People's Pharmacy

Wellbutrin

Generic Name:bupropion

Revised:4/1/2000

Table of Contents

Overview

Even before Prozac, there was Wellbutrin. It was the first of a new generation of antidepressants and was introduced in 1985, almost two years before Prozac received FDA approval.

The company started shipping Wellbutrin to pharmacies around the country, but before prescriptions could actually be filled, a problem arose. A small study involving 50 women with an eating disorder uncovered an alarming statistic.

Four out of the fifty (8 percent) had suffered a seizure. This unexpected and alarming discovery created consternation at the FDA and the feds had the drug pulled off pharmacy shelves.

The FDA demanded additional tests, but the company resisted, maintaining that the bulimic subjects in the study were not representative of depressed patients. Prior research suggested that the seizure incidence was similar to that for other antidepressants.

For more than a year the company and the FDA argued. Eventually the company capitulated and studied an additional 3,000 patients.

The results redeemed Wellbutrin: The seizure incidence turned out to be 0.4 percent, not that different from other antidepressants and nowhere near the 8 percent seen in the small bulimia study.

Finally, in August 1989, Wellbutrin returned to pharmacy shelves, but it was almost too late. Prozac, introduced in 1987, had become a shooting star. Its incredible popularity made Wellbutrin an also-ran.

Although Wellbutrin works differently from Prozac and similar drugs (Paxil and Zoloft), doctors seemed to remember only the initial concern about seizures.

Despite its initial lack of success in the marketplace, Wellbutrin is roughly comparable to Prozac-like drugs in effectiveness.

Unlike traditional antidepressants, Wellbutrin does not cause weight gain, drowsiness, blurred vision, mental confusion, cardiovascular problems or impaired memory.

And Wellbutrin has one huge advantage over Prozac and other SSRI antidepressants. It does not lower libido, produce impotence or impair orgasms. If anything, Wellbutrin may actually stimulate sexuality for some people.