Although Wellbutrin is primarily used to treat depression and help people stop smoking it is also used to help weight loss. This article looks at how Wellbutrin is being used to help people lose weight, what the results are and what possible side effects may arise.
In a nutshell, the main value of Wellbutrin as a weight loss aid is its ability to suppress appetite.
Some medications have uses that are different from what they are originally intended. Wellbutrin is a prime example. It was originally created to help depression and to help people quit smoking. An interesting side effect that was discovered is that could also suppress appetite and help people lose weight.
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Wellbutrin for Weight Loss
Wellbutrin is a prescription medication that has a very interesting side effect. Doctors use it for treating depression and for providing support to people who have stopped smoking but the side effect is weight loss!
Needles to say, this fortuitous reaction to the drug gives it additional value as a tool in the war against obesity.
Unfortunately, some of the other Wellbutrin side effects are not so desirable. If you use Wellbutrin for weight loss, you may have to take the rough with the smooth.
This article will help you understand all the pros and cons of using Wellbutrin as a diet pill. We will also suggest a better alternative if you decide you’d rather lose weight without any side effects at all.
What Is Wellbutrin?
Wellbutrin is a brand name for the drug Bupropion. It was developed to function as an anti-depressant but has shown value in other areas and has several on-label and off-label uses.
One of them is treating people who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Wellbutrin is also useful for smoking cessation but gets more attention for its ability to support weight loss.
Although most pills these days come in capsule format, Wellbutrin is not. It’s a small disc-like tablet. The color of the tablet varies according to the strength and ingredient release rate.
How Does Wellbutrin Work for Weight Loss?
Wellbutrin is a norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI). It works by interfering with the reuptake of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers. They have the task of relaying messages throughout the central nervous system.
Research suggests the nerves recycle released neurotransmitters and use them again. The process is known as reuptake. Many experts believe neurotransmitter imbalances may be one of the root causes of depression.
Norepinephrine and dopamine serve multiple roles within the body.
In addition to being a neurotransmitter, norepinephrine is also a stress hormone the body releases in response to stressful or dangerous situations.
Dopamine is a “feel good” hormone. It influences mood.
Wellbutrin’s ability to inhibit the uptake of these versatile neurotransmitter-hormones allows it to influence mood, appetite, and energy levels. You can start to see how it can be used as a weight loss aid.
In a nutshell, the main value of Wellbutrin as a weight loss aid is its ability to suppress appetite.
However, by enhancing mood and increasing energy, Wellbutrin can also take a lot of the misery out of dieting and prevent diet-related fatigue.
Naltrexone and Bupropion have proved to be a powerful team when paired. The combination is marketed as Contrave.
Alternative Bupropion Brands
Although Wellbutrin is one of the most popular brands of Bupropion, the drug is also available under several other brand names.
Here are a few you may have already heard of:
- Aplenzin
- Buproban
- Budeprion SR
- Budeprion XL
- Forfivo XL
- Wellbutrin SR
- Wellbutrin XL
- Zyban
Bupropion is the only antidepressant capable of causing weight loss. However, it is not the only medication that has off-label value as a weight loss aid.
Naltrexone is a medication that was developed for treating alcohol and opioid addiction and then became an off-label anti-obesity treatment.
Naltrexone and Bupropion have proved to be a powerful team when paired. The combination is marketed as Contrave.
Wellbutrin and Weight Loss: What the Research Shows
The reputation Wellbutrin has as a weight loss provider is built on solid ground. Several studies prove it works well as a diet pill.
The researchers in charge of one long-term study were so impressed by the antidepressant’s ability to support weight loss they said it should be considered the “first-line drug of choice for overweight and obese patients” unless there are existing contraindications.
The study was conducted between January 2006 and September 2009. Some members of the study group were smokers, others were not.
The researchers put Bupropion up against several other antidepressants including Fluoxetine. Bupropion out-performed them all by producing an average weight loss of 7.1 pounds. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4850471/)
Of course, 7.1 pounds is not a great deal of weight to lose in such a long time. There are safer over-the-counter options that can do a lot more.
The results of another study were published in Obesity Research (September 2012). This was a shorter study, conducted over 24 weeks. Three hundred and twenty-seven obese individuals took part.
The researchers split the volunteers into three groups. One group got a 400 mg dose of Bupropion, another received 300 mg of the medication, and the remaining group got a placebo.
