I know this is super old but I've recently solidified my theory that Wellbutrin (XL OR SR) causes acne in some individuals! I went on a low dosage of Wellbutrin 4 years ago and have been consistently on the same dosage since. I started developed cystic acne on my chin (typically during my menstrual cycle) during that time period. Until now I was unable to accredit it to Wellbutrin specifically because I was 22 when the hormonal cysts commenced and thus I wouldn't be surprised that a hormonal shift would occur during that age period.

With that said, I began using AHAs/BHAs over the summer and have eliminated my occasional hormonal cysts. (They are huge and under the skin! About the size of a dime! The rest of my skin is clear.) My skin has been essentially perfect (minus red marks and skin barrier damage) until approximately 3 weeks ago when my doctor upped my Wellbutrin for the first time in 4 years. Within 2 weeks, I had 2 large cysts pop-up on my chin. (I upped the dosage from a low 150 MG to 225 MG.) I thought this was unusual as I typically only have one but began the healing process. Around 3 evenings ago, I had 2 more massive inflamed areas erupt from under my skin and I noticed four cysts appear on my neck/jaw area. I have never had any pimples anywhere besides my face. I have never had more than 2 cysts at once and as aforementioned, I'd never had any prior to taking Wellbutrin.

I changed nothing else in my routine and am absolutely positive it's the Wellbutrin. I performed some mild google research and discovered threads of people correlating Wellbutrin with acne.

With that said, I lowered back to my original dosage today and am hoping I can speed up my skin's natural cycle with BHA's until these surface. I will update this post to confirm that my skin returns to its "normal" state in the next several weeks.

Anyone else had this negative experience with Wellbutrin?

PS: I've spoken to my psychiatrist about this and he agreed that it's possible. Unfortunately he's not a scientist and therefore cannot suggest to me the reason (mechanism of action) that the Wellbutrin would affect otherwise healthily functioning skin in this way. If anyone is a chemist or such I would be really fascinated to hear how this happens.

Thank you!

I just started taking Wellbutrin a while ago and noticed that my acne is getting worse again now . I'm going to discontinue taking it for this reason... that and it suppresses my appetite too much and kind of gross but I've also noticed it causes me to sweat more than usual as well aha. Lithium also worsened my acne when I tried taking it in the past, it has acne listed as a side effect for it though, I don't think Wellbutrin does but upon looking it up online I've noticed a lot of people saying that it's either caused or worsened their acne.

Here is my rather lengthy experience with cystic acne caused by generic & name-brand anti-depressants.

In 2007, I was taking budeprion XL (generic for Wellbutrin XL) for treatment of depression and doing well.

In Feb 2008, the mail-order pharmacy unexpectedly sent a refill with bupropion XL instead of budeprion XL. Since it was supposed to have the same effectiveness as budeprion XL, I did not object. Over the next 18 months, my depression was somewhat worse and I developed painful cystic acne on my face. Having had mild acne most of my adult life, I didn't connect this outbreak to the switch between generics.

In August 2009, my Dr began specifying ("dispense as written") budeprion XL instead of bupropion XL for my Rx. My depression symptoms improved and the cystic acne cleared up.

In Oct 2012, the FDA took budeprion XL off the market. (Apparent, I'm one of the minority who had a positive experience with it!) Since I had had poor results in the past taking the alternative bupropion XL, my Dr began specifying name-brand Wellbutrin XL for my Rx, and I did well on it for a couple of years.

In Oct 2014, I decided to try the generic bupropion XL again to save money over the high-priced name brand. After 12 weeks, my depression again worsened and I developed cystic acne again on my face. This time I made the connection that the drug was causing the acne.

In Dec 2014, I switched back to name-brand Wellbutrin XL and was doing better with no cystic acne outbreaks. Then in June 2015, a refill of the name-brand Wellbutrin XL tablets unexpectedly changed to a version with a different ID stamp on each tablet. So now after a couple of months, I feel this new version of name-brand Wellbutrin XL is not working as well for my depression and the cystic acne is occurring again. Pharmacies I contacted cannot ensure that the name-brand Rx would be filled with tablets bearing the same ID stamp that I had been receiving previously.

My Dr and I suspect that it is probably one of the inactive ingredients that is causing the acne and perhaps interfering with the active ingredient's effectiveness for me. I am currently exploring alternatives with my doctor. Unfortunately, my insurance refuses to pay for the name-brand drug when a generic is available, in spite of my filing an appeal that it is "medically necessary" in my case.

So, that's been my experience with generics vs. name-brand Wellbutrin causing acne. Hope this info is useful to others in the same predicament.

So Ihad sever acne all over my face for 5 years, nothing helped. After starting wellbutrin on a higher dose my acne dissapered in a few days, just left scars and redness( which im fine with. But i got a breakout on my neck which i never did before, even from shaving. Has anyone had the same effects as me?

I hope this information is helpful to someone, I also had problems with acne after using Wellbutron, and what I noticed is the bumps really flared up when in extreme temperatures. And this made me think that this drug may make your skin sensitive or prone to pimples in the heat. Also, I have been using Cetaphil for years, and when this problem started, I switched from the sensitive soap for dry skin to the normal and oily brand, and my skin cleared up in about two weeks, and I was sure to wash my face twice a day. I also started using cucumber facial masks, and I am very satifsfied with the results. I hope this information is helpful, and works for someone, good luck.

I started SR abt 3 months ago. Although I've dealt with cystic acne on and off, forever, prescription retinoids keep it under control. That said, this bout of acne is on my scalp. Never had this before. Nothing is different, same hair products, not sweating any more than usual, so I have to attribute it to the Wellbutrin. It forms in little clusters. My hair is thin to begin with so if it's by the hairline, it shows. Using T-sal now and applying a benzoil peroxide gel to the acne but it doesn't clear up too quickly.

I have been taking bupropion XL for just over a month. During the first couple of weeks, I got a pimple on my chin. It was quite hard and painful, but I attributed it to hormonal changes since I stopped breastfeeding within the last few months and Ive made significant lifestyle changes since then as well. I did find it odd though as I havent had pimples in years despite having 3 babies and breastfeeding them all. This week I developed large inflamed infected cystic acne on my upper back. This same exact thing happened years ago when I took Adipex (which I stopped taking as a result) so I immediately attributed it to the bupropion. I havent changed any other meds in years, and Im only on insulin and levothyroxine anywayand my A1C and thyroid levels are normal. Anyway just sharing my experience since I came across several others with the same issue across the internet. Hopefully this is helpful for someone else. I will be weaning off bupropion.