Bupropion and other non-nicotine pharmacotherapies

Abstract

Bupropion is an atypical antidepressant structurally similar to diethylpropion, an appetite suppressant. The mechanism of the antidepressant effect of bupropion is not fully understood, but bupropion inhibits reuptake of dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin in the central nervous system, is a non-competitive nicotine receptor antagonist, and at high concentrations inhibits the firing of noradrenergic neurons in the locus caeruleus.