Contrave
The United States brand name for naltrexone and bupropion in an extended-release tablet. The same combination is authorised in the EU under a different name.
General information, not medical advice. Docalo does not sell medicines, and prescription-only medicines are prescribed only after an individual medical assessment.
What Contrave is and how it works
Contrave combines naltrexone, which blocks opioid receptors, and bupropion, which acts on dopamine and noradrenaline. Together they act on the brain areas that control hunger and food cravings.
Contrave is the US name; the FDA approved it in 2014. In the EU the same combination is authorised as Mysimba, and its EU product information is the label that applies to patients in the EU.
Authorisation status and label
- In the United States, Contrave is labelled for chronic weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 kg/m² or more, or 27 kg/m² or more with a weight-related condition.
- It is used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
- Contrave is not an EU product name; the EU label is the Mysimba product information.
Only a doctor who knows your history can decide whether a medicine suits you.
How to use Contrave
Built up over four weeks. The US label starts with one tablet in the morning and adds one tablet each week, reaching two tablets twice a day from week four.
Swallowed whole. Tablets are swallowed whole, not cut, chewed or crushed, and not taken with a high-fat meal.
Reviewed at 12 weeks. The US label advises stopping if at least 5% of the starting body weight has not been lost after 12 weeks at the full dose.
Common side effects
Get urgent medical help if (whatever the frequency): A seizure or fit, Thoughts of harming yourself, or a sudden change in mood or behaviour, Swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, or trouble breathing
Most reported in trials (in more than 1 in 10 trial participants): nausea, constipation, headache, vomiting
Also reported in trials (less often): dizziness, trouble sleeping, dry mouth, diarrhoea
Safety
Do not use Contrave if
- You have uncontrolled high blood pressure
- You have a seizure disorder, or have or have had bulimia or anorexia
- You take opioids long term, or are stopping alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates or antiepileptic medicines abruptly
- You have taken an MAO inhibitor in the last 14 days, or you are pregnant
The US label carries a boxed warning about suicidal thoughts and behaviours linked to bupropion. Any change in mood needs prompt medical review.
Your questions answered
Is Contrave authorised in the EU?
Why is Contrave started in four steps?
More questions
Who should not take Contrave?
References
This page summarises the official product information and the published sources below.
- Contrave (naltrexone / bupropion) extended-release tablets: US prescribing information DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine, 2026
- Takeda and Orexigen announce FDA approval of Contrave Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, 2014
- Mysimba (naltrexone / bupropion): European public assessment report, the EU-authorised product European Medicines Agency, 2015
- Effect of naltrexone plus bupropion on weight loss in overweight and obese adults (COR-I). Lancet 2010;376:595-605 The Lancet, 2010
- COR-I (NCT00532779) ClinicalTrials.gov, 2010
Other medicines used in weight management
Talk to a doctor about weight care
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Talk to a doctor about weight careGeneral information, not medical advice. Docalo does not sell medicines, and prescription-only medicines are prescribed only after an individual medical assessment.
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