Wellbutrin and dosage: Strengths, forms, when to use, and more

Contact your health provider if you experience side effects that are severe, bothersome, get worse, or don’t go away. Get help immediately if you have any side effects that could be serious or life-threatening. Talk to your healthcare provider about which is right for you. You may require a different dosing schedule if you have certain health conditions. Wellbutrin is often used as a first-line antidepressant in the treatment of MDD and SAD. Your healthcare provider will evaluate your symptoms and current health status to determine if it is right for you.

But if it’s almost time for your next scheduled dose, skip the missed dose. Be sure to wait at least 8 hours between your Wellbutrin doses. That can result in serious side effects such as seizures. what are the immediate short-term effects of heroin use Your doctor also may consider lowering the dosage for people with kidney problems or mild liver problems. If you have kidney problems or mild liver problems, talk with your doctor.

Wellbutrin (bupropion) is an antidepressant used to help treat a number of health conditions. It comes as an immediate-release, sustained-release, or extended-release tablet that is taken orally. You may be tempted to stop taking antidepressants as soon as your symptoms ease, but depression can return if you quit too soon. Clinicians generally recommend staying on the medication for six to nine months before considering going off antidepressants.

  1. But it’s important that you do not stop taking Wellbutrin suddenly or without your doctor’s recommendation, as this can worsen your depression.
  2. And they’ll tell you how much, if any, is safe to drink with this drug.
  3. Wellbutrin is an effective antidepressant drug available to treat depression-related symptoms.
  4. If you miss your dose of Wellbutrin, skip your missed dose and take your next dose as scheduled.
  5. It’s important to note that Wellbutrin SR isn’t approved to treat SAD.

The length of your tapering $will depend, in part, on what antidepressant you take (and its dosage), as various medications stay in the bloodstream for different lengths of time. You may have a higher risk of seizures if you use certain other medicines while taking bupropion. If you take bupropion to help you stop smoking, you may continue to smoke for about 1 week after you start the medicine. Set a date to quit smoking during the second week of treatment. Talk to your doctor if you are having trouble quitting after you have used bupropion for at least 7 to 12 weeks. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant about the risk to your unborn baby.

How long a medication remains good to use can depend on many factors, including how and where you store the medication. It’s not known whether Wellbutrin is safe to take during pregnancy. For more information, see the “Wellbutrin and pregnancy” section above. Before approving coverage for Wellbutrin, your insurance company may require you to get prior authorization. This means that your doctor and insurance company will need to communicate about your prescription before the insurance company will cover the drug. The insurance company will review the prior authorization request and decide if the drug will be covered.

Usual Adult Bupropion Dose for Seasonal Affective Disorder:

After 7 days, your doctor may increase your dosage to 300 mg once per day. SSRIs work by increasing levels of a brain chemical called serotonin. NDRIs work by increasing levels of brain chemicals called norepinephrine and ecstasy mdma or molly dopamine. Both of these drug types can help improve mood, which helps treat conditions such as depression. Call a doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction to Wellbutrin, as the reaction could become severe.

Can I stop taking Wellbutrin suddenly or should I taper off?

The dosages in this article are typical dosages provided by the drug’s manufacturer. If your doctor recommends Wellbutrin for your condition, they’ll prescribe the dosage that’s right for you. If you miss your dose of Wellbutrin, skip your missed dose and take your next dose as scheduled. You should never take an extra dose of Wellbutrin to make up for a missed dose.

But be sure to take the dosage your doctor prescribes for you. The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor’s orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

Can Wellbutrin XL and Wellbutrin SR cause different side effects?

Bupropion improves mood regulation and nicotine cravings and, when combined with naltrexone, helps reduce food intake. Below is a chart with sample tapering schedules for some of the most popular antidepressants. However, depending on how you respond to each dose reduction, you may want to taper more gradually using smaller dose reductions, longer intervals between dose reductions, or both.

How to Take and Store Wellbutrin

“SR” stands for sustained release, while “XL” stands for extended-release. Both forms of Wellbutrin are long-acting and release their active drug slowly into your body over time. Most of these side effects may go away within a few days to a couple of weeks. However, if they become more severe or don’t go away, talk with a doctor or pharmacist. Wellbutrin is a brand-name drug that contains the active ingredient bupropion. This active drug is also available as a generic medication called bupropion ER.