Wellbutrin Hair Loss

There have been numerous anecdotal reports of hair loss with Wellbutrin on forums and blogs across the internet... so no, you're not alone.

Wellbutrin Hair Loss Men and Women

Its possible women may be more sensitive to hormonal effects of Wellbutrin caused from the increases in dopamine and norepinephrine.

One possible mechanism through which Wellbutrin may cause hair loss is that the increased dopamine (neurotransmitter) function may be increasing testosterone (hormone) levels. DHT, a metabolite of testosterone is the major culprit for hair loss.

Testosterone and Wellbutrin Hair Loss

There have also been case reports of Wellbutrin causing acne which is another known testosterone side effect.

Wellbutrin also tends to increase libido more readily in women than in men, which may give even more backing to the proposed testosterone increasing theory.

Testosterone is known to increase hair loss, acne, and libido. Wellbutrin also does these things. There may be something to this.

Manufacturer's Stance on Wellbutrin Hair Loss

I tend to not believe in conspiracy theories so I'll go with "out of sight, out of mind." Just as sexual dysfunction wasn't initially listed as a side effect of many SSRI's (Prozac, Celexa, Paxil) because of lack of patient reporting... the same thing here may also be at play.

What Does the Research Say?

A placebo-controlled trial of bupropion SR as an antidote for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor-induced sexual dysfunction.

Clayton AH, Warnock JK, Kornstein SG, Pinkerton R, Sheldon-Keller A, McGarvey EL. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA. ahc8v@virginia.edu

OBJECTIVE: This study reports the results of a placebo-controlled, double-blind comparison of bupropion sustained release (SR) as an antidote for sexual dysfunction versus placebo in 42 patients with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)-induced sexual dysfunction. Exploratory analyses of the association of testosterone and sexual functioning in women in the study were also performed. METHOD: Patients with DSM-IV major depression who experienced a therapeutic response to any SSRI and were experiencing medication-induced global or phase-specific sexual dysfunction, as measured by the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ), were randomly assigned to receive either bupropion SR 150 mg b.i.d. or placebo for 4 weeks in addition to the SSRI. Total testosterone levels were assessed at baseline and week 4. RESULTS: The difference in global sexual functioning, based on the total CSFQ score, was not statistically significant between the 2 groups at week 4, nor were differences in orgasm, desire/ interest as measured by sexual thoughts, or self-reported arousal. There was a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups at week 4 in desire as measured by self-report feelings of desire and frequency of sexual activity. Desire/frequency showed a significantly greater improvement among those patients receiving bupropion SR compared with placebo (Wilk's F = 5.47, df = 1, p =.024). Frequency was significantly correlated to total testosterone level at baseline (r = 0.36, p =.027) and at week 4 (r = 0.41, p =.025). CONCLUSIONS: Bupropion SR, as an effective antidote to SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction, produced an increase in desire to engage in sexual activity and frequency of engaging in sexual activity compared with placebo. A larger study is needed to further investigate this finding.

Basically what this study is saying is... Wellbutrin (bupropion) increased women's desire and frequency for sex, which also correlated with higher testosterone levels.

This is the closest research we have saying Wellbutrin may increase testosterone levels in women.

Wellbutrin Hair Loss Conclusions

Because of Wellbutrin's small significance on testosterone in men, its ability to cause hair loss would be close to negligible.