Benefits of Wellbutrin for ADHD, Smoking, Weightloss & More

Can I Use Wellbutrin for ADHD?

While Wellbutrin (bupropion) is approved as an antidepressant, it has an everyday off-label use as an ADHD medication.

While Wellbutrin may not be approved for specific, official use as an ADHD treatment, doctors (and teams of researchers) have demonstrated that Wellbutrin can improve symptoms of ADHD.

So, yes – you can use Wellbutrin for ADHD, as long as your doctor believes it’s a good idea for you and writes you a valid prescription. Wellbutrin is often an alternative to stimulant ADHD medications, which can come with undesired side effects or potential addiction.

How Does Wellbutrin for ADHD Work?

Wellbutrin helps ADHD patients work towards better brain neurotransmitter balance. Its active ingredient, bupropion, blocks the reabsorption of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine.

Since these neurotransmitters aren’t getting absorbed, the amount of these neurotransmitters goes up. Both norepinephrine and dopamine are associated with focus, motivation, and attention.

More of these neurotransmitters, more focus and mental control – or, at least, that’s the reasoning behind using Wellbutrin for ADHD.

Wellbutrin can cause some side effects. These include dry mouth, low appetite, dizziness, constipation, sweating, and muscle twitching.

If you experience these side effects, let your doctor know. They may be able to adjust your dose or recommend further treatments to help make Wellbutrin for ADHD a viable option to pursue.

Can I Use Wellbutrin XL for ADHD?

Yes, you can use Wellbutrin XL for ADHD, if your doctor deems it is appropriate.

Wellbutrin XL is the extended-release version of the drug. It’s the same active ingredient, just formulated in a way that drips the medication into your system slowly, over a longer time.

Some patients find that this approach boosts the efficacy of Wellbutrin for ADHD (and reduces unwanted side effects). For other people, the difference between the two forms of medication isn’t apparent.

Can I Use Wellbutrin for Anxiety?

Since Wellbutrin can be used for ADHD, you may wonder: Does Wellbutrin help with anxiety?

It can. The biological underpinnings of depression and anxiety are similar, and, for some people, depression can cause (or increase) anxiety symptoms.

If this is the case for you, taking Wellbutrin to reduce depressive symptoms can indirectly affect your anxiety.

Often, healthcare providers recommend that patients try a natural anti-anxiety treatment (e.g., therapy, exercise, or a change in diet) if their anxiety symptoms don’t lessen after they’ve taken Wellbutrin. If not, your doctor could prescribe a different type of mental health medication.

Alternatively, you could discuss pairing your Wellbutrin with a specific anti-anxiety medication such as an SSRI, an SNRI, or a targeted anti-anxiety prescription medication like Vistaril or a benzodiazepine.

Can I Use Wellbutrin for Smoking and Weight Loss?

Yes, you can use Wellbutrin for smoking and weight loss. Here’s more information about the benefits of Wellbutrin for each of these indications.

Wellbutrin for Smoking

Bupropion has been approved as a treatment aiding with smoking cessation.

That may seem odd. Wellbutrin is an antidepressant medication used off-label to balance ADHD symptoms. Why use Wellbutrin for smoking?

Bupropion is available under another brand name, Zyban, specifically for smoking cessation.

Patients who take bupropion usually experience reduced cravings for tobacco. As bupropion does not contain nicotine, it isn’t a replacement therapy. However, it can reduce withdrawal symptoms – helping to make quitting smoking much more tenable.

If nicotine replacement therapy didn’t work for you or if your doctor otherwise believes that using bupropion may help you kick your smoking habit, bupropion may help ease smoking cessation.

When patients take bupropion as directed, they typically experience fewer cravings, bouts of depression, and less anxiety while in withdrawal.

Wellbutrin for Weight Loss

Wellbutrin has not been approved for weight loss, but anecdotal evidence does suggest that some people who take Wellbutrin experience changes in body composition.

While it’s true that some people do lose weight on Wellbutrin, researchers tend to think that this is because those people become less stressed and depressed (not necessarily because they’re taking the medication).

