Summary
- Wellbutrin® (bupropion) is an antidepressant that works by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine, not serotonin. It’s FDA-approved for depression, seasonal affective disorder, and smoking cessation.
- Mixing Wellbutrin® and alcohol can increase the risk of seizures, especially during withdrawal or binge drinking. The combination may also intensify other side effects like nausea, vomiting, and headaches.
- Alcohol and Wellbutrin® both impact appetite and nutrient absorption. Taken together, it’s possible that they could increase your risk of malnourishment and related health conditions.
- There’s limited evidence suggesting Wellbutrin® could reduce alcohol cravings when combined with naltrexone in animal models, but it is not approved or widely supported as a treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD).
- Safer, FDA-approved medications and therapy options are available to support alcohol recovery. Anyone concerned about drinking while on Wellbutrin® should speak to a healthcare provider or call the national 24/7 hotline for support.
If you’ve been prescribed Wellbutrin® and you also drink alcohol—or are recovering from alcohol use disorder (AUD)—you should know that combining these two substances can increase your health risks in some important and specific ways.
Below, we explore how Wellbutrin works, why it may be unsafe to drink while taking it, and what research says about the role it may be able to play in helping some people recover from alcoholism.
If you need help recovering from alcohol addiction, try calling our national hotline from anywhere in the United States. Alcohol Awareness can help you make contact with support groups and recovery programs that can guide your next steps.
What Wellbutrin® Is & How It Works
Wellbutrin® (a branded form of the medication bupropion) is a commonly prescribed antidepressant that works differently from many others. Unlike selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Wellbutrin® doesn’t primarily affect serotonin. Instead, it targets dopamine and norepinephrine—two neurotransmitters involved in things like your brain’s reward circuits, your motivation, and your attention span.
Wellbutrin® is FDA-approved to treat the following conditions:
- Major depressive disorder (MDD)
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
- Nicotine addiction (not under the Wellbutrin® label, but under the name Zyban®)
This medication works by inhibiting the reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine—which means it prevents them from being absorbed too quickly after your brain produces them, and allows higher levels of these neurotransmitters to build up in your system. Bupropion has been shown to be as effective as most other antidepressants in head-to-head clinical trials, but without some of their more common side effects—like sexual dysfunction and weight gain.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean there are no potential consequences from mixing alcohol and Wellbutrin®. Below, we’ll look at how these substances can interact—and what the risks for you might be if you take both at the same time.
Why Alcohol & Wellbutrin® Can Be Dangerous
Increased Risk of Seizures
Wellbutrin® is one of the few antidepressants known to lower the seizure threshold. Alcohol does the same—especially during withdrawal or binge drinking. So if you take both of these substances together, it is possible that your risk of a seizure could increase meaningfully, even if you have no history of seizures. For this reason, the patient information for Wellbutrin® mentions that you should not take it if you drink alcohol heavily.
Potential for Reduced Appetite or Malnourishment
Some clinical observations have led to a belief that Wellbutrin® can impact your appetite—and alcohol use is also a major cause of nutrient deficiency in the United States. This can eventually lead to other health problems, like anemia or Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome (an extremely serious condition otherwise known as “wet brain”). There is therefore potential that drinking alcohol while taking Wellbutrin® could make your risk of health problems related to poor or inadequate diet even more likely.
Altered Intoxication Response
There have been rare reports of people whose alcohol tolerance has been lower while taking Wellbutrin®. This suggests that Wellbutrin® could make the effects of alcohol feel more potent—and potentially lead to riskier behavior or increase your risk of alcohol-related accidents.
Overlapping Short-Term Side Effects
Some of the potential side effects of Wellbutrin® can overlap with common signs of ethanol toxicity (alcohol poisoning) or its aftereffects. These include:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Seizures
- Vomiting
So if you’ve taken both of these substances, you may be more likely to experience issues like these—and they could be more severe.
Can Wellbutrin® Help with Alcoholism?
Wellbutrin® is not FDA-approved to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD), but limited research suggests that it might have some impact on alcohol cravings when combined with other medications.
One study involving rats showed that while bupropion did not decrease voluntary alcohol intake by itself, it did lead to lower levels of alcohol consumption when combined with the medication naltrexone.
One potential explanation for why this happens is that bupropion may activate melanocortin (MC) signaling. Previous research has demonstrated that MC signaling can affect how much alcohol a person consumes, and that it is influenced by both dopamine and norepinephrine.
It is also possible that bupropion’s impact on dopamine has some downstream effects on alcohol cravings or withdrawal. Because alcohol lowers your dopamine levels over time, it’s possible that by preserving higher levels of dopamine, bupropion could play some role in reducing alcohol cravings or easing withdrawal symptoms.
However, this is theoretical—and the evidence from the animal study mentioned above is far too limited for Wellbutrin® to be considered a reliable treatment for AUD.
Safer Options for Alcohol Dependence Treatment
If you’re trying to reduce or quit drinking, speak with a qualified healthcare provider. Several evidence-based, FDA-approved medications can support your recovery.
These medications may also be combined with behavioral therapy, group counseling, or a recovery program. Working with others can make you feel less alone on your recovery journey, and peer support groups have shown a great deal of promise for improving recovery outcomes.
Get Support for Alcohol Recovery and Take Wellbutrin® Responsibly
Wellbutrin® is a useful antidepressant for many people—but it comes with unique risks when alcohol is involved. Combining alcohol with this medication can increase your chance of seizures, can make you feel more intoxicated, and can come with other risks as well.
Although some very limited evidence suggests that Wellbutrin® could play some role in helping manage alcohol cravings or detox symptoms when combined with other specific drugs, it is not considered a first-line treatment for alcohol use disorder—and other options are likely safer and more effective.
If you’re concerned about your drinking while on Wellbutrin®—or considering treatment for either depression or AUD—talk to your healthcare provider about safer alternatives.
You can also call our 24/7 confidential hotline to speak with someone who can help you find support, recovery resources, and treatment referrals near you.