Updated May 2026
Contrave vs Qsymia
Side-by-side comparison of Contrave (naltrexone HCl + bupropion HCl ER) and Qsymia (phentermine + topiramate ER) across efficacy, food restrictions, monthly cost, and Medicare Bridge coverage.
Our pick for most patients
Qsymia
Based on the data below, Qsymia wins on lower cash price ($230/mo vs $650/mo). Your situation may differ — try the personalized matcher on the homepage or compute your real out-of-pocket with the cost calculator on each medication's detail page.
Contrave
naltrexone HCl + bupropion HCl ER · Nalpropion Pharmaceuticals (Currax Pharmaceuticals)
Avoid high-fat meals
Full Contrave guide → Qsymia
phentermine + topiramate ER · Vivus LLC
Take in the morning (avoid evening)
Full Qsymia guide → | Field | Contrave | Qsymia |
|---|---|---|
| Route | tablet · daily | tablet · daily |
| Avg weight loss | 5–9% | 7–11% |
| Food restriction | Avoid high-fat meals | Take in the morning (avoid evening) |
| Cash from | $650/mo | $230/mo |
| Savings card | — | — |
| Medicare Bridge | Tier 3 | Tier 3 |
| A1c reduction | — | — |
| FDA approved | 2014-09 | 2012-07 |
- RouteContravetablet · dailyQsymiatablet · daily
- Avg weight lossContrave5–9%Qsymia7–11%
- Food restrictionContraveAvoid high-fat mealsQsymiaTake in the morning (avoid evening)
- Cash fromContrave$650/moQsymia$230/mo
- Savings cardContrave—Qsymia—
- Medicare BridgeContraveTier 3QsymiaTier 3
- A1c reductionContrave—Qsymia—
- FDA approvedContrave2014-09Qsymia2012-07
Pick Contrave if…
Pick Qsymia if…
- You can't reliably do a fasting window before meds
- Cash pay matters more than peak weight loss ($230/mo cheaper)
- You want the higher peak efficacy (11% vs 9%)
Not sure which fits?
The 30-second matcher on the homepage scores every 2026 GLP-1 against your goals + preferences and recommends the best fit.