In a clinical study that has left researchers baffled, the new weight loss drug Contrave exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s requirements to prove a weight loss drug’s efficacy. Contrave is actually a combination of two different drugs: bupropion and naltrexone, which are used to fight depression and smoking addiction respectively. This combination of pharmaceuticals is often prescribed in the treatment of alcohol and opiate addiction.
Its method for working its power impacts the brain’s craving and reward system. It is here that it unleashes its ability to block the craving drive that leads to overeating and binge-eating.
While the drug is still waiting FDA approval for consumer use, obesity experts believe that this cocktail approach to weight loss pills is the face of the future. Such treatments target numerous biological pathways from appetite suppression and cravings to blocking fat and blocking starches.
In regards to side effects, nausea, headaches and constipation were the most commonly cited. In addition, results of the clinical trial showed that Contrave helped more than half of the subjects lose more than 5 percent of their body weight in a year.
But many medical professionals have been quick to point out that while these results may be better than doing nothing at all, the weight loss effects are still not incredibly substantial. And what is still not known is that once a person reaches their weight loss goal, will they have to be on weight loss medication for the rest of their lives in order to maintain their lost weight? Medications like Contrave are being bred to be just that: Chronic diet pills that support long-term weight loss.