|

Is Bupropion Effective for Treating ADHD?

ByPrimary Researcher

Executive Summary

  • One of the common off-label prescriptions for antidepressants is ADHD.
  • We evaluate the evidence for the effectiveness of antidepressants for ADHD or Bupropion ADHD.

Introduction

Ever since antidepressants were first introduced, they began expanding in their off-label applications. A major off-label prescription has become for treating ADHD. This article investigates whether antidepressants like the antidepressant Bupropion are effective for ADHD as the medical establishment has claimed.

Studies into Bupropion for ADHD

This results from a study reported in the VeryWellMind for Bupropion that states it is effective.

Bupropion (bupropion) is an antidepressant sometimes prescribed off-label to treat ADHD. Although stimulants are a typical first-line treatment, taking Bupropion for ADHD has been found to improve symptoms without exposing patients to stimulants’ adverse effects, also providing an alternative for the one in five people who don’t respond to that category of drugs.

In certain instances, patients may be prescribed both a stimulant and Bupropion for ADHD. If a person with ADHD also has depression, for example, a clinician might prescribe Bupropion in conjunction with a stimulant such as Adderall (amphetamine and dextroamphetamine) or Ritalin (methylphenidate) to treat both conditions at the same time.

Studies of Bupropion’s effectiveness are ongoing but generally positive about ADHD. One review of the research found that Bupropion showed potential benefits for treating adult ADHD.

This is curious that the link provided by VeryWellMind did not point to a study but to another page at VeryWellMind. Neither VeryWellMind nor the other website that scores the highest, according to Google, explained the implication of the antidepressant on the patients — except to list side effects. Antidepressants were originally approved under the concept that they addressed depression, but now they are used for all other conditions; even a group of doctors tried to get antidepressants approved to treat covid.

Antidepressants Prescribed for ADHD

According to WebMD, antidepressants like the antidepressant Bupropion for ADHD tend to be prescribed when amphetamines like Ritalin or Adderall are found to be ineffective. This is explained in the following quotation.

A lot of adults with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) take stimulant drugs to manage their symptoms. But if you don’t get better with those medicines, or you don’t like how they make you feel, your doctor may suggest you try an antidepressant.

Sometimes the MDs prescribe antidepressants for ADHD because the patient has a variety of symptoms. There is also an overlap between ADHD and depression. Both are marked by problems in concentration and overall attention spans. Some adults with ADHD also have depression and anxiety. Antidepressant drugs might be an option if that’s your situati

on since they can treat these conditions as well as ADHD.

When it comes to improving your concentration or attention span, antidepressants usually don’t work as well as stimulants and other drugs made specifically to treat ADHD.

While part of this statement is correct — the part about having antidepressants for ADHD not working as well as stimulants to treat this condition — the problematic part of this statement is that studies have not even found a relationship between these neurotransmitters and depression. WebMD leaves out this information — because pharmaceutical companies fund WebMD to keep saying this to readers long after this hypothesis has been proven to be false. GoodRx addresses this same topic in the following quotation.

Both ADHD and depression are linked to low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain, which is involved in pleasure, concentration, motivation, and movement. Many of the medications used to treat depression and ADHD aim to increase dopamine levels.