Dr. Bob's Psychopharmacology Tips

Wellbutrin SR

Date: Thu, 04 Jan 1996 03:13:54 -0500
From: Robert_Swift_MD@brown.edu (Robert Swift MD)
Subject: Wellbutrin SR

I participated in one of the clinical trials with Wellbutrin-SR and found it to be effective as an antidepressant and generally well tolerated by the patients who took it.

Wellbutrin-SR is a sustained release preparation of bupropion developed to allow bid dosing and to reduce the higher incidence of seizures originally observed in some patients taking bupropion.

Just about all antidepressants lower the seizure threshold and may produce seizures in susceptible individuals. The original preparation of bupropion had a somewhat higher incidence of seizures (.4% compared with .1 - .2% for other antidepressants). This triggered a warning statement in the package insert and PDR. Seizures tended to occur at higher blood levels and doses above 450 mg per day.

Wellbutrin-SR, with its sustained release properties, results in lower peak blood levels and a much decreased incidence of seizures (virtually negligible).

Another advantage of the new dosage form will be a smaller tablet size. The original Wellbutrin tablets are quite large, which some of my patients find difficult to swallow.

Date: Tue, 04 Jun 1996 14:53:23 -0500
From: Stephen R Saklad <Saklad@uthscsa.edu>
Subject: Wellbutrin SR

At 23:02 6/3/96, Dr Howard S Rudominer wrote:

Has anyone heard when slow-releasing Wellbutrin is supposed to be coming out?

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