Bupropion
Hacker ApprovedTied for most recommended of 11 antidepressants
Antidepressant some say worked when others failed and has fewer side effects than SSRIs. Critics often report raised anxiety, weight loss, and a long side-effect list.
Antidepressant some say worked when others failed and has fewer side effects than SSRIs. Critics often report raised anxiety, weight loss, and a long side-effect list.
15 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 80%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 3 years
Median of the 3 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it carries the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Worked when other treatments did not
“Wellburtin was finally the one that worked, and oh man what a difference.”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants” “actual treatment (dextroamphetamine + bupropion) changed my life”
Comment from 9 Oct 2026 in “ADHD as a circadian rhythm disorder: evidence and implications for chronotherapy (2025)” “the thing that helped me out of clinical depression”
Comment from 21 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: How can we solve the loneliness epidemic?” - Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants”
Fewer side effects than SSRIs
“It has fewer side effects vs. SSRIs, can be safely used as a long term medication”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal” “my reading has always been that bupronion has less scary side effects”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal” “I usually recommend that one over SSRIs due to my experiences.”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Raised anxiety in some users
“magically fixed by bupropion while it spikes anxiety in others”
Comment from 9 Jan 2026 in “Exercise can be nearly as effective as therapy for depression” “buprioprion can dramatically raise anxiety levels”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal” “whatever benefits it had for the depression were directly counteracted by the return of acute anxiety”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal” Worsened depression or borderline symptoms
“Worse depression and even more peculiar I picked up smoking again.”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal” “I think it caused my BorderlinePD to get much worse”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal”
Other antidepressants people recommend
The four most recommended other antidepressants, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BupropionThis page | 12 | 3 | 80% | 4 | 3 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Ketamine | 12 | 5 | 71% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Prozac | 12 | 28 | 30% | 4 | 15 yrs3 owners | — |
| Lexapro | 8 | 4 | 67% | 2 | — | — |
| Fluoxetine | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
15 of the 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“actual treatment (dextroamphetamine + bupropion) changed my life”
“I usually recommend that one over SSRIs due to my experiences.”
“I found it beneficial, but ended up losing more than 10kg, and becoming malnourished”
“whatever benefits it had for the depression were directly counteracted by the return of acute anxiety”
“Worse depression and even more peculiar I picked up smoking again.”
“my reading has always been that bupronion has less scary side effects”
“It has a long and scary list of side effects, good if it works for you”
“buprioprion can dramatically raise anxiety levels”
“I think it caused my BorderlinePD to get much worse”
“It has fewer side effects vs. SSRIs, can be safely used as a long term medication”
“Wellburtin was finally the one that worked, and oh man what a difference.”
“Night and day difference.”
“the thing that helped me out of clinical depression”
“magically fixed by bupropion while it spikes anxiety in others”
“the most effective drug ever found in its area”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.