Table 6. Bupropion HCl
| Brand | Dose | Side Effects | Warning/Precautiona | |
| Rx | Zyban | 150 mg/d × 3 days, then increase to 300 mg/d × 7–12 weeks | Insomnia, dry mouth, dizziness, rhinitis | Do not take with Wellbutrin or Wellbutrin SR. |
| Higher incidence of seizures in patients treated for bulimia or anorexia. | ||||
| Do not prescribe >300 mg/d for patients being treated for bulimia. |
| HCl = hydrochloride; Rx = prescription. | ||||
| aIt is recommended that clinicians closely monitor all patients taking varenicline and bupropion HCl. The premarketing smoking cessation studies of these medications excluded patients with serious psychiatric illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder), suggesting that the safety of these medications for these patients has not been investigated.[15,18] Therefore, during smoking cessation, it is important to especially monitor patients with preexisting psychiatric illness who are receiving varenicline and bupropion HCl for smoking cessation. |
References
- CHANTIX (varenicline) Tablets. New York, NY: Pfizer Inc., 2012. Available online. Last accessed May 7, 2013.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration.: Information for Healthcare Professionals: Varenicline (Marketed as Chantix) and Bupropion (Marketed as Zyban, Wellbutrin, and Generics). Rockville, Md: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2009. Available online. Last accessed May 7, 2013.
