Home » Misc » Alternatives to bupropion

Alternatives to bupropion


Bupropion Alternatives | Providing Safer, Holistic Wellbutrin Alternatives

1. DeRubeis R, et al., “Cognitive therapy vs. medications for depression: Treatment outcomes and neural mechanisms.” Nat Rev Neurosci [Internet] 2008 Sept 11 [cited 2021 Jun 8] PMID 18784657 [cited 2022 June 15]

2. Anthes E, “Depression: A change of mind.” Nature 2014 Nov [cited 2021 Jun 8]] PMID25391944 [cited 2022 June 15]

3. Cunningham JStamp J, Shapiro C, “Sleep and major depressive disorder: a review of non-pharmacological chrontherapeutic treatments for unipolar depression.” Science Direct [online] Sleep Medicine Vol 61 Sept 2019 [cited 2022 June 15]

4. Tang TZ, Rubeis R, et al., “Cognitive changes, critical sessions and sudden gains in cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression.” Consult Clin Psychol [Internet] 2005 Feb [cited 2020 Nov 6] PMID 15709844 [cited 2022 June 15]

5. FDA drug label Wellbutrin (bupropion) [cited 2022 June 15]

6. Stahl SM, Pradko JF, Haight BR, Modell JG, Rockett CB, Learned-Coughlin S. A Review of the Neuropharmacology of Bupropion, a Dual Norepinephrine and Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitor. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2004;6(4):159-166. doi:10.4088/pcc.v06n0403 [cited 2022 June 15]

7. FDA Label Zyban (bupropion hydrochloride [online] 2011 [ cited 2021 Jun 8]

8. Fava M, Rush AJ, Thase ME, et al. 15 years of clinical experience with bupropion HCl: from bupropion to bupropion SR to bupropion XL. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2005;7(3):106-113. doi:10.4088/pcc.v07n0305 [cited 2022 June 15]

9. Pompili M, Serafini G, Innamorati M, et al. Antidepressants and Suicide Risk: A Comprehensive Overview. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2010;3(9):2861-2883. Published 2010 Aug 30. doi:10.3390/ph4092861 [cited 2022 June 15]

10. Leon AC. The revised warning for antidepressants and suicidality: unveiling the black box of statistical analyses. Am J Psychiatry. 2007 Dec;164(12):1786-9. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07050775. PMID: 18056231. [cited 2022 June 15]

11. Keks N, Hope J, Keogh S. Switching and stopping antidepressants. Aust Prescr. 2016;39(3):76-83. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2016.039 [cited 2022 June 15]

12. Haddad PM. Antidepressant discontinuation syndromes. Drug Saf. 2001;24(3):183-97. doi: 10.2165/00002018-200124030-00003. PMID: 11347722. [cited 2022 June 15]

13. Ascher JA, Cole JO, Colin JN, Feighner JP, Ferris RM, Fibiger HC, Golden RN, Martin P, Potter WZ, Richelson E, et al. Bupropion: a review of its mechanism of antidepressant activity. J Clin Psychiatry. 1995 Sep;56(9):395-401. PMID: 7665537. [cited 2022 June 15]

14. Thase ME, Rush AJ. When at first you don’t succeed: sequential strategies for antidepressant nonresponders. J Clin Psychiatry. 1997;58 Suppl 13:23-9. PMID: 9402916. [cited 2022 June 15]

15. Penn E, Tracy DK. The drugs don’t work? antidepressants and the current and future pharmacological management of depression. Ther Adv Psychopharmacol. 2012;2(5):179-188. doi:10.1177/2045125312445469[cited 2022 June 15]

16. Kirsch I, Deacon BJ, Huedo-Medina TB, Scoboria A, Moore TJ, Johnson BT. Initial severity and antidepressant benefits: a meta-analysis of data submitted to the Food and Drug Administration. PLoS Med. 2008 Feb;5(2):e45. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0050045. PMID: 18303940; PMCID: PMC2253608. [cited 2022 June 15]

