Auvelity

Generic name: Bupropion And Dextromethorphan
Dosage form: extended-release tablets
Drug class: Miscellaneous antidepressants

Usage of Auvelity

Auvelity is an antidepressant medicine used to treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) which is a specific type of depression. Auvelity is a rapid-acting antidepressant that started working as early as 1 week, and patients' depression symptoms continued to improve over time when compared to placebo in a 6-week clinical study for MDD (Study 1, NCT04019704).

Auvelity contains two active ingredients, bupropion and dextromethorphan. Auvelity is thought to work by increasing the amount of glutamate (a chemical messenger) available in your brain, which may positively affect your mood and ease depressive symptoms. It may also weakly affect your brain's other neurotransmitters, norepinephrine and dopamine.

Auvelity became an FDA-approved medicine on August 18, 2022, for adults with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Auvelity side effects

Common Auvelity side effects

The most common Auvelity side effects include:

  • dizziness
  • diarrhea
  • dry mouth
  • excessive sweating
  • headache
  • feeling sleepy
  • sexual function problems

    • Serious Auvelity side effects

    Also, see Warnings.

    Auvelity may cause serious side effects, including:

    Seizures. There is a risk of seizures during treatment with this medicine. The risk is higher in people who:

  • take higher doses of this medicine
  • have certain medical problems
  • take it with certain other medicines

    • Do not take Auvelity with other medicines unless your healthcare provider tells you to. If you have a seizure during treatment, stop taking this medicine and call your healthcare provider right away. Do not take this medicine again if you have a seizure.

    Increases in blood pressure (hypertension). Some people may get high blood pressure during treatment. Your healthcare provider should check your blood pressure before you start taking and during treatment.

    Manic episodes. Manic episodes may happen in people with bipolar disorder who take Auvelity. Symptoms may include:

  • greatly increased energy
  • racing thoughts
  • unusually grand ideas
  • talking more or faster than usual
  • severe trouble sleeping
  • reckless behavior
  • excessive happiness or irritability

    • Unusual thoughts or behaviors. One of the ingredients in Auvelity (bupropion), can cause unusual thoughts or behaviors, including delusions (believing you are someone else), hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there), paranoia (feeling that people are against you), or feeling confused. If this happens to you, call your healthcare provider.

    Eye problems (angle-closure glaucoma). Auvelity may cause a type of eye problem called angle-closure glaucoma in people with certain other eye conditions. You may want to undergo an eye examination to see if you are at risk and receive preventative treatment if you are. Call your healthcare provider if you have eye pain, changes in your vision, or swelling or redness in or around the eye.

    Dizziness. this medicine may cause dizziness, increasing your fall risk.

    Serotonin syndrome. A potentially life-threatening problem called serotonin syndrome can happen when you take Auvelity with certain other medicines. Call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away if you have any of the following signs and symptoms of serotonin syndrome:

  • agitation
  • seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations)
  • confusion
  • coma
  • fast heartbeat
  • changes in blood pressure
  • dizziness
  • sweating
  • flushing
  • high body temperature (hyperthermia)
  • shaking (tremors), stiff muscles, or muscle twitching
  • loss of coordination
  • seizures
  • nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

    • These are not all the possible side effects. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

    Before taking Auvelity

    Do not take Auvelity if you:

  • have or had a seizure disorder
  • have or had an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia
  • have recently suddenly stopped drinking alcohol or use medicines called benzodiazepines, barbiturates, or antiseizure medicines, and you have recently suddenly stopped taking them.
  • take a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) medicine
  • have stopped taking an MAOI in the last 14 days
  • are being treated with the antibiotic linezolid or intravenous methylene blue
  • are allergic to dextromethorphan, bupropion, or any of the other ingredients. See the end of this page for a complete list of ingredients.

    • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you are not sure if you take an MAOI or one of these medicines, including the antibiotic linezolid or intravenous methylene blue.

    Do not start this medicine if you stopped taking an MAOI in the last 14 days.

    Do not start taking an MAOI for at least 14 days after you stop treatment with Auvelity.

    Relate drugs

    How to use Auvelity

    Usual Adult Dose for Auvelity

    Dose: One tablet once daily in the morning for three days, then increase to the maximum recommended dosage of one tablet twice daily, separated by at least 8 hours.

    Comment: Prior to initiating treatment with this medicine assess blood pressure; screen patients for history of bipolar disorder, mania, or hypomania; and determine if patients are receiving any other medications that contain bupropion or dextromethorphan.

    Dosage form and strength: Extended-release tablet containing dextromethorphan hydrobromide 45 mg and bupropion hydrochloride 105 mg.

    Warnings

    Auvelity may cause serious side effects, including:

    Increased risk of suicidal thoughts and actions. Auvelity and other antidepressant medicines may increase suicidal thoughts and actions in some children, adolescents, and young adults, especially within the first few months of treatment or when the dose is changed. This medicine is not for use in children.

  • Depression or other mental illnesses are the most important causes of suicidal thoughts or actions.

    • How can I watch for and try to prevent suicidal thoughts and actions in myself or a family member?

  • Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes in mood, behavior, thoughts, or feelings or if you develop suicidal thoughts or actions. This is very important when an antidepressant medicine is started or the dose changes.
  • Call your healthcare provider right away to report new or sudden changes in mood, behavior, thoughts, or feelings or if you develop suicidal thoughts or actions.
  • Keep all follow-up visits with your healthcare provider as scheduled. Call your healthcare provider between visits as needed, especially if you have concerns about symptoms.

