Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with wellbutrin

Dealing with a sore tongue and hair loss: advice from the hive mind?

elfgirl — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 06:00:52 -0800

I'm coping with two different side effects from two different medications--hair loss and sore tongue/dry mouth. Any advice from the hive mind? Teal deer explanation and questions inside. I'm taking two medications for ADHD/Anxiety management: Strattera and Vyvanse. Both are causing side effects that, while tolerable, are annoying enough that I'd like to help counteract them if possible. Both side effects are fairly common for the types of meds they are, so I'm hoping others have had the same issues and have advice on helping alleviate them.

Hair loss: This is Strattera's fault. I know it's a common side effect of many SSRI/SSNRI/NRI type medications and I had it when I tried Wellbutrin several years ago. Right now, stopping the Strattera isn't an option. It's the best thing I've taken to help with my anxiety and has the added benefit of helping me focus, too. Frankly, as far as positive benefits from psychoactive medications, this is one of the best meds I've ever been on. The hair loss, though, is annoying as I have very fine, thin hair naturally. I've seen stories of people losing over half their hair, and I'd like to get a handle on it before it gets to that point.

Sore tongue/dry mouth: Vyvanse has gifted me with energy and motivation without depression--but a really, really dry mouth. The dry mouth (I think) has led to glossitis. Soreness that initially came and went is now pretty constant and occasionally affects my speech.

So, for either or both of these symptoms, my questions are:
Has anyone else dealt with these side effects from these types of medications?
Did they slow or stop over the course of taking the medication?
Did you find a solution or something that would help counteract the side effects (other than simply stopping the medication)?

Thanks!

Opinion needed on meds and conception.

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:59:43 -0800

My meds and the conception of my second child. I know you aren't my doctor, but I'd like an opinion. I am on a number of medications, and have, while not accidentally - not as planned as I might have hoped, conceived our second child.

I am concerned that somehow my male contribution being tainted by chemicals will somehow affect the baby.

I am on:
Adderall
Gabapentin
Bupropion
and very occasionally opiate pain meds

I don't have any bad habits in recent years, but I worry about the list above causing some horrible something-or-other.

Anyone have words of reassurance or caution on whether or not this might affect the baby? We have a physician to cover all oby/gyn issues, but I have not discussed this one yet.

Thanks!

Please help make sense of my brain chemistry

tigrrrlily — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:15:59 -0800

Guess what! I know you're not my doctor. Get over it. I'm seeing one for depression, though, and need to know what to say next time I see her. I'm losing my marbles here. This is going to be long. If you were to take the time to read it and relate any comments, observations, suggestions, experiences you have I'd be ridiculously grateful.

For at least the past 7 years or so I've been dealing with something akin to depression, sometimes more pronounced, sometimes less. Took me a while to realize this was not just How People Felt All the Time. The past year or so I've been getting weekly therapy, but as things got worse and worse a doc put me on Wellbutrin. That was two plus months ago.

I'd been on antidepressants before, years ago: Tried zoloft for a while; didn't do much except make me yawn constantly and have weird withdrawal symptoms. Tried Wellbutrin right after that, but my memory of that time is hazy enough that I was willing to give the drug another go.

Somewhat unexpectedly, the subjective effects of the Wellbutrin this time around were different to start with, which gave me some initial hope. For the first two days on the 150 XL dose, I felt... well, I felt like I'd heard being on speed felt. Didn't sleep much, but those two days were wonderful, like someone had upped the color saturation of the world. Then it dissipated, and I settled back to a level similar, if maybe a bit more bearable than what i'd started out with. This was my first and last positive experience with the drug.
A month later I went onto a 300mg dose, but got heart palpitations, elevated blood pressure, blood rushing in my ears, etc. These never really went away. I was on the higher dose for a month. When that month ended, I dropped my dose back to 150, without consulting my doctor this time. Not because I didn't want to. I can probably get hold of her in a few weeks.

