Contrave Adverse Reactions

The following adverse reactions are discussed in other sections of the labeling: Suicidal Behavior and Ideation [see Precautions]; Neuropsychiatric Adverse Events [see Precautions]; Seizures [see Contraindications, Precautions]; Increase in Blood Pressure and Heart Rate [see Precautions]; Allergic Reactions [see Precautions]; Angle-Closure Glaucoma [see Precautions].
Clinical Trials Experience: Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, the adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
CONTRAVE was evaluated for safety in five double-blind placebo controlled trials in 4,754 overweight or obese patients (3,239 patients treated with CONTRAVE and 1,515 patients treated with placebo) for a treatment period up to 56 weeks. The majority of patients were treated with CONTRAVE 32 mg/360 mg total daily dose. In addition, some patients were treated with other combination daily doses including naltrexone up to 50 mg and bupropion up to 400 mg. All subjects received study drug in addition to diet and exercise counseling. One trial (N=793) evaluated patients participating in an intensive behavioral modification program and another trial (N=505) evaluated patients with type 2 diabetes. In these randomized, placebo-controlled trials, 2,545 patients received CONTRAVE 32 mg/360 mg for a mean treatment duration of 36 weeks (median, 56 weeks). Baseline patient characteristics included a mean age of 46 years, 82% women, 78% white, 25% with hypertension, 13% with type 2 diabetes, 56% with dyslipidemia, 25% with BMI greater than 40 kg/m², and less than 2% with coronary artery disease. Dosing was initiated and increased weekly to reach the maintenance dose within 4 weeks.
In CONTRAVE clinical trials, 24% of subjects receiving CONTRAVE and 12% of subjects receiving placebo discontinued treatment because of an adverse event. The most frequent adverse reactions leading to discontinuation with CONTRAVE were nausea (6.3%), headache (1.7%) and vomiting (1.1%).
Common Adverse Reactions: Adverse reactions that were reported by greater than or equal to 2% of patients, and were more frequently reported by patients treated with CONTRAVE compared to placebo, are summarized in Table 9. (See Table 9.)

Click on icon to see table/diagram/image

Other Adverse Reactions: The following additional adverse reactions were reported in less than 2% of patients treated with CONTRAVE but with an incidence at least twice that of placebo: Cardiac Disorders: tachycardia, myocardial infarction.
Ear and Labyrinth Disorders: vertigo, motion sickness.
Gastrointestinal Disorders: lower abdominal pain, eructation, lip swelling, hematochezia, hernia.
General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions: feeling jittery, feeling abnormal, asthenia, thirst, feeling hot.
Hepatobiliary Disorders: cholecystitis.
Infections and Infestations: pneumonia, staphylococcal infection, kidney infection.
Investigations: increased blood creatinine, increased hepatic enzymes, decreased hematocrit.
Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders: dehydration.
Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders: intervertebral disc protrusion, jaw pain.
Nervous System Disorders: disturbance in attention, lethargy, intention tremor, balance disorder, memory impairment, amnesia, mental impairment, presyncope.
Psychiatric Disorders: abnormal dreams, nervousness, dissociation (feeling spacey), tension, agitation, mood swings.
Renal and Urinary Disorders: micturition urgency.
Reproductive System and Breast Disorders: vaginal hemorrhage, irregular menstruation, erectile dysfunction, vulvovaginal dryness.
Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: alopecia.
Psychiatric and Sleep Disorders: In the one-year controlled trials of CONTRAVE, the proportion of patients reporting one or more adverse reactions related to psychiatric and sleep disorders was higher in the CONTRAVE 32/360 mg group than the placebo group (22.2% and 15.5%, respectively). These events were further categorized into sleep disorders (13.8% CONTRAVE, 8.4% placebo), depression (6.3% CONTRAVE, 5.9% placebo), and anxiety (6.1% CONTRAVE, 4.4% placebo). Patients who were 65 years or older experienced more psychiatric and sleep disorder adverse reactions in the CONTRAVE group (28.6%) compared to placebo (6.3%), although the sample size in this subgroup was small (56 CONTRAVE, 32 placebo); the majority of these events were insomnia (10.7% CONTRAVE, 3.1% placebo) and depression (7.1% CONTRAVE, 3.1% placebo).
Neurocognitive Adverse Reactions: Adverse reactions involving attention, dizziness, and syncope occurred more often in individuals randomized to CONTRAVE 32/360 mg group compared to placebo (15.0% and 5.5%, respectively). The most common cognitive-related adverse reactions were attention disorders (2.5% CONTRAVE, 0.6% placebo). Adverse reactions involving dizziness and syncope were more common in patients treated with CONTRAVE (10.6%) than in placebo-treated patients (3.6%); dizziness accounted for almost all of these reported events (10.4% CONTRAVE, 3.4% placebo). Dizziness was the primary reason for discontinuation for 0.9% and 0.3% of patients in the CONTRAVE and placebo groups, respectively.
Increases in Serum Creatinine: In the one-year controlled trials of CONTRAVE, larger mean increases in serum creatinine from baseline to trial endpoint were observed in the CONTRAVE group compared with the placebo group (0.07 mg/dL and 0.01 mg/dL, respectively) as well as from baseline to the maximum value during follow-up (0.15 mg/dL and 0.07 mg/dL, respectively). Increases in serum creatinine that exceeded the upper limit of normal and were also greater than or equal to 50% higher than baseline occurred in 0.6% of subjects receiving CONTRAVE compared to 0.1% receiving placebo. The observed increase in serum creatinine may be the result of OCT2 inhibition [see Pharmacology under Actions].
Postmarketing Experience: The following adverse reactions have been identified during post approval use of CONTRAVE. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure: Loss of consciousness, malaise.