Wellbutrin's Typical Side Effects:

Agitation, anxiety, insomnia, weight loss (bupropion is undergoing trials as a weight loss medication), headache, dry mouth, nausea, constipation, dizziness. Most of these are transitory, but the weight loss, agitation and insomnia tend to stick around.  Wellbutrin (bupropion hydrochloride) is often used to counter the side effects of other medications.

Adverse events were sufficiently troublesome to cause discontinuation of treatment with WELLBUTRIN in approximately 10% of the 2,400 patients and volunteers who participated in clinical trials during the product’s initial development. The more common events causing discontinuation include neuropsychiatric disturbances (3.0%), primarily agitation and abnormalities in mental status; gastrointestinal disturbances (2.1%), primarily nausea and vomiting; neurological disturbances (1.7%), primarily seizures, headaches, and sleep disturbances; and dermatologic problems (1.4%), primarily rashes. It is important to note, however, that many of these events occurred at doses that exceed the recommended daily dose.

Accurate estimates of the incidence of adverse events associated with the use of any drug are difficult to obtain. Estimates are influenced by drug dose, detection technique, setting, physician judgments, etc. Consequently, the table below is presented solely to indicate the relative frequency of adverse events reported in representative controlled clinical studies conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of WELLBUTRIN under relatively similar conditions of daily dosage (300 to 600 mg), setting, and duration (3 to 4 weeks). The figures cited cannot be used to predict precisely the incidence of untoward events in the course of usual medical practice where patient characteristics and other factors must differ from those which prevailed in the clinical trials. These incidence figures also cannot be compared with those obtained from other clinical studies involving related drug products as each group of drug trials is conducted under a different set of conditions.

Table 1. Treatment-Emergent Adverse Experience Incidence in Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials* (Percent of Patients Reporting)

Adverse Experience
WELLBUTRIN Patients (n = 323)
Placebo Patients (n = 185)
Cardiovascular
Cardiac arrhythmias
5.3
4.3
Dizziness
22.3
16.2
Hypertension
4.3
1.6
Hypotension
2.5
2.2
Palpitations
3.7
2.2
Syncope
1.2
0.5
Tachycardia
10.8
8.6
Dermatologic
Pruritus
2.2
0
Rash
8
6.5
Gastrointestinal
Anorexia
18.3
18.4
Appetite increase
3.7
2.2
Constipation
26
17.3
Diarrhea
6.8
8.6
Dyspepsia
3.1
2.2
Nausea/vomiting
22.9
18.9
Weight gain
13.6
22.7
Weight loss
23.2
23.2
Genitourinary
Impotence
3.4
3.1
Menstrual complaints
4.7
1.1
Urinary frequency
2.5
2.2
Urinary retention
1.9
2.2
Musculoskeletal
Arthritis
3.1
2.7
Neurological
Akathisia
1.5
1.1
Akinesia/bradykinesia
8
8.6
Cutaneoustemperature
1.9
1.6
disturbance
Dry mouth
27.6
18.4
Excessive sweating
22.3
14.6
Headache/migraine
25.7
22.2
Impaired sleep quality
4
1.6
Increased salivary flow
3.4
3.8
Insomnia
18.6
15.7
Muscle spasms
1.9
3.2
Pseudoparkinsonism
1.5
1.6
Sedation
19.8
19.5
Sensory disturbance
4
3.2
Tremor
21.1
7.6
Neuropsychiatric
Agitation
31.9
22.2
Anxiety
3.1
1.1
Confusion
8.4
4.9
Decreased libido
3.1
1.6
Delusions
1.2
1.1
Disturbed concentration
3.1
3.8
Euphoria
1.2
0.5
Hostility
5.6
3.8
Nonspecific
Fatigue
5
8.6
Fever/chills
1.2
0.5
Respiratory
Upper respiratory complaints
5
11.4
Special Senses
Auditory disturbance
5.3
3.2
Blurred vision
14.6
10.3
Gustatory disturbance
3.1
1.1

*Events reported by at least 1% of patients receiving WELLBUTRIN are included.

 

Interesting Stuff Your Doctor Probably Won't Tell You:

You can't mix Strattera (atomoxetine) and Wellbutrin (bupropion hydrochloride) because they don't play well together in your brain. They both want to grab the same precursors to activate the reuptake inhibition of norepinephrine. And as it turns out that Wellbutrin (bupropion hydrochloride) does norepinephrine reuptake in its own right adding Strattera (atomoxetine) might be tweaking the norepinephrine just a bit too much. So if you want to control norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake individually, you have to go totally off label and use Mirapex (pramipexole dihydrochloride) or one of the other anti-Parkinson's medications for dopamine control.

There are some people who use Wellbutrin (bupropion hydrochloride) recreationally. They get high off of it like an amphetamine. That's why you don't see any other selective dopamine reuptake inhibitors in this country, despite there being other ones available overseas. God forbid anyone have any fun in this country.

Bupropion hydrochloride is also sold as Zyban, a drug used to quit smoking. Depending on your HMO schedule or your health insurance, you may want to get a prescription for Zyban instead of Wellbutrin. Why? Sometimes it's cheaper. Sometimes you may not have any mental health coverage on your health insurance but you can get drugs to quit smoking. And some insurance companies they have a points system like car insurance. If you get too crazy, your rates go way up, but if you do something positive like try to quit smoking, your rates go down. So check with the person who works in your doctor's office about the rates and the system, and see if you need to game the system with a Zyban prescription instead of a Wellbutrin SR prescription. It's the same damn drug as the sustained release form of Wellbutrin. The only issues will be with dosages. You can't take as much Zyban as you can Wellbutrin.

 

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