No. Contrave is naltrexone and bupropion, and neither acts on the GLP-1 receptor.

Is Contrave a controlled substance?

No. Contrave is not a controlled substance.

What is Contrave?

What is Contrave, and how does it work?

Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) is a tablet made by Currax Pharmaceuticals, whose active ingredients are naltrexone and bupropion. FDA approved for chronic weight management. Two older drugs combined: one acts on the brain's appetite center, the other on its reward circuit. The label says the exact chemistry is not established. In its pivotal trial it produced 5.4% mean weight loss. It costs $99 a month once titrated, read from its own published page on 2026-09-22 — the maintenance rate rather than the starting dose, because the starting dose is not the dose anyone stays on.

How does Contrave work? The label's words

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 is Contrave 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.

Approvals are quoted from the label, because the wording is what a prior authorization is judged against. Which approval a plan cannot exclude — a weight-loss exclusion is written against the use, not the molecule.

How much weight did Contrave lose in its trial?

5.4% of body weight. COR-I on the label, 56 weeks: 5.4% mean weight loss on 32 mg/360 mg against 1.3% on placebo, intention-to-treat.

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 behavior 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 →

How much does Contrave cost?

$99 a month once titrated, read from its own published page on 2026-09-22. The starting dose is usually cheaper and nobody stays on it, which is why the maintenance figure is the one this site records.

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

No clinician has reviewed this page. Label and trial statements are quoted from the FDA label or the trial cited beside them. General guidance is marked as such, and every price carries the date it was verified. That is sourcing, not medical review. What we do and do not check · Who checked the price

Contrave, answered

Is Contrave a GLP-1?: No. Contrave is naltrexone and bupropion, and neither acts on the GLP-1 receptor.
Is Contrave a controlled substance?: No. Contrave is not a controlled substance.

Everything on Contrave

Last updated 2026-08-29 — the FDA label this page quotes. Read and dated by Alex Seot.