Bupropion

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Also indexed as:

Wellbutrin, Wellbutrin SR, Zyban

Bupropion is used to treat people with depression and to aid in smoking cessation treatment.

Herbs

Summary of Interactions for Bupropion

Depletion or interference	None known
Adverse interaction	Alcohol
Side effect reduction/prevention	None known
Supportive interaction	Yohimbine*
Reduced drug absorption/bioavailability	None known

An asterisk (*) next to an item in the summary indicates that the interaction is supported only by weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.

Interactions with Herbs

Yohimbine

A 50-year-old woman who was unresponsive to traditional antidepressant therapy was reported to have a marked and persistent improvement in mood when yohimbine was added to her bupropion therapy.¹ Further research is necessary to determine the significance of this finding.

Other Interactions

Alcohol

Unlike most other antidepressant drugs, there is no evidence that alcohol causes significant changes in blood levels of bupropion.² However, people taking bupropion who are also attempting to discontinue chronic alcohol consumption have been reported to sometimes experience convulsions.³

References

1. Pollack MH, Hamerness P. Adjunctive yohimbine for treatment in refractory depression. Biol Psychiatry 1993;33:220-1.
2. Posner J, Bye A, Jeal S, et al. Alcohol and bupropion pharmacokinetics in healthy male volunteers. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1984;26:627-30.
3. Storrow AB. Bupropion overdose and seizure. Am J Emerg Med 1994;12:183-4.

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Last Review: 01-21-2009

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The information presented in Aisle7 is for informational purposes only. It is based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical experience, or traditional usage as cited in each article. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. For many of the conditions discussed, treatment with prescription or over the counter medication is also available. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires February 2010.

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