Can Wellbutrin Help You Stop Smoking?
Yes. Bupropion SR, the same medicine as Wellbutrin and sold as Zyban, helps about 1.6 times as many people quit as placebo. You start it a week before your quit date.
By withClaro Editorial · Medically reviewed by Dr. Jason Tan , Consultant Psychiatrist · 2026-11-09 · 9 min read
Key takeaways Bupropion SR, the same medicine as Wellbutrin, is FDA-approved to help people stop smoking and is sold as Zyban for that use. In a 2023 Cochrane review of 50 studies, about 1.6 times as many people quit on bupropion as on placebo. You start it while you still smoke, because it needs about a week to build up. The quit date falls in the first two weeks. It works about as well as a nicotine patch alone. Chantix, or a patch plus gum or lozenges, works better. People with a seizure disorder, bulimia or anorexia should not take it, and neither should people suddenly stopping alcohol or sedatives. On this page
Does Wellbutrin help you quit smoking? How long does it take to quit smoking while taking Wellbutrin? What does Wellbutrin do to smokers? Which is better to quit smoking, Wellbutrin or Chantix? Can you take Wellbutrin with a nicotine patch? Was the cardiologist right about Wellbutrin for quitting smoking? Who should not take Wellbutrin to quit smoking, and when to call your doctor? Keeping track while you quit Yes, Wellbutrin can help you stop smoking. Its active ingredient, bupropion, is FDA-approved for quitting in its SR form, sold as Zyban. In trials, about 1.6 times as many people quit on it as on placebo.
Cardiologist Dr. Christopher Labos talked through bupropion in a November 2024 episode of his podcast, The Body of Evidence. The episode covers the main ways to quit smoking. We checked his claims about bupropion against the trials and the FDA label.
Does Wellbutrin help you quit smoking?
It does, and the evidence is strong. A 2023 Cochrane review pooled 50 studies with 18,577 people and rated the evidence as high certainty.
The FDA label gives absolute numbers from the maker's dose trial in smokers without depression. At 300 mg a day, 36% had gone four weeks without a cigarette by week 7, against 17% on placebo. At six months, 19% and 11% were not smoking.
So even on bupropion, most people in that trial were smoking again by six months. Whether it works better for people with depression is unclear, and the Cochrane authors call those findings sparse and inconsistent. If you are weighing it up, note how many times you have tried to quit and what got in the way.
Is Zyban the same as Wellbutrin?
Yes, the drug is the same. The label for bupropion SR for smoking says it contains the same active ingredient as Wellbutrin, Wellbutrin SR and Wellbutrin XL. The episode makes the same point: one medicine, with a different brand name for each use.
The approval for quitting belongs to the SR tablet, taken twice a day. You should not take two bupropion products at once, so tell your prescriber if you already take Wellbutrin for depression. For how the forms differ, see what Wellbutrin is and how its forms differ .
How long does it take to quit smoking while taking Wellbutrin?
Plan on about a week before your quit date, then a course of 7 to 12 weeks. The label says to start while you are still smoking. Bupropion needs about a week to reach a steady level in your body. You then set a quit date within the first two weeks.
Labos described the same order:
you take the medication for one week and then you quit smoking. So you got to give it time for it to build up in your system.
The label dose is 150 mg once a day for three days, then 150 mg twice a day. The two doses are taken at least 8 hours apart, with a ceiling of 300 mg a day. Your prescriber sets the dose that fits you.
The medication guide says smoking in the first days on bupropion is not dangerous. Smoking after your quit date makes it less likely that you will quit.
If you are still smoking at the end of the course, the label says your prescriber should probably stop treatment and rethink the plan with you. Write down your quit date and how many cigarettes you smoke each day in the first weeks. For doses across Wellbutrin's other forms, see how Wellbutrin is dosed .
What does Wellbutrin do to smokers?
It eases nicotine withdrawal and, in some trials, cravings. In the label's trials, people on bupropion had less irritability, anger and anxiety after quitting than people on placebo. Restlessness, trouble concentrating and low mood were milder too. How it does this is not fully known.
The label says the mechanism is unknown but thought to involve norepinephrine and dopamine. Bupropion weakly blocks the reuptake of both, rather than boosting their release, and it does not act on serotonin.
Labos gave a simpler version, and noted that the mechanism is maybe not completely understood:
it's enhancing central nervous system and dopamine release. So it's affecting the reward system of the brain.
