Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) vs Phentermine (generic)
Neither comes out ahead on the axes compared here. Contrave scores higher on the published halfrx formula, 6.3 against 3.1; the formula takes in more than this table does.
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 one has a price?
Only Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) has an all-in figure here: $99 a month, read from its own page on 2026-09-22. No price is published here for Phentermine (generic), so price cannot decide between them. Every axis below is computed from stored fields rather than written by hand, so the comparison moves when a price does. Neither carries an FTC action, a state action, a BBB F grade or an FDA warning letter. One is branded and the other generic, and they are different drugs, so the gap is the molecule as well as the price. The published formula scores them 6.3 and 3.1 out of 10, arithmetic over the same stored fields rather than an editor's preference. Cost here is scored on what a patient pays once titrated, never on the entry price, because an introductory rate covers the months before anybody has reached the dose they stay on.
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 riskNeither carries a lawsuit, an FDA warning letter or a supply-risk flag. | tied | tied |
What the trials, the titration and a year actually say
| Axis | Contrave | Phentermine |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | The label does not carry a modern trial figure; it states in its own words that the usefulness of this class 'should be measured against possible risk factors', and it is not recommended for long-term use. |
| Maintenance dose | 2 tablets twice a day | 37.5 mg once daily, in the morning |
| Earliest week you reach it | week 4 | — |
| Year one at the published price of every step | $1,188 | No titration prices recorded |
The year-one figures are one price at every dose, times the twelve 30-day bottles a year holds. The full arithmetic is published.
What separates these two, price aside
- These are different molecules — naltrexone and bupropion against phentermine — so this is a comparison of two treatments, not of two prices for one.
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]
Phentermine (generic)
Pros
- +Pharmacies acquire it at $0.068 a tablet, about $2 for a 30-day supply, under the federal NADAC survey. That is what a pharmacy pays, not what it charges you.[2]
- +Covered by more Medicaid programs 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.
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 Phentermine
- Phentermine price and terms →
- What is Phentermine? →
- Phentermine cost without insurance →
- Alternatives to Phentermine →
- Phentermine side effects →
- Does Phentermine cause constipation? →
- Does Phentermine cause diarrhea? →
- Does Phentermine make you dizzy? →
- Does Phentermine cause headaches? →
- Does Phentermine keep you awake? →
- Does Phentermine cause dry mouth? →
- Phentermine dose schedule →
- How to take Phentermine →
- 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 →
- phentermine: every product and price →
- Qsymia: the drug →
Contrave against Phentermine, answered
- Is Contrave or Phentermine better for weight loss?
- Only Contrave has a trial figure recorded here: 5.4% average weight loss, from its own label trial. Phentermine has none on this site, so the two cannot be compared on effect and this page does not pick one on it.
- Which is cheaper, Contrave or Phentermine?
- Phentermine publishes no all-in monthly price that could be verified, so this page carries no comparison rather than an estimate — and an unpublished price is itself worth weighing.
- Can you switch between Contrave and Phentermine?
- 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.