Wellbutrin SR vs XL

[EveHarrington]

Hi,
I’m looking for feedback on Wellbutrin SR vs XL.

I know the XL has a longer half life than SR.

I know that regular Wellbutrin is usually dosed 3 times a day, SR is usually dosed 2 times a day, and XL is dosed 1 time a day.

I am currently taking SR, but dosed only 1 time a day as if I dosed it twice, I’d never sleep. My hospital doc started me on SR and not XL due to it being more flexible in dosing (if I recall correctly). My regular doc is saying he hardly ever prescribes SR and is asking me if I want to change to XL.

Ok so here’s my question.

For those of you who take XL, can you sleep ok at night?

Is it agitating?

Is it energizing?

When I started SR it was very energizing, but sadly that effect has worn off.

Do you have any side effects from the XL?

Thanks!

 

[IceQueencop]

Hi @EveHarrington -
My dose is XL, I take it once a day in the morning. I do take seroquel at night, but I started that before the Wellbutrin, so I’m not sure how I would do with just the Wellbutrin.
Best,
IQC

 

[joeylittle]

I take SR 2x day. I was on the XL but I found the mid-day release point to be really uncomfortable - it was a side effect I couldn’t get used to.

The SR is a good work around for that.

I haven’t ever had any real agitation from wellbutrin, so I’m not a good respondant for that part of your question. Let us know what you decide to do - I’d be curious to hear how it goes.

 

[EveHarrington]

I take SR 2x day. I was on the XL but I found the mid-day release point to be really uncomfortable - it was a side effect I couldn’t get used to.

The SR is a good work around for that.

I haven’t ever had any real agitation from wellbutrin, so I’m not a good respondant for that part of your question. Let us know what you decide to do - I’d be curious to hear how it goes.

I decided to stick with the SR. When things go as planned, I take it first thing in the morning and 12 hours later I am so tired that I can fall asleep without meds.

I decided to up my dose back up to the 100mg/day that I was originally prescribed (of course with my docs approval) because I felt like I needed an increase. I got a good mood bump at first but then it seemed like my body adjusted and the benefits waned. I’m hoping I do well on this increase and don’t feel the flatness that I felt when I was at this dose before.

I’m super med sensitive so it’s not surprising that I need to go up slowly. I take a tiny dose of my antipsychotic, and I had to titrate up to my current doses of gabapentin and trileptal, which my hospital docs told me were actually the doses where they started other patients.

I just hope this med continues to work for me. I feel like I’m getting some benefit, but it could be better.

So far so good, no agitation.

I know that anxiety is a common side effect of Wellbutrin and I struggle greatly with anxiety. I feel like I’m lucky in that it has done so much to squash my anxiety. Now I just need it to work on my depression just as well! (My regular doc was concerned that I was prescribed Wellbutrin in the hospital as anxiety is a common side effect. I assured him that it wasn’t an issue for me. Thank god!)

 

[EveHarrington]

100mg was too much, down to 75 in hopes I can sleep tonight.

 

[EveHarrington]

I take SR 2x day. I was on the XL but I found the mid-day release point to be really uncomfortable - it was a side effect I couldn’t get used to.

The SR is a good work around for that.

I haven’t ever had any real agitation from wellbutrin, so I’m not a good respondant for that part of your question. Let us know what you decide to do - I’d be curious to hear how it goes.

Hi Joey,

Did you have to titrate up slowly? It’s crazy how med sensitive I am! I’m experiencing the same energy bump that I did when I first started this med. I can’t even take it twice a day as I’d never sleep. As it is I have to take it at about 6am just so I can sleep at night. I’m not even taking the smallest pill size yet.

I think there may be some benefit to breaking the pills. Somehow my body seems to be able to tolerate the med more? I know this negates some of the “sustained” mechanism, but I figure it’s more about what works for me personally. I also know that I am notorious for metabolizing some meds slowly, so I think that’s part of what’s going on.

Also, do you have to keep increasing your dose, or have you found the happy spot and have been on that dose for awhile?

Thanks!

 

[joeylittle]

Your questions make sense - can’t reply now but will tomorrow.

 

[EveHarrington]

Joey,

Also, do you have ringing in your ears? It’s driving me bananas. I hope this side effect goes away. I’m also not sure if it’s making my hearing more sensitive.

 

[joeylittle]

Did you have to titrate up slowly? It’s crazy how med sensitive I am! I’m experiencing the same energy bump that I did when I first started this med.

I'm usually the opposite situation - as a rapid metabolizer, I tend to be not especially sensitive to most psych meds, and I'm usually at a very high dose.

But: Wellbutrin did actually give me side effects, and it took a full 3 weeks for me to really get used to it/for my body to adjust. There have been a few times when I've had to decrease my dose, in order to do TMS safely, and I would always feel it when I returned to my regular dose.

I can’t even take it twice a day as I’d never sleep. As it is I have to take it at about 6am just so I can sleep at night.