    • Call your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you have any of the following symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you :

  • thoughts about suicide or dying
  • new or worse depression
  • feeling very agitated or restless
  • trouble sleeping (insomnia)
  • attempts to commit suicide
  • new or worse anxiety
  • panic attacks
  • new or worse irritability
  • acting aggressive, being angry, or violent
  • an extreme increase in activity and talking (mania)
  • acting on dangerous impulses
  • other unusual changes in behavior or mood

    • What other drugs will affect Auvelity

    Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Auvelity and some other medicines may affect each other causing possible serious side effects. Auvelity may affect the way other medicines work and other medicines may affect the way Auvelity works.

    Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take:

  • other medicines containing bupropion or dextromethorphan
  • medicines used to treat mood, anxiety, psychotic or thought disorders, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
  • tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)
  • theophylline
  • corticosteroids
  • oral diabetes medicines or use insulin to control your blood sugar
  • medicines to control appetite (anorectic)
  • nicotine medicines to help you stop smoking
  • street (illicit) drugs
  • benzodiazepines, sedatives-hypnotics (sleep medicines), or opiates
  • CNS stimulants

    • Ask your healthcare provider if you are not sure if you are taking any of these medicines. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take Auvelity with your other medicines.

    Do not start or stop any other medicines during treatment without talking to your healthcare provider first. Stopping treatment suddenly may cause you to have serious side effects.

    Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

    Popular FAQ

    Auvelity may start to lessen your symptoms of depression after one week of treatment. The percentage of patients who achieved symptoms that were “very much improved / much improved” at one week were 22% for Auvelity vs. 13% for placebo, a significant effect. In studies, over 50% of patients achieved a clinical response by the 6th week of treatment. Continue reading

    Auvelity worked significantly better than Wellbutrin (bupropion) at relieving symptoms of depression in a small randomized double-blind, parallel trial that lasted for 6 weeks. It also had a faster onset of effect, with improvement in the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score being observed as early as week 1 and differences being statistically significant by week 2. Continue reading

    Both Auvelity and Wellbutrin are effective for depression but a small RCT (n=80) reported that Auvelity worked significantly better than Wellbutrin and took less time to start working. 43 people prescribed Auvelity experienced an overall decrease in their Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score of 13.7 points after 6 weeks compared to a decrease of 8.8 points in the 37 people prescribed bupropion (least-squares mean difference=-4.9; 95% CI=-3.1, -6.8). Continue reading

    Auvelity works in several different ways because it contains two different ingredients, dextromethorphan and bupropion, although the exact way it works for depression is unknown. The dextromethorphan component targets the NMDA receptor (N-methyl-D-aspartate), the serotonin transporter (SERT), the norepinephrine transporter (NET), and the sigma-1 receptor, to regulate levels of glutamate and other neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine. Continue reading

    Auvelity is a combination oral tablet for depression containing dextromethorphan and bupropion that works differently from other antidepressants because it has a direct effect on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor as well as possibly other traditional neurotransmitter effects. It also works much faster than traditional antidepressants, and it does appear to be more effective. Continue reading

    Weight gain has not been reported with Auvelity, but in one 6-week study, participants lost, on average, half a pound, while those taking placebo gained about one pound. Animal studies have also reported that the administration of dextromethorphan/bupropion did not affect body weight, weight gain, or food consumption. Continue reading

    Auvelity may start to lessen your symptoms of depression after one week of treatment. The percentage of patients who achieved symptoms that were “very much improved / much improved” at one week were 22% for Auvelity vs. 13% for placebo, a significant effect. In studies, over 50% of patients achieved a clinical response by the 6th week of treatment. Continue reading

    Auvelity worked significantly better than Wellbutrin (bupropion) at relieving symptoms of depression in a small randomized double-blind, parallel trial that lasted for 6 weeks. It also had a faster onset of effect, with improvement in the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score being observed as early as week 1 and differences being statistically significant by week 2. Continue reading

    Both Auvelity and Wellbutrin are effective for depression but a small RCT (n=80) reported that Auvelity worked significantly better than Wellbutrin and took less time to start working. 43 people prescribed Auvelity experienced an overall decrease in their Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score of 13.7 points after 6 weeks compared to a decrease of 8.8 points in the 37 people prescribed bupropion (least-squares mean difference=-4.9; 95% CI=-3.1, -6.8). Continue reading

    Auvelity works in several different ways because it contains two different ingredients, dextromethorphan and bupropion, although the exact way it works for depression is unknown. The dextromethorphan component targets the NMDA receptor (N-methyl-D-aspartate), the serotonin transporter (SERT), the norepinephrine transporter (NET), and the sigma-1 receptor, to regulate levels of glutamate and other neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine. Continue reading

    Auvelity is a combination oral tablet for depression containing dextromethorphan and bupropion that works differently from other antidepressants because it has a direct effect on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor as well as possibly other traditional neurotransmitter effects. It also works much faster than traditional antidepressants, and it does appear to be more effective. Continue reading

    Weight gain has not been reported with Auvelity, but in one 6-week study, participants lost, on average, half a pound, while those taking placebo gained about one pound. Animal studies have also reported that the administration of dextromethorphan/bupropion did not affect body weight, weight gain, or food consumption. Continue reading

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