Bupropion sustained-release form

The sustained-release (SR) form of bupropion is prescribed at a dose of 150 mg/ day for 3 days and then increased as tolerated to 150 mg twice a day. The XL form of bupropion is administered at a dose of 150mg/day for 3 days and then increased as tolerated to 300mg taken once daily. Bupropion should be taken for 12 weeks and can be used in conjunction with nicotine replacement. Patients should be advised to plan on total smoking cessation after the first week of treatment with bupropion. 

Nicotine replacement therapy in the form of transdermal nicotine preparations combined with sustained-release bupropion (51) has been successfully tried in some hard core nicotine addicts, after the above social and practical measurements have been taken. The combined therapy of transdermal nicotine and bupropion should last for at least 6 months, and in many cases much longer if the crave to smoke still exists. Sustained-release bupropion therapy alone resulted in a 23.1% tobacco use cessation at one year in a placebo-controlled trial (51). Combination therapy of bupropion and high dose transdermal nicotine has been successful for smoking cessation, but the physician should be certain that his or her patient is not prone to coronary spasm. In premenopausal women, nicotine has been identified as the most important risk factor for coronary spasm (52). 

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