Bupropion as a treatment for bipolar disorder
Bupropion alters the electrical activity of neurons in the brain. It was originally approved for use as an antidepressant and marketed under the name Wellbutrin. It has since been approved as an aid for smoking cessation and marketed as Zyban.
Bupropion has been studied as a treatment for bipolar disorder when taken in addition to other medications. In one study conducted by the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto in Canada, bupropion was compared with the anticonvulsant drug topiramate in 36 patients. The patients continued their other medications and added either bupropion or topiramate. The percentage of patients who experienced a 50% decrease in their symptoms was similar for bupropion (59%) and topiramate (56%). In another study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders bupropion was compared to idazoxan in bipolar depressed patients. The two drugs had similar effects. Both caused a 50% decrease in symptoms over a six-week period. In a third study, bupropion was compared with the tricyclic antidepressant desipramine. Bipolar patients who were taking lithium or an anticonvulsant drug were given either bupropion or desipramine in addition to their other medications and monitored for a year. Both drugs were similar in their antidepressant effects, but patients were less likely to switch to mania with bupropion than with desipramine.