Member Medication Review: Wellbutrin

Judy

9/29/09 8:45pm

Hi, Merely Me - I am an old hand at Wellbutrin. I'll try to answer your questions in order:

1. What is/was your experience like taking Wellbutrin?

I've been on Wellbutrin for many years, probably at least 20. I've tried a few others, but this one worked the best.

2. How long did it take until it "worked" for you?

I'd say, if I can remember correctly, that it was probably a couple of weeks.

3. What improvements did you notice?

Mostly, the lifting of the feeling of "heaviness" I would get, that horrible oppressive feeling like trying to walk through quicksand. I think it also helped my irritability.

4. What were the side effects if any?

The only side effects I've noticed are if I increase the dosage at all, I feel kind of "wired" like I've had too much caffeine or something. I do have anxiety, which Wellbutrin does not really help, but I also take Klonopin when I have trouble sleeping. It has not seemed to affect my weight or libido. I'd be very reluctant to switch to anything else unless it was a side-effect-free as this is.

rose martin

9/30/09 7:06am

Dear Merelly Me, as you know Im titrating off Efexor after 6 years approx. Before that I was on Seroxat [Paxil] So say if you are doing the question about Paxil i will just come in and say how I found it? I was on it for years and years. Also are you going to cover the m a o is and older trycilics like Prothiaden? and of course the salt Lithium, which I dont personally take. Its a great idea and I will give the good points about Efexor too.

Merely Me

9/30/09 7:11am

Hi Rose!

Yes absolutely...I do want to cover as many meds as I can...even some that are slightly out of the depression realm like xanax. I am trying that medication for the first time ever. We need a big list of all these meds...and I also want to try to cover the supplements too. It is am ambitious project but one which needs done in my opinion.

Thank you so much for any and all information you give to us!

Merely Me

9/30/09 7:17am

Thanks so much Judy for this great information! I have heard so many good things about Wellbutrin that if I were to try another antidepressant...I would try this one first. So I did want to hear the straight scoop about it. It seems that Prozac also has that capacity to amp you up...it seems hard to find a balance between a med which will lift the mood, but not cause bad side effects, and not make one either sleepless or too sleepy. The body is a complex thing and we are all different so...it must be so hard to find a medication which has a nice balance.

Anyways...I appreciate your contribution to our member medication review. Stay tuned for more meds!

rose martin

9/30/09 7:40am

Thanks Merely Me, I would be very interested in the alternative Meds as well, ive only used the Sedation and once for a few weeks St. Johns Worth. Its been banned here unfortunately. It seems to work for some. Id like to hear more about youre supplement too. Unfortunately with me, the Health shop didnt know [I told them] that I was using Sedation as well that ive been on for years and I got dreadful side effects but in Germany and other countries Johns worth is a v effective herb. thats only one. This is a great idea, like you say, it ll be long and drawn out. But since Ive been on Meds for Heads most of my life, I ll tell it like it is, and try to be balanced

HappyDays

12/12/10 8:29am

Dear Merely Me,

I have never written before, however, if this info will help others I would be happy to share my med pros cons. I have suffered from depression along with post traumatic stress and anxiety for my whole life - partially due to being sexually abused beginning at age 4 or 5 by a brother. I found that all though drugs like Cymbalta helped lift my mood, I had serious problems with apathy. About one year ago I read an article indicating that the SSNRI and SSRI's can cause apathy syndrome. Over the past 20 years, I have had Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor along with Buspar, Valium. I even had that tricyclic antidepressants (horrible).

Finally, with Cymbalta I was able to lift my mood - so here I was laying on the couch happy - absolutely no energy, no motivation, but by golly I was happy. So I researched and found that Wellbutrin major effect is dopamine which provides us with a natural reward system. Upon combining Cymbalta and Wellbutrin, I was able to get my energy back. I agree that too much of the Wellbutrin (Bupropion SR) makes me absolutely hyper so normally I take 150 mg daily. I had to reduce my Cymbalta from 60 mg to 30 mg in order to get the necessary motivation without being overly stressed.

This combination has changed my life over the past year. My couch potato days are gone and I've lost weight, too. Yeah!