I understand that. You might want to talk w/your doc again about whether switching to the XL would actually help, just in terms of maintaining a steady state of the med in your system. Basically, if it's not building up properly, you'll never quite get out of feeling that energy bump. But your doc will helpfully have ideas about that.

The best I can encourage you towards is finding a window of time in your life when you can let yourself adjust to it, to see if the side effects start to diminish. I really would recommend at least 2 weeks. It sounds like it will affect your sleep and overall levels of calm vs jittery, and that will be uncomfortable and probably take a lot of focus/patience just to navigate it. But you may find that you can actually better tolerate a slightly higher dose, after 2-3 weeks.

I think there may be some benefit to breaking the pills. Somehow my body seems to be able to tolerate the med more? I know this negates some of the “sustained” mechanism, but I figure it’s more about what works for me personally.

I'd just make sure you check this with your doc. It could be fine to do, with the SR. Or, you could talk about the IR...immediate release. I don't know a whole lot about it, or even why it exists. It could be a safer way to accomplish what you're doing by breaking the pills.

Also, do you have to keep increasing your dose, or have you found the happy spot and have been on that dose for awhile?

I've been on the max dose (400mg/day) for a number of years now. Honestly, I wish I could take more, but all the available data says that there's no real benefit to exceeding 400/day. I do take my SR in two doses, and I only separate them by about 6 hours instead of the recommended 8. That seems to work best for me. It doesn't effect my sleep, so long as I don't take my second dose after 6pm or so.

Also, do you have ringing in your ears? It’s driving me bananas. I hope this side effect goes away.

Yes, I had that side effect. I still get it sometimes, but I don't think anymore that it would be because of the wellbutrin. I'm not sure. The side-effect-y tinnitus went away after about a month, when I was first getting on it.

I might have asked you this - are you taking brand or generic?

 

[EveHarrington]

I'm usually the opposite situation - as a rapid metabolizer, I tend to be not especially sensitive to most psych meds, and I'm usually at a very high dose.

But: Wellbutrin did actually give me side effects, and it took a full 3 weeks for me to really get used to it/for my body to adjust. There have been a few times when I've had to decrease my dose, in order to do TMS safely, and I would always feel it when I returned to my regular dose.


I understand that. You might want to talk w/your doc again about whether switching to the XL would actually help, just in terms of maintaining a steady state of the med in your system. Basically, if it's not building up properly, you'll never quite get out of feeling that energy bump. But your doc will helpfully have ideas about that.

The best I can encourage you towards is finding a window of time in your life when you can let yourself adjust to it, to see if the side effects start to diminish. I really would recommend at least 2 weeks. It sounds like it will affect your sleep and overall levels of calm vs jittery, and that will be uncomfortable and probably take a lot of focus/patience just to navigate it. But you may find that you can actually better tolerate a slightly higher dose, after 2-3 weeks.

I'd just make sure you check this with your doc. It could be fine to do, with the SR. Or, you could talk about the IR...immediate release. I don't know a whole lot about it, or even why it exists. It could be a safer way to accomplish what you're doing by breaking the pills.


I've been on the max dose (400mg/day) for a number of years now. Honestly, I wish I could take more, but all the available data says that there's no real benefit to exceeding 400/day. I do take my SR in two doses, and I only separate them by about 6 hours instead of the recommended 8. That seems to work best for me. It doesn't effect my sleep, so long as I don't take my second dose after 6pm or so.


Yes, I had that side effect. I still get it sometimes, but I don't think anymore that it would be because of the wellbutrin. I'm not sure. The side-effect-y tinnitus went away after about a month, when I was first getting on it.

I might have asked you this - are you taking brand or generic?

I’m on generic Wellbutrin SR.

My noise sensitivity is getting to be too much so I called my doc to see if I could try the XL to see if that helps. I know that for some side effects the XL is better than the SR.

Well, actually my sensitivity in general is getting worse. I know it’s the meds. My boyfriend says I flinch a lot more now when he touches me. He also inadvertently startled me, for the first time, which is kind of a miracle that it didn’t happen for the first 14 months that I knew him. It’s almost like all of the calming that my mood stabilizers gave me is unraveling, and then some.

 

[joeylittle]

I think the XL might address some of what you’re dealing with. Be prepared - you might feel it release about 6 hours after you take it (that was partly why I went with SR). Try and give it a full 14 days to level off in your system, if you can, before deciding.

 

[EveHarrington]

I think the XL might address some of what you’re dealing with. Be prepared - you might feel it release about 6 hours after you take it (that was partly why I went with SR). Try and give it a full 14 days to level off in your system, if you can, before deciding.

Ok, will do.

CVS is giving me the runaround with getting it filled, not sure what the issue is. Hopefully I can switch over soon. I’m off the SR now. The ringing in my ears is the same, but at least my sensitivity is improving.