However, as we’ve seen with bupropion and smoking cessation, the medication can reduce cravings and affect brain reward pathways. As a result, experts believe that there may be a link between the way bupropion helps a person feel more satisfied and eating patterns that lead to weight loss.

Interestingly, when studies have looked at Wellbutrin for weight loss, especially compared to other antidepressants, they’ve found that only Wellbutrin seems to lead to weight change. This required a high dose of bupropion (300-400mg) over almost a year but observed patients did lose between 7-10% of their weight.

If you’re interested in using Wellbutrin for weight loss, talk to your doctor. Not everyone is a good candidate for bupropion in this way, and, depending on your circumstances, there may be other weight loss strategies worth pursuing before you take this route.

Can I Use Wellbutrin for Depression?

We’ve discussed the benefits of Wellbutrin for a range of indications, from weight loss to smoking cessation and more.

Does Wellbutrin work for depression, too?

Bupropion, the active ingredient in Wellbutrin, has been approved to treat depression ranging from seasonal affective disorder to major depressive disorder.

While it’s very effective for most people as long as they take it under doctor supervision and as recommended, bupropion does carry a “black box” warning for safety – the most severe FDA warning for prescription medications.

If you’re taking Wellbutrin for depression, you should closely track your thoughts and moods. Wellbutrin can increase the risk of self-harm in younger patients. It doesn’t happen for everyone, but it’s something to be aware of.

If you or a loved one experiences increased depressive symptoms after taking Wellbutrin, especially regularly, talk to your healthcare provider immediately.

Benefits of Trintellix

Trintellix (vortioxetine hydrobromide) is a multimodal medication that can treat MDD, or major depressive disorder. It’s strong, so many doctors recommend beginning with a low dose and ramping up as needed. After you begin taking Trintellix, you may need to observe your symptoms and work closely with your doctor until you see sustained improvements in your mental health.

Like many antidepressants, Trintellix – an SSRI – helps promote a healthy balance of neurotransmitters in the brain. As a result, patients taking Trintellix enjoy more energy, a better ability to focus, and fewer sleep cycle problems.

Trintellix is an oral medication that must be taken once daily for best results.

In America, Trintellix is hard to find. Even the generic is often priced inaccessibly. Often, patients pay as much as $500.00 for 30 tabs of vortioxetine, or $16.60 per daily pill.

At NorthWestPharmacy.com, you can buy Trintellix for just under $11.00 per pill, in a four-week pack of 28 pills for around $300.00 (up to 33% savings).

Benefits of Aplenzin ER

Aplenzin ER (bupropion hydrobromide ER) contains an active ingredient that should sound familiar. With the same primary mechanism of action as Wellbutrin, Aplenzin ER helps patients treat their major depressive order through balanced brain chemistry.

What’s the difference between Wellbutrin and Aplenzin ER?

In America, you can buy a 30-count bottle of Aplenzin ER for around $1,800.00 – or about $60.00 per pill. Through NorthWestPharmacy.com, you can buy a bottle of brand-name Aplenzin ER for approximately $800.00, or just $26.00 per pill (up to 56% savings).

Benefits of Viibryd

Viibryd (vilazodone) is a drug that can help treat the symptoms of major depressive disorder. As an SSRI, Viibryd works by helping patients with depression work towards more balanced brain chemistry – in this case, by increasing the amount of available serotonin.

There are many SSRIs on the market, though – so what makes Viibryd different?

Viibryd’s unique value lies in the number of serotonin receptors it blocks. Viibryd specifically blocks serotonin receptor 5-HT1A, one not targeted by many other SSRIs. Because of this, it may be able to provide results for patients who haven’t experienced relief with other anti-depressive medications.

Achieving sought-after benefits with Viibryd can take a few days, and Viibryd needs to be taken daily.

American patients pay around $375.00 for a 30-day supply of brand-name Viibryd – or around $12.50 per day of treatment. Through NorthWestPharmacy.com, you can buy the same amount of Viibryd for about $180.00, or $6.00 per pill – up to 52% in savings!