Good luck to my fellow survivors!

janet

9/30/09 11:46pm

wellbutrin may help some1 out there but i'm not 1 of those some1's.a dr. tried me on it several years ago & right away my husband asked are you all right? i felt nauous & dizzy & @ a fast food place i asked him if i could have some bread.i felt a little better after eating a hamburger bun plain.wellbutrin made me feel shaky & start having temors & cry for no apparrent reason @ work & anywhere! my face would turn red & my blood pressure went up. i'm not sure how long i was on wellbutrin but i don't think it was very long.any other med. had to be better whatever it was.

don

10/30/09 3:49am

Family doc prescribed cymbalta. Imediate problems arose. Family doc then prescribed celexa and the same symptoms persisted. I was then told that maybe I should seek counseling. After two visits to a counselor who showed up hours late for all his appts., the counselor stated that I needed medication and should see the so called doctor whom he worked for. I told him that I wanted nothing to do with His boss. He then told me that the next week he was going to have this quack do a prostate exam and a cancer screen and determine what medication he deemed necessary. He also insisted that I was not telling him the truth. I do not have cancer and never have. Never went back to that weirdo. My wife insted that see another doctor to see if I actually need treatment. The next one just sarts passing out pristique and trazodone. disaster again. Then switched to bupropion and trazodone. I have had every symptom listed as withdrawal symptoms while taking it. I stopped the bupropion and feel better without it. The doctor refused to give me a step down plan. I don't think i'm going to see this QUACK again either. I refuse to just another drug addicted zombie for them.Is this what mascarades as mental health care?

meantown

1/18/10 9:00pm

So I was on Effexor for one year which worked for a while. However, the sexual side effects made me depressed and uncomfortable in my relationship. So my doctor gave me 3 days to titrate off it and start Wellbutrin. I experienced extreme manic episodes during the titration. After I started the Wellbutrin I was constantly dizzy, nauseous, felt really dumb, cried at least twice a day, felt speedy and couldn't sleep. It has now been six weeks and I feel like I can function but it is under a constant haze of irritability. Everything makes me angry. I am thinking of adding a mild dose of effexor back into the mix in the hopes it will even me out.....or at least help me to stop snapping at every little thing.

meantown

1/18/10 9:08pm

I also wanted to add that the Wellbutrin has taken away my anxiety. I don't worry about things and no longer drink to self medicate. I also quit smoking without even trying or thinking about it. It just happened. I forgot to mention the good parts as i was just concentrating on the negative aspects.

filmneye

2/25/10 6:00pm

Hey Don, I just wanted to let you know, if you don't know about it yet, that Wellbutrin is also prescribed to stop smoking. That's how come you stopped smoking, which worked out well for you.

filmneye

2/25/10 6:02pm

Sorry, I meant "meantown"; I called you Don in my previous post.

Carrie

2/24/10 5:28pm

My doctor started me on 300mg the other day and so far the side effects I have been experiencing is a lot of bad dreams,difficulty sleeping,and mood changes.I have to say I am not depressed at all and when I work out I feel very good.

Donna-1

2/25/10 3:31pm

I have taken Wellbutrin for 6 years. That, and the addition of Zoloft later, is what I think really brought me out of constantly relapsing depression. I have had no side effects from Wellbutrin. It helps keep my mood up, but not manic. I take 150mg twice a day. Plus 100mg of Zoloft (sertraline) twice in the morning.

Donna

Anonymous

2/25/10 4:06pm

1. What is/was your experience like taking Wellbutrin? Wellbutrin is a good experience. I do not gain weight. I haven’t noticed any libido change. It helps me to concentrate on a higher level. Meaning, I have more confidence in myself. Not necessarily better, but more than I’ve had which was close to none. The better confidence, as in quality, has to come from me being more proactive and with dedication.

2. How long did it take until it "worked" for you? Within a day, I had more energy.

3. What improvements did you notice? Less fatigue, more energy, more concentration and focus.

4. What were the side effects if any? Sometimes spikes in high energy. Similar to eating sugar or drinking caffeine. Although, I felt a high energy, my heartbeat did not go up or blood pressure. My blood pressure actually went down. It is low anyway 100/64.