If cravings stay strong after your quit date, note when they hit and how long they last. That record helps your prescriber decide whether a nicotine product would help alongside it.
Which is better to quit smoking, Wellbutrin or Chantix?
Chantix (varenicline) works better for most people. The 2016 EAGLES trial followed 8,144 smokers in 16 countries, and more of them quit on varenicline than on bupropion. The 2023 Cochrane review points the same way and also compares bupropion with nicotine replacement.
Bupropion compared with Quit rates on bupropion Evidence Placebo or no medication About 1.6 times as many quit 50 studies, high certainty One form of nicotine replacement, such as a patch About the same 10 studies Patch plus gum or lozenge About a quarter fewer quit 2 studies Varenicline (Chantix) About a quarter fewer quit 9 studies
Labos reached the same ranking in his summary of the episode. He put varenicline probably ahead of Zyban and of a single nicotine product, and roughly level with a patch combined with gum.
Bring a list of your past quit attempts and what you used, so the choice starts from what you have tried.
Can you take Wellbutrin with a nicotine patch?
Yes, the label allows bupropion SR with a nicotine patch, but your blood pressure needs watching. In the maker's trial described in the label, high blood pressure appeared in 6.1% of people on the combination. That compared with 2.5% on bupropion alone and 1.6% on the patch alone.
Labos thinks combining is often worth it:
Like, yeah, you probably should combine these things. You always want to be a little bit careful about, you know, interactions and all that.
The extra gain is less clear than that. By week 7 in the label's trial, 58% on the combination had gone four weeks without smoking, against 49% on bupropion. The label calls that gap not significant. The 2023 Cochrane review found no clear long-term gain from adding bupropion to nicotine replacement. It rated that evidence as low certainty.
If you use both, check your blood pressure regularly and write the readings down for your prescriber. For other medicines that interact with bupropion, see what not to mix with Wellbutrin .
Was the cardiologist right about Wellbutrin for quitting smoking?
Mostly, yes. Of eight claims Labos made about bupropion, five hold up as he put them and three are partly right. None is wrong. Where he simplified, it was on how the drug works, who should avoid it and how much a patch adds.
On safety, he started with seizures:
It also lowers your seizure threshold. So if you are somebody who has a seizure disorder, this is not the medication for you.
What Dr. Labos said What the research found Does it hold up? Bupropion does seem to help with quitting smoking In the 2023 Cochrane review, about 1.6 times as many quit as on placebo, at high certainty Yes, and the evidence is firmer than he let on Wellbutrin and Zyban are the same medication under different names The label says it has the same active ingredient as Wellbutrin, Wellbutrin SR and Wellbutrin XL Yes. The approval for quitting covers the SR tablet People with a seizure disorder should not take it Seizure disorder rules it out, and the label names other groups too. In people taking it for depression at up to 300 mg a day, about 1 in 1,000 had a seizure Partly. The list is longer It works by boosting dopamine release in the reward system The mechanism is unknown. Bupropion weakly blocks reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine Partly. He said himself it isn't fully understood Take it for a week, then quit Start while still smoking, about a week to reach a steady level, quit date within two weeks Yes You probably should combine it with nicotine replacement, with care about interactions The label allows a patch and asks for blood pressure checks. Cochrane found no clear long-term gain, at low certainty Partly. Allowed, but the benefit is unproven so far The 2016 EAGLES trial found no rise in psychiatric side effects with varenicline In 8,144 smokers, neither varenicline nor bupropion raised moderate or severe psychiatric side effects compared with placebo Yes, and it holds for bupropion too Chantix is probably better than Zyban Higher odds of quitting on varenicline in EAGLES, and about a quarter fewer quitters on bupropion in Cochrane Yes
Who should not take Wellbutrin to quit smoking, and when to call your doctor?
Bupropion does not suit some people. The label rules it out if you have a seizure disorder, or have or had bulimia or anorexia. It is also ruled out if you are suddenly stopping alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates or seizure medicines. The same goes for use within 14 days of an MAOI.
Most early side effects of antidepressants ease within the first weeks, while a few tend to last and are worth raising.
Side effects that often pass include nausea, an upset stomach, headache, sleep changes and feeling restless. If sexual side effects, weight change or feeling emotionally flat appear, they tend to stay while you take the medication. A change of dose or medication often helps with these, so mention them instead of putting up with them.
Call 911 or 988 now if you feel you might act on thoughts of suicide, or you have a seizure, a very high temperature with stiff muscles, or swelling of the face or throat.
