Posted by Keith Talent on June 9, 2004, at 8:30:22
In reply to Re: how is wellbutrin an AD, and Ritalin not, posted by King Vultan on June 8, 2004, at 12:29:48
It is known that methylphenidate works by inhibiting dopamine reuptake and, at high concentrations, causing dopamine release. Bupropion's mechanism of action, on the other hand, is a bit of a mystery. Some papers say that its potency at inhibiting dopamine reuptake is far too low for THAT to be the mechanism of action. Some papers say that it causes release of noradrenaline. Who knows? From the complaints here at Psycho-Babble, it seems that bupropion increases anxiety without providing a useful energy boost (i.e. stimulation) nor much of an antidepressant effect.
So, I guess my answer is that bupropion is really NOT an antidepressant (very little anyway), but that methylphenidate is very commonly used to augment antidepressants, and can be used alone as an antidepressant (such as in medically ill patients).
poster:Keith Talent
thread:354773
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040608/msgs/355040.html