5. If you quit taking this drug what was the reason? And did you suffer from withdrawals? When I quit, I get extremely tired. Then I start a cycle of eating more and becoming depressed.

tornadomom11

5/27/10 3:50pm

1. What is/was your experience like taking Wellbutrin? It is great as far as maintaining or losing weight. It has worked well with my depression. Sometimes I feel like it isn't always enough....but most days it is great.

2. How long did it take until it "worked" for you? I feel as though it took 4-6 weeks even though the Doctor said it would work in 2 weeks.

3. What improvements did you notice? Lack of appetite which was important for me. On several other anti depressants that I took I seemed to gain lots of weight and was always hungry.

4. What were the side effects if any? Stomach ache the first few days but that seemed to be all.

5. If you quit taking this drug what was the reason? And did you suffer from withdrawals? N/A since I currently take medication.

I would like to add that this medication works well and I also see a therapist 1 time and week which has helped greatly. I hesitated on seeing a therapist because I felt embarressed but since going the last 6 weeks I am really feeling a difference and my family is seeing a positive change in me! The medication is a great help in me continueing this path to dealing with my depression.

Rebecca

8/ 4/10 8:41pm

1. What is/was your experience like taking Wellbutrin?

I've been on Wellbutrin (well actually generic Bupropion SR) for about nine months. I started out at 200mg/day and didn't notice much of a change, then bumped up to 300 mg/day and started feeling a lot better. My main symptom of depression was fatigue and lack of motivation. Wellbutrin gave me much more energy, and I started feeling happy to get out of bed. At first, the energy was maybe a little much--I remember cleaning and working like a maniac! But eventually it leveled off. A few months later, when I felt as though it was not working as well, I went up to 400 mg/day (200 mg pill 2x daily). I have been at the higher dosage for about 5 months, and have not noticed much of a difference. I will say that if you have had an eating disorder or are already very thin, be careful. I lost about 15 pounds within the first few months of taking it, and I was already quite thin to begin with. It curbs your appetite and really kickstarts your metabolism.

2. How long did it take until it "worked" for you?

2-3 weeks.

3. What improvements did you notice?

I felt like doing things again, had more confidence and drive, and felt more focused (not initially--intially I felt very ADD).

4. What were the side effects if any?

Relatively large amount of weight loss. My anxiety has increased a little bit I think, along with some OCD tendencies. However, I think the anxiety can be curbed by coupling Wellbutrin with Klonopin or Buspar (did not work for me). Also, if I take more than my normal dosage, I feel incredibly spaced out, dry eyes, heart racing, heavy eyelids, bad circulation, etc. Also, my sex drive increased, which was a great plus! One negative side effect is that my menstrual cycle is seriously out of whack. I do not know if the chemicals in Wellbutrin caused this or if it was indirectly caused by weight loss and lack of body fat.

5. I am considering tapering down somewhat now, but only because my husband and I are trying to conceive, and I'm concerned that my irregular menstrual cycles will prevent me from getting pregnant (right now, I'm getting my period every two weeks!! ugh). Overall, I have been very pleased with Wellbutrin. MUCH better than Lexapro, which I was on for about 2 years.

gata

12/17/10 1:44pm

Rebecca, just a precautionary word: please google "Pregnancy" and "Bupropion Wellbutrin". I just saw a headline about a birth defect warning. I didn't read the whole article or I'd share, but thought you'd like to know just in case.

So, I've been on and off of Wellbutrin for a few years now. Doc started me with Zoloft, that messed up my stomach. Went to Celexa, which turned me into a zombie. Lexapro next, still zombie. Tried Rispardal - worst of all - fat, drugged up zombie. Moved to different city, lost my dr., went completely off meds. Not the best idea at the time considering how stressful the move and my divorce were. Eventually found new doc, he put me on Wellbutrin, just 300mg SR a day, and Lamictal. That helped bring me out of my funk, seemed to keep my mood pendulum from swinging so wildly from one point to the next. He told me Lamictal is indicated for patients with seizures I think, but he couldn't explain exactly HOW it helps depression. I eventually stopped taking it and just stayed with the Wellbutrin.

Cut to a year later, I move cities again and lose my doc. I travel a lot for work, and I was on the road so much at this point I had no time to find a doc, and the old one won't give refills without a visit. So I basically tapered myself off of it. Not the best of times. Headache, lethargy, massive appetite.