17. Krystal AD, Coffey CE, “Neuropsychiatric Considerations in the Use of Electroconvulsive Therapy.”  Neuropsychiatric Practice and Opinion, Journal of Neuropsychiatry [online]Volume 9 No 2 Spring 1997 [cited 2022 June 15]

18. Sterling, P. ECT damage is easy to find if you look for it. Nature 403, 242 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35002188 [cited 2022 June 15]

19. Belvederi Murri M, Ekkekakis P, Magagnoli M, et al. Physical Exercise in Major Depression: Reducing the Mortality Gap While Improving Clinical Outcomes. Front Psychiatry. 2019;9:762. Published 2019 Jan 10. doi:10.3389/fpsyt. 2018.00762 [cited 2022 June 15]

20. LaChance LR, Ramsey D. Antidepressant foods: An evidence-based nutrient profiling system for depression. World J Psychiatry. 2018;8(3):97-104. Published 2018 Sep 20. doi:10.5498/wjp.v8.i3.97 [cited 2022 June 15]

21. Huang Q, Liu H, Suzuki K, Ma S, Liu C. Linking What We Eat to Our Mood: A Review of Diet, Dietary Antioxidants, and Depression. Antioxidants (Basel). 2019;8(9):376. Published 2019 Sep 5. doi:10.3390/antiox8090376 [cited 2022 June 15]

22. Xia Y, Wang N, Yu B, Zhang Q, Liu L, Meng G, Wu H, Du H, Shi H, Guo X, Liu X, Li C, Han P, Dong R, Wang X, Bao X, Su Q, Gu Y, Fang L, Yu F, Yang H, Kang L, Ma Y, Sun S, Wang X, Zhou M, Jia Q, Guo Q, Wu Y, Song K, Niu K. Dietary patterns are associated with depressive symptoms among Chinese adults: a case-control study with propensity score matching. Eur J Nutr. 2017 Dec;56(8):2577-2587. doi: 10.1007/s00394-016-1293-y. Epub 2016 Aug 19. PMID: 27543189. [cited 2022 June 15]

23. Firth J, Teasdale SB, Allott K, et al. The efficacy and safety of nutrient supplements in the treatment of mental disorders: a meta-review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. World Psychiatry. 2019;18(3):308-324. doi:10.1002/wps.20672 [cited 2022 June 15]

24. Hoffmann K, Emons B, Brunnhuber S, Karaca S, Juckel G. The Role of Dietary Supplements in Depression and Anxiety – A Narrative Review. Pharmacopsychiatry. 2019 Nov;52(6):261-279. doi: 10.1055/a-0942-1875. Epub 2019 Jul 8. PMID: 31284313. [cited 2022 June 15]

25. Martínez-Cengotitabengoa M, González-Pinto A. Nutritional supplements in depressive disorders. Actas Esp Psiquiatr. 2017 Sep;45(Supplement):8-15. Epub 2017 Sep 1. PMID: 29171639. [cited 2022 June 15]

26. Matos LC, Machado JP, Monteiro FJ, Greten HJ. Understanding Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapeutics: An Overview of the Basics and Clinical Applications. Healthcare (Basel). 2021;9(3):257. Published 2021 Mar 1. doi:10.3390/healthcare9030257 [cited 2022 June 15]

27. Orisakwe OE. The role of lead and cadmium in psychiatry. N Am J Med Sci. 2014;6(8):370-376. doi:10.4103/1947-2714.139283. [cited 2022 June 15]

28. Maximino C, Araujo J, Leão LK, Grisolia AB, Oliveira KR, Lima MG, Batista Ede J, Crespo-López ME, Gouveia A Jr, Herculano AM. Possible role of serotoninergic system in the neurobehavioral impairment induced by acute methylmercury exposure in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2011 Nov-Dec;33(6):727-34. doi: 10.1016/j.ntt.2011.08.006. Epub 2011 Aug 18. PMID: 21871955. [cited 2022 June 15]

