Bupropion

CAUTION:
Studies have shown that children and teenagers who take antidepressants ('mood elevators') such as bupropion may be more likely to think about harming or killing themselves or to plan or try to do so than children who do not take antidepressants. Children younger than 18 years of age should not normally take bupropion.If your child’s doctor has prescribed bupropion for your child, you should watch his or her behavior very carefully, especially at the beginning of treatment and any time his or her dose is increased or decreased. Your child may develop serious symptoms very suddenly, so it is important to pay attention to his or her behavior every day. Call your child’s doctor right away if he or she experiences any of these symptoms: new or worsening depression; thinking about harming or killing him- or herself or planning or trying to do so; extreme worry; agitation; panic attacks; difficulty falling or staying asleep; irritability; aggressive behavior; acting without thinking; severe restlessness; frenzied, abnormal excitement; or any other sudden or unusual changes in behavior.

General Information and Indications:

Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Wellbutrin SR, Wellbutrin XL) is used to treat depression. 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.

Information For Users:

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 or four times times a day, with doses at least 6 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 (Wellbutrin XL) is usually taken once daily in the morning. To help you remember to take bupropion, take it around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label, ask your doctor or pharmacist If you have any questions. Take bupropion exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your health care provider.

Swallow the sustained-release and extended-release tablets whole; do not split, chew, or crush them.

Your doctor will probably start you on a low dose of bupropion and slowly increase your dose.

It may take 4 weeks or longer before you feel the full benefit of bupropion. Continue taking bupropion even if you feel well. Do not discontinue taking bupropion without informing your doctor. Your doctor will probably decrease your dose gradually.
Other uses for this medicine

Bupropion is also sometimes used to treat bipolar depression and attention deficit disorder. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this medication for your condition.

special precautions:

o Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have allergy to bupropion or any other medications.
o do not take bupropion if you are taking monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, including phenelzine (Nardil) and tranylcypromine (Parnate), or have taken them within the past 14 days. Do not take Wellbutrin, Wellbutrin SR, or Wellbutrin XL and Zyban together.
o Inform your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking. Be sure to mention any of the following: amantadine (Symmetrel); beta blockers such as atenolol (Tenormin), labetalol (Normodyne), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), nadolol (Corgard), and propranolol (Inderal); cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar); diet pills; insulin or oral medications for diabetes; medications for irregular heartbeat such as flecainide (Tambocor) and propafenone (Rythmol); medications for mental illness such as haloperidol (Haldol), risperidone (Risperdal), and thioridazine (Mellaril); medications for seizures such as carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton), and phenytoin (Dilantin); levodopa (Sinemet, Larodopa); nicotine patch; oral steroids such as dexamethasone (Decadron, Dexone), methylprednisolone (Medrol), and prednisone (Deltasone); orphenadrine (Norflex); other antidepressants such as desipramine (Norpramin), fluoxetine (Prozac), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), paroxetine (Paxil) and sertraline (Zoloft); sedatives; sleeping pills; and theophylline (Theobid, Theo-Dur, others). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
o Inform your doctor if you or anyone in your family has or has ever had depression, bipolar disorder (mood that changes from depressed to abnormally excited), or mania (frenzied, abnormally excited mood), or if you or anyone in your family has thought about or attempted suicide. Also Inform your doctor if you drink large amounts of alcohol or have a drug addiction and if you have or have ever had seizures; an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia); head injury; brain tumor; high blood pressure; liver, kidney, or heart disease.
o Inform your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking bupropion, call your doctor.
o you should know that bupropion may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
o minimize or avoid drinking alcoholic beverages while you are taking bupropion. Alcohol can make the side effects from bupropion worse.
o you should know that your mental health may change in unexpected ways, especially at the beginning of your treatment and at any time your dose is increased or decreased. These changes may occur at any time if you have depression or other mental illness, whether or not you are taking sertraline or any other medication. 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 or staying asleep; irritability; aggressive behavior; 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 when you are unable to seek treatment on your own.

Possible Adverse Effects:

Bupropion may cause adverse effects. Inform your doctor if any of the following symptoms are severe or do not go away:

o drowsiness
o restlessness
o excitement
o anxiety
o dry mouth
o difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
o dizziness
o headache
o upset stomach
o vomiting
o tremor
o weight loss
o constipation
o excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)

Some adverse effects could be serious. The following symptoms are uncommon, but if you experience any of them or those listed in the CAUTION section, call your doctor without delay:

o seizure
o confusion
o seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist (hallucinating)
o irrational fears
o fever
o severe skin rash
o itching
o hives (Urticaria)
o swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
o hoarseness
o difficulty swallowing or breathing
o chest pain
o muscle or joint pain
o rapid, pounding, or irregular heartbeat

Possible Symptoms of Overdose:

o difficulty swallowing or breathing
o dizziness
o fainting
o shakiness
o sweating
o confusion
o blurred vision (Impaired vision)
o seizure
o seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist (hallucinating)
o loss of consciousness
o rapid or pounding hearbeat
o blurred vision (Impaired vision)
o lightheadedness
o confusion
o lack of energy
o upset stomach
o jitteriness

Brand Name(s):

o Wellbutrin®
o Wellbutrin® SR
o Wellbutrin® XL
o Zyban®