Mostly, I need to know what to tell my doctor about the following things I observed over the past months/years:

- A day or two after pleasurable sexual activity of any kind i hit rock bottom, find no joy in anything, and want to die;
- A day or two after enduring painful medical treatment for an hour i hit rock bottom, find no joy in anything, and want to die;
- A while back I had the option of taking Tramadol for pain, but couldn't because the day I took even a single pill I felt Wonnnderful, then next day I hit rock bottom, found no joy in anything, and wanted to die;
- I've taken Strattera long-term in the past, in the low dose (40mg/day) that my GP was willing to prescribe. I found it helped with day-to-day functioning a little bit. Nothing spectacular. I would describe the feeling as traction control... As opposed to everything being of equal importance and on my mind at the same time, I can prioritize somewhat. As well as an analgesic, Tramadol is also an SNRI. Strattera is an NRI.

So... Is there anything here that I'm not seeing? Should I be pursuing/suggesting some course of action?

How about hope? Hope would be nice.

Zoloft is making me fat. Help!

Lutoslawski — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0800

I've been on zoloft for a year, and just started taking wellbutrin in addition. Zoloft has made me gain quite a bit of weight, even though I exercise regularly and eat well. How have other people dealt with this?

Is it okay to take Effexor without its capsule?

Anonymous — Sat, 16 May 2009 07:22:02 -0800

Is there any particular reason that Effexor comes in gelatin capsules? Inside the capsule there are a number of small pellets.

I'm a vegan so I've just been pulling the capsules apart over my mouth, with my head tilted back, and tossing the capsules in the garbage.

I haven't noticed any difference in mood after doing this for a month or so. The only difference I have noticed is that the pellets are extremely bitter (so discovered after having one of them catch in my teeth).

But why aren't the pellets just one solid pill, like bupropion? Is it the bitterness, or does the capsule actually do something (and if so, what)?

Can't I be happy AND be able to have an orgasm?

The Dutchman — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:57:53 -0800

Argh. So, a while back I was diagnosed with dysthymia (which is a clinical term for long-term moody, irritable, melancholy, anxious...while not quite clinically depressed and not quite having anxiety disorder). I've felt this way forever, and I'm trying to figure out my next step. I was in therapy for at least 10 years and made a lot of progress on a personal level, but it never really translated to a higher happiness baseline or less anxiety. I tried CBT for a while, but didn't find it particularly effective. About 8 months ago, after contemplating it for most of my adult life, I finally decided to try anti-depressants. As far as my mood goes, they were great! They made me feel a lot less down, a lot more like the self I want to be and a lot more in-line with the very good state of my life. They weren't quite as effective with the anxiety, but it was still an improvement -- at least acceptable.

I would still be on them, were it not for the side effects. Zoloft gave me tremors, made me jittery, made it hard to settle down and get to sleep at night, and gave me delayed or non-existent orgasms, so I switched to Lexapro. That was much better with the tremors and the jitteryness, and I was on it for about 6 months. However, I still had the sexual side-effects. My psychiatrist added some Wellbutrin to combat those, but instead they made them much worse. My sexuality is very important to me and, when soon after I started dating my girlfriend, it just became intolerable and kinda gave up on the meds and tapered them off.

That was a couple of months ago. My sexual response has returned (thankfully!), but so has my moody, melancholy, anxious blah blah crappity crap.

So...what now? Go back to trying various meds (I would go to a new psychiatrist as I wasn't thrilled with my previous one)? Or, the naturopathic doctor my friend saw for her post-partum depression and liked a lot? I feel pretty done with talk therapy and pretty confident that this is a chemical/physiological issue.

I would be happy to be on the Zoloft or Lexapro for ever and ever if not for the intolerable sexual side effects.

I guess I'm also feeling a bit discouraged...so if anyone wants to say, "Hey, I had a similar thing and kept working at it and finally triumphed, so keep it up!" I'd appreciate that kinda thing, too.

Thanks!

Can Wellbutrin SR be a short term (one day) substitute for Wellbutrin XL (in a bind here)?

Soulbee — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:16:50 -0800

I have left a msg for my pdoc, but haven't heard back from him yet, and see below, it wouldn't really matter. Anyway I've found myself out of Wellbutrin XL this morning (i take 1 300mg tablet every morning) and I'm out of refills AND there is no opportunity to get to the pharmacy till this evening. Just not possible, tho the pdoc will call in my prescription today. I do have a bottle of Wellbutrin SR 150mg tablets. The reason I switched off of the SR was because I generally can't remember to take a pill twice a day, and I needed to go up to 300mg which can't be taken all at once in SR form. I think that today, this once, I can remember to take the pill 2x a day -- but is Wellbutrin SR in 2 150mg doses ok to substitute for Wellbutrin XL 300 mg for one day? I don't want to get off my med schedule because it makes me crazy. Thanks, if you have an answer?