29. Erika L. Robb; Mari B. Baker  Organophosphate Toxicity StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-.[cited 2022 June 15]

30. Goodwin RD, Rodgin S, Goldman R, Rodriguez J, deVos G, Serebrisky D, Feldman JM. Food Allergy and Anxiety and Depression among Ethnic Minority Children and Their Caregivers. J Pediatr. 2017 Aug;187:258-264.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.04.055. Epub 2017 Jun 5. PMID: 28595764. [cited 2022 June 15]

31. Quigley J, Sanders GM. Food Allergy in Patients Seeking Mental Health Care: What the Practicing Psychiatrist Should Know. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2017 Oct 30;19(12):99. doi: 10.1007/s11920-017-0849-8. PMID: 29086043. [cited 2022 June 15]

32. Hage MP, Azar ST. The Link between Thyroid Function and Depression. J Thyroid Res. 2012;2012:590648. doi:10.1155/2012/590648 [cited 2021 Jun 8]

33. Haas S, Nash K, Lippmann SB. ECT-induced seizure durations. J Ky Med Assoc. 1996 Jun;94(6):233-6. PMID: 8800011. [cited 2022 June 15]

34. Posadzki P, Parekh S, Glass N. Yoga and qigong in the psychological prevention of mental health disorders: a conceptual synthesis. Chin J Integr Med. 2010 Feb;16(1):80-6. doi: 10.1007/s11655-009-9002-2. Epub 2009 Sep 15. PMID: 19756398. (cited 2022 June 15]

Wellbutrin Alternatives | Evidence-Based Holistic Therapies

Alternative to Meds News & Blog Articles

Alternatives to Wellbutrin Include:
  • Talk therapy, such as CBT, DBT, exposure therapy, interpersonal therapy, etc. 5,6
  • Regular exercise, sunshine, fresh air 14-16
  • Bright light therapy 26
  • Corrected diet 7,9,17-19
  • Supplement micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals — testing shows deficiencies 8-10
  • Correct impaired microbiota of the digestive tract with diet, supplements, probiotics 27
  • Avoid exposure to poisons, heavy metals, neurotoxins in cleaning products, paints, pesticides, food additives, etc.20
  • Acupuncture, yoga, meditation, traditional Chinese medicine 11-13,28
  • Equine-assisted therapy
  • Lifestyle changes aimed at improving the quality of life*
  • Get tested for food or other allergies such as mold, pollen, animal dander that could be causing symptoms that mimic psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety 21,29-31

*Dr. Axe, a well-known holistic doctor, points to many overlooked causes and practical natural remedies for depression.

Diet and Supplementation

When you go visit your doctor because of depression, the most likely response is going to be a prescription for antidepressants. That is just how doctors are trained in medical school. In their busy day-to-day practices, they are under time constraints. Unless they have taken the time to research and study holistic and nutritional therapies outside their mainstream medical training, this will most likely result in a missed opportunity for them to help you in any other way than the prescription pad.

Correct diet is fundamental to robust physical and mental health. As described by Ljungberg et al in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, their extensive review of 22 studies from around the world showed that diet has a significant and direct impact on depression both in prevention and in treatment. 7 Food choices consisting of a high percentage of fruits, vegetables, fish, chicken, grains, and legumes but excluding processed foods like sausage, candy, refined flour, sodas, cakes, etc. had a protective effect against mental illness. The researchers found a 25% improvement in mental wellness with a well-designed diet and a 41% increase in depression and anxiety symptoms in those with poor diet choices. Depression is often preceded by skipping meals, poor appetite, and a dominant desire for sweet foods, research published in the Indian Journal of Psychiatry has found.9

Much research has been done on the mental health benefits of a properly designed diet, shown highly effective in reducing psychiatric symptoms.17-19

