Antidepressants help improve sleep, moods and overall wellbeing. These meds enable a proper balance of transmitting chemicals in your brain. Once substances like dopamine, norepinephrine, etc. are available at needful levels – your body experiences a calming effect. Wellbutrin is an antidepressant forming part of the atypical genre of such meds. The generic counterpart of this med is known as bupropion. The key aspect of this antidepressant is it seldom causes sexual disorders that most meds of this genre are known to cause. Can it lead to a gain or loss of weight? It is an important thing to know more on this.
Norepinephrine dopamine reuptake inhibiting meds such as bupropion can enhance the presence of transmitting chemicals in your brain. Wellbutrin is one such inhibiting med; this is used for treating spells of depression. It is known to lessen the effects of depression among people living with bipolar disorder and / or other mental conditions. One of the key benefits of taking wellbutrin is not known to cause sexual problems in people. As an extended use, this drug is used for cessation of tobacco; this use stems from its ability to stop craving for nicotine.
Side effects of wellbutrin
Like most drugs, wellbutrin is likely to cause a few side effects. Common among them are dehydration (marked by drying of mouth, skin and parching of tongue), sleeplessness (insomnia), palpitations accompanied by spells of sweating. This drug is available in multiple forms namely, wellbutrin SR as well as wellbutrin XL. One of the leading side effects is the possibility of weight loss or gain of body weight. Of these two conditions, loss of body weight is known to be more common.
Weight loss or weight gain associated with the intake of wellbutrin XL / SR
In general, changes in body weight are a common adverse reaction of using either forms of wellbutrin. Controlled studies have been done to substantiate this adverse effect. In one such study, as high as 22% of participants who took a dose of wellbutrin XL (of about 200 mg each day) experienced a loss of body weight. The extent of weight loss is in the order of 5 to 6 pounds. Also, in some 10% of users, the drug is known to have caused an increase in body weight. The extent of weight increase is found in the range of 4 to 5 pounds.
In case of wellbutrin SR, close to 20% of users – on a dose of 400 mg each day – lost nearly 5 pounds of their body weight. In the same study, around 13% of users – on a dosage plan of 300 mg each day – lost about 4 pounds. In case of those who used this med for tobacco cessation, it is unlikely to cause gain of body weight. Even after stopping to smoke tobacco products, there was no substantial change in body weight of ex-smokers.
Studies are underway to know the reasons behind why this drug causes changes in body weight. This side effect is generally associated with the way active chemicals of this drug work. In one related study, it has been found that the drug increases the presence of dopamine; a high level of dopamine is usually linked to increase in the risks of turning obese.
You may also need to know the differences between XL and SR versions of wellbutrin. The former is an extended release version; this is known to stay in your system for long. The typical dose of this version is once within a 24-hour timeline. On the other hand, the SR version is a short form of the sustained release form of this med. This form is taken in dose distinctive and evenly distributed doses each day.
Above all, both these versions have the needful approvals for the treatment of depression and related mental conditions. Of these, the XL form has the approval for treating mental conditions triggered by winter seasons or fall; this condition is known as seasonal affective disorder. In order to have a complete understanding of this drug (and its version) along with the side effects, you are advised to talk to a qualified medical practitioner.
Education: Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Michigan. Experience: Over 8 years of experience writing for health and wellness websites, including WebMD and Healthline, specializing in women’s health and nutrition.
