alt Hacker NewsOnly slightly related, but can anyone ELI5 why Bupropion XL is not the universal first line treatment for depression and is hardly used at all in Europe?
It has fewer side effects vs. SSRIs, can be safely used as a long term medication (which many people do with SSRIs even though it can have negative effects), and doesn't have the same horrible withdrawal symptoms (although you still need to taper).
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Doctor gave it to me and I reacted paradoxically to it. Worse depression and even more peculiar I picked up smoking again. I never felt such an urge to smoke in my life. Over the years I've been looking for an explanation for that reaction but wasnt able to find anything
Or Auvelity, which is a newer one that mixes Bupropion and DXM.
My doctor tried me on Bupropion for ADHD and I think it caused my BorderlinePD to get much worse, so definitely YMMV.
It has a long and scary list of side effects, good if it works for you
Anxiety is a common comorbidity in depression patients and buprioprion can dramatically raise anxiety levels
It is a second-line treatment for a reason. Great when it works. Harmful when it does not.