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Variety of delivery options including next day & free delivery.
Pharmacy, clinic and prescribers based in Greater Manchester.
Start your treatment with a quick and free online consultation.
Fill in a quick online consultation for our licensed pharmacists to review.
Our pharmacists will review your treatment to ensure it’s suitable.
Your treatment will be delivered to your door quickly & discreetly.
| Medication Name | Zyban 150mg Prolonged-Release Tablets |
| Medication Form | Prolonged-release film-coated tablet |
| Used For | A smoking cessation aid, used alongside motivational support |
| Who Can Use | Adults aged 18 and over |
| Active Ingredient(s) | Bupropion hydrochloride 150mg |
| Usual Dose | One tablet daily for 6 days, then one tablet twice daily at least 8 hours apart |
| Common Side Effects | Difficulty sleeping, dry mouth, nausea |
| Prescription Required | Yes |
| Patient Information Leaflet | Zyban Patient Information Leaflet |
Zyban is a prescription medicine that helps you quit smoking. It’s designed to be used alongside motivational support, such as an NHS Stop Smoking Service or another stop-smoking programme, and works best if you’re fully committed to giving up.
Rather than replacing the nicotine in cigarettes, Zyban helps ease the cravings and withdrawal symptoms that often make quitting so difficult, including irritability, restlessness and low mood. Used together with support and a clear plan, it can make a quit attempt more manageable.
Zyban is a nicotine-free treatment, so it can be an option if you’d prefer not to use nicotine replacement therapy or haven’t managed to quit with it before.
Zyban contains the active ingredient bupropion hydrochloride. It’s a non-nicotine medicine that acts on the brain rather than supplying nicotine.
Nicotine is addictive partly because it affects chemical messengers in the brain, including noradrenaline and dopamine, which are linked to mood, alertness and reward. When you stop smoking, the levels of these messengers change, and that’s part of what drives cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
Bupropion is thought to act on these same noradrenaline and dopamine systems. This is how Zyban works to reduce cravings and ease the withdrawal symptoms that can come with quitting. It’s started while you’re still smoking, giving the medicine time to build up before your quit day.
Zyban is suitable for adults aged 18 and over who are motivated to stop smoking. It isn’t recommended for anyone under 18.
Don’t take Zyban if you:
Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Zyban if you:
Start taking Zyban while you continue smoking, then set a target stop day, ideally during your second week on the medicine.
Swallow each tablet whole with a drink of water. Don’t chew, crush or split it, as this releases the medicine too quickly and makes side effects, including fits, more likely. You can take Zyban with or without food.
Some people need a lower dose of one tablet once a day, including anyone over 65, those with liver or kidney problems, and anyone at higher risk of fits. Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you if a lower dose is right for you.
If you haven’t managed to stop smoking by week 7, your doctor may advise you to stop taking Zyban.
Like all medicines, Zyban can cause side effects, though not everyone gets them.
These may affect more than 1 in 10 people:
These may affect up to 1 in 10 people:
These may affect up to 1 in 100 people:
These may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people:
Very rare side effects and some with an unknown frequency have also been reported, including restlessness, aggression, hair thinning and, in a small number of people, thoughts of harming themselves. For a full list of side effects, read the patient information leaflet.
Zyban can also cause serious side effects. Stop taking Zyban and get medical help straight away if you have:
If you notice any side effects, including any not listed here, tell your doctor or pharmacist. You can also report them through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.
Active ingredient: bupropion hydrochloride 150mg
Tablet core: microcrystalline cellulose, hypromellose, cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate and magnesium stearate
Tablet coating: hypromellose, macrogol 400, titanium dioxide (E171) and carnauba wax
Printing ink: hypromellose and iron oxide black (E172)
Zyban is a prescription-only medicine, so it isn’t available over the counter. You can buy Zyban tablets online in the UK from Click2Pharmacy through our smoking cessation clinic. Once you’ve completed a free online consultation, one of our pharmacists will review it and, if Zyban is suitable, issue your prescription and arrange discreet delivery.
Zyban can meaningfully improve your chances of quitting smoking, especially when combined with support. A large review of clinical trials found that bupropion helped more people quit smoking than a dummy tablet: around 19 in 100 people had stopped at six months, compared with about 12 in 100. It works best as part of a plan that includes motivational or behavioural support rather than on its own.
Zyban can sometimes be used alongside nicotine replacement therapy such as Nicorette patches, but only under medical supervision. Combining the two can raise your blood pressure, so you need to check it weekly while using both. Always speak to your doctor or pharmacist before adding NRT, so they can decide if it’s suitable for you.
It’s best to avoid alcohol while taking Zyban, or to keep it to a minimum, as some people become more sensitive to its effects. If you currently drink heavily, don’t stop suddenly once you start Zyban, as this can increase your risk of having a fit. Your doctor can advise on the safest approach for you.
Zyban isn’t recommended if you’re pregnant, think you may be pregnant or are planning a baby. If you’re trying to stop smoking during pregnancy, speak to your doctor or midwife, who can talk you through the safest options for you and your baby.
Feeling depressed is a recognised side effect of Zyban, and stopping smoking itself can also affect your mood. Some people have low mood or, very occasionally, thoughts of suicide, most often in the first few weeks. If you feel depressed or have these thoughts while taking Zyban, contact your doctor or go to the hospital straight away.
It’s best not to stop Zyban on your own. Speak to your doctor first, as you may be advised to reduce your dose gradually rather than stopping abruptly. Most courses last around 7 to 9 weeks, and your doctor will guide you on when and how to come off it.
Zyban is a nicotine-free medicine. Its active ingredient is bupropion, which works on the brain to ease cravings and withdrawal rather than replacing the nicotine from cigarettes. That makes it a different type of treatment from nicotine patches, gum or lozenges.
Zyban doesn’t work by changing how cigarettes taste. Instead, it acts on the brain chemistry linked to nicotine cravings and withdrawal. Changes to the taste of food are a listed side effect for some people, but Zyban isn’t designed to make smoking taste unpleasant.
Zyban doesn’t cause a bad reaction if you smoke while taking it. In fact, you’re meant to keep smoking during the first week and set your quit day in the second week. Feeling sick can happen as a general side effect of the medicine, but it isn’t triggered by smoking.
You start Zyban while you’re still smoking and usually set a quit date in your second week, which gives the medicine time to build up. It can take up to 7 weeks to have its full effect, so keep taking it as prescribed even if you don’t notice a difference straight away.
Zyban and Champix both help people quit smoking, but contain different active ingredients and work in different ways. Zyban contains bupropion, which acts on the noradrenaline and dopamine systems in the brain. Champix contains varenicline, which acts directly on the nicotine receptors in the brain. A prescriber can help you decide which is more suitable for you.
If you miss a dose of Zyban, wait and take your next tablet at the usual time. Don’t take a double dose to make up for a forgotten one, as this increases your risk of side effects, including fits. Remember to keep your two daily tablets at least 8 hours apart.
Zyban isn’t a weight-loss medicine, though loss of appetite is listed as an uncommon side effect. Many people put on a little weight when they stop smoking, and some evidence suggests bupropion may help limit this, but it shouldn’t be taken for weight control. Speak to your pharmacist if weight changes are worrying you.
Page content authored by Amjad Khan, last reviewed by Mr Muhammad on 29th July 2026.
