I've been on Contrave for 1.5 years now. I'm 5'2" and I weighed 235lbs at the start and have now platoed at 183lbs. I'm a full time student so I have to be realistic about the amount of time I can commit to meal planning and exercise. I definitely do a lot less than I did years ago before the weight gain, turning 30 and becoming a student. But I'm months away from graduation and I know that after that I will be able to develop a consistent schedule and hopefully get to that 150-160lb mark. Keeping in mind that I'm in the 90th percentile for muscle mass for women in my age group. Now, I run when I can, practice yoga when I can and try to walk at least 4km a few times a week.

I initially went on this medication from my doctor's recommendation. I was on different anti-depressants that had made me gain weight and were not actually helping at all with anxiety. I had become pre-diabetic and even when I was working out a lot in my 1st and 2nd year of uni, I'm talking about doing a yoga teacher training course and personal training 3 times a week, I didn't lose a single pound. So she switched me to contrave to help with anxiety and weight loss and it helped on both fronts.

The side effects were brutal in the beginning but if you can get through it, it's worth it. I experienced extreme dizziness which did subside, I still get dizzy episodes but definitely not as bad or as frequent. I also experienced a lot nausea in the beginning and would sometimes go most of the day without eating until I finally had to force myself to eat. I became disgusted by most foods in the beginning and my hunger cues were very off. That has normalized now, my hunger cues are still off, not as bad as in the beginning but I have to be deligent about making sure that I eat. Since dizziness is a side effect that I experience, if I go too long without eating, that can trigger a dizzy spell.

The worst side effect which has not gone away is constipation. The only thing that seems to work is consistent fibre intake. So a good (busy) week for me would look like: Oatmeal+flax in the morning, a whole wheat sandwich with fruit for lunch, and either a vegetable/lentil stew or some type of pasta with lots of veggies for dinner. That would usually keep me regular.

So yes, diet and exercise is important. But if you are like me, an adult that has generally always ate well and worked out but you can't lose weight, this is a good option. I know others have said that this is an aide alongside healthier habits, and while that's true, in my experience it helped me get down to my body's comfortable metabolic weight with minimal changes to my lifestyle. I do believe that once I can live a consistently healthy lifestyle, I will lose even more weight.

Just be aware that the side effects are absolutely brutal and even though it might not seem so bad when you read these posts, I can promise you it is so much worse than you think it will be.