Do hunger, cravings, or emotional eating make it difficult to maintain weight loss? Healthy habits are important, but biology can sometimes work against your progress. Naltrexone HCl/bupropion HCl, sold under the brand name Contrave®, is a prescription weight management medication that may help you control your appetite and make lasting lifestyle changes.
Prima Medicine provides medical weight-loss care, including prescriptions such as Contrave, for adults throughout Fairfax, South Riding, Merrifield, and Tysons, VA. Our team includes Shannon Ross, FNP-BC, a board-certified family nurse practitioner with experience in family medicine, obesity medicine, medical weight loss, and geriatrics, and Sylvia Luther, MD, a board-certified family physician and diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.
What Is Contrave?
Contrave is an oral prescription medication that combines two active ingredients:
- Naltrexone HCl, which affects the brain’s reward response
- Bupropion HCl, which influences brain chemicals involved in appetite and behavior
Together, these ingredients act on brain regions associated with hunger, cravings, and food-related rewards.
Contrave is used with a reduced-calorie eating plan and regular exercise for long-term weight management. It may be prescribed for adults with:
- A body mass index of 30 or higher
- A body mass index of 27 or higher and a weight-related condition, such as controlled high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol
Contrave is not a stimulant or a GLP-1 medication. Your Prima Medicine provider can explain how it compares with other options based on your health history and preferences.
How Contrave Helps Control Hunger and Cravings
Losing weight is not simply a matter of willpower. Your brain uses complex signals to regulate hunger, satisfaction, habits, and rewards. These signals can make you feel hungry even when your body does not need more energy.
Naltrexone and bupropion are believed to act on brain regions involved in appetite regulation and reward-driven behavior, although the exact mechanism by which the combination produces weight loss is not fully understood.
Results vary, and medication works best when paired with practical changes in eating, movement, sleep, and stress management.
What to Expect During Contrave Treatment
Before prescribing Contrave, your Prima Medicine provider will review your medical history, medications, blood pressure, weight-related conditions, and prior weight-loss efforts. Be open about opioid use, mental health concerns, eating disorders, seizures, and alcohol use.
Treatment usually begins with a low dose that gradually increases over four weeks. This titration process helps your body adjust. Beginning in week four, the usual maintenance dosage is two tablets in the morning and two in the evening. Your provider may use a different dosage if you have certain health conditions or medication interactions. Contrave should not be taken with a high-fat meal because this can raise the risk of seizures.
Your provider will track your progress and response. They will also monitor your blood pressure and heart rate, especially during the first few months of treatment.
After you have taken the maintenance dose for 12 weeks, your provider will evaluate your results. If you have not lost at least 5% of your starting weight, Contrave should generally be discontinued because continued treatment is unlikely to produce clinically meaningful weight loss.
Possible Contrave Side Effects
Common side effects may include:
- Nausea or vomiting
- Constipation
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Dry mouth
- Trouble sleeping
Contrave contains bupropion and carries a boxed warning about suicidal thoughts and behaviors, particularly among children, adolescents, and young adults taking antidepressant medications. Report new or worsening depression, severe anxiety, agitation, unusual behavior, or suicidal thoughts promptly.
Contrave may not be appropriate for people with uncontrolled high blood pressure, seizure disorders, anorexia, bulimia, chronic opioid use, or certain medication interactions. It should not be used during pregnancy or with other bupropion-containing medications.
Why Choose Prima Medicine for Contrave in Fairfax, South Riding, Merrifield & Tysons, VA?
Prima Medicine provides primary care and medical weight management within one coordinated practice. Because weight can affect blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, sleep, joint comfort, and overall wellness, your provider can evaluate more than the number on the scale.
Prima Medicine is part of Privia Medical Group, a physician-directed, multispecialty organization focused on coordinated care. Appointments are not rushed, giving you time to ask questions and understand your options. Prima Medicine also offers same-day, next-day, and weekend appointment availability for certain health care needs, although availability for medical weight loss visits may vary.
Take Control of Hunger and Build Healthier Habits
Contrave may help you manage appetite and cravings when lifestyle changes alone have not produced the progress you want. With medical screening, gradual dosing, and ongoing support, you can pursue weight loss with a plan grounded in your overall health.
To learn whether naltrexone HCl/bupropion HCl is appropriate for you, contact Prima Medicine at (703) 870-3750 to request an appointment. We serve patients in Fairfax, South Riding, Merrifield, and Tysons, VA.