Call your prescriber the same day, or get urgent care, if you notice:
new or worse thoughts of suicide or self-harm, especially early on, after a dose change, or in people under 25 agitation, heavy sweating, fever, muscle twitching or confusion, which can be signs of serotonin syndrome unusual bleeding or bruising, black or tarry stools, or vomiting blood a sudden burst of energy, little need for sleep, racing thoughts or unusual risk-taking, especially if you or a close relative has bipolar disorder headache, confusion, weakness or unsteadiness, especially if you are older (a sign of low sodium) eye pain, changes in vision, or swelling or redness in or around the eye fainting, or a fast or irregular heartbeat Medical review Medically reviewed by Dr. Jason Tan, Consultant Psychiatrist, on 27 October 2026, this section only. Next review: 27 October 2027.
If you have had depression or another mental health condition, the 2016 EAGLES trial is the one to know. In smokers without a psychiatric diagnosis, 2.2% on bupropion had moderate or severe psychiatric side effects, against 2.4% on placebo. In people with a diagnosis, it was slightly more, 6.7% against 4.9%, but the gap may have been chance.
The most common side effect on bupropion in EAGLES was trouble sleeping, at 12%. The label also carries the boxed warning shared by all antidepressants, about suicidal thoughts in children, teens and young adults.
Before you start, tell your prescriber about:
Any seizure or eating disorder, now or in the past. How much you drink, and any sedatives or sleeping pills you take. Other medicines that contain bupropion, including Wellbutrin XL. Depression or another mental health condition, now or in the past, and bipolar disorder in you or a close relative. Your plan to use a nicotine patch, so your blood pressure gets checked. In the first weeks, note your sleep, any jitteriness, your cravings and your quit date. Bring the notes to your follow-up.
If you're having thoughts of harming yourself, contact emergency services or a crisis line straight away. In the US, call or text 988. In the UK, call Samaritans on 116 123. Elsewhere, find a crisis line near you .
Keeping track while you quit
A short daily note makes the first weeks easier to judge. Sleep, mood and side effects can shift quickly after your quit date. Later, it is hard to tell what came from the drug and what from nicotine withdrawal.
The withClaro app lets you log mood, energy, sleep and appetite each day. It links side effects to your dose and turns the record into a report for your prescriber.
Download on the App Store The first weeks of quitting on Wellbutrin can change your sleep, mood and energy. The withClaro app lets you log mood, energy, sleep and appetite each day, link side effects to your dose and share a report with your doctor.
Frequently asked questions Can you smoke while taking Wellbutrin? Before your quit date, yes. Put the date in your calendar before you take the first tablet, so the overlap has a clear end.
How much Wellbutrin do you take to quit smoking? Your prescriber sets the dose, starting low for the first few days. Ask them what to do if you miss a dose.
Does Wellbutrin take away nicotine cravings? For some people it eases them. In the label's trials it reduced withdrawal symptoms and, by some measures, cravings. Rate your cravings each day so you can see the trend.
Is Wellbutrin XL approved for quitting smoking? Wellbutrin XL contains the same drug, but the FDA approval for quitting covers the SR tablet. If you already take XL for depression, ask your prescriber how that fits your quit plan before adding anything.
What are the side effects of Zyban? Trouble sleeping was the most common one in the EAGLES trial. The label's trials also found dry mouth more often than on placebo. Note any change in the first week and mention it at your follow-up.
What happens if Wellbutrin doesn't help you quit? Many people need more than one try. Ask your prescriber about varenicline or combined nicotine replacement, and bring notes on what got in the way.
Related articles
Taper guides
Sources Christopher Labos, The Body of Evidence podcast. 115: Quitting Smoking, November 6, 2024 Hajizadeh A, et al. Antidepressants for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023 Bupropion hydrochloride extended-release tablets (SR), aid to smoking cessation treatment. Prescribing information and Medication Guide, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, revised October 2025. DailyMed Anthenelli RM, et al. Neuropsychiatric safety and efficacy of varenicline, bupropion, and nicotine patch in smokers with and without psychiatric disorders (EAGLES): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Lancet, 2016 Claro articles are for self-monitoring and educational purposes only. They are not a medical device, therapist, or diagnostic tool, and do not replace care from your prescribing clinician. If you are in crisis, contact your care team, emergency services, the Samaritans (UK: 116 123), or the Crisis Text Line (US: text HOME to 741741).