I've got the opposite sleep problem!

dithmer — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:12:21 -0800

Instead of not being able to get up in the mornings, I have a problem with waking up TOO early. Typically I go to sleep around midnight-1:00 am (it's when I start getting tired) but for the last 2 months or so I've been waking up anywhere between 5:00 am to 7ish, and my alarm doesn't go off until 8:15. Usually it's when I wake up because I have to go to the bathroom (and I don't drink anything before bed) but once I wake up I'm awake awake. If I try to close my eyes and fall back asleep, it's useless. I'm still getting 5-7 hours of sleep a night but this happening every night is catching up with me.

Stuff that might be important:
I was diagnosed bipolar about a year ago. I'm on Wellbutrin (300mg) for the depression and Lamictal (200mg) for the manic behavior.

I just recently lowered my Lamictal to 150mg because it's giving me (I think it's responsible) digestive problems.

I am between psychiatrists because my last one didn't listen to me at all (so any meds adjusting I'm doing is on my own, I know, terrible idea).

I drink no coffee at all. I do drink a can of diet soda a day, usually, but it's no later than 2 in the afternoon. And that's been the case for months before these problems started.

I've never been one to sleep in. I think the latest I've slept in years is 9:00 a.m.

I have a medicinal marijuana card. I was smoking it fairly frequently for a period of time after a long depressive episode, and I began to realize it really helps stabilize my moods. My swinging is way less frequent and extreme. And it also helps me fall asleep at night, which can be a problem for me too.

Every sleeping pill I've run into helps you FALL asleep, not stay asleep. I'm a morning person so I'm not terribly worried about drowsiness - I have a lot of energy. But what meds to turn to? Or is there something else I can't think of (Non-medicines and the like).

Thank you!

Lexapro/bupropion: light at the end, or just a really long tunnel?

anthom — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:53:17 -0800

Without going into whole life stories/clinical history, I just want to know - does the exaggerated anxiety that appears as a side effect of Wellbutrin subside after a while? My wife was prescribed Wellbutrin (actually, generic bupropion) to augment her current antidepressant (Lexapro) Wednesday. Over the past week, she had been anxious, but able to function. Yesterday, after taking the bupropion, the anxiety became too much, she felt "fidgety" all day, and broke down into several panic attacks. She said she couldn't control her thoughts, or get out of her own way enough to do anything. Today, she's ever so slightly better (no major crying/panic attacks), but the crippling anxiety and fidgety-ness still seem to be there.

She's suffered from depression and anxiety for years, so naturally I'm curious as to why her psychiatrist would prescribe her something that lists anxiety and agitation among its first few side effects, but IANAD, so I'd assume he knows what he's doing. After talking to him yesterday, he also prescribed her some Xanax or something similar in an attempt to take the edge off. Understandably, she only wants to take them as a last resort, since they basically knock her out.

Of course, YA also NAD. That being said, is there reason to believe this will pass (or at least lessen in severity), or do we wait out the weekend and call her psych Monday to say "this isn't working"?

Experiences coming off Wellbutrin?

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:32:10 -0800

Experiences coming off Wellbutrin? So I'll put a disclaimer on this that of course I am going to go to my doctor and have no intention of just trying to come off it on my own, but I want people's advice and experiences so that I can gauge how hard it will be and how big of an impact it will likely have on my life, so that I can schedule accordingly.

So I've been on Wellbutrin for a little under 4 years. I'm a female in my mid 20's. I take a very high dose, 450 mg XL. I want to come off for a variety of reasons. First of all I don't think it does much for me anymore, honestly it was never all that effective for me but all the other antidepressants had unacceptable side affects and it was better than nothing. It also helped me lose weight and I need less sleep than I used to. Second, I think it makes me more jumpy and by extension more anxious, which is half my problem. Also there are other small side effects, I believe it effects my intelligence/ability to articulate myself ever so slightly, increased sweating is annoying, and I get hangovers from hell because of it. I also don't know if I will have insurance 6 months from now, and if I don't have insurance that means I don't have a job and so I won't be able to afford it...

