What is "bupropion"

n. An aminoketone antidepressant that acts as a norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor and nicotinic antagonist.

Bupropion is a medication primarily used as an antidepressant and smoking cessation aid. It is marketed as Wellbutrin and Zyban among other trade names. It is one of the most frequently prescribed antidepressants in the United States and Canada, although in many countries this is an off-label use. Bupropion is taken in tablet form and is available only by prescription in most countries.

Bupropion acts as an norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI). It is an atypical antidepressant, different from most commonly prescribed antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It is an effective antidepressant on its own, but is also popular as an add-on medication in cases of incomplete response to first-line SSRI antidepressants. In comparison to many other antidepressants, it does not cause as much weight gain or sexual dysfunction. The most important side effect is an increase in risk for epileptic seizures, which caused the drug to be withdrawn from the market for some time and then caused the recommended dosage to be reduced.

Bupropion is known to affect several different biological targets. It often is described as a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI), and is also a nicotinic antagonist. But bupropion does not appear to have significant dopaminergic actions in humans under normal clinical circumstances. Chemically, bupropion belongs to the class of aminoketones and is similar in structure to stimulants such as cathinone and amfepramone, and to phenethylamines in general.

Bupropion was synthesized by Nariman Mehta and patented by Burroughs Wellcome in 1969, which later became part of what is now GlaxoSmithKline. It was first approved for clinical use in the United States in 1989. It was originally called by the generic name amfebutamone, before being renamed in 2000. It is a substituted cathinone (β-ketoamphetamine), and by extension, a substituted amphetamine.