A Drug That Combats Depression, Smoking, and Obesity?

Bupropion SR (Zyban®, Wellbutrin®), an antidepressant that is also used to help patients quit smoking, may have a future as a weight-loss aid. As reported at the American Psychiatric Association meeting in Washington, D.C., a team at Duke University led by Dr. Kishore Gadde found that women who took the drug and followed a 1600 kcal/day diet lost 4 times more weight than women who followed an identical diet but received a placebo.

The study included 31 women who did not have depression and who weighed an average of 222 lb. After 8 weeks, the 18 women who received bupropion SR had lost 6.2% of their body weight, while 13 women who received the placebo lost 1.6% of their body weight. The women continued to lose weight as the study reached the 6-month mark. (Note: Bupropion is contraindicated in patients with bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa because of a troubling incidence of seizures in actively purging patients treated for bulimia nervosa with the intermediate-release formulation.)