17-07-2025
No Injections Needed: How Women Over 50 Are Losing Weight With Contrave
If you don't like the high prices that can come with popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic—or the needle pokes they require—we have good news. A little-known oral diet pill called Contrave is affordable and helps people painlessly reach their weight-loss goals. In fact, Woman's World reader Janet Allen lost 115 pounds with it. Keep reading to learn how this easy medicine might work for you. And don't miss Janet's inspiring Contrave weight-loss success story at the end!
How Contrave speeds weight loss
You may know that injectable drugs like Ozempic work to lower blood sugar and slow stomach emptying so you feel full longer. But Contrave—an oral tablet with the active ingredients naltrexone and bupropion—works differently. It addresses the mental side of weight gain.
Hormone specialist Gowri Rocco, MD, author of Growing Younger, says, 'Contrave targets two areas of the brain involved in hunger and cravings. This can be especially helpful for women in menopause who often experience more emotional eating.'
The drug essentially works on the brain to quiet appetite and boost your mood. Those antidepressant, anti-addiction effects appeal to many yo-yo dieters. Dr. Rocco says, 'Contrave works on the brain's reward center to reduce hunger and the urge to emotionally eat. It helps rewire the brain, making it a unique tool for addressing habits rooted in the brain, not the gut.'
Contrave is a more affordable weight loss option than Wegovy
Fans say you can't beat the results for the price. While Wegovy shots are shown to help people shed 15 percent of their weight, Contrave can help people drop nearly 12 percent, finds University of Windsor research, and it costs about 90 percent less. Many patients pay $99 a month for Contrave using the CurAccess program. Compare that to the more than $1,000 a month out-of-pocket that some people pay for Ozempic or Wegovy.
Contrave works even better when paired with walking
'Obesity is a heterogeneous disease,' says Ivy-League educated obesity expert Katherine Saunders, MD, cofounder of FlyteHealth. In other words, it is caused by many different factors and thus needs different treatments. Dr. Saunders, who has given a popular TED talk about obesity care, says what works best is a 'comprehensive, personal and multifactorial treatment plan.' That means combining medication with other health habits—a duo she describes as 'life-changing and lifesaving.'
So it's no surprise that women are seeing massive results by pairing Contrave and walking. 'I see women over 50 have success every day,' says Dr. Saunders. She witnesses patients experience what science calls 'super responder-level weight loss,' meaning they shed far more weight than doctors expect. She explains, 'Contrave and other anti-obesity medications allow women who are unable to lose weight with diet and exercise alone to treat their obesity successfully.'
How walking increases weight loss on Contrave
'Walking improves insulin sensitivity and boosts mood, which enhances the effects of any strategy aimed at reducing cravings,' explains Dr. Rocco. 'When the brain's triggers are quieted and the body is moving regularly, the results often come faster and feel more sustainable. The two together create a reset for body and mind.'
The proof: A study in The Lancet found that people taking a higher dose of Contrave and walking regularly lost weight four times faster than dieters in a control group. And in a study in Obesity, people taking Contrave and walking were more than twice as likely to shed 15 percent of their weight than those who only walked.
Contrave success story: Janet lost 115 pounds during menopause
For years, Janet Allen binged salty foods when she felt stressed, sad, angry or lonely. 'The cravings were constant,' she says. 'I never actually felt hungry—I overate so often that I was always full.' She believed this weight gain was inevitable with age. 'I felt hopeless.'
When Janet finally opened up to her nurse practitioner about her wild cravings, she got some new advice: Try a prescription pill. 'That conversation changed my life,' she says. 'Finding out there was a medical option that would help me address the reasons I was eating was a breakthrough.'
She saw results quickly
Janet's appetite quickly decreased. 'I was able to catch myself before I ran to the fridge, so I could choose an alternative activity.' That activity was walking with her daughter. Slowly, 15 minutes became 30, then 45, then an hour. They soon added in hills. 'The more we moved, the more we lost,' says Janet.
Janet dropped 10 pounds in one month using Contrave and walking. The exercise also toned her body—and that helped her avoid sagging skin. 'I pinch myself. I thought getting back into shape would be impossible. This is the most weight I've ever lost. I lost faster than when I was younger.'
Janet shed more than 100 pounds and reversed her sleep apnea. 'The medicine helped with my unique situation,' she explains, whereas her daughter dropped 90 pounds simply by walking. 'When I feel hungry now, it's such a wild feeling,' she says. 'You can reclaim your life. It's not too late!'
After Contrave, Janet is 7 sizes smaller
Despite being in menopause, Janet shed a total of 115 pounds—without the sagging skin that's so common among women who lose weight. Now at 61, she's in the best shape of her life.
'The biggest 'aha' I've had is that my eating and weight management weren't about self-control or laziness. I had to get to the root of why I had been abusing food in the first place and heal from food addiction,' she says. 'People always comment about how good I look, which is great. But the real benefit is how much I've healed on the inside and the peace this journey has led to. It was as much a mental journey as a physical one!'
Additional reporting by Allison Nemetz and Cailey Griffin
Keep scrolling for more GLP-1 health news:
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This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