Useful Supplements

Certain nutritional deficiencies are associated with depression and other symptoms. Before agreeing to a prescription drug, you can request your physician to do some testing to isolate if you have nutritional and/or micronutrient deficiencies so they can be corrected. Where indicated, you may benefit from adding foods (like fish) rich in omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium (greens, wheat germ), B6 (bananas, poultry), B12 (fish, red meat, eggs), folic acid (broccoli, greens), amino acids (eggs, turkey, mushrooms), as well as supplements for these or other nutrients found lacking. A groundbreaking 2017 study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders showed St John’s Wort was as effective as SSRIs in the treatment of depression.8

Other herbal supplements that clinical research has shown comparably effective as or better than prescription medications for depression and anxiety are many, including passionflower, black cohosh, lavender extract, ginseng, chamomile, saffron, kava kava, ginkgo Biloba, chaste berry, red clover, valerian, wormwood, and many others.10

Adjunctive Therapies as Alternatives to Wellbutrin

Other options for alternative depression treatment include therapies such as massage, reflexology, acupuncture, sauna therapy, meditation, and Qi Gong. There are many techniques based on traditional Chinese medicine that have been studied in clinical trials and found effective for improving mental wellness.11-13

Structured Wellbutrin Alternatives

Various therapeutic techniques and. bupropion alternatives can help just as effectively or even more so than prescription drug treatment. Using non-drug alternatives is the key — they are safer, no addiction, dependency, adverse side effects, or unpredictable drug interactions. Wellbutrin natural alternatives are aimed at getting to the root cause of the depression. They are carefully administered and do not worsen depressive symptoms or further compromise a person’s health the way that prescription drugs often do. People are too frequently given a prescription — or even multiple prescriptions for antidepressants and other kinds of medications without any amount of investigation into the actual reasons that might have precipitated their depression or other symptoms. Taking the time to investigate the root causes leads to authentic, health-restoring solutions.

At Alternative to Meds, we operate within that paradigm.

in the State Duma are asked to deal with criminal cases on the purchase of antidepressants - Teller Report This substance is not on the list of prohibited drugs and was freely sold in Russia until 2016, but now customs experts consider it a derivative of ephedron, the circulation of which is prohibited. Experts note that in many cases it is impossible to find an alternative to bupropion. At the same time, patients say that they are afraid to buy the drug, despite the fact that their condition worsens without it.

State Duma deputy Yaroslav Nilov appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office and the Ministry of Health with a request to investigate why Russians are being prosecuted for purchasing and transporting an antidepressant based on bupropion, which is not banned in Russia, across the customs border of the Russian Federation. Customs officers have recently begun to equate it with ephedrone, which is on the list of prohibited substances.

According to the parliamentarian, the reason for the deputy's request was an appeal to him by an initiative group of citizens who are in dire need of this medicine, which suddenly found itself under an unspoken ban.

In the appeal, which RT has read, members of the initiative group ask the deputy to find out on what basis criminal cases are initiated on the acquisition of a non-prohibited drug. They also propose, if necessary, to amend federal legislation so that law-abiding citizens who need treatment are not prosecuted for drug smuggling.

The appeal also notes that bupropion has no analogues and in many cases there are no alternatives to its use.

“The drug is one of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants in the world due to its proven effectiveness. For many in Russia, it is the only treatment for their mental illnesses. At the same time, a simple person will never be able to guess which substance can be recognized as a derivative and equated with a drug, ”the authors of the appeal write.

Nilov notes that law enforcement officers have previously opened criminal cases because of medicines that citizens use for medical purposes.

“We need to understand whether criminal cases are legally initiated against those who buy and consume bupropion,” the deputy says. “There have already been cases when citizens were unreasonably held accountable. Everyone remembers the resonant story of Ekaterina Konnova, who was accused of drug trafficking when she tried to sell a surplus of a psychotropic drug that was not registered in Russia, which her child was taking.

Considered a derivative

Until 2016, bupropion-based drugs were freely sold in Russian pharmacies, but after that they were excluded from the list of medicines, since the importer did not renew the license. However, no ban was imposed on ordering medicines abroad.

As RT found out, in the spring of 2019, customs officers and law enforcement officers began to persecute citizens who purchase drugs based on bupropion in foreign online stores, which is not officially on the list of drugs banned in Russia.

