Contrave Now Available

Posted: Oct 07 in Weight Loss Medication by Dr. Lazarus

Is your “healthy” appetite making weight control difficult?  Are you ready to try something different?

Contrave will be available at pharmacies starting October 20th.  It is FDA-approved for individuals with a BMI over 30, or over 27 with a weight-related health problem like high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes.  It is approved for chronic use – that means it has been studied and approved for long-term weight control, similar to how we use medications for high cholesterol and for diabetes.

Contrave works on a different part of the appetite control pathway than Phentermine, Tenuate, Qsymia and Belviq.  Instead of acting as a stimulant, it turns down the rewards center of the brain with regards to food.  For example, after you eat a nice dinner and then the restaurant brings you chocolate mousse, even though you aren’t “hungry,” you still want to have the mousse, right?

Contrave helps tone down that part of our appetite regulation, and the results are very good in the clinical trials.

There will be a special savings program on Contrave as well.  Check with your insurance company to see if Contrave is covered; however, if it isn’t, on the savings program Contrave will cost $70 for the first two months of treatment, then $60 per month thereafter.  This price is very competitive (especially when compared to our other two new weight loss drugs, Qsymia and Belviq).

To learn about Contrave, schedule an appointment with Dr. Lazarus or Heather Thomas by calling us at (303) 750-9454.