushed. Total daily doses greater than 32 mg/360 mg per day (two tablets twice daily) are not recommended. In clinical trials, CONTRAVE was administered with meals.
Side effects such as nervousness, irritability, difficulty with sleep, increased blood pressure, tremor, or seizures may get worse if you take Bupropion and an excessive amount of caffeine. Try to limit Caffeine intake during Bupropion use
Contrave is a prescription-only weight loss drug that decreases appetite. It's particularly helpful for cravings and food addiction and can be used for long term use.
There is no right medication for everyone. Choosing the best medication, device, or a combination of both depends on the person. Your doctor who has clear understanding of obesity medicine will combine medication, diet, behavior change, and physical activity to optimize not just losing weight, but also weight loss maintenance.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Contrave may affect the way other medicines work and other medicines may affect the way Contrave works causing side effects.