One of the first criminal cases under the article on drug smuggling (under part 3 of article 229.1 of the Criminal Code) was initiated against a resident of Yekaterinburg, Darya Belyaeva, who suffers from schizotypal personality disorder.

As RT reported, a criminal case was opened against Belyaeva after she ordered the Elontril antidepressant, which includes bupropion, in Poland. Both the tablets themselves and bupropion were not on the list of substances prohibited for import, however, during the examination, it was found that drugs could theoretically be made from them.

Thus, the forensic service of the customs administration concluded that the product can be considered as a derivative of ephedron. Whether it is possible to obtain ephedron from these tablets is not indicated in the conclusion.

For the purchase of one package of the drug (30 tablets), the girl faces up to 20 years in prison.

Belyaeva's case was not the only one. According to an RT source in law enforcement agencies, such criminal cases are now being investigated in Moscow, the Volgograd region, Sakhalin and other regions.

At the same time, in some cases, Russians ordered the drug not abroad, but in Russian online stores. They eventually became defendants in criminal cases under Part 2 of Art. 228 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Acquisition and storage of narcotic drugs without the purpose of sale”). They face up to ten years in prison.

At the same time, the supply of bupropion to Russia has practically ceased. Together with the buyers, law enforcement officers also detained one of the largest sellers, who himself ordered the drug abroad in bulk, and then distributed it with an extra charge in Russia.

“I don't know what will happen to me next”

Citizens of the Russian Federation who take the drug say they are in a hopeless situation. According to them, other antidepressants do not help them.

“In 2015, I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder,” Vladislav Lebedev tells RT. - Treated with neuroleptics, tricyclics. However, the condition only worsened: I could not read, work, study. At some point, I decided to be treated with bupropion and have been taking it ever since. During this time, I was even able to learn a new profession. Without bupropion, I will turn into a weak-willed vegetable - there is simply nothing to replace it.

The cessation of supplies of the drug, according to RT interlocutors, has already led to a deterioration in health.

“For five years I have been suffering from derealization and fibromyalgia,” Yaroslav Goncharuk explains in an interview with RT. - I constantly feel weak, my muscles often hurt all over my body. I have tried many antidepressants and other drugs that are used in such cases, but the combination of bupropion, SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and lamotrigine turned out to be ideal for me. Now I do not take bupropion, because it has become dangerous to order it. I got worse and I don't know what to do. While drugs are freely sold and bought on the Internet, our police are increasing the detection rate by unfortunate sick people like Daria Belyaeva.”

“I fell ill in the spring of 2009,” recalls one of the Muscovites who signed the appeal to Nilov, who asked not to be named, in an interview with RT. - Over the years I have tried a lot of different drugs - there was no positive effect. On the contrary, there was muscle weakness and burning pain throughout the body. Just a year ago, a new psychiatrist recommended bupropion and two other drugs to me, and it finally got me out of pain. Now bupropion has begun to disappear from stores, and without it, the entire maintenance regimen is meaningless. The pills are over, and now I'm flying back into the abyss. What will happen to me next, I do not know.

The drug must be available

Experts say that it is not correct to raise the question of searching for analogues of bupropion or another substance if the drug helps patients.

“When people die because they can’t get painkillers, it’s unnatural,” Oleg Zykov, director of the Institute of Narcological Health of the Nation, comments on the situation to RT. - The task of officials is to make the medicine available, and there is no need to look for any analogues. Of course, it is possible to discuss the narcogenicity of various substances, but this makes no sense when it comes to helping the sick.”

The head of the Bureau of Independent Expertise, an expert of the Constitutional and Supreme Court of the Russian Federation Yuri Gladyshev believes that in order to avoid criminal prosecution of citizens who purchase drugs for treatment, the term "derivatives of narcotic drugs" should be excluded from criminal law.

