Toxic dose

The risk of seizures due to bupropion poisoning is dose-dependent; seizures occur in 50% of patients who have ingested more than 4.5 g of bupropion.

Ingestions of more than 9 g of bupropion are associated with severe cardiovascular toxicity, including hypotension, QRS widening and arrhythmias. Although a prolonged corrected QT interval (QT_c) has been reported, it is likely to be artefactual¹.

Any child who has potentially ingested more than 10 mg/kg of bupropion must be medically assessed in hospital. This dose equates to one 150 mg bupropion tablet in a 10 kg child.

¹ QT-interval prolongation may be an artefact of QRS widening if the QRS complex is the only section that is prolonged. Measurement of the QT interval should be corrected for heart rate to give a corrected QT interval (QTc). Heart rates faster than 110 beats per minute can prolong the QTc as an artefact, but this cause of prolonged QTc does not lead to torsades de pointes.Return