Obesity Medicine Expert Explains Oral Weight Loss Med

Obesity medicine physician Eleanor Yusupov, D.O., assistant professor of clinical specialties at NYITCOM, is quoted in a Forbes article detailing the weight loss medication Contrave. Around for more than 10 years, the twice-daily tablet contains the active ingredients naltrexone and bupropion. While bupropion activates the cell signals that say it’s time to stop eating, naltrexone blocks signals saying it’s time to eat again. This combination can lead to eating less food and using more energy.

“Contrave helps to reduce food cravings. It works on the hunger center of the brain and the brain reward center,” Yusupov explains.

Contrave is FDA-approved and designed for adults with obesity or other weight-related medical conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease. However, Contrave is not right for everyone.

Yusupov says, “it should not be taken by people with uncontrolled high blood pressure, history of seizures, anorexia or bulimia, or narrow-angle glaucoma,” or “those treated for opiate dependence with methadone or buprenorphine because it can cause opiate withdrawal.”