Remission rates following antidepressant therapy with bupropion or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: a…
Worth asking your prescriber about bupropion if sexual side effects on an SSRI are a problem for you, since trial data show similar depression outcomes with fewer sexual side effects.
Reasonable evidence with real limitations. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Full funding statement is paywalled and could not be read; the pooled trials were of the manufacturer's drug, so sponsorship could not be ruled out.
In pooled patient-level data from 7 randomized trials (732 bupropion, 731 SSRI, 512 placebo patients), bupropion matched SSRIs on remission (47% vs 47%, both above placebo's 36%) while causing no more sexual dysfunction than placebo, whereas SSRIs caused significantly more sexual side effects than either.
Worth asking
Worth asking your prescriber about bupropion if sexual side effects on an SSRI are a problem for you, since trial data show similar depression outcomes with fewer sexual side effects.
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Major depressive disorder
- Prevention of seasonal major depressive episodes (seasonal affective disorder)
- Aid to smoking cessation
Source
Remission rates following antidepressant therapy with bupropion or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: a meta-analysis of original data from 7 randomized controlled trials — Thase ME, et al. (2005)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.v66n0803
DOI: 10.4088/jcp.v66n0803
How this was scored
- Study design
- Meta-analysis of randomised trials
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 1,975
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- No
- Independent of proponent
- not recorded
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "moderate evidence". Reasonable evidence with real limitations. It scores 68 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Full funding statement is paywalled and could not be read; the pooled trials were of the manufacturer's drug, so sponsorship could not be ruled out. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Remission rates following antidepressant therapy with bupropion or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: a meta-analysis of original data from 7 randomized controlled trials — Thase ME, et al. (2005). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.4088/jcp.v66n0803. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Meta-analysis of randomised trials. Funding: Funding not disclosed. Independence from the proponent is not recorded. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban, Aplenzin, Forfivo), wellbutrin, zyban, aplenzin, forfivo FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Major depressive disorder, Prevention of seasonal major depressive episodes (seasonal affective disorder), Aid to smoking cessation. Approval is for a specific indication, not for everything the drug is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.