Wellbutrin (Bupropion) Works for ADHD

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 21:58:55 +0000

Main chapters:
00:00 Intro - Wellbutrin and ADHD
00:11 Take home message
00:57 What is Wellbutrin
06:42 Wellbutrin side effects
09:50 Wellbutrin dosages
10:20 Deep dive
19:58 Clinical experience with Wellbutrin
20:54 Questions

Clinicians have been using Wellbutrin to treat ADHD for at least three decades. Although the details still remain murky, Wellbutrin acts primarily as a norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor. In humans, the norepinephrine effect appears to be more potent than the dopamine effect.

Several studies, albeit with small numbers of patients, have shown Wellbutrin to be effective in reducing ADHD symptoms in children, adolescents, and adults. Wellbutrin helps at least as much as does Strattera (atomoxetine) and in several studies appears to be as effective as Ritalin (methylphenidate). Wellbutrin may be particularly attractive for those who want to avoid stimulant medications, and the potential for addiction.

Confusion exists among most doctors, pharmacists and patients about the differences between the three formulations of bupropion (immediate release IR, sustained release SR, and extended release ER or XL). Although the XL form was approved for once a day dosing, this does NOT mean that medication is released steadily throughout a 24 hour period.

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https://medium.com/wise-well/p....rofessionals-shouldn

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References:
Bupropion for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults (2017)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p....mc/articles/PMC64855

Bupropion StatPearls
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/b....ooks/NBK470212/#:~:t

Correlating family nurse practitioners' perspectives of adult ADD/ADHD with employed pharmacotherapy: a pilot study (2010)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20670268/

A comparison of the efficacy of medications for adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using meta-analysis of effect sizes. (2010)
https://www.semanticscholar.or....g/paper/A-comparison

15 Years of Clinical Experience With Bupropion HCl: From Bupropion to Bupropion SR to Bupropion XL (2005)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p....mc/articles/PMC11632

Bupropion Hydrochloride in Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (1996)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/....science/article/abs/

Full chapter list:
00:00 Intro - Wellbutrin and ADHD
00:11 Take home message
00:57 What is Wellbutrin
04:41 What does Wellbutrin do?
06:42 Wellbutrin side effects
09:50 Wellbutrin dosages
10:20 Deep dive
15:02 Wellbutrin Formulations
19:58 Clinical experience with Wellbutrin
20:54 Questions
21:09 How to know if Wellbutrin works on you
21:41 Wellbutrin and alcohol
22:20 Sunosi for ADHD
24:58 Alcohol and medication
25:37 Euphoria and Hypomania
26:16 Outro

Streamed live on Sept 14, 2023

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Psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author John Kruse, MD, PhD presents practical, actionable, well-researched information about treatment options that scientists and clinicians recommend for adult ADHD and other mental health conditions. Subscribe if you're curious about how neuro-atypical brains can optimize their functioning in our shared, and somewhat strange, world.

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