How fast does wellbutrin work

Using Wellbutrin with alcohol may also influence the frequency and severity of side effects, including seizures and suicidal thoughts. Check in with your doctor about any side effects you're experiencing with Wellbutrin if they're severe, bothersome, get worse, or don't go away. Again, the most common ones are the least serious and are likely to be temporary. Get help right away if you have any side effects that could be serious or life-threatening.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.

In either case, don't stop taking Wellbutrin until you've checked with your doctor first. Going cold-turkey off of any antidepressant can cause your symptoms to come back or get worse.

Also, stopping abruptly can lead to discontinuation syndrome , an array of flu-like symptoms such as stomach upset, headache, strange sensations, and muscle aches. If you need to stop taking Wellbutrin, your doctor will guide you in gradually tapering off of it.

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Wellbutrin bupropion hydrochloride tablets. Updated October Bupropion for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Wellbutrin SR bupropion hydrochloride sustained-release tablets. Wellbutrin XL bupropion hydrochloride extended-release tablets. Updated July College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists. Bupropion Wellbutrin. Updated January Your Privacy Rights.

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We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. Before Taking. Bupropion has also been evaluated for smoking cessation during pregnancy and is recommended only after other therapies have failed. Bupropion hydrochloride is available in 3 different forms: immediate release IR , sustained release SR , and extended release XL.

Bupropion IR is usually taken 2 or 3 times per day with hours between doses. The dose usually ranges from mg twice daily to mg three times daily, with the last dose taken mid-afternoon. Bupropion SR is usually taken twice daily in the morning and mid-afternoon. The dose usually ranges from mg twice daily up to mg twice daily. The dose ranges from mg to mg. While there are dose ranges for each form, your health care provider will determine the form and dose that is right for you based on your response.

The dose may be increased to mg once daily. The dose for smoking cessation is bupropion SR mg once daily for 3 days and then twice daily for 7 to 12 weeks. You should not take more than one product that contains bupropion, including the products that are used to quit smoking. Do not take more than your prescribed dose since higher doses may increase your risk of having a seizure.

Since quickly increasing the dose of bupropion can cause seizures in some people, your doctor will slowly increase your dose. You can take bupropion on an empty stomach or with food.

The SR and XL forms should be swallowed whole — not chewed, crushed, or broken — so that the medication can work correctly in your body and to reduce the risk of serious side effects. The tablet shell from the SR and XL forms may appear in your feces. Consider using a calendar, pillbox, alarm clock, or cell phone alert to help you remember to take your medication. You may also ask a family member or friend to remind you or check in with you to be sure you are taking your medication.

For bupropion IR or SR, if you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. Take the remaining doses for the day at evenly spaced times at least 4 hours apart. DO NOT take 2 doses at once. You should not take more than your prescribed dose and doing so may increase your risk of having a seizure.

For bupropion XL, do not take an extra tablet to make up for the dose you forgot. Wait and take your next dose at your regular time the next day. Avoid drinking alcohol or using illegal drugs while you are taking bupropion because the beneficial effects of the medication may be decreased and the risk of seizures may be increased. If you are dependent on drugs or alcohol and would like to stop, consult your healthcare provider for help.

Abruptly stopping these substances can result in a seizure, especially when taking bupropion. If an overdose occurs, call your doctor or You may need urgent medical care. You may also contact the poison control center at Headache, weight loss, dry mouth, trouble sleeping insomnia , nausea, dizziness, constipation, fast heartbeat, and sore throat.

These will often improve over the first week or two as you continue to take the medication. Unlike many antidepressants, bupropion does not commonly cause sexual side effects and may be selected as an alternative treatment when antidepressant-induced sexual side effects are problematic. Sexual side effects include such problems as difficulty achieving orgasm or ejaculatory delay. In general the risk of seizures due to bupropion is low. The risk of having a seizure increases with higher than recommended doses of bupropion, a history of seizures or head injury, tumor in the brain, severe liver disease, an eating disorder, alcohol or drug dependence, or taking other drugs that can also increase your risk of having a seizure.

There is a low risk of cardiovascular adverse events associated with stimulating agents, including bupropion. This risk increases if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, previous heart attack, or irregular heartbeat, or when used with transdermal nicotine replacement products. In these cases, a thorough cardiovascular evaluation is recommended before starting this medicine.

To date, there are no known problems associated with long term use of bupropion. You should also talk about the risks and benefits of not treating your condition. You should know that having depression or another mental illness greatly increases the risk that you will become suicidal, especially at the beginning of your treatment or any time that your dose is increased or decreased. This risk is higher if you or anyone in your family has or has ever had bipolar disorder or mania or has thought about or attempted suicide.

Talk to your doctor about your condition, symptoms, and personal and family medical history. You and your doctor will decide what type of treatment is right for you. You should know that your mental health may change in unexpected ways when you take bupropion or other antidepressants even if you are an adult over age 24 or if you do not have a mental illness and you are taking bupropion to treat a different type of condition.

You may become suicidal, especially at the beginning of your treatment and any time that your dose is increased or decreased. You, your family, or your caregiver should call your doctor right away if you experience any of the following symptoms: new or worsening depression; thinking about harming or killing yourself, or planning or trying to do so; extreme worry; agitation; panic attacks; difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; aggressive behavior; irritability; acting without thinking; severe restlessness; and frenzied abnormal excitement.

Be sure that your family or caregiver knows which symptoms may be serious so they can call the doctor if you are unable to seek treatment on your own. Your health care provider will want to see you often while you are taking bupropion, especially at the beginning of your treatment. Be sure to keep all appointments or office visits with your doctor.

Your doctor or pharmacist will give you the manufacturer's patient information sheet Medication Guide when you begin treatment with bupropion and each time you refill your prescription. Read the information carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.

Bupropion Aplenzin, Wellbutrin XL is also used to treat seasonal affective disorder SAD; episodes of depression that occur at the same time each year [usually in the fall and winter but rarely may occur in the spring or summer months]. Bupropion Zyban is used to help people stop smoking.

Bupropion is in a class of medications called antidepressants. It works by increasing certain types of activity in the brain. Bupropion comes as a tablet and a sustained-release or extended-release long-acting tablet to take by mouth. The regular tablet Wellbutrin is usually taken three times a day, with doses at least 6 hours apart, or four times a day, with doses at least 4 hours apart.

The sustained-release tablet Wellbutrin SR, Zyban is usually taken twice a day, with doses at least 8 hours apart.

The extended-release tablet Aplenzin, Wellbutrin XL is usually taken once daily in the morning; doses of the extended-release tablet should be taken at least 24 hours apart. When bupropion is used to treat seasonal affective disorder, it is usually taken once a day in the morning beginning in the early fall, continuing through the winter, and stopping in the early spring. Sometimes a lower dose of bupropion is taken for 2 weeks before the medication is stopped.

Take bupropion with food if the medication upsets your stomach. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, do not take bupropion too close to bedtime.

Take bupropion at around the same time s every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take bupropion exactly as directed.

Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Swallow the sustained-release and extended-release tablets whole; do not split, chew, or crush them. It may take 4 weeks or longer before you feel the full benefit of bupropion.

Continue to take bupropion even if you feel well. Do not stop taking bupropion without talking to your doctor. Your doctor may decrease your dose gradually.

Bupropion is also sometimes used to treat episodes of depression in patients with bipolar disorder manic depressive disorder; a disease that causes episodes of depression, episodes of mania, and other abnormal moods and to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD; more difficulty focusing, controlling actions, and remaining still or quiet than other people who are the same age.