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Contrave Vs Phentermine 2024: Which Is Better For Weight Loss?
LAKSHMI M.S
Last Updated IST

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that 42% of people who are 20 years or older are very fat and almost 73% of adults are too heavy (including very fat). Being very fat can cause many problems, like Type 2 diabetes, bad cholesterol, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, heart problems, strokes, and breathing problems when sleeping. Buy This Non-Prescription Pill That Can Help You Lose Weight

Doctors suggest different ways to lose weight, but the most common ones are eating healthier and exercising more. Sometimes doctors also say to have surgery, take medicine, or talk to a counselor for weight loss.

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Contrave and Phentermine are two medicines that need a prescription to help people lose weight. These medicines are not the same. You will learn more about them later.

What is Contrave?

Contrave is a medicine that needs a prescription to help people who are very fat or too heavy manage their weight. It has two ingredients: naltrexone and bupropion. Both ingredients make people feel less hungry and more full after eating.

Bupropion is also a medicine that helps people feel happier and stop smoking. It also increases the level of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain.

Naltrexone is a medicine that helps people stop using alcohol and drugs. It stops the effect of drugs and makes people want less alcohol.

When naltrexone and bupropion work together, they help people eat less food and lose weight.

It is not clear how contrave helps people lose weight. The two ingredients in contrave affect different parts of the brain. But if you use contrave for weight loss, you must also eat healthy and exercise.

You can also try PhenQ which works in a similar way.

What is Phentermine?

Phentermine is a medicine that needs a prescription for weight loss. This medicine has many brand names and is a type of medicine that makes people not want to eat. Phentermine works like a stimulant. It does some things that amphetamine does.

Making people less hungry, changing how the body uses energy, and affecting the central nervous system are some ways that Phentermine works. Like contrave, phentermine should also be used with healthy eating and exercise.

Phentermine is a drug that is controlled by the law because people can abuse it or become addicted to it.

What are the purposes of Contrave and Phentermine?

People who have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or more (very fat) or 27 kg/m2 or more (too heavy) and have at least one other problem related to weight, like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or bad cholesterol, can use Contrave for long-term weight control. To get the best results from Contrave, it must be used with healthy eating and regular exercise.

Contrave has bupropion, which is also in Wellbutrin, a medicine that helps people feel happier and stop smoking. But contrave is not for those purposes.

Phentermine is for short-term (a few weeks) weight loss. People who have a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or more or 27 kg/m2 or more and have at least one other problem related to weight can get a prescription for phentermine. Like Contrave, phentermine must be used with healthy eating and regular exercise.

Important Note

Contrave is a new medicine for losing weight that you can get, but you need a doctor’s permission and you have to inject it. We tried it and we also looked at what other people said about Contrave on the internet and compared it to PhenQ - and we found out that PhenQ is much better.

Contrave or phentermine: which one is better?

There are no studies that compare phentermine and Contrave. The medicine that you choose depends on many things, like your health problems, other medicines that you take, possible side effects and how much money you have. For example, if you don’t have insurance, phentermine might be better for you because it is cheaper. But if you have a problem with drugs, Contrave might be safer for you. In any case, you also need to eat well and exercise to lose weight with medicines.

Your doctor can help you decide which medicine, if any, is good for you. They will look at your health history, your situation, and your other medicines that might not work well with phentermine or Contrave.

What people say about Contrave

Some studies show that using Contrave made people lose an average of 17 pounds in 56 weeks. Forty-two percent of people lost at least five percent of their weight, twenty-one percent lost at least ten percent, and ten percent lost at least fifteen percent in these studies.

People who took Contrave and did behavior therapy were 1.5 times more likely to lose five percent of their weight than people who took a fake pill and did behavior therapy, according to a review of Contrave weight loss from 2010 that was published in a journal called obesity.

What people say about Phentermine

A study in the Korean Journal of Family Medicine showed that after using phentermine for 12 weeks, more than half (45.6%) of 700 people with BMIs higher than 25 could lose 5% or more of their weight.

How much to take

Phentermine is for short-term use only, but Contrave is for long-term use. After a few weeks, phentermine might stop working and you should stop taking it.

You should take phentermine or Contrave as your doctor tells you, and follow the instructions carefully. Don’t take more medicine than your doctor says to avoid taking too much.

