Wellbutrin is the brand name for bupropion, a prescription medication to help treat depression and help people quit smoking. An interesting benefit of taking Wellbutrin is weight loss!
It is not unusual to use antidepressants for weight loss.
Not surprisingly, a side effect like that catches the interest of a lot of people who are overweight or obese patients. But is it possible to use Wellbutrin specifically for weight loss?
One problem with using a medication like Wellbutrin (Bupropion) to lose body weight is other negative side effects like nausea, high blood pressure and even seizures! The high cost and availability issues may also be prohibitive
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For this reason there are natural weight loss pills that can be used for losing weight instead of Wellbutrin that are cheaper, safer and readily available.
Best Alternatives to Wellbutrin for Weight Loss 2023
- PhenQ - natural fat burner and appetite suppressant
- Keto Charge - ketogenic diet pill
- Phen24 - night time fat burner
Wellbutrin Weight Loss Summary
If you are contemplating using Wellbutrin / Bupropion for its intended usage (antidepressant and antipsychotic use) it is highly advised to seek professional medical advice before taking. The drug has lots of other clinical trials and data to back up its claims for its intended usage and therefore highly recommended for use to treat depression and smoking cessation.
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If you are considering using Wellbutrin to reduce body weight or bupropion to combat weight gain there are other natural options to consider that are far more convincing:
Natural Weight Loss Alternatives to Wellbutrin - Bupropion SR
Here are the 3 best alternatives to Wellbutrin for weight loss that can be ordered over the counter.
#1 - PHENQ
PhenQ is a natural fat burner and appetite suppressant that has helped countless men and women in losing weight quickly and safely.
It is available directly from its own official website and does not require a prescription. PhenQ targets several areas of weight loss, it can help to reduce body mass index and baseline body weight. A 60 day money guarantee makes PhenQ an exceptional and risk free choice.
#2 - KETOCHARGE
KetoCharge – a weight loss pill that makes it easy to get into and stay in the keto state – where your body actively burns through fat to energize your brain and body.
KetoCharge increases your body’s natural keto production and is ideal if you are on a low carb diet. It can also help you avoid keto flu and guards against brain fog.
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#2 - PHEN24
Phen24 – another natural weight loss alternative to Wellbutrin. A more complex solution that requires 2 pills to be taken during the day and at night.
What Is Wellbutrin and How Does It Work?
The drug class medication Wellbutrin (Bupropion) affects the function of neurotransmitters. Although it was initially created to treat depression, it is now used both on and off-label for a number of other conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety control, quitting smoking, and weight reduction.
The chemical messengers called neurotransmitters are in charge of transmitting messages within the central nervous system. Reuptake is a mechanism through which the neurons appear to be able to recycle neurotransmitters that have been released.
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Numerous professionals think that neurotransmitter abnormalities may be the cause of depressive symptoms of depression.
A norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI), wellbutrin. It prevents norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin from being reabsorbed.
Both a stress hormone and a neurotransmitter, norepinephrine. In response to a perceived threat or stressful situation, the body exhales it.
Dopamine and serotonin are "feel good" hormones as well as neurotransmitters. They both affect your mood favorably, as the name implies.
These drugs can also be used to improve cognitive function.
Wellbutrin keeps these three hormones and neurotransmitters available for sending messages to the neurons by preventing their reuptake. This reduces hunger, elevates the mood, and gives you more energy.
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The majority of dieters experience hunger, so Wellbutrin's capacity to regulate appetite is highly helpful.
The medication's capacity to elevate mood and increase energy is also highly desired because the dietary and lifestyle modifications required to promote fat burning can depress even the happiest of people and result in diet-related lethargy.
Wellbutrin - Bupropion Alternative Brands and Combinations
In addition to being distributed under the name Wellbutrin, Bupropion is also marketed under several other brand names including Aplenzin and Zyban. They target a major depressive disorder
Other Bupropion brand names include:
- Buproban
- Budeprion SR
- Budeprion XL
- Forfivo XL
- Wellbutrin SR
- Wellbutrin XL
The only antidepressant that promotes significant weight loss now is bupropion. It's not the only drug, though, that had a different purpose at first and later turned out to be effective against obesity and for chronic weight management/
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Naltrexone's past is comparable. It was initially created as a drug to treat alcohol and drug addiction, but later research showed that it could also aid in weight loss.