Currently I go to grad school and work part time and I really can't afford to be out of commission. I'm really overstretched as it is and not being able to get out of bed or having panic attacks just ain't going to cut it. So anyone that has come off wellbutrin or knows someone close to them that did, I'd love to hear your experiences. Especially ways you minimized the effects and also things I should bring up with my Dr(s) (who are not very helpful or very attentive so I have to go in armed with questions and preferably knowing exactly what I want.) Also, did you gain weight? You can also email me at wellbutrinmefi@hotmail.com. Thanks!

No, It Probably Wouldn't Result in a Relaxed Kitty

WCityMike — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:41:57 -0800

A medication pill has dropped on the floor and seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. I'm concerned for my cat. (Honestly, I'm not so sure this has a rational answer; I may just be looking for reassurance.)

I know Mefi has doctors; I'm hoping we have vets. While filling a container with medications for the week, I dropped a single 150 mg Wellbutrin XL tablet onto the floor.

Every time in the past that I have dropped a pill onto the floor, I've been able to find it relatively quickly. Not so here. Despite making myself late for work, spending 45 minutes of searching a relatively small studio, including thorough sweeping, lying on the floor with a flashlight and scanning around, and moving furniture, I could not find the pill anywhere. It's not that I'm unwilling to look further, but I've checked everywhere — wherever the pill went, it's hid itself very thoroughly, and I think I've pretty much given up on finding it now.

I do not have a carpet, but hardwood floors, so it wouldn't have got lost in the shag. Similarly, I have a relatively small studio, so there weren't really other rooms into which it could have skittered.

I'm not concerned my cat already ingested it. I'm concerned that I can't find it despite a thorough search of a relatively small area, and thus I cannot remove the possibility of him ingesting it.

The pill is quite small (perhaps 50-75% of the size of an Advil), and white. Unfortunately, my cat uses litter crystals, which are also white and roughly the same size (but not the same shape). I've swept the floor rather thoroughly, and I did examine the sweepings before tossing them, but nonetheless it's possible I tossed it without seeing it because it blended in with the crystals.

If I've swept the floors thoroughly, moved furniture, looked under the radiator, moved the mattress, moved the desk I was sitting at when the drop occurred, checked my clothes, checked the seat cushions, put my face next to the floor and looked at floor level, and so on, I think I've searching most of the places my cat might stumble across it by accident.

Additionally, I'm remembering my cat's behavior with the litter crystals. He didn't appear to ever try to eat them; he just batted them around, playing floor hockey. I would presume that the pill shares those same characteristics: small, giving off no food scent, and hard and able to skitter across the floor.

I think that although the possibility exists that my cat might still stumble across the pill and swallow it, the possibility is low. Can any vets and/or other Mefites chime in?

Also, just to note: I called a veterinary emergency room and asked them. The woman who answered the phone didn't know the effects it might have, but gave me a toll-free number to call, which turned out to be the ASPCA Poison Control line. However, while on hold, the hold message advised me it was a $60 consultation fee. That's not something I have free at the moment. And Google results for Wellbutrin are so spammed up that I can't turn up anything useful at all there about pet ingestion. My understanding is that it would be poisonous to him, but perhaps someone who's professionally a vet might be able to give me more information than the brief comment the woman answering the phone made. Are there symptoms I should look for if he did ingest it, or is it fatal relatively quickly? Is it indeed poisonous to cats? Etc.

Sorry if I appear a little nervous. He's been a really good little guy these past couple years. Him hopping up on my lap and bumping me with his forehead has helped take the edge off many a harsh day — I'd really hate to think of harm coming to him.

at this point I'll keep the smokers cough over the alternative!

Kellydamnit — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:51:04 -0800

Zyban/ Wellbutrin side effects... how long did they last for you? So, I'm trying to quit smoking. Did the patch, turns out I'm allergic (fun), the lozenges made me feel ill, did cold turkey and made it, um... six hours?.
So, my doc prescribed wellbutrin (instead of chantix partly because of the cheaper copay and partly because she has noticed a lot more in terms of serious negative side effects with chantix, and likes to go with wellbutrin first.)

I've been taking 300 mg a day, in two 150 mg doses, since Friday. I've now had a headache for three days. Not so bad I can't function, but bad enough that I didn't sleep last night (which is, in and of itself, keeping me from functioning). Oh, and I can't sleep, too, even when I manage to drug the headache into submission!

