Bupropion

Also indexed as: Wellbutrin SR®, Wellbutrin®, Zyban®

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

Summary of Interactions with Vitamins, Herbs, and Foods
In some cases, a herb or supplement may appear in more than one category, which may seem contradictory. For clarification, read the full article for details about the summarized interactions.

May be Beneficial: Supportive interaction—Taking these supplements may support or otherwise help your medication work better.	Yohimbine*
Avoid: Adverse interaction—Avoid these supplements when taking this medication because taking them together may cause undesirable or dangerous results.	Alcohol
Depletion or interference	None known
Side effect reduction/prevention	None known
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.

Interactions with Foods and Other Compounds

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
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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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The information presented in Healthnotes 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 chemist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires March 2007.

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Interactions with Herbs

Interactions with Foods and Other Compounds