Contrave is an FDA-approved prescription tablet that combines naltrexone and bupropion in an extended-release form for chronic weight management in adults. It is not a GLP-1 medication. The telos rx compounded oral GLP-1 is a separate and different kind of option, and it is not FDA-approved. telos rx does not sell or supply Contrave.
Here is the plain version: what is in the tablet, what each ingredient does alone, how the pair is thought to act on appetite, who the indication covers, and the boxed warning on the label.
One point up front. telos rx does not sell, prescribe or supply Contrave. This guide exists because people comparing oral options deserve an honest account of a medicine we have no stake in.
What Is in Contrave: The Two Components
Contrave is a branded, FDA-approved extended-release tablet distributed in the US by Currax Pharmaceuticals, first approved in 2014. Each tablet contains 8 mg of naltrexone hydrochloride and 90 mg of bupropion hydrochloride.
Neither ingredient is new. Both were approved years earlier for unrelated purposes, on the premise that the pair does something to appetite that neither does alone.
| Component | Naltrexone (8 mg) | Bupropion (90 mg) |
|---|---|---|
| Drug class | Opioid antagonist | Aminoketone antidepressant, a weak dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor |
| Known elsewhere as | Revia and Vivitrol, for alcohol and opioid use disorder | Wellbutrin for depression, Zyban for smoking cessation |
| Proposed role here | Blocks a feedback loop that would blunt the other's effect | Stimulates appetite-regulating hypothalamic neurons |
| Acts on GLP-1 receptors | No | No |
Because bupropion is in the tablet, Contrave inherits its cautions. That is why the boxed warning below exists, and why the two are so often confused, covered in Contrave vs Wellbutrin.
How Does Contrave Work for Weight Loss?
The label is candid here: it states that the exact neurochemical effects leading to weight loss are not fully understood.
What the manufacturer proposes, from nonclinical work, is that the ingredients act on two separate brain areas involved in food intake: the hypothalamus, the appetite regulatory center, and the mesolimbic dopamine circuit, the reward system. In the lab the combination raised the firing rate of hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin neurons and cut food intake in mice. Contrave targets hunger and the pull of food, not digestion.
Contrave Is Not a GLP-1, and the Difference Is Real
This is the most common confusion about the drug. Contrave does not act on GLP-1 receptors, and is unrelated to semaglutide or tirzepatide by class, molecule or mechanism. GLP-1 receptor agonists instead mimic a gut hormone, as explained in how GLP-1 medications work.
| Contrave | GLP-1 receptor agonists | |
|---|---|---|
| Molecule type | Two small molecules in one tablet | Peptide analogues of a gut hormone |
| Target | Brain appetite and reward pathways | GLP-1 receptors, plus GIP for tirzepatide |
| Usual route | Oral tablet, swallowed whole | Injection, with oral and sublingual preparations in use |
| Boxed warning | Yes, for suicidal thoughts and behaviors | Class warnings differ by product |
More in Is Contrave a GLP-1? and Contrave vs Qsymia vs phentermine.
If it is the oral route rather than Contrave specifically that appeals to you, telos rx offers a compounded oral GLP-1, a different medication working through a different mechanism, which is not FDA-approved. It is not Contrave, and telos rx does not supply Contrave.
See the telos rx oral GLP-1What Is Contrave For? The Approved Indication
The label indicates Contrave, with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in adults with obesity, or overweight in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition.
The pivotal trials enrolled people with a BMI of 30 or greater, or 27 or greater with a condition such as hypertension or dyslipidemia, which is where the familiar thresholds come from. The label also carries a limitation of use: the cardiovascular effect is not established. It is approved for adults, not children.
The Boxed Warning and the Contraindications
Contrave carries a boxed warning for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The warning opens by stating that Contrave is not approved to treat major depressive disorder or other psychiatric disorders. Because the tablet contains bupropion, the same active ingredient as several antidepressants, it carries the antidepressant class warning: antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children, adolescents and young adults in short-term trials. The same warning records that those trials did not show an increased risk in people over 24, and showed a reduced risk in people aged 65 and older.
The label directs that patients of all ages starting Contrave be monitored closely for worsening and for the emergence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and that families and caregivers watch and stay in contact with the prescriber. Contrave is not approved for use in pediatric patients. If you or someone close to you is having thoughts of suicide, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available in the US by call or text. Detail is in Contrave side effects.
The label lists Contrave as contraindicated in uncontrolled hypertension; seizure disorder or a history of seizures; bulimia or anorexia nervosa; other bupropion-containing products; chronic opioid or opiate agonist use, or acute opiate withdrawal; abrupt discontinuation of alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates or antiepileptic drugs; an MAOI within 14 days; and known allergy to any component.
Candidacy is therefore a conversation with a prescriber, not a checkbox. The adverse reactions most reported in trials were nausea, constipation, headache, vomiting, dizziness, insomnia, dry mouth and diarrhea.
What the COR Trials Reported
The evidence base is the CONTRAVE Obesity Research program: four 56-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, COR-I, COR-II, COR-BMOD and COR-Diabetes, with 4,536 randomized patients alongside diet and activity changes.
