Wellbutrin: Pros and Cons

Wellbutrin, also known by its scientific name bupropion is a very popular antidepressant. Inhibits the reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine. If you have never used Wellbutrin before, you should be familiar with drug interactions and side effects associated with it.

Wellbutrin is metabolized by the liver. In laboratory experiments conducted with rats, the drug was found to cause hepatocellular hypertrophy when the administration of high doses (hypertrophy is an increase in the size of the cells). Common side effects include agitation, dizziness, hypertension, dry mouth, tremors, anxiety, loss of appetite, headache, excessive sweating, increased risk of seizure, and insomnia.

Although the recommendation of the drug dose, the probability of an attack is extremely small, patients should be screened for the use of health factors that can contribute or increase the likelihood of an attack. A doctor may also review other prescriptions the patient is taking and recommend an appropriate dosage based on that information.

In addition, suicidal thoughts and attempts have been reported in children and adolescents. Bupropion has been shown to increase the incidence of suicidal thoughts among children and adolescents. When treating major depression in this group of patients, clinical benefits should be weighed carefully against the potential dangers. In general, bupropion is not intended for patients under 18 years.

Another possible side effect is an improvement in sexual function. Bupropion, unlike inhibitors of serotonin reuptake, such as Prozac, does not appear to reduce the libido of the patient, and more frequently enhances sexual desire. Patients complain of a deterioration in their sexual behavior as a result of their SSRI have sometimes been prescribed small doses of Wellbutrin to correct it.

One controversy associated with Bupropion is its propensity to lower the seizure threshold. In combination with other drugs suspected to cause seizures in some patients who have never had before an attack. [12] While this is not common, an increasing number of cases throughout the world probably deserves more debate and research.

It is not uncommon for patients to receive treatment with other antidepressant prescriptions in combination with Wellbutrin. For this reason, a doctor should be careful when prescribing other medications prone to lowering the seizure threshold. Bupropion has also been known to produce seizures in combination with non-illegal drugs such as cocaine and recreational drugs like alcohol.

I hope you found this helpful. Be sure to inform your doctor of any medication you are taking before requesting a prescrtiption of Wellbutrin. Although some of the side effects and interactions of the drugs that we've covered are rare, can occur unexpectedly, but most healthy individuals.