Intravenous administration and abuse of bupropion: a case report and a review of the literature

Abstract

Introduction: Bupropion is an effective and well-tolerated second-generation antidepressant generally assumed to be without abuse potential. In the past years, several case reports about the recreational use of bupropion, mainly via nasal insufflation, have been published. Last year, a first case of intravenous bupropion dependence was reported.

Case presentation: We present another case of intravenous administration of and dependence on bupropion in a 29-year-old woman with a history of polysubstance dependence, who consumed an extremely high daily dose of about 2400 mg of bupropion together with a daily oral dose of 2400 to 3600 mg of pregabalin.

Discussion: The possible impact of bupropion on subjects with a history of polysubstance dependence is discussed; physicians should be careful when prescribing bupropion in these cases.