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What is Contrave?

What is Contrave, and how does it work?

Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) is a tablet made by Currax Pharmaceuticals, whose active ingredient is naltrexone and bupropion. FDA approved for chronic weight management Two older drugs combined: one acts on the brain's appetite centre, the other on its reward circuit. The label says the exact chemistry is not established. In its pivotal trial it produced 6.4% mean weight loss. It costs $99 a month once titrated, a figure read from the seller's own page on 2026-08-28 — the maintenance rate rather than the starting dose, because the starting dose is not the dose anyone stays on.

How it works, from the label

Two older drugs combined: one acts on the brain's appetite centre, the other on its reward circuit. The label says the exact chemistry is not established.

CONTRAVE has two components: naltrexone, an opioid antagonist, and bupropion, a relatively weak inhibitor of the neuronal reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine. Nonclinical studies suggest that naltrexone and bupropion have effects on two separate areas of the brain involved in the regulation of food intake: the hypothalamus (appetite regulatory center) and the mesolimbic dopamine circuit (reward system). The exact neurochemical effects leading to weight loss are not fully understood.

Quoted from the mechanism of action section of FDA prescribing information for CONTRAVE, read 2026-08-29. Not paraphrased: how a drug works is the last thing a price site should put in its own words.

What it is approved for

  • Chronic weight management

    To reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in adults with obesity, or overweight in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition.

Which approval a plan cannot exclude — a weight-loss exclusion is written against the use, not the molecule.

What the trial found

6.4% of body weight. COR-II, phase 3: 6.4% mean weight loss at week 56 against 1.2% on placebo; 50.5% of treated participants lost at least 5% of body weight against 17.1% on placebo

One trial, one protocol, one population. Comparing it with another drug's figure compares two separate experiments rather than two drugs — the comparison, and what a point of body weight costs.

It carries a boxed warning — the strongest the FDA issues

Bupropion raises the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour in children, adolescents and young adults. The label carries that as a boxed warning and tells prescribers to watch for mood changes, particularly in the first months and after any dose change.

Everything the label lists, including who cannot take it →

What it costs

$99 a month once titrated, read from the seller's own page on 2026-08-28. Definitional pages in this category stop before this line; it is the reason this one exists.

Contrave price and terms →The cheapest way to get it →

Contrave, answered

How does Contrave work?
Two older drugs combined: one acts on the brain's appetite centre, the other on its reward circuit. The label says the exact chemistry is not established. The label's own words, from its mechanism of action section: "CONTRAVE has two components: naltrexone, an opioid antagonist, and bupropion, a relatively weak inhibitor of the neuronal reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine. Nonclinical studies suggest that naltrexone and bupropion have effects on two separate areas of the brain involved in the regulation of food intake: the hypothalamus (appetite regulatory center) and the mesolimbic dopamine circuit (reward system). The exact neurochemical effects leading to weight loss are not fully understood."
What is Contrave approved for?
chronic weight management. Approvals are quoted from the label rather than summarised, because the wording is what a prior authorisation is judged against — the full text of each is on the indications page.
How much weight did Contrave lose in its trial?
6.4% of body weight. COR-II, phase 3: 6.4% mean weight loss at week 56 against 1.2% on placebo; 50.5% of treated participants lost at least 5% of body weight against 17.1% on placebo That is what one trial reported under its own protocol, not a prediction for any person, and it cannot be compared directly with another drug's figure because no trial ran them against each other.
How much does Contrave cost?
$99 a month once titrated, read from the seller's own page on 2026-08-28. The starting dose is usually cheaper and nobody stays on it, which is why the maintenance figure is the one this site records.

Everything on Contrave

Last updated 2026-08-29 — the FDA label this page quotes