Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) vs Phentermine (generic)
Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) is the better choice of the two (halfrx score 6.6 against 3.1). Phentermine (generic) is the one to pick if regulatory and complaint risk matters more to you.
Computed from the stored fields, so it moves when a price does. Nothing here is written by hand or by a model.
Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) or Phentermine (generic): which publishes a price?
Only one of these two publishes a verified all-in price, which settles the comparison before any other axis is reached: Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) at $99, and no figure at all for the other. Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) is the better choice of the two (halfrx score 6.6 against 3.1). Phentermine (generic) is the one to pick if regulatory and complaint risk matters more to you. Every axis below is computed from stored fields rather than written by hand, so the comparison moves when a price does. Flags recorded here: Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) — boxed warning. One is brand and the other generic, which is the difference between an FDA-approved product and a copy made under the compounding exemption. The published formula scores them 6.6 and 3.1 out of 10, arithmetic over the same stored fields rather than an editor's preference.
Head to head
| What decides it | Contrave $99/mo | Phentermine price unverified |
|---|---|---|
| Entry priceNot comparable — Phentermine (generic) publishes no verified all-in price. | not comparable | not comparable |
| Regulatory and complaint riskContrave (naltrexone/bupropion): 1 serious flag. Phentermine (generic): none. | — | ✓ better here |
| Brand vs compoundedContrave (naltrexone/bupropion) supplies FDA-approved branded medication; Phentermine (generic) supplies compounded, which the FDA does not review for safety, efficacy or quality and which can stop shipping if its pharmacy is enjoined. | level | level |
Read the price gap carefully: these two are not the same purchase
- These are different molecules — Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) on naltrexone, bupropion, Phentermine (generic) on phentermine — so this is a comparison of two treatments, not of two prices for one.
Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion)
Pros
- +$99/mo direct from the manufacturer's home delivery programme — cheaper than every GLP-1 route on this site, branded or compounded.[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
- −6.4% mean weight loss at 56 weeks in COR-II — under half of semaglutide and less than a third of tirzepatide.[2]
- −Boxed warning for suicidal thoughts and behaviours 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 1.2%, so the drug-attributable effect is closer to 5% than to the headline figure.[2]
Phentermine (generic)
Pros
- +The cheapest drug in the category by two orders of magnitude: $0.068 a tablet at pharmacy acquisition cost against $263 for one Zepbound pen.[2]
- +Covered by more Medicaid programmes than any GLP-1 — seven states cover an older weight-loss agent while covering no GLP-1 at all.[3]
- +One tablet each morning, no injection, no titration schedule beyond a possible half dose.[1]
Cons
- −Approved for a few weeks only. Every monthly subscription selling it as ongoing therapy is using it off the label's own duration.[1]
- −Schedule IV controlled substance, chemically related to the amphetamines, with the dependence warnings that follow from that.[1]
- −Stopping after prolonged high dosing brings extreme fatigue and depression, per the label — which is a hard exit from a subscription that sold it as maintenance.[1]
- −No cardiovascular outcome data of the kind the GLP-1s now carry, and contraindicated where blood pressure is uncontrolled.[1]
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.