I tried to manage the depression with st. john's wort, exercise, lots of sun, and acupuncture. I did ok for a while, but eventually that cloud of doom just settles over my head without me even noticing it and I'm spending all day in bed again, withdrawing from life.

Finally couldn't stand myself anymore, found new doc and went back on Wellbutrin. Was taking the 150 2x/day for about a year, then it kind of stopped working. I still had all the side effects - tremor (anytime I do something that requires muscle strength, I have a visible tremor, especially in my hands.), less appetite, dry mouth like crazy. I happened to be traveling a lot again and was out of pills and needed to see the doc to get a refill. Had to leave for a cruise before I could get it filled, so I ended up going kind of cold turkey on it. That was most unpleasant. Had major headaches every day for a week.

When I saw my doc after I returned, I told her that it had kind of stopped working for me, that I was in a funk again. She bumped me up to 2 of the 150's 2x a day.

Since I had gone completely off of it, I did not want to jump right into that megadose, so I just went to the 300 mg a day. That was 3 mos ago...I still haven't gone up to the full dosage she recommends because the 300 seems to be working again.

BUT...very recently I'm having side effects. I'm going to list the good, the bad and the ugly side effects here:

GOOD: I'm not as snappish or irritable as I used to be. I'm able to maintain calm more often in situations that I would have blown up over in the past. Decreased appetite - I'm always trying to lose weight, this is the only antidepressant that hasn't made me gain weight, and I've even lost a few lbs when I start it. Good energy - I seem to have a lot more energy, it's easier to get up in the morning, and once I start something, I can really work til I get it done instead of pooping out halfway.

BAD: I already mentioned the muscle tremors and crazy dry mouth. Also jittery-ness. Recently, I've started having kind of like a spasm? tic? Twitch? I don't know how to describe it other than it's most unpleasant, like my brain mis-firing. I'll be thinking of the next words I'm going to say (I demonstrate software for a living, clear speech is vital to my job) and my mouth will kind of stutter and I have kind of like a hiccup except it's in my mouth, not my throat, and I blink once, but involuntarily. I've even bitten my tongue doing this (also in my sleep). It's like a really fast twitch, or like my brain stumbling over a step then recovering itself. It is really starting to worry me, and I'm very glad I haven't increased to the full dosage if this is what happens after a few mos. at 300 mg. I think this may be spontaneous Dyskenesia.

My mother has been through every head med on the market and they now have her on Topamax and Abilify. She now has Tardive Dyskenesia - her chin and hand twitch regularly and involuntarily. Mine is more irregular.

The other side effect that is worse than bad, it's just plain ugly: brain fog. I think this med has dumbed me down. I started a new job a year ago...I've been trying to learn my product and absorb as much information as possible, but I just don't seem to be able to focus in the first place, and even if I do find a few minutes of focus, everything goes in one ear and out the other. Head like a sieve. This is most distressing. I fear it's going to affect my job performance (if it hasn't already), and it's a difficult thing to try to explain to someone why all of a sudden, after having a 10-year-long reputation as a highly intelligent good presenter, I'm all dumb. And stutter and twitch.

Memory loss is another ugly one - like very short-term memory just goes away. you know how you go into a room with a specific purpose, then you get there and can't remember why? That happens to me about a dozen times a day. Or I'll be working on task A, then remember I need to do task B, and I get sidetracked and never return to task A, and then I miss a deadline. I've become scatterbrained, which I've never been before.

So yeah, I have more energy and am not gloomy, angry, and withdrawn, but I'm a ditzy, stuttering airhead with muscle tremors.

I'm terrified of trying another drug - every single other one has made me FAT and/or lazy. But how long can I deal with these side effects before it destroys me or my career? I just don't know the answer to that.

Janee

1/ 5/11 2:09pm

Please check with your doctor. What you are describing sounds like mini-seizures, which Wellbutrin is known to cause in some cases.

Tabatha

1/ 2/11 11:55pm

1. What is/was your experience like taking Wellbutrin? I have been much more emotional crying all the time for no reason..just feel extremely sad.

