Details

Bupropion is an antidepressant medication used to treat major depressive disorder and seasonal affective disorder. The Zyban brand of bupropion is used to help people stop smoking by reducing cravings and other withdrawal effects. You should not take bupropion if you have seizures, an eating disorder, or if you have suddenly stopped using alcohol, seizure medication, or sedatives. If you take Wellbutrin for depression, do not also take Zyban to quit smoking. Do not use bupropion if you have used an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days. A dangerous drug interaction could occur. MAO inhibitors include isocarboxazid, linezolid, methylene blue injection, phenelzine, rasagiline, selegiline, tranylcypromine and others.

Typical Uses

Bupropion is used to treat depression. It can improve your mood and feelings of well-being. It may work by helping to restore the balance of certain natural chemicals (neurotransmitters) in your brain. This drug may also be used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or to help people quit smoking by decreasing cravings and nicotine withdrawal effects. It may be used to prevent autumn-winter seasonal depression (seasonal affective disorder). Bupropion may also be used with other medications to treat bipolar disorder (depressive phase). It may also be used to treat anxiety in people with depression.

Side Effects

Report any new or worsening symptoms to your doctor, such as mood or behaviour changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself. Get medical help if you experience blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights seizure (convulsions) fast heartbeats fever, swollen glands, rash or itching, joint pain, or general ill feeling confusion, trouble concentrating, hallucinations, unusual thoughts or behaviour or severe skin reaction fever, sore throat, swelling in your face or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain, followed by a red or purple skin rash that spreads (especially in the face or upper body) and causes blistering and peeling.

Drug Interactions

• Bupropion+aminophylline- Bupropion may rarely cause seizures, and combining it with other medications that can also cause seizures such as aminophylline may increase that risk. The interaction may be more likely if you are elderly, undergoing alcohol or drug withdrawal, have a history of seizures, or have a condition affecting the central nervous system such as a brain tumour or head trauma.

• Bupropion+amitriptyline- Talk to your doctor before using bupropion together with amitriptyline. Combining these medications may increase the risk of seizures, which may occur rarely with either medication. In addition, bupropion can increase the blood levels of amitriptyline, which may increase other side effects.

• Bupropion+blinatumomab- Bupropion may rarely cause seizures, and combining it with other medications that can also cause seizures such as blinatumomab may increase that risk. The interaction may be more likely if you are elderly, undergoing alcohol or drug withdrawal, have a history of seizures, or have a condition affecting the central nervous system such as a brain tumour or head trauma.

• Bupropion+codeine- Bupropion may rarely cause seizures, and combining it with other medications that can also cause seizures such as codeine may increase that risk. The interaction may be more likely if you are elderly, undergoing alcohol or drug withdrawal, have a history of seizures, or have a condition affecting the central nervous system such as a brain tumour or head trauma.

Mechanism of action

Bupropion belongs to a group of medicines called antidepressants. Bupropion works by blocking the re-uptake of a certain chemical substance in the brain called catecholamines.

Pregnancy Category : C