Experience with wellbutrin withdrawal?

[gealach]

I suddenly lost my health benefits last month, including prescription drug coverage. Without going into too much detail, I can't afford the meds I was on and can't refill the prescriptions when they're out.

Now that I'm unable to refill, I've been spacing out the doses for a couple of weeks to "wean" as much as possible. But, I'm out.

Anyone have experience withdrawing from Wellbutrin?

 

[littleoc]

I suddenly lost my health benefits last month, including prescription drug coverage. Without going i...

Are you able to call a doctor’s office to speak with a nurse about this weaning? Here, I can call at no charge for advice when I don’t need to see a doctor directly. Maybe try that?

Are you on a high dose?

 

[gealach]

My doctor's office doesn't have nurses, and healthlink said to call an ambulance (their default statement :confused::facepalm::roflmao: why does this require a mobile emergency room??? and no, I AM the ambulance).

Unfortunately this is happening, so I'm really just wondering about others' experience with Wellbutrin withdrawal... symptoms, duration, exorcism?

I have some left in reserve, just in case. I'm hoping it won't be needed.

 

[littleoc]

I’m trying to remember what happened when I was taken off Wellbutrin... but my reaction to it was pretty weird (I was angry at EVERYTHING and I’m really not an angry person) and also I was maybe 14 so I was probably on a low dose... plus a child brain is not the same as an adult brain...

I did find this, though:

Withdrawal from Wellbutrin is usually not considered dangerous. Gradual tapering of the dose minimizes any withdrawal effects while allowing faster reinstatement of the medication should symptoms of depression return. Possible symptoms of withdrawal may include:

• Nausea or vomiting
• Intense and frequent dreams
• Headache
• Vertigo
• Changes to senses and perception
• Numbness of extremities

Source: https://www.goodtherapy.org/drugs/wellbutrin-xl-bupropion.html

It makes me nervous to see you going off of it, though I know you don’t have a choice right now. Does Canada do prescription discount cards? Or manufacturer online coupons? Are there any charities that could maybe support you for a bit?

Or, how are your coping skills? I’m just hoping you’re going to be safe and take care of yourself :hug:

 

[joeylittle]

You’ll feel weird. Might notice less energy. Headache, likely - a strong distracting one. When I had to lowe4 my dose temporarily, I also had the nausea.

And of course, you might notice problems with depression and anxiety.

It’s a fairly unique drug, which makes it trickier to find a cheaper drug to substitute.

It’s also prescribed as a stop-smoking aid. Any chance you can get a script for it under that use (brand name Zyban in the US) - just to give you more time to perhaps find a different solution?

ETA: Zyban may be OTC in Canada...I think you are located there, but I could be wrong. Zyban is the same as Wellbutrin xl, it’s just generally taken at a lower dose. The medication itself is identical.

Otherwise - and I’m not a doctor, just an internet person - taper as best you can. Stretching it out won’t do a whole lot, it’ll just prevent you from getting fully off of it. Don’t cut the pills, nearly all forms of Wellbutrin have a time-release coating. It’s quite dangerous to screw w/that.

Drugs.com is a good resource for information. It’s (last I checked) not owned by any pharma companies/affiliates.

 

[gealach]

I have had brief headaches and intermittent dizziness, they seem to come and go. As far as symptoms are concerned, that seems to be it so far. I was already tired and bitchy, so I can't honestly blame that on withdrawal.

The list of potential symptoms are quite extensive. I think I'm looking for actual experiences to narrow that down to "typical" versus "atypical", so I have a better idea what to expect and how long symptoms may last. Obviously each person's experience will be unique, but I imagine symptoms like headache and nausea may be more "typical", while something like rectal ventriloquism is hopefully very rare.


I know Zyban is the same thing, I don't know if it's OTC in Canada, or my province. I'll have to look and see if it is, and the cost. If it's similar to a Rx refill, that will be a no go.

 

[joeylittle]

I think I'm looking for actual experiences to narrow that down to "typical" versus "atypical", so I have a better idea what to expect and how long symptoms may last.

When you went on it, did it make you jittery at first - like, feeling slightly caffeinated? That was my experience, and I felt the ‘slowing down’ when coming off - like a slight lethargy. It was just something to get used to, for me - didn’t go away. I went back on Wellbutrin about 3 months after I was off, I don’t know if the lethargy would have abated. I doubt it.

The headaches lasted until a few days after my last dose. I tapered from 400mg over the course of 10 days.

The nausea was done with about halfway thru the taper.

I was on SR, twice daily - not XL. It wouldn’t surprise me if coming off XL was more side-effect-y.

Hope that helps some...

 

[seabadger]

My brother was on wellbutrin for years and says it was easy to get off it. I was on the maximum dose of dexedrine (its different but has some similarities, like boosting dopamine activity) for 7 years and getting off it wasn't really bad at all.

 

[gealach]

So, I had hardly any symptoms, and seemed to come off the Wellbutrin really easily. I expected it to be a lot more difficult, based on the research. Huh, who knew?

But.... the fatigue has kicked my ass. I thought I was tired and lacked energy before, but now I can't function at all. I'm tired all day, I could just stay in bed for the rest of my life. It's a soul sucking lack of energy. I'm too tired to even breathe, luckily that's automatic.

So, I'm back on the Wellbutrin starting today. I'm going to have to find a way to make that work.

 

[littleoc]

I'm glad it went smoothly.

Wishing you luck on figuring that out.

 

[joeylittle]

Seconded. Sorry to hear the slow-down hit you that badly.

 

[MamaHopeful]

There is a website that helps with this. It's called surviving antidepressants.
They can help you get a solid tapering schedule and offer support for any symptoms you might be experiencing. It's hard because doctors are only just starting to realize how hard it is to come off of these drugs - especially for PTSD patients.