For the 56-week COR-I trial, the FDA label reports a mean change in body weight of -5.4 percent for Contrave against -1.3 percent for placebo in the intent-to-treat population, with 42 percent of Contrave patients reaching at least a 5 percent reduction against 17 percent on placebo. The published COR-I report in The Lancet used a different analysis population and reported -6.1 percent against -1.3 percent, with 48 percent against 16 percent. Across the CONTRAVE trials as a whole, 24 percent of patients on the drug and 12 percent on placebo stopped because of an adverse event.
No head-to-head trial comparing Contrave with any GLP-1 medication is cited here. Figures from separate trials, in different populations under different protocols, are not a direct comparison, and are findings in a studied group rather than a forecast for anyone. More in does Contrave work.
How the Label Describes Dosing
The label describes a stepwise increase over four weeks to a maintenance dosage of two tablets twice daily, a total of 32 mg naltrexone and 360 mg bupropion. Tablets are swallowed whole.
That describes the label, and is not guidance. Nothing here tells you what to take or how to adjust it; only your prescriber can. See Contrave dosing and Contrave cost with and without insurance.
If You Are Exploring Oral Weight Management More Broadly
Contrave is one of several options the FDA has approved for chronic weight management. The NIDDK overview lists that set, which also includes phentermine-topiramate, orlistat and the GLP-1 medications, one of which is compared in phentermine vs semaglutide.
Separately, and in a different regulatory category, telos rx offers compounded oral and sublingual semaglutide and tirzepatide. One daily dose is held under the tongue for about 60 to 90 seconds and then swallowed, with ondansetron included. Sublingual absorption is lower than a subcutaneous injection, and the provider sets the dose accordingly. Route trade-offs are in oral vs injectable GLP-1.
Here is the honest asymmetry. Contrave is FDA-approved. The compounded oral GLP-1 offered by telos rx is not FDA-approved. It is prepared by licensed US compounding pharmacies under federal compounding regulations against a prescription for an individual patient. On regulatory status that is a real point in Contrave's favor, and pretending otherwise would not help you decide.
telos rx is LegitScript-certified and works online-first and asynchronously: you complete a written intake, and a licensed provider reviews it in writing. Everything is subject to medical approval by a licensed provider. As of publication the oral GLP-1 page lists pricing from $9 a day on the three-month prepaid plan, with the online visit, medication, shipping and ondansetron included. That page is the authority, and pricing can change.
Keep Reading: The Rest of This Guide
- Is Contrave a GLP-1?
- Contrave vs Qsymia vs Phentermine
- Contrave Cost, With and Without Insurance
- Contrave Side Effects and the Boxed Warning
- Contrave Dosing and the Four-Week Titration
- Does Contrave Work?
- Contrave vs Wellbutrin
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in Contrave?
Each extended-release tablet contains 8 mg of naltrexone hydrochloride and 90 mg of bupropion hydrochloride. Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist used in alcohol and opioid use disorder. Bupropion is the antidepressant ingredient in Wellbutrin, and in Zyban for smoking cessation. Neither was developed for weight loss.
How does Contrave work for weight loss?
The label states the exact mechanism is not fully understood. The proposed action, from nonclinical studies, is that naltrexone and bupropion together affect two brain areas involved in food intake: the hypothalamus, which regulates appetite, and the mesolimbic dopamine circuit, associated with reward. It targets hunger rather than digestion.
Is Contrave a GLP-1 like Ozempic or Wegovy?
No. Contrave does not act on GLP-1 receptors and is unrelated to semaglutide or tirzepatide by chemistry or pharmacology. It combines two small molecules in a tablet, while GLP-1 medications are peptide analogues of a gut hormone. Confusing them leads people to expect the wrong mechanism and side effects.
Who should not take Contrave?
The label contraindicates it in uncontrolled hypertension, seizure disorder or seizure history, bulimia or anorexia nervosa, chronic opioid use or acute opiate withdrawal, abrupt discontinuation of alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates or antiepileptic drugs, other bupropion products, an MAOI within 14 days, and known allergy. It also carries a boxed warning for suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Does telos rx prescribe Contrave?
No. telos rx does not sell, prescribe or supply Contrave, and this guide is educational, not promotional. What telos rx offers is a compounded oral GLP-1, semaglutide or tirzepatide taken sublingually, which is not FDA-approved. Any prescription is subject to medical approval by a licensed provider.
TelosRX is LegitScript-certified. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved and are prepared under federal compounding regulations. Approval is subject to evaluation by a licensed provider; approval is not guaranteed. Individual results vary. TelosRX operates as an online-first, asynchronous telehealth service.
If Contrave is what you want, that is a conversation for a prescriber who can supply it, and the Contrave prescribing information on DailyMed is worth reading first. If you are weighing a different oral option, the compounded oral GLP-1 from telos rx is not Contrave and is not FDA-approved: see the oral GLP-1 page, then complete the written intake to start an online visit. A licensed provider reviews every request, and approval is not guaranteed.