Wellbutrin SR (bupropion SR) helps women lose 9.7 lbs

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Tuesday, January 04, 2005 7:42 am Email this article
Women given Wellbutrin SR (bupropion sustained-release) lost an average of 9.7 pounds in six months compared to 3.7 pounds for women given a placebo according to a recent study. Weight loss: 9.7 lbs or 4.6% vs 3.7 lbs or 1.8%

This amount of weight loss represented 4.6 percent of body weight for the Wellbutrin SR group (9.7 pounds), and 1.8 percent for the placebo group (3.7 pounds).

5% weight loss: 40% of women given Wellbutrin SR, 16% given placebo

Forty percent of women in the Wellbutrin SR group lost at least 5 percent of their body weight compared to 16 percent of the women in the placebo group.

Dose: 300 mg for the first three months, 400 mg if they had not lost at least 5%

The dose of Wellbutrin SR used was 300 mg per day.

The dose was increased to 400 mg per day after three months in women who had not lost at least 5 percent of their body weight.

Diet: 500 calories below a person’s needs

Women in both groups were instructed to eat a diet that was 500 calories per day below their needs.

The expected weight loss from this type of diet would be one pound per week. (500 calories per day X 7 days per week = 3500 calories per week or 1 pound per week.)

Subjects: 193 women given Wellbutrin, 191 given placebo

The study included 193 women who were randomly assigned to receive Wellbutrin SR, and 191 women who received a placebo.

Obese, non-depressed women

All the women in the study were obese with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 to 44 and were not depressed.

Wellbutrin SR well-tolerated

Bupropion SR was well-tolerated.

“Bupropion SR in combination with a 500 [calorie per day] deficit diet facilitated weight loss,” the authors of the study concluded.

REFERENCE

Jain A, Kaplan R, Gadde K, Wadden T, Allison D, Brewer E, Leadbetter R, Richard N, Haight B, Jamerson B, Buaron K, Metz A. Bupropion sr vs. placebo for weight loss in obese patients with depressive symptoms. Obes Res. 2002 Oct, 10(10):1049-56.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

A. Jain
Medical Research Institute
Slidell, Louisiana, USA
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