Bupropion and naltrexone have a synergy that makes them effective together, therefore the mixture is marketed as a specific weight reduction drug and sold under the brand name Contrave.
Proof the Wellbutrin Causes Weight Loss and Reduction in Body Weight
If you are wondering if Wellbutrin can genuinely help people to lose weight, wonder no more. It can.
Despite its origins as a treatment for depression, doctors sometimes take advantage of Wellbutrin’s favorable side effects and prescribe it as a weight management medication. They would not do so unless they had faith in its ability to work.
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Several studies also support using Wellbutrin for weight loss. Let’s take a look at a couple of them.
Bupropion Study #1 – Lose Weight
In 2016, a team of experts from renowned US universities set out to assess the effectiveness of weight loss and side effects of different antidepressant drugs, including bupropion. Some individuals smoked, while others did not.
It was a lengthy investigation that ran from January 2006 to October 2009.
The non-smokers who took bupropion at the end of the research had lost an average of 7.1 pounds. It's interesting to note that during the trial, the smokers who were on Bupropion put on an additional 2.2 pounds of weight.
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The individuals who received the other antidepressants also put on weight.
Bupropion Study #2 – Combat Weight Gain
Obesity Research reported the findings of a study in September 2012 that suggested bupropion is effective for both weight loss and weight maintenance. In this instance, a 24 week study was conducted with 327 obese volunteers.
300 mg of bupropion were given daily to some of the subjects. Others received a daily dose of 400 mg. There was also a control group, as is typical in most trials of this kind, and they received a placebo.
According to the study's findings, volunteers who received the 300 mg dose lost an average of 7.2 percent of their body weight over the course of 24 weeks, while those who received the larger dose lost an additional 2.8 percent. The research did not, however, end there.
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After the subjects had stopped taking bupropion, the researchers observed them for an additional 24 weeks. According to the findings, the subjects successfully kept off their weight during the 24 weeks they were off the medication.
Wellbutrin Side Effects
Now for the fly in the ointment. Like most medications, Wellbutrin is associated with several side effects, some of them serious.
Fortunately, although the most common Wellbutrin side effects may be unpleasant, they are unusually a cause for concern.
Common side effects include:
- Headaches
- Dry mouth
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Sore throat
- Constipation
- Insomnia
Wellbutrin also has the potential to interact unfavorably with certain other medications, so it’s important to let your physician know if you are taking medicines prescribed via an alternative channel, such as a dental practice.
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All the prescription medications that are approved for weight loss have the potential to cause side effects. That’s one of the main reasons so many people prefer to use natural alternatives instead.
Some Natural Alternatives to Wellbutrin for Weight Loss
The very finest all-natural Wellbutrin alternatives all contain a mixture of plant extracts and other natural components. Similar to Wellbutrin, these substances decrease hunger and increase energy levels by interacting with your body.
The capacity of the medicine to elevate mood is shared by some of the natural alternatives. They typically also offer additional advantages like quicker fat burning and a higher metabolism.
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The finest substitutes typically have two or more of the following components.
Capsicum
The finest natural substances for weight loss in the world are capsicum pepper extracts. By reducing appetite, they offer a chemical called capsaicin, which makes your weight reduction programme less miserable.
Capsaicin not only curbs appetite but also quickens metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories and shed pounds than you could with only diet and exercise.
By stimulating brown adipose tissue (BAT), capsicum has lately been found to further improve weight loss. This is a unique variety of fat that burns fat.
White adipose tissue (WAT) makes up the majority of the fat in your body. The fat in the bat promotes it to disappear.
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Although capsicum is a potent substance, it's hot character can make it difficult to digest. This problem is frequently addressed by supplement producers utilizing Capsimax.
High-potency capsicum extract Capsimax makes use of a unique OmniBead delivery system that delays the release of capsaicin until it has passed too far down the digestive track to cause any discomfort.
Green Tea
There is a mountain of research that shows green tea can boost your metabolism and help you to burn extra fat. It’s a natural fat burner that works ands another safer alternative to Wellbutrin for losing weight.
