Want to Stop Taking Wellbutrin? Reading This First Will Help

Wellbutrin (bupropion) is a common medication that people take to help with depression and seasonal affective disorder. And if you’re thinking you would like to try and wean off your Wellbutrin, you may be wondering if you will experience the type of withdrawal that can happen with other antidepressants. 

Wellbutrin is a little safer than other antidepressants when it comes to tapering off the medication. But it’s still a good idea to do it in a way that minimizes the risk of unwanted side effects. So like any medication, it’s a good idea to talk with your healthcare team before you stop taking it. They can help you come up with the safest plan for you. And remember there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to stopping Wellbutrin — so your plan may differ from another person’s plan, and that’s OK.

How do you stop taking Wellbutrin?

To stop taking Wellbutrin, it’s generally recommended to slowly decrease the amount that you’re taking over time. This process is often referred to as “tapering.”

So if you’re taking 300 mg of Wellbutrin daily, a taper may look something like this:

• Week 1: Decrease to 150 mg once a day for 7 days.

• Week 2: Decrease to 150 mg once every other day for 7 days.

• Week 3: Decrease to 150 mg once every 3 days for 7 days.

• Week 4: Discontinue the medication.

The exact taper instructions may vary depending on the form of Wellbutrin you’re taking. Wellbutrin is available in three different forms:

• Immediate release (IR)

• Sustained release (SR)

• Extended release (ER)

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The form you take affects how often you take it every day — and your taper plan. And if you take Wellbutrin for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), you’ll want to plan to discontinue it after the fall and winter seasons when your symptoms are more tolerable. This is why it’s important to talk with your healthcare team to come up with the right plan for you.

They can also help you monitor for any symptoms or side effects of stopping your medication. So let’s talk about what happens when you stop taking Wellbutrin.

What happens to your body when you stop taking Wellbutrin?

To understand what goes on in your body when you stop taking Wellbutrin, it’s helpful to know how Wellbutrin works.

Wellbutrin increases the levels of chemicals in the brain called dopamine and norepinephrine. Dopamine and norepinephrine can help increase your mood. When you stop taking Wellbutrin, your body needs time to adjust to lower levels of dopamine and norepinephrine. 

If you take Wellbutrin for depression, this change in the chemicals in your brain may mean your depression symptoms return in the days to weeks after you stop taking it. But sudden withdrawal symptoms are relatively rare.

Wellbutrin withdrawal symptoms

Of the millions of patients who have taken Wellbutrin, only a few have reported withdrawal symptoms. In clinical trials, most people who stop their Wellbutrin experienced no withdrawal symptoms.

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There are some rare reports of Wellbutrin withdrawal symptoms that occurred when someone abruptly stopped their Wellbutrin. In one such case report, these included:

• Anxiety

• Irritability

• Body aches

• Trouble sleeping

• Headache

• Flu-like symptoms

But we want to emphasize that these are unlikely. Especially if you slowly taper off your medication.

Good to know: The symptoms of Wellbutrin withdrawal are different from antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. Antidepressant withdrawal syndrome refers to the symptoms you might experience if you stop taking an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) or SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor). These medications work differently than Wellbutrin. They primarily increase levels of serotonin in the brain.

What are the long-term side effects of taking Wellbutrin?

The long-term side effects of taking Wellbutrin are essentially the same as the short-term side effects you may experience when taking Wellbutrin. This means that there are no health complications or permanent health conditions that result from taking Wellbutrin for many years. 

And as your body adjusts to the medication, the side effects tend to get better. One study in particular shows side effects of taking Wellbutrin improve with long-term use.

The most common side effects of taking Wellbutrin include:

• Headache

• Dry mouth

• Nausea

• Constipation

• Difficulty sleeping

• Dizziness

• Weight loss

• Agitation

• Tremors

• Fast heartbeat

• Increased sweating

Other rarer, more serious side effects of Wellbutrin are:

• Seizures

• Elevated blood pressure

• Blurred vision

• Extreme agitation, hallucinations, or confusion

• Thoughts of suicide

• Suicidal behaviors

Help is available if you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviors. You’re not alone. Call or text a 988 Lifeline counselor or reach out to a trusted contact to let them know how you’re feeling. 

How do you know if you should stop taking Wellbutrin?

If you experience any of the serious side effects we listed above, you should get immediate medical attention. In these cases, your healthcare team will also likely recommend that you stop taking Wellbutrin.  

But there are other reasons that people choose to stop taking their Wellbutrin. And just like deciding to start an antidepressant, these reasons are personal and unique to each person. 

You should consider stopping Wellbutrin if:

• You’re experiencing milder side effects that interfere with your daily life.

• You no longer feel like you need the medicine. This may be because the circumstances contributing to your depression have resolved.

• You’re not feeling like the medicine is helping. (Keep in mind that it could take 6 to 8 weeks to know if it’s working.)

You may try stopping your Wellbutrin and find that you still need it. That’s OK. It doesn’t mean that you’ve done anything wrong or that you’ll need to take Wellbutrin forever. Remember that your overall health is most important, and using the tools that you need to feel good every day is what’s most important. You can always revisit tapering it and discontinuing it again in the future.

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Written by:

Cherilyn Davis, MD

Cherilyn Davis, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician in NYC. She's held local and national roles at the American Medical Women's Association, including board member of the physician division and physician chair of social media.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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