In pharmacotherapy, which is the use of chemical drugs to treat diseases, a single medication is often used to treat a specific ailment.
There are cases where a single medication will not be enough in the treatment of an ailment, here, one or more drugs are brought in to enable patients get desired results.
In treating patients with depression, some patients may benefit maximally on a single medication (monotherapy) while some can only drive a maximum benefit when they are placed on two antidepressants.
In this article, we will be discussing the benefits of combining Wellbutrin and Zoloft in the treatment of depression.
Before we go deeper, let us discuss briefly on what Wellbutrin and Zoloft are.
What is Wellbutrin and its uses?
Wellbutrin is the brand name for the medication called bupropion.
Bupropion is an antidepressant that belongs to the class of drugs known as aminoketones.
Wellbutrin is majorly used to treat major depressive disorder and seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression that occurs during specific seasons, usually during the fall and winter months when there is less natural sunlight.
Wellbutrin is prescribed off-label for smoking cessation. This is because it can help reduce the urge to smoke and decrease withdrawal symptoms in people trying to quit smoking.
What is Zoloft and its uses?
Zoloft is a medication that contains sertraline as its active ingredient.
Sertraline belongs to a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Because Zoloft inhibits the reuptake of serotonin in the brain, its intake makes the levels of serotonin to be high in the brain.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is associated with mood regulation.
Just like Wellbutrin, it is primarily used to treat depression. It is also used to treat various mental health conditions, including:
- Major depressive disorder (MDD)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia
- Panic disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD
Benefits of combining Wellbutrin and Zoloft
Some depressed patients do not respond well to Wellbutrin. Similarly, some depressed patients do not also respond well to Zoloft.
These type of patients tend to respond better when placed on a combination therapy comprising Wellbutrin and Zoloft.
This shows that a combination therapy of wellbutrin and Zoloft leads to better outcomes in the treatment of patients with depression.
Rationale for combining Wellbutrin and Zoloft
Wellbutrin and Zoloft are combined when a monotherapy with either of the two medications will produce suboptimal desired result.
When not to combine Wellbutrin and Zoloft
These two medications should not be combined when either of the two is sufficient to produce a desired result.
Similarly, they should not be combined in a patient who has not been treated of depression before. Here, it is better that a single medication is used than combining the two.
Using a single medication leads to a lower cost of therapy and produces lesser and more tolerable side effects.
Adherence to treatment is often better when the cost is minimal and the side effects are highly tolerable.
Conclusion
Combination of Wellbutrin and Zoloft can produce improved response in the treatment of depressed patients. Your doctor will determine when it will be beneficial for you to take Wellbutrin and Zoloft combination.
2 comments