Bundle that in with, well, vomiting a couple times since Saturday... which could be tied into the headache/not sleeping (it isn't an unusual reaction when I get severe headaches or go more than 30 or so hours without any sleep), and I'm ready to say screw it.

Did anyone else have similar reactions? If so, did they go away (like, soon), or stick around? I have called my doctor, she said they're "not unusual side effects" and we should wait and see how I feel after a full week on the meds. Some people feel better... others, the same. So I was hoping for some antidotal data to make me feel like sticking it out.

At this point I feel like I'll be out of work after a week of this, since I don't think I can go another night on no sleep without someone at work noticing that I'm useless and lapsing in and out of consciousness at my desk!

What's happened to my sexual response?

MysticMCJ — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:26:23 -0800

My physical sexual response has suddenly vanished. I'm feeling the same emotionally, and "the captain stands at attention" in the morning, so I'm not entirely sure whats going on. This hit suddenly about a week ago. I've already made a Dr's appointment about this, but I won't be able to get in for a while. Is this likely something physical? Relevant details below. I've been on Wellbutrin for about 6 months now. I recently (2-3 weeks ago) switched to the generic budeprion. Other than that, I take a generic claritin and the 150mg ranatadine. I've heard some scare stories about the generic budeprion, but I wasn't like this even before the wellbutrin - I've always been rather, well, "firm." There's never been a problem like this before.

As far as any other substances, I am not a heavy drinker, but I will have 1-2 drinks from time to time. I am otherwise substance free.

I'm male, and in my late 20's, so I find it hard to believe this could be an age related thing - and the idea of having to take another pill is not one I relish.

I'm in a very healthy relationship in which we have been very sexually active until this started happening. This is the most active sexual relationship I've ever had - 1-2 times a day was the norm until fairly recently. We haven't really had any issues that haven't been dealt with and resolved in a healthy fashion. Everything is just peachy there, aside from my "problem."

I'm on wellbutrin for "severe depressive disorder" but I think it's more of SAD, and I'm wondering if the weather might be affecting me... It's been pretty dreary here, but I think the GF has a hard time believing that the weather could impact me like so.

Is itching an okay side-effect for Bupropion?

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 18:04:54 -0800

I'm on day three of medicating with Bupropion (Wellbutrin generic), 150mg once daily, sustained release. This is my first time on any sort of anti-depressant, and I've started itching. I'd rather not call a doctor (I realize that's silly, but humor me), and webpages I've looked at seem split about whether itching is a rare, Stop Medicating Immediately side-effect or a common nuisance. Please advise? The itching started last night. It's on-and-off, and seems to only happen in joint areas like the back of the knees/elbows or where my legs meet my torso, usually just one location at a time.

The webpages that call itching (or rash) a serious issue say it indicates an allergic reaction. Some of these sites only list "serious rash/hives" or "blistering rash" under that heading, and I'd say mine isn't blistering or very rash-like (unless I scratch a lot, which irritates the skin and looks rash-like). Others just list itching/rash under that "serious/cause-for-concern" heading.

Other webpages list itching as a common side-effect and not as cause to be alarmed.

I realize the proper thing to do is to call a doctor, but that's not currently an option. My inclination is to continue for a couple more days and see if it gets worse or better. By doing so, am I actually putting myself at serious risk?

For others on Wellbutrin (Bupropion), has itching been a side effect and was your doctor concerned about it? Did it go away eventually or is it just something you've had to deal with?

Why Does Wellbutrin Cause Weight Loss?

WCityMike — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:10:53 -0800

Why does Wellbutrin cause weight loss? Even my doctor doesn't seem to know for sure. Are there unproven medical hypotheses or studies amongst doctors or pharmacists or anyone else that lean towards an as-yet-unofficial answer? (Feel free to get technical. If I don't understand, I'll Google.)

A Noob's Guide to Wellbutrin

Anonymous — Mon, 14 May 2007 21:40:47 -0800

I have just started taking Wellbutrin. What should I be feeling? I began taking 150mg of the Welbutrin generic (Bupropion) for anxiety once a day on Friday morning. I have never taken this kind of drug before, ever.

I am male and 36. I have what I think are typical anxiety symptoms: stress, feelings of worthlessness, feeling like a failure, being an asshole to my family, shortness of breath, depression, tinitus, some body tics, hopelessness, etc.

