Information on the antidepressant drug Zyban

Short time Side Effects

The most commonly observed side effect of Zyban is dry mouth and insomnia. Some of the other side effects reported for this drug is fever with skin rash, increased sweating, headache, shortness of breathing, flatulence, vomiting. Memory lapses, increased or decreased libido, muscle weakness, weight gain, dark urine, menstrual changes, seizures have also been reported. Blurred vision, frequent urination, deafness have been noticed on the usage of this drug. For all such cases, doctors need to be consulted immediately. The usage of this drug is also associated with irritability, depression, hallucinations, hostility, aggressiveness, anxiety and panic. These symptoms can develop during the usage of the drug or after discontinuation of the same.

Zyban is not contraindicated for the treatment of pediatric patients. Children, adolescents and young adults having pre existing psychiatric disorders may develop increased suicidal tendencies and behavior. Such patients need to be under observation and any change in behavior needs to be informed to the attending doctor immediately. Some of the infrequent side effects reported are migraine, abnormal liver function, jaundice, anemia, chest pain, edema, leg cramps etc. Some serious, though rare side effects like cardiovascular disorder, hypertension, pneumonia and hypoglycemia are also reported.

Patients administered Zyban are advised to stop or minimize the consumption of alcohol; since the two synergistically can create neuropsychiatric disorders in the patient. Overdose of this drug is dangerous. Other than seizure, hallucinations, unconsciousness, coma and even respiratory failures have been reported.

Long Term Side Effects

Continued usage of this drug can result in addiction and abuse of the same. Hence administration of this drug needs to be done very carefully on patients with a history of drug or alcohol dependence. The drug evokes euphoria and hence it’s relatively easy for the patient to get addicted to it.

Warnings

Since this drug is not suitable for patients below 18, the drug should be kept out of reach of minors. This drug contains the same ingredients as that found in WELLBRUTIN and WELLBRUTIN SR. Hence antidepressant drug Zyban should not be used in combination with any of them as it would result in an overdose, which could be fatal. If a patient being treated with this drug develops seizure, administration of the drug should be stopped. The total daily dose of Zyban should not exceed 300mg and no individual dose should be more than 150mg. Patients having a history of hepatic cirrhosis and renal disorder should be given this drug with extreme caution and care. In case of renal patients, the risk of toxic reaction is much higher. Zyban is a pregnancy category C medicine which means usage of this drug could cause harm to the unborn baby. Hence administration of this drug to pregnant mothers should be done only when the consulting doctor feels the benefits to the mother outweigh the risk to the child. Sudden discontinuation of this drug can also cause withdrawal symptoms.