Has anyone tried Wellbutrin

[Melanie D]

What kind of effects did you get from it. Any strange side effects?

[available_innkeeper]

Uh not any strange ones really just sometimes I got stomach aches when I didnt eat... and I lost a bit of weight too.
It did help though... for about a year. Then It stopped working. Probably because I was on the same dosage for quite a while.

[lil bit]

My appetite seems to have increased and I get minor twitches at rest

[aly22autopsy]

What kind of effects did you get from it. Any strange side effects?

I had only positive side affects! No weight gain either!

[makaveli25]

It helped me to stop using chewing tabacoo. I had no urge to chew while I was on this medication!

[QVC1212]

For a complete list of side effects, visit: Wellbutrin (Bupropion Hcl) Drug Information: User Reviews, Side Effects, Drug Interactions and Dosage at RxList

I took zyban (bupropion at a lower dose) with very little side effect except a desire to stop smoking because it was gross. Now I take wellbutrin, also at a low-dose (150mg daily) and the only side effects I notice are a slight tremor in the hands, a slightly decreased appetite (but that was only at the higher dose of 450mg daily), but since I take more than one psychotropic it is difficult to discern the side effect of bupropion from that of aripiprazole. Insomnia is coming from one or both of the medications. Bupropion is the medication with the closest pharmacological profile to that of amphetamines. I suspect that source of the insomnia is more from the bupropion, but of course I have no empirical evidence of this.

Other than that, these are miracle drugs. They have stabilized my bipolar disorder and virtually erased the depression which, regretfully, I still struggle with fromm time to time in spite of the medication.

There were no "strange" side effects, however, and I would encourage you to use the medication if medically necessary, and if prescribed of course.

[Dbrent]

wellbutrin is good because unlike other anti-depressants, it doesnt cause weight gain, however i do believe sometimes the doctor will also prescribe a 2nd hand anti depressant along with Wellbutrin

[QVC1212]

@Dbrent Excellent point! Not only does it not cause weight gain, in some cases it can actually cause weight loss because it is a dopamine agonist. And in people with eating disorders, it is contraindicated because it will help them eat less, not more---and anorexics need to eat.

As far as a second antidepressant goes, it really depends on the diagnosis and individual circumstances. The goal of psychiatrists is to use the fewest possible drugs at the lowest therapeutic doses to achieve the desired results. If, however, you were dose escalated on the wellbutrin and still not responding, they might try a different antidepressant, OR they might add an adjunct therapy to your treatment-resistant depression, such as aripiprazole, which was just approved as an adjunct treatment for MDD.

[Dbrent]

@Dbrent Excellent point! Not only does it not cause weight gain, in some cases it can actually cause weight loss because it is a dopamine agonist. And in people with eating disorders, it is contraindicated because it will help them eat less, not more---and anorexics need to eat.

As far as a second antidepressant goes, it really depends on the diagnosis and individual circumstances. The goal of psychiatrists is to use the fewest possible drugs at the lowest therapeutic doses to achieve the desired results. If, however, you were dose escalated on the wellbutrin and still not responding, they might try a different antidepressant, OR they might add an adjunct therapy to your treatment-resistant depression, such as aripiprazole, which was just approved as an adjunct treatment for MDD.

i absoultey agree, however most psychiatrists will tell you as soon as you start that its very unlikely that you will find the particular anti-depressant on your first try. You will have to try different ones, and you will have to give them a decent time to start working, so a few weeks at least. Eventually most people settle into a medication that works for them.

[arcady59]

I used Wellbutrin and liked it, but when I got put on the generic budeprion I felt like it lost its effect. Too bad, it was good stuff. Stay on the brand if you can!

[Twitter]

I have Bipolar Disorder or Cyclothymia, which ever one - really they are one in the same just a different form. I was diagnosed when I was 16, and am now 30. I have taken Wellbutrin XL for the symptoms of Mania, which was basically anger, impatience, stress, etc. It took a while for the drug to get into my system. I hadn't taken any medication in over 8 years at that time, but it seemed when I had my twins, it triggered everything. I waited 6 months for the hormones to level out, but it didn't change. I did a lot of research on my symptoms and the different chemicals in the brain and found that this medication would work best for me. I was right. It doesn't make me lathargic, but mainly calms me. I don't talk so fast and jump around in my thoughts, but it doesn't change my personality either. But I think each to their own, give it time and if you are still crying, after a month or so, then talk with your doctor. There is also Wellbutrin SR, which is a slow release tablet that might work better. I need something that works fast though

[Ptown96]

I've taken wellbutrin before but my old doc that retired had switched me to lexapro and restoril I think that's how its spelled

[diggerdog]

I take Aplenzin, which is basically tje same thing. It has an energizing component to it for me, and i lost a little weight on it as well, with an increased libido..

[yankeefan]

I take it but have to keep the dosage low because while wellbutrin is very effective for depression, it causes increased levels of anxiety at least for me. My doctor has me on wellbutrin and abilify for MOD but the anxiety side effects were making me miserable so he cut the dosage and added celexea which is much more effective against anxiety/panic disorders.

[bigmeech]

i have heard that wellbutrin will give you a small boost of energy, help curb your appetite, and help fight the urge to quit smoking. Thinking possibly of giving wellbutrin a try for my depression

[thebaboy]

I have been on bupropion for 6 months now. I never noticed any short-term effects (or side-effects), but after a couple of months i lost my urge to smoke and have pretty much quit. I do believe it has staved off my depression as well. I'm pleased with bupropion.

[cleosmama]

I have been on Wellbutrin for the last few months, and have found it hasn't helped much for me. At first I found that it did give me the energy boost that most people find, which was nice. However, I have struggled on and off with bulimia for almost 10 years, and found that when I went on Wellbutrin, those desires came back. I was on Paxil prior to trying Wellbutrin, and Paxil really helped with the bulimia. From everything I've read, Wellbutrin helps a lot of people, but as someone else said, it takes trial and error to find what works best for you. That's just my experience!

[pcguyusa]

I'm not quite sure this is the best forum for examining the efficacy of anti-depressants (paxil being an SSRI and Wellbutrin not) but I've been on both as well as a few other and so have other people that I know. While I've never heard of either being used for bulemia they have a variety of success rates with depression and anxiety disorders. Wellbutrin found much more success as a nicotine withdrawal supplement than it did as an anti-depressant. Paxil seemed to work well with a few people I know that had anxiety disorders but none of them did much for me. Psychiatrists take their best guess and use trial and error to find the right med and there is such a wide variety of responses in different people they never know for sure if someone will benefit from a specific med or have psychotic reactions, as was the case with prozac. I don't have a high regard for psychiatry in general and my opinion is that meds get way over-prescribed in many cases. A 20 year long Harvard Med School study concluded that, while some meds are beneficial in some cases the only real successes were patients that continued therapy, whether on meds or not. Pharmas make billions from anti-depressants and they are very adept at marketing them but the fact remains that most people got better by a change in lifestyle, not by popping pills.

[Trillion]

i'm currently taking it in conjunction with another med. i have no side effects from either. although sometimes wellbutrin can make me a little hyper and alert.

[ChristiB]

I've taken this medicine for years. I remember having trouble sleeping for the first 2 weeks but it went away after that. What I like about this medicine is that it controls my appetite as well as some low-level depression, all without the usual sexual side effects of SSRI's. I had tried other anti-depressants and they made me gain weight, and I refuse to gain weight.