Green tea is also very good for your health. Among other things, it controls the build-up of free radical toxins in the body. These toxins contribute to early aging and can also make your body more susceptible to disease.
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Green tea’s ability to control free radical toxins is due to the natural profusion of antioxidants it contains. These are known as “catechins.”
Green tea catechins are also the compounds that affect metabolism and help your body to burn more fat. One of the most important catechins is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).
Chromium
You can typically get the mineral chromium in diet tablets. Because chromium picolinate is the most easily absorbed form, the finest ones offer it in that form.
It is crucial that substances are absorbed since if they can't get through your intestinal walls and into your blood, they can't give you any benefits.
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Because it appears to lessen desires for food and hunger, chromium is a common element in dietary supplements.
Many times, cravings are unrelated to hunger. For instance, some individuals need sugar and carbohydrates just after eating.
These desires are brought on by blood sugar fluctuations and the consequent conflict with insulin. Insulin resistance and glucose tolerance are improved by chromium.
There is still much to learn about utilizing chromium to regulate appetite and cravings, despite the many research that support it. According to the findings of one study, chromium's ability to decrease hunger may be related to how it affects the brain.
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Nopal
If you're looking for Wellbutrin alternatives that are also natural, nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) is another substance to consider. It's an extract from cacti. It has been used by people for thousands of years to stoke their hunger.
Indian tribesmen were the first to profit from this stingy hunger slayer. They used to take advantage of this capacity during protracted hunting expeditions since they had learned from experience that chewing bits of nopal eliminated their hunger.
Nopal has a lot of antioxidants, just like green tea. It also offers crucial amino acids.
Nopal's capacity to stabilize blood sugar and prevent it from climbing may be a contributing factor in why it is so effective at suppressing appetite.
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Nopal also possesses another intriguing ability, according to research. It is a blocker of fat. The quantity of fat your body absorbs can be decreased by nopal since nopal has less calories (9 calories per gramme) than fat.
Caffeine
If you are looking for a safe, chemical-free Wellbutrin substitute, caffeine is another element to keep an eye out for. By battling exhaustion brought on by dieting, it not only helps you lose weight more quickly but also lessens the discomfort of your weight loss journey.
A stimulant, caffeine is. It works wonders to increase energy. Everyone is aware of this, but some people avoid drinking coffee.
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However, when used responsibly (unless you are hypersensitive to stimulants), caffeine is fine, despite the fact that its very high amounts can make you feel restless and create other adverse effects.
The issue is that caffeine is a strong fat burner in addition to being helpful for energy, and some supplement producers use too much of it.
The majority of the most effective and successful weight loss and management products do contain caffeine, but the companies behind them make wise use of it. generally offering a quantity comparable to a cup of coffee.
There is a tonne of research supporting the use of caffeine as a fat burner, and one study including obese adults and post-obese individuals demonstrates caffeine's capacity to increase metabolism by 3–4%.
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This was accomplished by the study's researchers by selecting doses that are frequently eaten. This study demonstrates that using caffeine effectively doesn't need to be overbearing or using excessive force.
Should You Use Wellbutrin for Weight Loss
It is not unusual to use an antidepressant (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) as a weight loss drug.
If you only need something to help you lose a few extra pounds, Wellbutrin won’t be a suitable choice for your weight loss regimen. It won’t be available to you either.
As with other antidepressants and similar prescription-only weight loss medications, such as Phentermine and Saxenda, Wellbutrin is only available to people who are extremely overweight or obese or gain weight easily.
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If your BMI (body mass index) is not sufficiently high, your physician will not offer you a Wellbutrin prescription. That’s the bottom line.
Before prescribing Wellbutrin for weight loss, your physician will also take into account any existing medical problems you have and check how it will react with any medications you are currently using.
If you are not a suitable candidate for Wellbutrin to help against weight gain you could choose to use a natural weight loss supplement instead. You may also want to use an alternative if you have been offered the medication but prefer to keep things natural or want to avoid the risk of side effects.
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Even if you do use the Wellbutrin weight loss drug, it’s important to be aware it does not work for everyone. Results can vary and some of the natural weight management alternatives may offer a greater level of support for achieving weight loss.
Disclaimer: The above is a sponsored post, the views expressed are those of the sponsor/author and do not represent the stand and views of Outlook Editorial.
