Switch your habits to something you love to do
Weight loss is a struggle that happens to many of us – and it’s not necessarily due to lack of commitment or effort. Through science, we can understand this challenge better because it turns out your brain may be working against you.
If you have found that, regardless of your commitment or your attempts with diet and exercise programs, you are just not losing weight, it might be time to talk with your doctor about adding Contrave to your weight management program.
Adding Contrave to a diet and exercise plan may help you achieve your weight loss goals.
What is Contrave?
Contrave is a prescription weight-loss medicine designed to help people with obesity or who are overweight achieve a healthier weight. Contrave is intended to be taken in combination with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity.
How Contrave works
Exactly how Contrave works to reduce weight isn’t entirely understood. However, when the two ingredients in Contrave, naltrexone and bupropion, are used together, they are thought to work on two different areas of the brain.
The hunger centre
Controls how hungry you feel and tells your brain it needs nutrition and food to satisfy this metabolic need
The reward system
Influences cravings and tells your brain it wants a specific food, even when you are not hungry
Cravings can make it difficult to adhere to a diet
Contrave reduces how hungry you feel and helps to control cravings
Studies have shown
People taking Contrave – along with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity – lose more weight than those who just follow a diet and exercise plan alone.
Who can use Contrave?
Contrave is registered for adults (18 years or older) who have a high Body Mass Index (BMI)
A BMI of ≥ 27 kg/m2 with at least one weight-related medical problem
such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes
or
A BMI of ≥ 27 kg/m2 with at least one weight-related medical problem
such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes
A BMI of
≥ 30 kg/m2
Contrave should be used with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
If you have not been successful in managing your weight with diet and exercise alone,
it may time to speak with your doctor about adding Contrave to your weight management plan.
How much does Contrave cost?
Contrave is not funded on the Pharmaceutical Schedule and there will be a cost. The recommended retail price for Contrave is $240 per month, which equates to $8.57 per day i.e. costs less than a latte and pastry or two coffees a day.
Normal doctor’s fees and pharmacy charges apply. While the cost of the medication is usually the same, pharmacies add a dispensing fee on top of that. This fee varies between pharmacies.
Managing your weight concerns are important and need to be shared
We understand that the cycle of dieting and gaining weight can be frustrating. This is why it’s so important to talk with your doctor. Schedule an appointment today, start the conversation about your struggles to lose weight, and ask your doctor if adding Contrave to your weight-loss plan is right for you.
What if I regain weight?
The body is ‘hardwired’ to regain lost weight, so it’s not uncommon for weight to creep back on. If this happens, it doesn’t mean you’ve ‘failed’. Remember, your body will want to return to your previous weight. So, if you notice you’ve regained even a small amount of weight (e.g. 1.5-2 kg), consider discussing this with your doctor.
Ready to start the conversation?
We recognise that talking to your doctor about your weight loss struggles can be challenging, we have created a discussion guide to help you approach this conversation with your doctor.
Keep the conversation factual
around what previous efforts you made to try to lose weight and what issues you had with them such as your diet plans and exercise programs. Discuss what your weight loss goals are.
Share some of the issues
you have faced with food specially
around cravings and hunger.