I have had no bad side effects at all, except for a slightly dry mouth. However, I wonder what the good stuff should feel like. What I have noticed so far has been the following:

Before, my mind felt like a box with a bunch of ping pong balls bouncing around in it. Now the box seems smaller (my mind seems less hyper).

Concentration seems easier.

The feelings of failure used to feel like they were coming from Marilyn Manson ("YOU FUCKING SUCK! YOU ARE SUCH A FAILURE! I FUCKING HATE YOOOOU!!!"). Now they are still there, but they are less often and they feel like they are coming from Mr. Rogers ("You fucking suck. You are a failure. Can you say failure? I thought you could, because you suck.").

Is this what I should expect? Because I really don't know what I should look for, I find myself wondering if it is possible that this medicine is actually Tic Tacs and I am just pulling myself up by my bootstraps, ignoring negative thoughts, because I the medicine has some powerful placebo effect.

All ADD drugs suck.

Anonymous — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 08:35:16 -0800

I am taking Wellbutrin for ADD, and (like other posters here) I've noticed that my personality seems to be flatlining. Basically, my capacity for feeling any real elation seems to be reduced, and when I start going off it I am capable of feeling a wider range of emotions. I've been taking it for about two years.

I've taken concerta (SR ritalin) but thought it was giving me a tic, so I freaked and quit.

Otherwise I was digging the concerta. The wellbutrin keeps me from being impulsive as it simultaneously decreases my enthusiasm and energy levels somewhat.

I'm afraid if I taper off the wellbutrin (generic SR, 150mg) that a raft of unpleasant behaviors associated with ADD (distraction, lack of productivity, snapping at spouse, barking at kids) will return. On the other hand, I am older and mellower.

I am going to see a clinical psychiatrist, but my previous experiences have been hardly educational, and I wanted to ping ask.mefi before embarking.

Is there a drug that will let me retain my personality, won't have a crash effect, and let me focus enough to get some work done? Or should I become Mr. Natural and start taking folates and exercising two hours a day and hope for the best?

Thanks for any tips.

Can Wellbutrin cause problems with verbal communication?

tarthur — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 08:20:58 -0800

Can taking Wellbutrin XL cause an occasional inability to quickly verbalize cohesive thoughts? I've been taking 300 MG of Wellbutrin XL for a few weeks now and have found that I have often found myself at a loss for words. I'll trip up on even simple statements and it destroys comedic timing completely. Could this be a side effect of taking this antidepressant? This is really frustrating because I can hear myself destroying what I'm trying to say as it comes out of my mouth and I feel it makes me seem uneducated.

Help me learn more about seizures, specifically simple partial.

good for you! — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 23:14:35 -0800

Help me learn more about seizures, specifically simple partial. I've been taking Wellbutrin (& Lexapro) for about 1.5 years to treat depression. My shrink told me about the possible risk of seizures with the Wellb, and I nodded & said "Of course, I'll let you know right away if that happens."

Poking around on www.crazymeds.org recently, I came across this in reference to Wellb:
"The simple answer is, if it helps you and you neither drink too much nor have a history of seizure events, then go for it! But wait, do you even know what a seizure event is?"
After reading about the different seizure types, I realized that my answer to that question is a big fat NO.

It seems that the most commonly caused type is simple partial, so what is a simple partial seizure like? I've read symptom pages & descriptions of seizures, but I really would like to know what I should be looking out for. I don't think that every twitching eyebrow is reason to call my shrink, so when does a twitch==seizure? (So to speak -- I know there's more to it then that...)

To the best of my (limited) knowledge I haven't had any seizures; this is mostly for future reference. If it turns out that I have experienced seizures, I promise I will call my doc asap. Also, if anyone wants to email me, it's in my profile.

Anti-depressants: alternatives to bupropion (Wellbutrin)?

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 10:43:03 -0800

I'm starting out on anti-depressants. My doctor has prescribed me venlafaxine (Effexor XR), an SNRI. I strongly suspect a dopamine reuptake inhibitor would be better suited for my condition and personality, but sadly, bupropion (Wellbutrin) isn't available as an anti-depressant in my country: only under the name Zyban (as a smoking cessation aid), which is not covered by insurance and hence very expensive. Are there any alternatives I should look into? I'm a few days into taking venlafaxine, and I think it might help me, but obviously it will take some time for the effects to be determined. However, I'm a little worried about the possible side effects (especially those related to libido and weight) and the eventual withdrawal, which reportedly can be quite bad with venlafaxine.

