Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with zyban

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!

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.

Have you taken Zyban to quit smoking?

MiguelCardoso — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 00:57:06 -0800

I'll be 50 this year and I've decided to give up smoking, My doctor's prescribed Zyban but, after reading the leaflet (more like a computer manual, actually) that comes with the package, I'm terrified. Has anyone had any direct experience of the drug? Many thanks! [More inside.] Four of my friends - same age or older - have taken it and swear by it but - in the U.K. at least - doctors are loth to prescribe the thing. It's an antidepressant of sorts and my only experience with those (Prozac, back in the day) was awful and, after two days of buzzing in the ears and an unholy, unnerving agitation I ditched them.

I am naturally energetic and cheerful - thank God, I suppose - and can't enjoy stimulants of any sort, including tea and coffee in more than miserly amounts. Depressants (such as alcohol and nicotine) my brain appreciates and delights in. I need winding down, not up.

Last time I gave up smoking (for eight long years), Lobidan, a tranquilizer, was a great help but it's been banned in Portugal - apparently for good reasons - and the current fashion is to use stimulants.

I should add that I love smoking, have an addictive personality and had a very hard time quitting smoking. I spent a whole month of being basically useless, with terrible pains - it took a whole month to copy my address book, which was honestly all I could do...! So I'm willing to spend a month being useless. Any real-life experience with Zyban (or other anti-smoking drugs) would be dearly welcomed.

Experiences Using Zyban to Quit Smoking?

punkrockrat — Sun, 21 Nov 2004 13:17:58 -0800

smokingfilter: Has anyone had experience using Zyban to quit smoking? More inside... I've quit 4 times in the last 3 years using the patch, gum and cold-turkey. I started a new job recently and my boss smokes, and I find myself sneaking from 2-3 every day. I'm tired of trying and failing constantly. I'm considering talking to my doctor about Zyban, but would also be interesting in hearing any first-hand accounts. I've already read through this post, and this one, but I would be more interested in any specific Zyban stories. Thanks.