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What is this Drug
Zyban is a pharmaceutical, prescription antidepressant which acts directly on the brain and other nerve cells. It is also used to treat ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder), Bipolar depression, chronic f
atigue syndrome, cocaine addiction, nicotine addiction, and lower back pain.
Zyban generally comes in 75mg and 100mg tablets. A sustained released form (Wellbutrin SR) comes in 100mg (blue),
150mg (purple), and 200mg (light pink) tablets. A new Wellbutrin XL comes in 150 & 300mg tablets (creamy white to pale yellow).
It has been associated with possible liver and kidney damage as
well as seizures in .4% of the population.
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What side effects may occur?
Less common side effects may include:
Abnormal thinking, allergic reaction, bronchitis, changes in taste, difficulty breathing, dry skin, fever, hives, hot flashes, increased appetite or loss of
appetite, increased blood pressure, migraine, mouth ulcers, muscle pain, neck pain, nosebleed, ringing in the ears, shakiness, sinus inflammation, sleepiness, throbbing heartbeat
Rare side ef
fects may include:
Chest pain, feeling of unhappiness, thirst, swelling of the face
If you are using the oral concentrate form of Zoloft, do not take disulfiram (Antabuse)
If you ar
e using the oral concentrate form of Zoloft, do not take disulfiram (Antabuse)
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Cautions
Your doctor should check your progress at regular visits, especially during the first few months of treatment with this medicine. The amount of Zyban you take may have to be changed often to meet the
needs of your condition and to help avoid unwanted effects.
Do not take Zyban within 14 days of taking an MAO inhibitor.
Zyban is sold under different brand names for different uses.
If you are already taking medicine for mental depression or to help you stop smoking, discuss this with your health care professional before taking Zyban. It is very important that you receive only o
ne prescription for Zyban at a time.
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Overdosage
Fast heartbeat; hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there); loss of consciousness ; nausea; seizures (convulsions) ; vomiting
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How should this medicine be used?
Treatment with this drug begins while you are still smoking. Zyban needs about a week to reach an effective level in your body; so to improve your chance of success, you should not attempt to quit unt
il the second week of treatment. Set a firm date for quitting. If you are still smoking after that date, your odds of breaking the habit will be worse. You should keep taking Zyban for 7 to 12 weeks.
You can use nicotine patches along with Zyban. However, combining the two treatments can raise your blood pressure, so it's important to tell your doctor if you plan to use both. Do not smok
e while using a patch, because too much nicotine can cause serious side effects.
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Possible food and drug interactions when taking this medication
When you are taking Zyban, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:
- Alcohol or
- Antipsychotics (medicine for mental
illness) or
- Corticosteriods(cortisone-like medicine) or
- Fluoxetine (e.g., Prozac) or
- Lithium (e.g., Lithane) or
- Maprotiline (e.g., Ludiomil) or
- Theophylline (e.g., S
omophyllin-T) or
- Trazodone (e.g., Desyrel) or
- Ritonavir (e.g., Norvir)¡XUsing these medicines with Zyban may increase the risk of seizures
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