Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) vs Mounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label)
Contrave is the better choice of the two, winning on entry price (halfrx score 6.3 against 5.1).
Computed from the stored fields, so it moves when a price does. Nothing here is written by hand or by a model.
Which is cheaper, Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) or Mounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label)?
Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) is $99 a month all-in, read from its own page on 2026-09-22; Mounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label) is $499, read from its own page on 2026-09-21. At the maintenance dose the gap is $400 a month, which is $5,299 across a year, counting 12 fills for Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) and 13 for Mounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label). Trial weight loss was 5.4% against 11.9%, from separate trials with different populations, so the gap is not a measured difference between the two. Every axis below is computed from stored fields rather than written by hand, so the comparison moves when a price does. They were last checked on 2026-09-22 and 2026-09-21. Neither carries an FTC action, a state action, a BBB F grade or an FDA warning letter. The published formula scores them 6.3 and 5.1 out of 10, arithmetic over the same stored fields rather than an editor's preference.
Head to head
| What decides it | Contrave $99/mo | Mounjaro $499/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Entry priceContrave (naltrexone/bupropion) is $400/mo cheaper to start — $99 against $499. | ✓ better here | — |
| Regulatory and complaint riskNeither carries a lawsuit, an FDA warning letter or a supply-risk flag. | tied | tied |
| Average weight loss in trialsContrave (naltrexone/bupropion) reports 5.4% and Mounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label) 11.9%, each from its own trial. They were not compared against each other, and the populations, durations and endpoints differ, so the higher number is not a better result — it is a different study. | not comparable | not comparable |
What the trials, the titration and a year actually say
| Axis | Contrave | Mounjaro |
|---|---|---|
| Mean weight loss in the cited trial | 5.4% | 11.9% |
| The trial that figure comes from | 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. | No percentage of body weight appears anywhere on the Mounjaro label, which has no weight-management section: every trial on it is a diabetes trial and reports weight in kilograms. This figure is worked out from the label's own kilograms — 11.2 kg lost from a 93.8 kg mean baseline at week 40 on 15 mg, in SURPASS-2 against semaglutide — and is an arithmetic step the label does not take. |
| Maintenance dose | 2 tablets twice a day | 2.5 mg to 15 mg once weekly, set by blood sugar control |
| Earliest week you reach it | week 4 | — |
| Year one at the published price of every step | $1,188 | $6,487 |
Trial percentages are quoted from the label or the named trial beside them. They are not a head-to-head result: different populations, different durations, different endpoints. That is why the comparison above scores this axis as not comparable rather than awarding it to the higher number. The year-one figures are one price at every dose, times the fills each manufacturer bills a year: 12 for Contrave, 13 for Mounjaro. The full arithmetic is published.
Read the price gap carefully: these two are not the same purchase
- These are different molecules — naltrexone and bupropion against tirzepatide — so this is a comparison of two treatments, not of two prices for one.
- Against every medication on this site with a verified maintenance price, Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) is the 2nd cheapest of 9 and Mounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label) the 9th — the cheapest of them all is $75.
Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion)
Pros
- +$99 a month direct from the manufacturer's CurAccess program — below every branded GLP-1 on this site, and tied with the cheapest compounded route.[1]
- +Oral, no injections, no refrigeration, no titration involving needles.[2]
- +Works on appetite and reward pathways rather than gut hormones, so it is an option for people who cannot tolerate GLP-1 side effects.[3]
- +The bupropion component may help if you also want to stop smoking or have low mood.[3]
Cons
- −5.4% mean weight loss at 56 weeks in COR-I, the trial on its label — about a third of semaglutide and a quarter of tirzepatide.[4]
- −Boxed warning for suicidal thoughts and behaviors from the bupropion component.[3]
- −Contraindicated with uncontrolled hypertension, seizure disorders and opioid use — the opioid interaction matters, because naltrexone blocks opioid pain relief in an emergency.[3]
- −Placebo arm lost 1.3%, so the drug-attributable effect is about four points rather than the headline figure.[4]
Mounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label)
Pros
Cons
- −Off-label for weight loss without diabetes — expect insurance denial and prescriber reluctance.[4]
- −Self-pay is $499 a month at every strength through LillyDirect, with no cheaper starting tier: Zepbound, the same molecule on the weight-loss label, is $299 at 2.5 mg and $449 at 7.5 mg and above through the same pharmacy. For weight loss, Zepbound is the cheaper route to the same molecule.[1]
- −Weekly injection with the same GI side-effect profile.[4]
Sources
- [1] Mounjaro self-pay price, LillyDirect ($499 a month at every strength)
- [2] Mounjaro Savings Card terms, Lilly ($499 a month with commercial insurance that does not cover it)
- [3] GLP-1 weight loss cost 2026
- [4] FDA prescribing information for MOUNJARO
- [5] TrumpRx, the federal direct-purchase price site — $499 a month, single-dose pen, read 6 September 2026
Comparisons are computed from the fields on each card, not written by hand or by a model, so they change when the data does. Information only, not medical advice. halfrx may earn a commission from some links, which never changes what a comparison says.
Everything on Contrave
- Contrave price and terms →
- What is Contrave? →
- Contrave cost without insurance →
- Alternatives to Contrave →
- Contrave coupons and savings cards →
- Contrave Home Delivery →
- Contrave side effects →
- Does Contrave make you feel sick? →
- Does Contrave cause constipation? →
- Does Contrave cause diarrhea? →
- Does Contrave make you throw up? →
- Does Contrave make you dizzy? →
- Does Contrave cause headaches? →
- Does Contrave keep you awake? →
- Does Contrave cause dry mouth? →
- Contrave dose schedule →
- How to take Contrave →
- How long Contrave takes to work →
- Which labels record what happens when you stop →
- Hair loss: which of the labels name it →
- Alcohol: what the labels say, and what they do not →
Everything on Mounjaro
- Mounjaro price and terms →
- What is Mounjaro? →
- Mounjaro cost without insurance →
- Alternatives to Mounjaro →
- Mounjaro coupons and savings cards →
- Mounjaro Savings Card →
- Mounjaro side effects →
- Does Mounjaro make you feel sick? →
- Does Mounjaro cause constipation? →
- Does Mounjaro cause diarrhea? →
- Does Mounjaro make you throw up? →
- Does Mounjaro cause stomach pain? →
- Does Mounjaro cause indigestion? →
- Does Mounjaro take away your appetite? →
- Mounjaro dose schedule →
- How to inject Mounjaro →
- How long Mounjaro takes to work →
- Which labels record what happens when you stop →
- Hair loss: which of the labels name it →
- Alcohol: what the labels say, and what they do not →
- tirzepatide at LillyDirect: the price →
- tirzepatide: every product and price →
- LillyDirect: the seller →
- Mochi Health: the seller →
- Henry Meds: the seller →
- Noom Med: the seller →
- PlushCare: the seller →
- Compounded tirzepatide: the drug →
- Eden: the seller →
- GoodRx for Weight Loss: the seller →
Contrave against Mounjaro, answered
- Is Contrave or Mounjaro better for weight loss?
- Contrave reports 5.4% average weight loss and Mounjaro 11.9%, each from its own trial. The two were not compared against each other, so the higher figure is not a result of a head-to-head and this page does not present it as one. What is comparable is what each costs, below.
- Which is cheaper, Contrave or Mounjaro?
- Contrave, at $99 a month against $499 — a difference of $400 a month, or $5,299 over a year counting 12 fills a year for Contrave and 13 for Mounjaro. Both figures are the maintenance price rather than an introductory rate.
- Can you switch between Contrave and Mounjaro?
- They are different molecules, so this is a change of medication rather than of brand, and the one you move to is started on its own dosing schedule.