Medication · antidepressant other

Supplements and Bupropion.

Every documented pair, every citation. Below: 1 documented pair grouped by mechanism.

Bupropion, sold under the brand name Zyban, is an antidepressant: depending on the agent, it acts on serotonin, noradrenaline, or both.

Bupropion sits in the BNF "other antidepressants" group. The group includes the SNRIs (venlafaxine, duloxetine), the atypicals (mirtazapine, agomelatine, vortioxetine), and the older tetracyclics. The clinical class matters more than the BNF group, because the supplement profile differs sharply across it. SNRIs share the SSRI serotonergic concerns. Mirtazapine sits closer to the sedating, appetite-stimulating profile. Agomelatine is heavily liver-metabolised with mandatory LFT monitoring. Where these antidepressants share a supplement surface, it is St John's Wort (hard exclude across the class), 5-HTP (hard exclude on serotonergic grounds), and any supplement with significant sedating or activating effect depending on the agent. Discontinuation profiles differ too. Venlafaxine has the heaviest withdrawal syndrome of common antidepressants. Agomelatine probably the lightest.

Below are the 1 documented pair we have explicitly assessed against Bupropion in the Distil database: 1 amber. The pairs cluster around 1 mechanism: Additive seizure risk (lowered threshold). Every call is cited to either a clinical reference (PMID) or the British National Formulary. Anything not on this list is either still to be assessed or beyond our database scope. The checker beneath surfaces assessments by supplement, and the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes any uncatalogued supplement into our next curation pass.

Documented interactions

Additive seizure risk (lowered threshold)

Amber Ginkgo Biloba

Bupropion lowers the seizure threshold, more so at higher doses, and ginkgo seeds contain a natural compound that can trigger seizures. Combining them may add to the seizure risk, especially if you have had seizures, an eating disorder, or take other medicines that also lower the threshold. If you take bupropion, it is safer to discuss ginkgo with your prescriber before starting it.

PMID 16419414 · BNF: Bupropion · BNF: Ginkgo biloba

Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.

What this list does not say. Pairs not flagged here are not implicitly safe. They are either not yet in our database, or fall outside our inclusion scope (food-supplement interactions only; for drug-drug interactions, the BNF is authoritative). Use the checker below to surface any supplement, and submit a missing item if you take something we have not catalogued.

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For adults over 18. This tool gives evidence-graded information, not medical advice. Always discuss changes with your GP, especially if you take any medication, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a serious health condition.

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How we decide

How we grade severity, choose what's in scope, and what we exclude.

Every call on this page is reasoned. We publish the full rubric for severity tiers, the medication inclusion logic, the evidence grades we accept, and what we deliberately leave out. About three thousand words. Worth reading once if you use this tool more than occasionally.

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This page checks the pairs you enter. A personalised Distil report applies the same graded, cited reasoning to your whole stack: your goals, conditions, medications, diet, and the compounds worth adding or dropping. The interactions check is one section of it. You can read a real one in full before you decide.

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If a supplement or medication you take isn't in our autocomplete, tell us. We go through what people flag every week and add what's missing.

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Distil's interactions database is reviewed and updated every quarter. We grade evidence transparently and publish our methodology, including every database change, at /about/methodology. This tool is information, not a substitute for clinical judgement. If you take medication and supplements together, your GP or pharmacist can review your full regimen against your medical history. If you want a full personalised stack reasoned against this same database, the Distil report is the next step up.