What happens if you take too much

Taking too much Contrave can cause seizures, seeing things that are not there, passing out, heart problems, fever, stiff muscles, low blood pressure, muscle damage, breathing problems, and coma. It can even kill you if you take a lot.

Taking too much phentermine can make your brain too excited, which can make you angry, nervous, shaky, breathe fast, confused, see things that are not there, feel scared, and tired. You might also have heart problems, changes in blood pressure, and stomach problems.

Taking phentermine too much for a long time can cause problems like not sleeping, being annoyed, too active, changing personality, going crazy (like schizophrenia), and bad skin conditions.

How to use Contrave the right way

Contrave comes in tablets that release the medicine slowly. You should not bite, crush, or cut the tablet because of that.

You start with one tablet in the morning and then increase to two tablets twice a day over four weeks. You should not take Contrave with a meal that has a lot of fat; you should only take it twice a day, in the morning and evening. You should stop taking Contrave if you have not lost the expected weight of 5% after 12 weeks on this dose.

How to take phentermine for the best results

The best time to take phentermine is early in the morning. To control your hunger, you can take it before or after breakfast. Your doctor will tell you the lowest dose that works for you. Some people will take a smaller dose several times a day. Phentermine should not be taken at night because it can cause insomnia. Phentermine is usually taken for a few weeks until your body gets used to it. Then you should stop taking the medicine.

Side effects

Phentermine and Contrave can cause similar side effects, such as headaches, stomach problems, and difficulty sleeping. Serious side effects, such as suicidal thoughts (Contrave) and heart problems (phentermine) may occur.

Allergic reactions are rare, but if you have any signs of an allergy, such as rashes, breathing problems, or swelling around your mouth, nose, face, or neck, you should get emergency medical help right away.

Contrave vs. phentermine: Common Questions

How are Contrave and phentermine different?

Contrave and phentermine are not the same. Contrave is a long-term weight loss drug that contains naltrexone and bupropion, two chemicals. Phentermine, on the other hand, is a short-term weight loss drug that has only one ingredient. You should take these drugs along with other lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise, as directed by your health care provider.

Does Contrave contain phentermine?

No. Contrave does not have phentermine. Contrave contains bupropion and naltrexone, which are an antidepressant and an opioid blocker.

Can you take phentermine and Contrave together?

You should not take phentermine and Contrave together. You should talk to a doctor to find out which weight loss drug is best for you.

Which drug will help you lose more weight, phentermine or Contrave?

Everyone will have a different experience. Other factors, such as changing your diet and exercising, may also affect your weight loss.

In the studies of Contrave, about 57% of people lost 5% or more of their body weight, and 15% to 35% of people lost 10% or more. If you do not lose 5% or more of your weight within 12 weeks of taking Contrave, you should stop taking it.

Phentermine is meant to be taken for a short time, but some doctors may prescribe it for longer. On average, people who took phentermine lost 13.9 pounds, which was 7.9 pounds more than people who took a fake pill, according to a review of studies that lasted from two weeks to 24 weeks.

Again, everyone will have different results, so you should talk to a doctor to find out which weight loss drug is right for you.

When do phentermine and Contrave start to work?

People who took Contrave in a research study started to lose weight after 4 weeks.

Phentermine helps to lower hunger quickly. Users may notice their weight has changed after a few weeks.

To get the best results from either medicine, remember that the doctor will suggest changes in diet and exercise. So, it is important to follow their advice to get the most benefit from the medicine.

What happens when you stop taking phentermine or Contrave?

People in research studies lost the most weight after taking Contrave for 9 months and stayed at that weight for more than a year. Studies on how well phentermine works for weight loss were done for a short time. The hunger will be normal after stopping the phentermine. Weight gain may happen as a result. But keeping up healthy habits like food and exercise may help to keep the weight loss.

Can I take phentermine or Contrave when I’m pregnant?

Phentermine or Contrave should be stopped during pregnancy because weight loss may harm an unborn baby.

How do Contrave or phentermine affect alcohol?

Alcohol and phentermine should not be mixed. The chance of mental problems may increase if Contrave is taken with alcohol. If people are taking Contrave, drinking too much or stopping suddenly may also increase the chance of seizures. When phentermine and alcohol are mixed, bad effects are more likely.

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(Published 19 December 2023, 12:19 IST)