“Many substances, including bupropion, are not officially banned, but citizens are regularly prosecuted for their purchase,” explains Gladyshev RT. “The very concept of “derivatives” is not explained in the law, which ultimately allows law enforcement officers to consider them derivatives of prohibited ones.”

the contents of a parcel from abroad brought a Russian woman to the dock

February 19, 2020 00:31

A criminal case was opened against a resident of Volgograd - because she received an antidepressant by mail from abroad. After all, it's banned. True, it was not always among the illegal drugs. Why did this happen and what is now threatening this woman who was accused of drug smuggling?

A criminal case was opened against a resident of Volgograd for receiving an antidepressant by mail from abroad. After all, it's banned. True, it was not always among the illegal drugs. Why did this happen and what is now threatening this woman who was accused of drug smuggling?

A gift to Olga Kolinovskaya was made by a friend from abroad, with whom she talked about her depression. 300 bupropion tablets. The surprise turned out to be unpleasant. “Customs officers came up, showed a crust, said “let’s go.” We went in, they confiscated everything. There were attesting witnesses, with a dog, they sniffed everything. They opened it, there were pills,” recalls Olga Kalinovskaya.

Olga Kalinovskaya moved to Russia from Ukraine. She was diagnosed with depression there. Once, at the time of another crisis, a close friend advised me to turn to a certain resident of Norway, whom Olga does not want to name for ethical reasons, and who advises the same people remotely. “The most important thing is that we don’t communicate with him for more than a year. Then only I already phoned this man, his wife, I don’t speak English. They said yes, he sent it. Of course, he didn’t know He was a believer, I am a believer. We help. I drank in Ukraine, and here," says Olga Kalinovskaya.

The formula of bupropion is similar to ephedron, which is banned in Russia and in many other countries, and customs officials considered one substance to be a derivative of the other. Until 2016, the antidepressant bupropion was sold in Russia, the Ministry of Health even recommended it as a support in the fight against nicotine addiction, but then the manufacturer left the Russian market, and now the drug is unregistered in our country. But is it a drug? Here is the opinion of the Russian Society of Psychiatrists.

"Currently there is no reliable [evidence] data indicating the addictive potential of bupropion."

"...bupropion does not cause euphoria, dependence syndrome and is not an object of mass abuse."

"From the point of view of clinical pharmacology and narcology, bupropion cannot be classified as a narcotic drug solely because of its structural chemical affinity with the stimulant ephedron/methcathinone. "

Bupropion is allowed in many countries - in the USA, Europe, India, Southeast Asia. However, it is far from a panacea. “There are drugs in the Russian Federation that are alternatives. This is not a situation where there are no alternatives at all. Bupropion is considered a derivative of ephedron. In fact, all organic substances can be considered derivatives of carbon. The question here is how direct the causal relationship is here. Is it a derivative suitable for synthesis. There are many additional questions here. It has a stimulating effect, due to which it is believed that it can cause addiction. However, in a number of experiments, its stimulating effect is comparable to caffeine, "explained Evgeny Kovalev , psychiatrist.

The legal concept of "derivatives of narcotic drugs" appeared in Russia when the country was flooded with spices and so-called salts - artisanal drugs, the chemical formula of which was constantly changing. Because of this, law enforcement officers literally did not keep up with new and new versions of the potion. It was then that the Russian legislator found a way out - to ban not only the drugs themselves, but also their derivatives - substances that are similar in composition.

"Substances similar in structure to narcotics may be subject to the same liability, they are treated in the same way as drugs. And this, unfortunately, applies not only to substances from illegal circulation, but also to medicines that are not registered on territory of Russia,” said Arseniy Levinson, legal consultant on drug-related cases, an expert at the Institute of Human Rights.

Darya Belyaeva from Yekaterinburg has a similar story. She bought bupropion from an online pharmacy. She was also detained at customs. As a result, a criminal case was initiated. In both cases, the women, of course, intend to prove their innocence.

A drug or not a drug - now this question from chemistry and psychophysiology will have to be solved in the field of law. The punishment under the articles referred to in the case is up to 20 years in prison.

Learn more