Concerns over stopping Wellbutrin treatment
January 15, 2016 4:11 PM   Subscribe

Hello- I've been on it for the past 8.5 years, currently on generic version of 300XL. Started treatment to successfully help me recover major depressive/traumatic events which are now long past, and I don't want to be on meds forever. That being said, after all this time, I am reluctant to go through the weaning process. You are not my MD, and I understand that everyone's chemistry is different. I would really appreciate hearing about any experience of stopping this or similar anti-depressants, and any suggestions for coping and support. Thank you!
posted by eusebis_w_adorno to Health & Fitness (24 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Step down your dosage SLOWLY. I went a little too fast and ended up with weird electric zings in my nerves for a full year after stopping.

If you know you want to stop taking it, start practicing good mental self-care now. Meditate, develop good mental checks and habits (CBT is great for this) and get that routine set up so you have something to fall back on. That is what helped me the most.

Good luck! It's a hard journey, but very rewarding.
posted by ananci at 4:24 PM on January 15, 2016 [3 favorites]


Best answer: As slow as your doctor wants you to go.....GO SLOWER.

I came off meds under a docs supervision after being on for years and had protracted withdrawal that made me suicidal and gave me panic attacks that were so bad that I thought I was dying.

I was on too many meds to begin with including amphetamines and benzos and ssri's etc, but that is another story.

It is not just about the half life of the med and when it is out of your system, but you brain and neuro chemistry has adjusted/compensated for the medicine. I would taper as slowly as you can. Months even

Message me if you want to talk
posted by kbbbo at 4:44 PM on January 15, 2016 [2 favorites]


I was on Zoloft for a few years. I tapered down slowly (i think maybe a 1/2 pill per month?) per doctor's instructions and notice no side effects and no increase in depression. YMMV.
posted by metahawk at 4:51 PM on January 15, 2016


Best answer: I took Wellbutrin for about 15 years, and transitioned off of it over about 6 months in 2015. I was on 450 when we started the transition so it took a while. Unlike you, I was also slowly ramping up on a different medicine. I did experience some increased anxiety and depressive symptoms, but little in the way of physical withdrawal symptoms. So that's one data point for you, although it doesn't completely match your situation. Are you working with a psychiatrist or a general practioner MD? If the latter, you may need to advocate more strongly for frequent check-ins (monthly at least) and a sloooooow taper.
posted by tuesdayschild at 4:57 PM on January 15, 2016 [1 favorite]


I accidentally stopped taking bupropion (300mg XL) by forgetting several days in a row, and never looked back. Doctors and all right-thinking people are always horrified when that story comes up, so I'm definitely not recommending it, but wanted to offer at least an anecdotal counterpoint to the usual stories.
posted by teremala at 5:33 PM on January 15, 2016 [4 favorites]


Best answer: I experienced far less withdrawal when tapering off Wellbutrin than off SSRI/SNRIs. No stomach upset, no brain zaps. That said, go slowly, and discuss this in detail with your doctor. (Also remember that you can't cut up the extended-release pills. If you need to step down so gradually that pill-cutting is required, you'll have to switch to non-extended-release, which will be another shift for your brain.) Personally, I had to watch out for mood symptoms when tapering off Wellbutrin but the immediate reduction in irritability and headaches was a pleasant experience.
posted by thetortoise at 5:53 PM on January 15, 2016 [2 favorites]


I took Wellbutrin for seven or eight years (it never helped, I don't know why I was on it so long) and when I stopped taking it I just quit, no tapering. I know you're not supposed to do that, but it was fine, it wasn't even noticeable.
posted by Violet Hour at 6:07 PM on January 15, 2016 [3 favorites]


+1 going off Wellbutrin cold turkey gave me no side effects. Zoloft, on the other hand was a complete bitch to quit.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 6:19 PM on January 15, 2016 [2 favorites]


I quit Wellbutrin over a period of a few weeks and experienced no side effects and no increase in depression. I've been off all antidepressants for about six years now. I still get depressed occasionally, but it's not any worse than it was when I was on three antidepressants at once, and it's almost always better. I was on antidepressants for decades, and I don't think they helped me very much. I still see a therapist, and I find that very helpful.
posted by FencingGal at 7:02 PM on January 15, 2016


I went off Wellbutrin cold turkey and experienced horrible, desperate fatigue. Neither sugar nor caffeine nor physical activity helped. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. After that, I would never quit any medication without medical supervision.
posted by mchorn at 7:18 PM on January 15, 2016


I've never experienced any side effects from quitting/missing Wellbutrin alone, other than a return of depression.

It's quitting SSRIs cold turkey that will fuck you up.
posted by Jacqueline at 7:18 PM on January 15, 2016


I've taken it for over 10 years. The longest I've gone without is 3 days when I got stuck once, and that was _horrible_. I got very angry/irritable (not a usual thing for me before or after starting Wellbutrin), very depressed, etc.

Just wanted to say its very YMMV. I guess some people here had OK experiences just stopping it, but I don't recommend that since it's a bit of a gamble (and it took me a couple days to get back to "normal" after that experience).

