How long does budeprion take to work

J Clin Psychiatry ;66 5 Efficacy of bupropion and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of anxiety symptoms in major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis of individual patient data from 10 double-blind, randomized clinical trials. J Psychiatr Res, ;42 2 Efficacy of bupropion and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of major depressive disorder with high levels of anxiety anxious depression : a pooled analysis of 10 studies.

J Clin Psychiatry, ;69 8 A pilot controlled trial of bupropion XL versus escitalopram in generalized anxiety disorder. Psychopharmacol Bull, ; Effect of treatment with bupropion on EEG sleep: relationship to antidepressant response. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. Antidepressants and their effect on sleep. Hum Psychopharmacol. Restless legs syndrome as side effect of second generation antidepressants.

J Psychiatr Res. Bupropion and restless legs syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. J Am Board Fam Med. Insomnia and somnolence associated with second-generation antidepressants during the treatment of major depression: a meta-analysis. J Clin Psychopharmacol, ;35 3 You may also contact the poison control center at Headache, weight loss, dry mouth, trouble sleeping insomnia , nausea, dizziness, constipation, fast heartbeat, and sore throat. These will often improve over the first week or two as you continue to take the medication.

Unlike many antidepressants, bupropion does not commonly cause sexual side effects and may be selected as an alternative treatment when antidepressant-induced sexual side effects are problematic. Sexual side effects include such problems as difficulty achieving orgasm or ejaculatory delay. In general the risk of seizures due to bupropion is low.

The risk of having a seizure increases with higher than recommended doses of bupropion, a history of seizures or head injury, tumor in the brain, severe liver disease, an eating disorder, alcohol or drug dependence, or taking other drugs that can also increase your risk of having a seizure.

There is a low risk of cardiovascular adverse events associated with stimulating agents, including bupropion. This risk increases if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, previous heart attack, or irregular heartbeat, or when used with transdermal nicotine replacement products.

In these cases, a thorough cardiovascular evaluation is recommended before starting this medicine. To date, there are no known problems associated with long term use of bupropion.

It is a safe and effective medication when used as directed. Bupropion should not be taken with or within two weeks of taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors MAOIs. There are several products with the active ingredient bupropion. Do not take more than one product that contains bupropion since this may increase your risk of having a seizure. Certain medications may increase your risk of having a seizure when combined with bupropion.

These include other antidepressants, antipsychotics, theophylline, isoniazid, tramadol, stimulants, steroids, hypoglycemic agents including insulin , certain antibiotics e. These medications can change the way your body reacts to bupropion. Bupropion can change the way your body reacts to these medications. Sleep, energy, or appetite may show some improvement within the first weeks. Improvement in these physical symptoms can be an important early signal that the medication is working. Depressed mood and lack of interest in actiities may need up to weeks to fully improve.

Depression and certain other psychiatric disorders are themselves associated with increases in the risk of suicide. This risk may persist until significant remission occurs. In short-term studies, antidepressants increased the risk of suicidality in children, adolescents and young adults when compared to placebo. Short-term studies did not show an increase in the risk of suicidality with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults beyond age Adults ages 65 and older taking antidepressants have a decreased risk of suicidality.

Patients, their families and caregivers should be alert to the emergence of anxiety, restlessness, irritability, aggressiveness and insomnia. All patients being treated with antidepressants for any indication should watch for and notify their healthcare provider for worsening symptoms, suicidality and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the first few months of treatment.

Last Updated: January This information is being provided as a community outreach effort of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists. This information is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice. This information contains a summary of important points and is not an exhaustive review of information about the medication. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified medical professional with any questions you may have regarding medications or medical conditions.

Never delay seeking professional medical advice or disregard medical professional advice as a result of any information provided herein. The College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists disclaims any and all liability alleged as a result of the information provided herein.

Search Close Menu. Sign In About Mental Illness. About Mental Illness Treatments. About Mental Illness Research. 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 times a day, with doses at least 6 hours apart, or four times a day, with doses at least 4 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 Aplenzin, Wellbutrin XL is usually taken once daily in the morning; doses of the extended-release tablet should be taken at least 24 hours apart. When bupropion is used to treat seasonal affective disorder, it is usually taken once a day in the morning beginning in the early fall, continuing through the winter, and stopping in the early spring.

Sometimes a lower dose of bupropion is taken for 2 weeks before the medication is stopped. Take bupropion with food if the medication upsets your stomach.

If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, do not take bupropion too close to bedtime. Take bupropion at around the same time s every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand.

Take bupropion exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Swallow the sustained-release and extended-release tablets whole; do not split, chew, or crush them. It may take 4 weeks or longer before you feel the full benefit of bupropion.

Continue to take bupropion even if you feel well. Do not stop taking bupropion without talking to your doctor. Your doctor may decrease your dose gradually. Bupropion is also sometimes used to treat episodes of depression in patients with bipolar disorder manic depressive disorder; a disease that causes episodes of depression, episodes of mania, and other abnormal moods and to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD; more difficulty focusing, controlling actions, and remaining still or quiet than other people who are the same age.

Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this medication for your condition. This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Always allow the full scheduled amount of time to pass between doses of bupropion. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.

Bupropion may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication. Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from light, excess heat and moisture not in the bathroom. It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily.

To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location — one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach. Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet.

Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. In case of overdose, call the poison control helpline at If the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can't be awakened, immediately call emergency services at Before having any laboratory test, tell your doctor and the laboratory personnel that you are taking bupropion.