Advanced Practice: Bupropion Treatment for Mood Disorders and Smoking Cessation

Course overview

Bupropion is an atypical antidepressant that is approved to treat major depressive disorder (MDD), to prevent seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and as an aid for smoking cessation. Bupropion is used off-label to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor-induced sexual dysfunction; it is also used to augment the effectiveness of other antidepressants, such as selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Bupropion and naltrexone, trade name Contrave, is approved as an adjunctive treatment for chronic weight management in people who are overweight or obese, and bupropion and dextromethorphan (DM), trade name Auvelity, is approved for treating unipolar major depressive disorder. A significant potential exists for bupropion to be misused for recreational purposes rather than as prescribed. It is important for clinicians to establish clear parameters for monitoring and documenting risk outcomes when prescribing bupropion in its various forms.