I have never intentionally tried to wean off it since it works for me and I see no downside to just taking it, personally.
posted by thefoxgod at 7:27 PM on January 15, 2016


I quit taking Zoloft abruptly after taking it for a year or two. I got brief bouts of vertigo every once in a while, maybe once every few days, but only for a month or so. It wasn't horrible and I'm glad I stopped taking it but I wish I would have known to expect it. A psychologist friend said he was surprised that I'd experienced any withdrawal symptoms at all since he'd never heard of anyone else having issues.
posted by Beti at 8:02 PM on January 15, 2016


I stopped it over about two weeks when I finally realized it was making my hair fall out in disturbing amounts, so I was motivated. No side effects.
posted by cecic at 8:28 PM on January 15, 2016


the brain zaps are real and were very disconcerting at first. faded quickly - maybe 60 days.
posted by j_curiouser at 9:25 PM on January 15, 2016


Best answer: I had side effects (some brain zaps, among other things) when transitioning off an SSRI (Celexa) that I had only been on for a matter of months.

With Wellbutrin, I went off it once completely cold turkey after taking it for a year (I was in a self destructive spiral; it was a stupid idea; don't be me), and I had no side effects. I went back on it later, and was on it for several years, and then I ended up going off it (with my psychiatrist's approval and supervision this time) over a one week period because I wanted to switch over to a different med ASAP. Again, I didn't feel a thing.

Although this isn't really a side effect, one general caution I would give is that it can be easy to be lulled into a false sense of security when you're on a med for a long time. I convinced myself that the Wellbutrin wasn't doing anything for me other than making me anxious, and then when I tried stepping down my dosage at one point, I again had no side effects, but I also realized it was helping me (with ADHD symptoms, not depression, though).

So just something to be on the look out for, and this is another reason why it's useful to step down slowly. I'm not saying that you shouldn't try going off it; if it turns out you don't need to be on it, that's great! But I would also be prepared to go back on it if it turns out it is really making a difference.

Oh, and I was also taking the 300XL dosage. Of course, IANAD, IANYD, YMMV, etc.
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:46 PM on January 15, 2016 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: OP here---Wow, the variation in experiences is really interesting.

I should have added that I stopped therapy recently, but would certainly resume during the tapering process. I also went through a rough few days when I ran out of pills (was taking a smaller dose then, too), and it was *really bad*- it got me thinking of taking some time away from work and projects to manage the withdrawal. It's not easy to carve out time for that, but it's also preferable to having a *really bad* day in my line of work.

Thanks for sharing, everyone!
posted by eusebis_w_adorno at 9:50 PM on January 15, 2016


Best answer: Bi-monthly check ins with your doc is a must. Therapy/CBT is a pretty good idea as well.

Also, don't underestimate just how important physical care is when weaning off meds. We've gotten so used to prescription drugs being common that we often forget that withdrawal is withdrawal, and physical rehabilitation is still important.

I'd suggest having a friend/family member to come check on you once or twice a week to take inventory on food and help you with planning the physical care side of things. Getting nutrients into your body is important, and having someone around to make sure that's happening can help a ton. Things like meal planning and chores are really hard to do when you're exhausted, so don't be afraid to ask for help.
posted by InkDrinker at 11:33 PM on January 15, 2016


I was on Wellbutrin for less than a year after Zoloft stopped working which I had been on for several years. I weaned off Welbutrin generic as directed because it really was not doing any good; I had no side effects at all, although I was afraid I would have them. I had started taking a probiotic and that seemed to help more than the SSRI. I tried the probiotic because I read that it might help depression, and figured it couldn't hurt. I have suffered from mild depression on and off for much of my life, but feel good now. I also started exercising with a trainer at the gym several times a week, and have tried to cut back on carbs and eat more fruit, veggies and protein, and lost some weight but need to lose more. Maybe it is just the placebo effect with the probiotic, but I have stuck with it because I feel much better.
posted by mermayd at 4:44 AM on January 16, 2016


I've gone off Wellbutrin cold turkey a couple of times and have never had a problem with it. Of course, at one point I was taking 450 mg of it and it was not doing anything positive or negative for me in any way, so that might have something to do with my experience. Note that Wellbutrin is not an SSRI or SNRI and is fairly different in its mechanism of action compared to them, so someone's experience coming off of Zoloft, or god forbid an SNRI like Effexor etc. may not be that relevant.
posted by drlith at 8:40 AM on January 16, 2016


Best answer: For a less anecdata perspective, you might want to look at this article. This paragraph is particularly applicable:

Stopping antidepressants such as bupropion (Wellbutrin) that do not affect serotonin systems — dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors — seems less troublesome over all, although some patients develop extreme irritability.

posted by litera scripta manet at 9:56 AM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]


I'd like to add - seeing a therapist while tapering is good, but it won't make any difference as far as brain chemistry/physiologically

The other thing that I would keep an eye on, would be a doc prescribing a benzo to help. As bad as ssri, snri etc are, benzos and ten times worse!!!!!
posted by kbbbo at 12:14 PM on January 16, 2016


I have always taken tapering very seriously ever since a cousin drowned herself in a lake while withdrawing from antidepressants.
posted by billjings at 1:59 PM on January 16, 2016


Meds I've gone off of (over the course of 20+ years) - every time I've gone off very slowly. Sometimes meds just stop working, or there's a better med out there.

Imipramine - no recollection of any withdrawal
Prozac - no recollection of any withdrawal
Luvox - intense increase in emotional lability that went away after a few months, some brain zaps
Paxil - the worst - no decrease was small enough. Intense depression, emotional lability, physical discomfort, nausea, zaps for 6 months
Celexa - increase in emotional lability, some brain zaps

Just go slow, and be gentle to yourself. Let yourself know that a lot of the discomfort is temporary. Have a back-up plan for emotional/depressive symptoms popping up. Be in touch with your doctor. Good luck!!
posted by Dressed to Kill at 6:04 AM on January 19, 2016


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