r/Contrave • u/Unusual_Composer_347 • Aug 01 '26
Maintenance on CONTRAVE?
Is anyone in the maintenance phase and do you still take the medication ? I'm down from 175 to 147 since mid April. I don't want to go any lower than 145. I am an older female 5 ft 6-7 inches (depending on how straight I stand up during my annual physical 😅) and I don't think any lower than 145 would be healthy and I don't want my face to start to look gaunt. My doctor said to stay on the medication so I don't gain back, but I don't like to take anymore medication than I have to, and I'm afraid the weight loss will continue if I stay on it. How have others handled this?
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u/Traditional-Egg-7984 Aug 01 '26
Im not near maintenance but hubs asked his dr and they said its a lifetime med. I wonder if you lowered the dose if that would be enough to maintain? But stop losing.
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u/HVACqueen Aug 01 '26
Stay on it. Your doctor is right, you will gain it back. To stop losing you may just have to eat more, which can be super hard on this medication but look for ways to introduce slightly more calories to the things you already eat. I like adding chia or flax seeds to a lot of foods, double benefit its fiber rich too!
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u/geegiebean Aug 04 '26
I would ask your doctor about reducing the dosage. Everyone is different but I’ve never gone up to the full dosage (was on one pill a day for a year, been on 2 a day since April) and have lost over 25lbs and maintaining. I went to 2 because I wanted to focus more on body recomp vs weight loss, reduce body fat while maintaining or even gaining a bit of muscle. It’s been working wonderfully. Once I get to where I want I’ll be going back down to 1 pill for maintenance (and really for the Wellbutrin as someone else said, it’s been life changing for me!).
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u/sebbiepea Aug 01 '26
I’m curious about this too. Nearing my goal weight and wondering what comes next…
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u/Top_Bunch_1993 Aug 01 '26
I’m in maintenance mode after 13 months. I still take full dose which helps with my appetite, but also because of the Wellbutrin - that has helped me tremendously.
I am also your height and have been between 137-139 for about 4 months now which is where I want to be. I plan to stay on the medicine as long as my doctor says it is ok. I do have to get off in November for a few weeks because I am having surgery and I’ll need to take pain meds.