Wellbutrin Experience

[theotherside]

Ive never been on meds but i cant function anymore. So i just got a prescription for wellbutrin. Anyone had experience with it? Good or bad? I know we are all different so i wont know until i try it. I guess im just anxious.

 

[Spiderallis]

It's okay to be a bit nervous about this, it's something new, until you know what to expect things can be a little scary. Wellbutrin is a good place to start if you've never needed this type of medicine before. The side effects don't tend to be very bad, most people can tolerate them. Whether it's the right one for you is another matter. I take it in combination with a couple other medications, so I can't pin down which one does what. I like it, I hope it works well for you.

 

[ihateusernames]

I had never taken an antidepressant, either. I started Wellbutrin 6 weeks ago. It's actually worked wonders. I kept a symptom/ side effect diary for the first 3 weeks and seemed to level out at that point (so I stopped writing about it). I'll find it and give you a brief run down. I was nauseated the first week. It was a tolerable amount. I had a racing heart a couple of those days, too. In the second week I wanted to eat constantly, which is exactly the opposite of what they tell you will happen. About 10 days in I noticed my anxiety level had gone way down. About 2 1/2 weeks and the worst of my depression had lifted and my mood leveled out. I had an increase in energy after the first week. I don't know whether you are male or female, but I'll tell you I also had a late cycle in case that's relevant to you.

Of course everybody's experience is different. My sister took wellbutrin and it drove her anxiety up and she said she felt crazy. My husband took it and feels like it had no effect on him at all. I didn't have high hopes for it and I'm amazed at how well it worked for me. I've been told I'll have to stay on it at least 6 months even though I feel much, much more normal now.

This may be the thing for you, too, or you might need something else, but don't worry, it's not as scary as it seems.

 

[garden]

I think it's natural to be anxious about taking medication. It is a substance that you have not put in your body before and that's scary. I had never been on meds either, until now. I recently used trazadone for the first time, and it took me 2 weeks to muster up the balls to actually use it, and the first night that I tried it I was too hypervigilant to actually sleep. I waited up to see how it was going to feel. I survived that night, and the following night I took it again and slept longer and deeper than I have in years. I still have ptsd symptoms, but the sleep is helping me in many ways. I'm less confused on a daily basis. Although I had therapy yesterday and I drove to the wrong Kaiser location at first, lol. I am slowly becoming more productive, and I'm looking less haggard. My T says I should only need to use it for a couple more weeks to get my sleep fully regulated again.

I have never used wellbutrin, but if you are having trouble being functional then why not try something that might help ease things for you, and help you feel better so that you can get some coping mechanisms in place, and get some structure back. Just keep communicating with your doc and T while you are using it.

 

[Nam]

I have been on Wellbutrin for ten years at least. I have done the 12 hr 150mg all the way to (what I'm currently taking), 24hr 450mg. I have also weaned off several times.

It works to a certain degree for me. When it comes to the daily type issues that cause depression and self-blame, this helps. But, when it comes to huge upheavals or big blasts from my past (nasty memory surfaces), the drug seems hopeless.

Recently I was put on 450. It's s lot and I'm fairly small. I believe I was manic the first week with moments of uncontrollable crying and weird emotions, both good and bad. It evened out after that and has helped me greatly with daily motivation.

Side effects for me are: insomnia, racing heart, heart palps, anxiety, weight loss, no appetite, and intolerance to high heat (like hot yoga , which I love!).

I have an appointment to reevaluate my med situation to see if I need something different. I was pregnant 2 times during this and Wellbutrin "seemed" safer than many others while pregnant and nursing. I quit when I could and when the risk of depression outweighed the risk to my baby, I went back on. 4 months was my longest period off of it. Every time I go back on it, I realize how sick and depressed I was. Depression can be sneaky.

I hope it works for you. Watch for suicide urges even while happy. Keep a diary of symptoms of depression and side effects of the drug. Give it a good month, but by week 2, you should feel a difference and most side effects gone. If it doesn't seem to be working, an increase might be beneficial.

 

[theotherside]

Thanks so much guys..So far im really nauseous. Im going to keep a log for sure

 

[joeylittle]

Recently I was put on 450. It's s lot and I'm fairly small. I believe I was manic the first week with moments of uncontrollable crying and weird emotions, both good and bad. It evened out after that and has helped me greatly with daily motivation. Side effects for me are: insomnia, racing heart, heart palps, anxiety, weight loss, no appetite, and intolerance to high heat (like hot yoga , which I love!).

I'm not a doctor, @Nam, but I've been on varying strengths of wellbutrin. 450 is definitely a lot - there's no evidence of improved results over 400. Your size won't affect how it hits you, it's more to do with metabolizing rates of the drug into the brain. But since you are having all the classic side effects of a too-high dose, I'd encourage you to talk with your doc about backing down.