2. How long did it take until it "worked" for you? I have been on it a month and a half I dont feel any better I feel worse

3. What improvements did you notice? None

4. What were the side effects if any? bad chest Pain everytime i take the meds withing 30 to 40 mins after, Chills, Mood Swings, Loss of weight, Restless, Not being able to sleep, talking in sleep, Just overall down feeling

5. If you quit taking this drug what was the reason? And did you suffer from withdrawals? I havent quit taking it im scared of having withdrawls im going to see my doctor 2morrow before I get any worse.

WAW

3/13/11 4:58am

It's interesting. From some of the above comments I see others have had a varying degree of the same experiences I have had with a 300mg daily dose as an early 30 something male.

1. My experience has been quite varied actually over the space of a year and a half but overall it's been good and I'm glad I'm taking it. Life has been much fuller for me as a result. I should note that I started taking it after I had a car accident, struck my head on the steering wheel and was diagnosed as at first being mildly depressed and then was later diagnosed as having potentially been depressed for years even prior to that.

2. It took a few weeks at first but it seemed to ramp up considerably around three to four months to the point of being overly amped, and this included being unable to sleep but then feeling considerably energetic and able to do work even the next day. However I slowly came back down to what would be considered normal over several more months and now have more normal sleeping patterns and energy levels.

3. At first I experienced was what I thought was deterioration. I'd become very upset, even wanting to sob hysterically when going to sleep and felt like looking for fights with other men. I also started recalling very painful memories and even had a panic attack for the first time. But with the guidance of a psychologist and a friend who'd been through it before it seems in retrospect like it was actually positive.

It was essentially helping my subconscious retrieve and confront repressed memories and experiences that contributed to my depression. As time wore on I confronted and made peace with the immense anger against my father, irritation at my mother and sister, painful childhood experiences and other huge regrets. I confronted more inner demons in that short period than most of the rest of my life.

People then started commenting on my sudden apparent growth in emotional warmth and maturity. I also found that my sex drive rose (it had fallen initially) and that suddenly I was engaging in much more fulfilling and successful interactions with women and have been more successful in this past year and a half in this area than compared to all my prior years put together.

In conjunction with the beta blocker I take I've also found that I cope better with work stresses and stressful situations. I do try to more actively avoid or reduce these but my coping mechanisms are better too in the crisis scenarios.

I do also seem to look physically better, even to myself in the mirror. It may be simply a more positive view of myself but I do believe this same positivity has helped with how I present my facial emotions, body language and even physical body health.

Oddly enough, in terms of intellectual capabilities I've also found myself favouring intuition and right hand side brain approaches now over my previous approach of heavily favouring the left (logical) brain when dealing with life. In retrospect life looks to have been so 'cold' beforehand.

4. The side effects have been a little varied. I do experience increases in irritability and anxiety but am taking Pur-bloka to offset that. I also have very, very slight headaches shortly after taking my dose in the morning. I find I can also over speculate on personal situations or other people's motives/reactions/intentions and have to be careful there.

I can go slightly manic from time to time too which I have to pay attention for and moderate. I can also have overwhelming spikes in libido unlike anything when I was supposed to be most sexually energised. As a man I've become suddenly able to have five large orgasms in the space a couple of hours in one night from having sex, including orgasms even when I had no ejaculate or sperm left in me.

I also found myself being much more flirtatious and looking at passing women than ever before.

Sometimes my libido subsides to a point of low activity and this can actually often be a relief for myself. However the longer this downturn endures the more aggressive the subsequent spike. I admit that I do wonder if I've become a little bit of a walking hormone as compared to before so I do have to manage my sexuality there. But then it may also have been that when I was supposed to be in my sexual prime my depression blunted my sexual interest substantiall.y

I have also accidentally taken two Wellbutrin and did experience a form of low level nausea, disorientation and persistent headaches during the day. It subsided in the night and I skipped a dose the next day to try balance myself out going forward.

5. I haven't stopped and if anything am very reluctant to ever do so at all. My only concerns are whether it will continue to hold this pattern of positive benefits and/or if it might damage my sperm's DNA when I want to father children in a few years time.

I'm also willing to continue to take it even if it does shortern my lifespan as I'd much rather lose 10 years and be mostly happy in 4 decades of life than have those ten years and feel miserable for 5 decades.

