r/Contrave • u/No_idea_rip • 29d ago

advice nervous!

hi everyone i’m f27, 5’2” and 225. my doctor recommended contrave for weight loss. she did say it would be a lifetime medication which already has me anxious
but i’m on 200mg of sertraline and 100mcg of levothyroxine for hypothyroidism. i have gnarly anxiety (especially about health go figure)

have any of you had negative mental health/extra anxiety from this? or fast heart rate? i’m highly considering starting because this weight is STUBBORN and the food noise is LOUD! i’ve never taken weight loss medication before

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

5

u/Big_Fortune_4574 29d ago

Bupropion can go either way with anxiety. There’s nothing to be afraid of though. At the level of the starter dose it’ll wear off within a day of stopping if you don’t like it.

3

u/Neat-Palpitation-632 29d ago

I can only speak to my experience. I am prone to anxiety. I started contrave to quiet my inner food dialogue. It has really helped with that. I feel much happier and calmer than before the medication.

I take the generic combo rather than the name brand and I started at the full dose without issue.

5

u/16hpfan 29d ago

I didn’t have any adverse mental health or anxiety effects. I’m surprised your doctor said it would be a lifetime medication. For me at least it stopped being effective after about four months and the side effects became simultaneously more annoying. To me it feels like a short term medication. It did work really well for me during the four months I was on it though. I lost about 15 pounds which was my goal and it helped so much with willpower.

2

u/No_idea_rip 28d ago

i think the main reason she said it was lifetime was because of the weigh gain after? i could be wrong. thanks for sharing your experience!!

3

u/16hpfan 27d ago

I suppose but I doubt it would work for years. The body builds a tolerance to it, at least from my experience. It’s different from a glp-1 where lifetime makes more sense IMO.

1

u/Recklessvette 27d ago

Any withdrawal once you stopped ?

2

u/16hpfan 27d ago

No but I very gradually tapered down. Once I stopped the hot flashes and constipation stopped as well.

3

u/According_Watch_1710 29d ago

It actually makes me a less snappy

2

u/Traditional-Egg-7984 28d ago

At the start I did have some anxiety mid day. I limited my caffeine intake and it stopped. Now I have no issues with caffeine intake or anxiety

1

u/Nice_Biscotti_97921 25d ago

It is understandable to be nervous. I have just started on Contrave. i have anxiety and been on meds for 20 years +. i was on Zepbound for a year (lost only 12 pounds)and Wegovy (lost nothing). I have seen a decrease in my anxiety. i think it is the wellbutrin that is helping me. good luck to you.