Any insight would be much appreciated - thanks in advance.

I'm Bipolar and I Want to Stop Smoking. Any Ideas?

SteveTheRed — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 14:07:07 -0800

WhineFilter: I'm bipolar and I am having a very hard time quitting smoking. Does anyone have any ideas that I haven't tried yet? I have been smoking cigarettes since 1987. My first serious attempt to quit was in 1995, when I tried the patch. The patch failed miserably. After I watched my mother-in-law die a horrible death from cancer in 1997, I quit again using Wellbutrin/Zyban. I stayed on the medication and off cigarettes until 1999, when I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADD.

My doctor calls my bipolar condition "Bipolar d/o Mixed, Rapid Cycling", which seems pretty accurate to me. I was taken off the Wellbutrin in 2000 because it wasn't the right drug for my cycling. As soon as I was off the Wellbutrin, I started sneaking cigarettes. Within a few months, I was back up to a pack a day.

Since 2000, I have been in a seemingly never-ending cycle of quitting and stopping that roughly mimics my mood swings (even though they are much milder than they used to be.) When I am at midline, I quit. When I get depressed or (especially) manic, I smoke.

I've tried nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and cold turkey after the Wellbutrin. Neither of them has worked very well for me.

I understand that the burden is upon me to control my willpower and quit. I'm not trying to use my bipolar disorder as a crutch. I just think that my condition is making something that is very difficult extremely difficult.

I know that I can quit. I just need someone to tell me how.

Did wellbutrin give you hives?

echo0720 — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 18:16:35 -0800

Hello fellow depressed meFites! For those of you who have taken wellbutrin, did you ever have itchiness or hives as a side effect? Did it go away after a while or did you have to go off of the drug completely? I have what MAY be a hive on my arm. It's either that or a bug bite (seriously, it's just one hive/bite and it's only been a few days, so its possible that I'm just being paranoid). I know that everyone reacts differently to drugs, but I just thought I'd see if anyone out there had hives/itchiness that went away after a while (like some side effects do) on the drug, or if you had a persistent allergy to the drug and had to stop taking it completely (which would make me sad because i have high hopes for it). Thanks!

What happens when they drill out a cavity?

fuzzbean — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 13:10:27 -0800

I'm going to have a cavity drilled on Tuesday. I've never had this done before and I'm terribly phobic of "procedures" (dental and otherwise), especially when I don't know what is involved. What exactly do they do when they drill out a cavity--step by step, what's involved? In addition, I went on Wellbutrin 3 months ago. I've had perfect teeth up until now, but in my last visit to the dentist (admittedly after a hiatus of 3 years) he found two cavities and said that I grind my teeth. I brush very thoroughly twice a day and use listerine every night, which is much better dental hygeine than I have practiced up to this point, and I've never been told that I grind my teeth before. Could the Wellbutrin be at fault? Has anyone had a similar experience?

Well well...Wellbutrin?

redsparkler — Fri, 13 May 2005 11:14:04 -0800

I'm not getting that good of results from Wellbutrin (prescribed for ADD), and to be honest, I'm not getting bad results either. Looking around, I'm don't see any first-hand ADD related Wellbutrin experiences (positive or negative), and I'm wondering if it's really all it's cracked up to be. Should I go back and try and get Adderall instead (which seems to have good responses here)? A while back I went to my General Practitioner and told her that I had been diagnosed with ADD at an earlier age but my parents had chosen to not do anything about it, and now I felt like I wanted to try some sort of medication to see if it'd have a positive effect or not. She brought me a little paper bag full of Wellbutrin SR (time-release), and I listened to what she told me about it, nodded, and went home to try some of her wonderpill. Three weeks later, "eh". Aside from a bit of a perceived mental block the first couple days, nothing seems to have changed.

Maybe I didn't give it enough time? Maybe I'm just bad at noticing side effects? I would go to crazymeds.org, but they've apparently shut down.

Wellbutrin Experiences

dejah420 — Thu, 08 Apr 2004 20:22:16 -0800

Wellbutrin. Anybody tried it? Experiences you want to share? Good, bad, indifferent? Weight gain? Sex drive? I've read the pharmacology, and chemically understand it...but clinical studies often leave a lot to the imagination when it comes to side effects, or lack thereof.