Adrienne

4/ 8/11 4:25pm

I switched from Zoloft to Wellbutrin in mid-February. After about 4 weeks on Welbutrin, I started feeling depressed and had some suicidal thoughts, and suicidal thoughts are extremely abnormal for me. I was also experience head tingling, headaches, daily crying bouts and physical side effects including not sleeping, severe indigestion, dizziness, and gas. I tried to move my next appointment with my psychiatrist up so I could get off of this drug or get his help, but the earliest he could see me was a month away. So I figured the best thing for me is to get off this drug so I started slowly weaning off of it. And then came severe withdrawal symptoms including persistant thoughts of jumping off a bridge or driving into oncoming traffic, severe vertigo, head tingling and zaps, dizziness, uncontrollable crying, facial ticks, insomnia, and the list goes on. I was alarmed enough that I went to see my family doctor yesterday, which is easier to get into, and he said I clearly needed to be on some kind of medication and see a Psychologist - he didn't buy for one second that it could be withdrawal. It was clear that he didn't have a clue what possible side effects or withdrawal symptoms are for this drug. I left feeling more lost and alone than ever with no where to turn. I really don't want to end my life, jump off a bridge or anything like that. I actually love my life and feel it's worth living...but what if those thoughts get the best of me? I don't have any resources prior to seeing my psychiatrist and not sure what to do.

Pat

6/17/11 9:42pm

This is my first week taking wellbutrin. I asked my Dr. to switch me from zoloft (which I've been taking 20 years for depression and panic disorder) due to the sexual side effects and continued depression. My first week my dose of zoloft was decreased to 50 mg/day. This week 75 mg of wellbutrin was added. I am a little anxious, lot of trouble sleeping, but feel sexual libido returning. Next week I will double my dose of wellbutrin and continue on zoloft for one last week. I also take xanax prn for anxiety. I do NOT want to get anxiety from wellbutrin. And I hope to be able to start sleeping better. I am willing to give it a fair trial. I did have some hallucinations the second night I took wellbutrin. Very scary. Iam an RN and was terrified by this. Hope it helps Pat

O Baby 8

6/17/11 10:14pm

My Husband is on Wellbrutrin for depression 100mg twice a day. He uses the generic. For the first 5 days it worked beautifully, calmed him right down! now since he started it 6/1/11 he has had break through irritability is putting it lightly!

Barbs

Manymeds

9/11/11 6:32pm

I have used this several times in the last several years (a few weeks at a time to a few months at a time) and I always want it to work (other drugs having caused so much weight gain, stupid-brain, apathy, sexual dysfunction) but I always end up having to quit it. It has almost no strictly physical side effects for me. The exceptions would be weight loss (not severe - positive actually) and possibly interference with sleep. It does work for me in a way, but, unfortunately I tend to become more focused and aggressive than happy. In fact, I have experienced real problems with anger and hostility, been unnecessarily argumentative and nearly been violent. It definitely increases my confidence and sense that I'm "right" about things. This may sound good, but it can be a serious problem. If I could just get the confidence, cognitive improvement, energy and weight control to combine with some peacefulness and a tiny bit of feeling "happy", it would be great. I am still going to keep trying with this one because the other options are so bad. I am bipolar and perhaps that's the problem. If I were only depressed it might be a great med.

ken

11/ 5/11 1:40am

OK, I JUST GOT MY FIRST BOTTLE OF 100MG DOSE IN AM, THE DATE IS 11-6-11, SO I WILL POST ON WHAT IS HAPPENING, FEELING, SO FORTH, IM NERVOUS ABOUT IT, BUT I DID ALOT OF READING ON IT, IM ON MY OWN, SO I HOPE I CAN GET SOME SUPPORT FROM U WHO CAN REMEMBER YOUR FIRST START, BUT I HAVE TO START SOMETIME, SO TOMARROW IN AM MY FIRST PILL IS GOOING DOWN, WISH ME LUCK.

Just a regular Joe

4/12/12 10:37am

I have been taking Wellbutrin since mid-November 2011.

I have had no change in Libido.

I do however experience ED (taking Cialis now too)

I have noticed that I am able to stay longer, I was not premature, but instead of lasting 15-20 minutes without ejaculating, I can go 40-45 minutes :)

In addition, I have had a significant weight loss about 25 pounds without changing diet or exercising.

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