"Will Wellbutrin work for adolescents with drug addiction?"
by
Larry Silver, M.D.
You ask a very complicated question. Wellbutrin is used to treat depression. In a small percent of adolescents, it can decrease hyperactivity and distractibility.
Drug abuse, however, usually has multiple underlying factors. The real question is what are the psychological reasons that this particular adolescent "self-medicates" by abusing drugs?
The treatment — which could be any combination of individual/family counseling; detoxification programs; educational, physical and medicinal therapies — should be based on those reasons.