During the 24 weeks, the 300 mg dose produced an average bodyweight reduction of 7.2 percent. The 400 mg dose improved on this by a further 2.8 percent. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1038/oby.2002.86)
Wellbutrin Side Effects Apart from Weight Loss
Unfortunately, weight loss is not the only Wellbutrin side effect. There are several more, some of them serious. You need to be aware of this before attempting to use Wellbutrin as a slimming pill.
Some of the more common side effects include:
- Insomnia
- Dry mouth
- Sore throat
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
More alarming side effects include:
- Agitation
- Anxiety
- High blood pressure
- Chest pains
- Palpitations
- Irregular heartbeat
- Hallucinations
- Confusion
- Memory loss
Fortunately, side effects like these are relatively rare.
All prescription weight loss aids have the potential to cause severe side effects, so Wellbutrin is not alone in this.
The risk of side effects is one of the main reasons so many people choose to avoid prescription weight loss medications and choose natural alternatives instead.
Pros & Cons for Using Wellbutrin for Losing Weight
Pros
- Proven to support weight loss
Cons
- Slow results
- Only available via prescription
- May present risks to the health
PhenQ: A Good Natural Alternative to Wellbutrin
Although there are a number of other strong contenders, PhenQ is one of the best diet pills to use instead of Wellbutrin. As the name suggests, it’s also one of the best alternatives to Phentermine.
An all-natural supplement, PhenQ was created especially to help people seeking a safe alternative to Phentermine. It’s extremely effective and customer reviews show it’s a great substitute for Wellbutrin and other prescription diet pills too.
PhenQ was launched in 2015. Since then, it’s already helped more than 190,000 people to lose weight. Some customers report weight losses of up to nine pounds a month.
When you know that, it helps you keep things in perspective when you look at the data from the Wellbutrin clinical trials and see weight losses of 7.1 pounds over a couple of years.
A clinical trial involving one of the key ingredients in PhenQ (a-Laceys Reset) reveals the ingredient can support significant fat loss while also providing increases in muscle mass.
Although this may not seem a big deal, it is. Weight loss diets normally cause some degree of muscle loss. This is undesirable because losing muscle mass slows metabolism.
PhenQ also contains several other respected natural weight loss aids including extracts taken from capsicum peppers and nopal cactus. Working together, the ingredients in PhenQ crush hunger cravings and accelerate metabolism to help you to burn extra calories and fat.
PhenQ also provides a more far-reaching level of support by boosting energy to prevent tiredness, helping to lift the mood, and blocking fat cell formation. It does everything Wellbutrin does and more.
More importantly, unlike Wellbutrin, PhenQ does not have any known side effects. But it does have a 60-day money-back guarantee. That’s something you never get from prescription weight loss aids.
Wellbutrin for Weight Loss in Summary
Wellbutrin is a prescription medication that’s primarily used for treating depression. Like many other medications, it can cause a number of side effects. One of them is weight loss.
Although this “favorable” side effect has given Wellbutrin off-label value as a treatment for obesity, many of the other side effects, such as high blood pressure and memory loss, are less desirable.
It’s unfortunate that all the medications doctors can prescribe for weight loss have the potential to cause side effects. Many people are desperately seeking good diet pills but nobody relishes the thought of using something that may make them feel ill.
Compared to some of the non-prescription alternatives, Wellbutrin also lacks potency. Although it’s certainly capable of helping people to shed excess pounds, it takes a long time to do it. Natural alternatives like PhenQ are capable of providing better results without the risk of side effects.
If Wellbutrin was capable of delivering greater levels of weight loss in shorter periods of time, perhaps the risk of side effects may be more acceptable. Unfortunately, this is not the case. It’s not surprising so many people who have the opportunity to lose weight with Wellbutrin seek safer alternatives and often go with them instead.
In writing this article, we’ve tried to present a fair and accurate insight into the value of Wellbutrin as a weight loss aid. We’ve explained the reasons why you may want to use it and what kind of results to expect.
We’ve also listed some of the most common Wellbutrin side effects and suggested a better alternative if you decide you’d rather have something that works faster and/or doesn’t have side effects. An alternative that uses natural ingredients and doesn’t contain any chemicals or drugs.
FAQ’s
Simply put, the medication can suppress your appetite meaning less calories are consumed on a daily basis.
No it is via prescription only.
Naltrexone and Bupropion have proved to be a powerful team when paired. The combination is marketed as Contrave.
