Has anyone tried Wellbutrin

[slick76]

I'm on Wellbutrin XL 150mg. Can't go any higher as it interferes with my memory. It is a decent AD although never really cured my depression, but now I added fish oils etc. so I hope things get better. It's decent enough to get me out of bed, and get on with life but not strong enough to pull me out of the dark pits.

never had any trouble taking Ultram 50 mg with it although I generally avoid it.

[mdavis6565]

Piracetam is good to take with Wellbutrin - it has its own slight AD quality but helps quite a bit with the memory problems.

[BigToast]

@mdavis6565 Piracetam is awesome stuff!
@slick76 Does Wellbutrin give you any 'brain fog' issues as well in the higher doses?

[gsg909]

is wellbutrin ever used for ADD? I'm reading it gives some people energy and increased sex drive. wiki also says it's being researched for weight loss. I'm thinking if I go to a doctor for ADD this may be a better drug to ask for first instead of adderall... I need something that will give energy and help me focus, I'm taking phentermine now and still feel fatigued!

[mdavis6565]

It increases energy and sex drive, and decreases appetite by increasing dopamine levels through reuptake inhibition. I am not sure this would help someone with ADD and having high levels of dopamine all the time can cause problems like anxiety and psychosis. Also Wellbutrin does not help you focus at all but can cause the brain fog issues like toast was talking about. Its kind of like cocaine lite but without the long term damage associated with lots of cocaine use.

Modafinil might work better for you but I have found that it loses quite a bit of affect if you take it regularly. I think I have read that people who use it regularly need about 3x as much. I will take it once or twice a month (100mg) when I have not slept enough for an overnight shift and it works really well for that.

[slick76]

@BigToast Wellbutrin gives me terrible brain fog even at the low dose I take, 150 mg XL
As a matter of fact I'm thinking of going off for a few days...just don't feel like myself. I can't even get out to do stuff, just starring at the monitor all afternoon. I take CDP Choline to counteract the fog but it's as if the neurons were locked up.

It did stop the negative self-talk and feeling guilty about everything, but now I just feel blah...nothing seems to matter anymore. I also take Vyvanse for ADHD but thinking of going off that for a week and just stick with Wellbutrin and see what happens.

[mdavis6565]

Heads up choline can sometimes make depression worse. IDK how long you have been taking it but a lot of the negative side affects of Wellbutrin are reduced a little over time.

[LeeAnn]

I took Wellbutrin for many years. It was the only med that ever helped my depression and believe me I tried them all. At one point I tried Wellbutrin XL and it just was not the same. 100mg 3x per day of regular wellbutrin worked but 150mg 2x a day of the XL didn't. I have no idea why but that is just the way it was.

At one point it stopped being so effective so my doctor added Zoloft. It was her little joke that the two combined would make me welloft. It did work for me. That was years ago so I haven't tried any of the latest pharmaceutical marvels. I have been off meds for 10 years now and feel fine.

[gsg909]

just read another side effect can be hair loss.. anyone experience that?

[morphosis]

I've been on Wellbutrin before, along with many other antidepressants (at separate times).

It's one of the better ones for energy. If you have a melancholic type of depression, I would recommend it. For the first while, it will likely produce a euphoric type effect, which slowly dies down...and you'll be happy it does

The other benefit of this drug is that it works well in conjunction with SSRIs. So, if you're not feeling totally recovered, it's safe and easy to add an SSRI to the mix. Furthermore, doing so sometimes counteracts the side effects of the wellbutrin and vice versa.

The downside, for me, is that it made me angry at the end of the day--not in a "I'm vicious and will tear your heart out way", but in a "I'm mad at you for any reason I can find and refuse to let shit go", way.

Hope that helps. Feel free to message me with any questions. I have lots of experience and a decent amount of knowledge in this subject

[BigToast]

@BigToast Wellbutrin gives me terrible brain fog even at the low dose I take, 150 mg XL
As a matter of fact I'm thinking of going off for a few days...just don't feel like myself. I can't even get out to do stuff, just starring at the monitor all afternoon. I take CDP Choline to counteract the fog but it's as if the neurons were locked up.

I just tapered down from and stopped Wellbutrin because of this same issue. It felt as if I just couldn't think or process anything. Ironically, I was taking Wellbutrin in a attempt to fix a less sever version of this.

[slick76]

@BigToast what are you going to take now? Are you depressed? My main problem is lack of motivation....the Vyvanse calms me down but gives me loose bowels etc. and it certainly doesn't last 10 hours, more like 6 for me

Wellbutrin gives me that kick in the butt but also gives me a headache and this fog...so I dunno...I was taking Adderall which worked great but didn't feel like myself, too edgy, and afraid of getting hooked on it. My shrink is an idiot who doesn't know anything...I'm trying fish oils now, 4 grams/day and ashwagandha to calm down.

