Elon Musk, 50, the world’s richest man at $268 billion, warned people against taking the antidepressant medication AKA as Wellbutrin or the generic bupropion, a powerful norepinehrine and dopamine boosting medication. Whether Musk has personal experience with Wellbutrin is anyone’s guess but the Tesla and SpaceX CEO warned about the adverse side effect of increasing suicidal behavior. Must Tweeted Friday, April 29, that Wellbutrin “should be taken off the market.” Musk said Wellbutri was “way worse that Adderall,” a powerful stimulant used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder [ADD], a completely different class of medications. Wellbutrin is considered a norempinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibiter [NDRI], a drug designed to boost norepinephrine and domamine levels, different from the more common and harmless antidepressants AKA Serotonin Selective Reuptake Inhibitors {SSRIs}.
Musk said a number of anecdotal stories linked Wellbutrin with suicidal ideation and behavior. “Every time that drug has come up in conversation, someone at the table has a suicide or near suicide story.” Musk said. It wasn’t that long ago, July 7, 1991, that the Church of Scientology launched its campaign against Eli Lilly’s Prozac, a SSRI medication, without the known adverse side effects as NDRI, working to help depression by boosting norepinephrine and dopamine. Musk was criticized without scientific knowledge of drug interactions as giving recommendations, especially with patients who get some benefit from the drug. Comparing Wellbutrin to Adderall, also confuses matters for the public because Wellbutrin is an antidepressant while Adderall is a “cognitive enhancer,” stimulant used to increase memory and concentration, not primarily to boost a depressed mood.
Scientology consulted many psychiatrists when they went after Prozac in the early 90s, all based on anecdotal information about suicide. “Please consult a licensed doctor before you stop your meds,” said an unnamed Twitter user. “Elon Musk isn’t a doctor,” suggesting that Musk has no business dispensing medical advice. Musk talked about whether Ritalin was a good replacement for Adderall and Wellbutrin.” “I have not heard bad things about Ritalin, which is not good to say, it’s good , just haven’t heard bad things about it,” Musk tweeted, clearly opining about psychotropic medications he knows nothing about. When it comes to Ritalin, it’s an older medication, also derived from amphetamine salts, a drug largely replaced by over the last 20 years. Ritalin and Adderral are both stimulants designed to improve Attention Deficit Disorder [ADD], with wide applications in educational settings.
Confusion over different classes of drugs leads lay people, like Musk, to lump all psychotropic medications into one basket. But there are big differences and applications between stimulants like Adderall and antidepressants like Wellbutrin. It’s a shame before Musk starts opining on things he knows little about, it influences end users. “For me, I love taking Wellbutrin. It has a lot less side effects than Adderall. The drug has made me less suicidal, not more,” said an unnamed Twitter user. Whoever the Wellbutrin user, they don’t understand the difference between antidepressants and ADD-stimulant drugs. Musk isn’t the only one confused by psychotropic drugs, requiring a board certified psychiatrist to know their meds. “Talk to a doctor/pharmacist bout whatever medication you’re taking. They are the ones who can give you answers about what’s best for you,. Not Elon Musk.
Most people taking psychotropic medications don’t know the differences between antidepressant, stimulus drugs or anything else. Musk isn’t the only one confused about the different classes of psychotropic medications. Whether Wellbutrin induced suicide more often than any other drug isn’t known. Drug makers typically reject any correlations between their medications and suicidality, a far more complex condition involving many factors, no always obvious to lay people or trained psychiatrists. Musk read a 2016 New York Times Magazine article called “Generattion Adderrall,” talking about complications and withdrawal from ling-term Adderall use. When it comes to Adderall, there’s no comparison with antidepressants like Wellbutrin, other than the fact that both norepinephrine and dopamine also have stimulating effects. Other than that, they’re prescribed for entirely different purposes.
When it comes to psychotropic medications, Musk should let the experts opine on the pros-and-cons, benefits-and-risks of medications used for different purposes. What’s clear is that Mush isn’t the only one grossly misinformed about Wellbutrin and Adderall, both different classes of psychotropic medications. “Everyone thinks our present society was caused by social media. I’m wonder whether Adderall plus ubiquitous Google searches have bigger effects, said Mark Andreessen, a Silicon Valley investor. Whether any antidepressant medication causes suicidal behavior is anyone’s guess. Most drug companies deny any link to their medications and suicide. But if a depressive person gets a sudden boost of energy from antidepressants, it’s possible they could do something self-destruction with a flurry of sudden energy. Questions about psychotropic medications should be left to medical experts.
