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Smoking cessation - Management
What important adverse effects are associated with bupropion, and how can they be reduced?
- The most common adverse effects include dry mouth, gastrointestinal disturbances, insomnia (which can be reduced by not giving the last dose at bedtime), headache, impaired concentration, and dizziness.
- Seizures occur rarely in people taking bupropion; the risk of seizures is dose related, and it is therefore important not to exceed the recommended daily dose:
- At doses up to the maximum recommended daily dose, the incidence of seizures is approximately 0.1%.
- Stop bupropion if an individual has a seizure while taking it.
- The risk of seizures is increased in the presence of predisposing factors that lower the seizure threshold.
[ABPI Medicines Compendium, 2006]
- Driving:
- Bupropion may cause drowsiness and impair the ability to carry out skilled tasks; warn people not to drive or operate machinery if they are affected [BNF 54, 2007].
- The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) states that reports of seizures as an adverse effect of prescribed medication do not automatically imply that such events will be considered as provoked. The person may, therefore, be disallowed from driving for 1 year (car or motorcycle) or 5 years (large goods vehicle or passenger carrying vehicle) [DVLA, 2010].
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