Also, with Wellbutrin, there is a difference between the generic and the name-brand. It's a shame, but you have to be careful. The generics made by Actavis, Mylan, and Par Pharmaceutical have been re-tested for equivalency in strength and in 2012 the FDA said they passed testing (reference here), but what I can find from 2013 says that only Mylan and Par Pharmaceutical are fully tested and approved (reference Dead Link Removed).

I know that I experienced a marked difference on generic buproprion manufactured by Impax, and that was when I went looking and discovered that it was made by a parent company that the FDA had asked to recall their buproprion. The recall was announced late 2012. I got this recalled generic from my pharmacist in early 2014. So, it's worth checking.

Also, after some tweaking, I discovered that I respond better to taking two 200mg SR (short release) per day than one 400mg Xl (extended release). So, that's worth looking into as well.

@theotherside, definitely nausea for me when I started it. I also had a side effect known as 'false euphoria' - after about 2 weeks everything got really, really better. It was amazing how much better I felt. And that went away about 2 weeks later. The drug does seem to work for me, it just has never produced that one-time potent effect again. But it's part of what keeps me functional.

 

[Bookoffee]

Thank you for asking. I was just prescribed this yesterday. I am feeling hopeful that this will help with my focus and memory.

I want to be able to stop my thinking patterns of negativity towards myself and replace it with positive thoughts.

My memory is awful. As soon as I am told something or to make a comment, I am lost and forget.

Like now, there were two other bothersome I wanted to write about and I can't remember what it was.

 

[Bookoffee]

I remembered one.

When I talk with clients and providers, I have to ask them many different times a phone number or name. It doesn't stick for me.

My head is swirling around with negative thoughts about myself that the thoughts are louder than the person I am speaking with.

The same thing with my wife. It seems to becoming worse instead of better

 

[Bookoffee]

My wife shared a quote that is my mindset:

They say goldfish have no memory; I guess their lives are much like mine. And the little plastic castle is a surprise every time. And it’s hard to say if they’re happy, but they don’t seem much to mind.
Ani DiFranco, “Little Plastic Castle”

 

[Nam]

I also had a side effect known as 'false euphoria' - after about 2 weeks everything got really, really better.

This is what I was talking about having "weird emotions". I was euphoric and then I came crashing down. I wish I had just a little bit of the euphoria. It felt nice.

All the side effects were gone in a week except for the heat intolerance. I have to be careful with that one. I love hot yoga and every once in a while, I come down with heat exhaustion.

I hope there is something new for me. I have an appointment at the end of the week.

Thanks for the information about the generics. I have looked into it to make sure it is not manufactured by those companies. Mine was okay.

I was also on SR for quite some time. Then I went with two SRs a day for a total of 300mg. Then switched over to the XL. I have tired multiple combinations. I know I need XL when I sleep too much. When I start having insomnia, that's when I cut down to the SR.

 

[SJean]

I've been on 300mg x1 of the gerneric Wellbutrin for 2 years, with a short break where I tapered off to 150mg and then quit for 2 weeks and was sobbing and desperate and lost. I went back to my doc and he put me on 300mg, *and* added an extra 150mg for PMS as he thinks I may have PMDD. So I take that extra for 2 weeks each month.
But since the welllbutrin cause anxiety and agitation, I do wonder if it's setting me off.

I have recently discovered Attachment Hunger, I read the book "How to break your addiction to a person" because a lot of my PTSD symptoms are made worse when my relationship is struggling. I mean, it gets BAD. It causes me to act desperate, anxious, clingy and needy, to have fits of jealousy and even rage. I am in a relationship with someone who I started to wonder was unhealthy. I suspected her of Gaslighting me, but upon looking at a current situation (our relationship has been struggling) I realize my anger and paranoia are causing me to think irrational things, let my jealousy get out of control, and even post very vulnerable things in public places without consideration for what people might think (I was told they actually thought I wanted to kill myself) but I refused to believe my partner when she encouraged me to see her side.
This is where the gaslighting came in. I thought she was berating me to get me to bend to her wishes so she could have things her way.
I realized though, after a 3rd incident, that I might actually be acting crazy and not be able to see it. I'm obsessing, fantasizing about contacting my partner's ex, having irrational thoughts and even self-harming.

I have no clue if this is the medication or not. I didn't feel *this* crazy on 150mg. actually I didn't really feel anything at all. My doc has given me some clonazapam to help me calm down when I feel out of control. But I am almost taking them every day now. I actually feel like I am going crazy.
When I stop and really think about what my partner is telling me, I can see what she means. I am acting unpredictable, irrational and paranoid.

We've actually had to part ways because of it. As I'm taking on my childhood trauma and trying to heal it, I know I need support like wellbutrin, but I really hope its not the meds keeping me locked away.