[etinin]

Wellbutrin can work well with SSRIs. Especially for those with lack of motivation and anxiety. That way you can use an extended release 150mg wellbutrin with great efficacy with an anti-depressive like 20mg citalopram or 10mg escitalopram.

[wobina]

Wellbutrin made my anxiety horribly worse. I don't know if it's great for people with anxiety. Paxil was the only AD out of many, many I tried that I now believe are just scams. And Paxil comes along with its own problems, so I don't recommend it either. (Withdrawal + aggressiveness.)

[etinin]

Wellbutrin made my anxiety horribly worse. I don't know if it's great for people with anxiety. Paxil was the only AD out of many, many I tried that I now believe are just scams. And Paxil comes along with its own problems, so I don't recommend it either. (Withdrawal + aggressiveness.)

Lexapro has been working well for my anxiety.

[pia]

I take Buproprion which is generic Wellbutrin. I have been on it for several years. My doctor also prescribed Lexapro (for which there is finally a generic). So everyday i take 20mg Lexapro and 200 mg of Buproprion. Also, my shrink has me on clonazapam.

I have been taking the Lexapro for about 6 years. I still was getting depressed so the dr gave me the Wellbutrin too.

Honestly, I could not tell any difference when Wellbutrin was added to my daily regiment. Depression still sets in at times, the pills make me feel somewhat apathetic and they kill my sex drive.... bummer.

I tried a couple of times to wean off of them, very hard to get off of SSRI.
As I was weaning off, I felt literally like I was going insane, over the deep end. It was so awful I have now decided that I may be on them for the rest of my life.

pia


pia

[etinin]

I take Buproprion which is generic Wellbutrin. I have been on it for several years. My doctor also prescribed Lexapro (for which there is finally a generic). So everyday i take 20mg Lexapro and 200 mg of Buproprion. Also, my shrink has me on clonazapam.

I have been taking the Lexapro for about 6 years. I still was getting depressed so the dr gave me the Wellbutrin too.

Honestly, I could not tell any difference when Wellbutrin was added to my daily regiment. Depression still sets in at times, the pills make me feel somewhat apathetic and they kill my sex drive.... bummer.

I tried a couple of times to wean off of them, very hard to get off of SSRI.
As I was weaning off, I felt literally like I was going insane, over the deep end. It was so awful I have now decided that I may be on them for the rest of my life.

pia


pia

Very sorry to hear that!!
You should talk to your doctor about weaning off the SSRI. You could attempt fractioning the pills.
Also, anti-depressive supplements like tryptophan may help weaning off (there's a thread here about these supplements).

EDIT:
To those with treatment-resistant depression, I would suggest talking to the doctor about trying pramipexole (Sifrol). It works through distinct dopaminergic mechanisms and can be often effective for depression.

[BigToast]

@BigToast what are you going to take now? Are you depressed? My main problem is lack of motivation....the Vyvanse calms me down but gives me loose bowels etc. and it certainly doesn't last 10 hours, more like 6 for me

Wellbutrin gives me that kick in the butt but also gives me a headache and this fog...so I dunno...I was taking Adderall which worked great but didn't feel like myself, too edgy, and afraid of getting hooked on it. My shrink is an idiot who doesn't know anything...I'm trying fish oils now, 4 grams/day and ashwagandha to calm down.

Same reason: motivation + lack of energy and fatigue. Trying to stay away from amphetamines though because of tolerance, receptor down regulation, and difficulty acquiring. I've tried alot of the supplements too but with no luck. Not sure what to try now.

I may try Wellbutrin again but at a lower dose. Did you get nausea as a side effect as well? Wonder if anyone has found a successful and long term treatment for this issue...

[notredame]

I tried wellbutrin--at 150mg, twice daily. It didn't help my symptoms (pain, depression), and if anything it gave me a headache.

[mdavis6565]

Same reason: motivation + lack of energy and fatigue. Trying to stay away from amphetamines though because of tolerance, receptor down regulation, and difficulty acquiring. I've tried alot of the supplements too but with no luck. Not sure what to try now.

I may try Wellbutrin again but at a lower dose. Did you get nausea as a side effect as well? Wonder if anyone has found a successful and long term treatment for this issue...

Make sure you talk to your doctor when taking SSRIs and then using a supplement like tryptophan, 5-htp, SAMe, or St John's Wort. I believe there is a marginal risk for serotonin syndrome but a doctor could advise you best.