Safe vs damaging conditions
Tablets are far more forgiving than injections, but a few mistakes can still degrade them.
Safe
- Room temperature at about 77°F (25°C)
- Excursions between 59°F and 86°F (15–30°C), which the label permits
- The original bottle
- Somewhere out of the reach of children
- Ordinary luggage, within that temperature range
Damages the drug
- Temperatures outside the 59–86°F (15–30°C) range the label permits
- A hot car in summer, which can pass 86°F quickly
- Direct sunlight or storage next to a radiator or heat vent
- Anywhere a child could reach the bottle
- Cutting, chewing or crushing the tablets — the label says not to, because they are extended-release
Common questions
No. The FDA label says to store Contrave at 25°C (77°F), with excursions permitted to 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F). The Medication Guide describes the same thing as storing it at room temperature between 68°F and 77°F.
The label does not describe repackaging Contrave, so this is a question for your pharmacist rather than something to decide from the label. What the label is explicit about is that the tablets must not be cut, chewed or crushed — they are extended-release.
The label permits excursions between 59°F and 86°F. If your tablets have been well outside that — a hot car, for example — ask your pharmacist rather than guessing. The label does not describe how to judge a tablet by looking at it.
The label does not give a disposal method beyond keeping Contrave and all medicines out of the reach of children. Because Contrave contains naltrexone and bupropion, ask your pharmacy how to return unused tablets where you live.
The Medication Guide says something worth passing on if you or anyone close to you uses opioids: the naltrexone in Contrave blocks opioids, and you may be more sensitive to lower amounts of them when your next dose is due, if you miss a dose, and after you stop taking it. It says to tell your family and the people closest to you about this increased sensitivity and the risk of overdose.
Written and maintained by one person · Built with agentic AI tools · Every number checked against the cited trial · Not medical advice
- Contrave (naltrexone and bupropion) prescribing information — Dosage and Administration (2.1), How Supplied/Storage and Handling (16), Medication Guide View source ↗
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