Wellbutrin may be an option for adults with ADHD who don’t respond well to stimulants or have co-occurring mental health conditions.

Wellbutrin is the brand name for the antidepressant drug bupropion. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Wellbutrin in the United States for treating depression in 1985. They approved its use to help people stop smoking in 1997.

Doctors often use medications “off-label” when scientific evidence shows that a medication might help with a certain condition, even though the FDA doesn’t currently approve the medication for that particular use.

The FDA hasn’t approved Wellbutrin to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Still, some doctors may prescribe Wellbutrin off-label to treat ADHD.

Research says

Wellbutrin has shown promising benefits in adults with ADHD during clinical trials, but more research is needed. The FDA doesn’t recommend Wellbutrin for children since its safety and effectiveness hasn’t been established, though some trials have found it effective.

Doctors most often prescribe stimulant medications, like Adderall and Ritalin, to treat ADHD in both children and adults. But stimulants have a high potential for misuse, especially in teens and adults.

For some people, stimulants aren’t as effective for treating ADHD. About 30% of people treated for ADHD don’t respond to stimulants. For this reason, researchers have been looking for alternative, nonstimulant options for adults with ADHD.

Your doctor may consider using Wellbutrin to treat your ADHD if:

  • you can’t tolerate stimulants because of side effects
  • stimulants have not been effective in managing your ADHD symptoms
  • you have a medical condition, such as a mental health disorder or tic disorder, for which taking stimulants is not advised
  • you have a substance use disorder
  • your ADHD is complicated by other mental disorders, like depression
  • you have an addiction to nicotine

Scientists think Wellbutrin acts on chemicals in the brain called dopamine and norepinephrine, similar to how stimulants work.

Several small, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have tested how well Wellbutrin works to treat ADHD.

In a 2017 review of RCTs involving more than 400 adults, long-acting forms of Wellbutrin resulted in clinically significant improvements in the symptoms of ADHD. It was also shown to be safe compared to a placebo.

A 2018 study found that Wellbutrin was also more effective than a placebo in children with ADHD. However, researchers noted a large confidence interval in the study, meaning the results should be interpreted with caution.

While research suggests that Wellbutrin is typically less effective than other ADHD medications, it may be the best option in some cases.

Wellbutrin is available as a pill that you can take with or without meals. The dosage for ADHD may be similar to the dosage for other usages.

Adult dosage

For depression and smoking cessation, people usually take Wellbutrin in a 100-milligram (mg) dose three times daily (300 mg total). A doctor might start you at a lower dose and slowly increase the dose over time.

The maximum dose is 450 mg per day, taken in divided doses of no more than 150 mg each.

In clinical trials, most people took a long-acting formulation of Wellbutrin. These include:

Child dosage

There’s no FDA-approved dosage of Wellbutrin for children. However, some experts note the usual starting dose for children at 3 mg per kg, with a maximum recommended dose of 150 mg. For example, if a child weighs 34 kg (about 75 pounds), the recommended starting dose might be 100 mg.

In studies, researchers used a dosage of 75 to 300 mg.

  • dizziness
  • loss of appetite
  • blurred vision
  • agitation
  • insomnia
  • headache
  • dry mouth
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • constipation
  • sweating
  • muscle twitching
  • drowsiness
  • restlessness
  • trouble sleeping
  • weakness

Wellbutrin’s product label contains a black box warning from the FDA due to a potential increased risk of suicidal thinking and behavior. This risk is seen in children, teens, and young adults under 24 years old.

Anyone treated with Wellbutrin should be monitored for suicidal thoughts, behavior, and attempted suicide.

Suicide prevention

If you think someone is at immediate risk of self-harm or hurting another person:

  • Call 911 or your local emergency services.
  • Stay with the person until help arrives.
  • Remove any guns, knives, medications, or other things that may cause harm.
  • Listen, but don’t judge, argue, threaten, or yell.

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. The service is available 24/7.

You should also contact a doctor or seek emergency care if any of the following occurs after taking Wellbutrin:

  • fainting
  • fast or pounding heartbeat
  • rash or hives
  • hallucinations
  • seizures
  • trouble breathing

Doctors typically don’t prescribe Wellbutrin (or prescribe it with caution) if you have a history of:

Do not take Wellbutrin with the following medications:

Wellbutrin can interact with several other drugs. Talk with a doctor or pharmacist before taking Wellbutrin if you take any other medications.

The most commonly used medications for ADHD are in a class of compounds known as stimulants. These include:

The FDA has approved three nonstimulant drugs to treat ADHD:

Nonstimulants might be less effective than stimulants, but they’re also considered less addictive.

Behavioral therapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), may also help with ADHD. CBT focuses on creating healthier behavioral patterns and changing a person’s way of thinking.

Wellbutrin has shown promise in small clinical trials for treating ADHD in adults and children. Although not FDA-approved, a doctor may prescribe Wellbutrin off-label to help manage your ADHD symptoms. Your doctor will likely have a good reason for recommending Wellbutrin instead of an FDA-approved ADHD medication.

Always review the details of your prescribed medication with your doctor and pharmacist.