Please! Need help! (about Wellbutrin/Ritalin)!

[GT Bai]

I've been diagnosed with mild depression. I thought that it was due to a lack of dopamine, but my psychiatrist prescribed rexetin (SSRI, similar to paxil). I've been on it for one week now, and the side effects seem to be wearing off, but i don't notice any of the positive effects yet. I know that i have to wait at least 2 weeks. And i will, but If after 3 weeks i wont notice any kind of positive effects, i'll suppose it was actually dopamine that was deficient, thus i'll go to my psychiatrist to switch meds (i know that i cant come of rexetin (paxil) cold turkey, that's why i'll leave some pills to gradually come off of it). My question is: i'm a little short on money and since Ritalin is a dopamine reuptake inhibitors like Wellbutrin, but it costs much less than Wellbutrin, can i try out my theory about dopamine deficiency using Ritalin, to save cash?

[Elizabeth]

It doesn't work to replace one medication that works on dopamine with another that works on it in a different way. Ritalin is short-acting, so while it is occasionally used off-label for depression, it's not the best choice. Cocaine is also a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, but no doctor would recommend replacing your antidepressant with it.

There are many neurotransmitters involved in depression (more than just serotonin and dopamine) so there's no reason to assume dopamine alone is the issue, or to try to outguess your doctor. It takes time to find the right medication, and it's mostly trial and error. Of the SSRIs, I tried Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft with no real results, but they work wonders for many people. I've also tried Remeron, Effexor, Wellbutrin and many antipsychotics (for Tourette's). The Effexor and Wellbutrin worked well but caused problems with Tourette's. Surprisingly, it was an SSRI (Celexa) that I ended up on, it works great with no major complications or side effects.. even though the other SSRIs didn't help at all.

I've taken Ritalin for Tourette's comorbidities, and it's nothing like Wellbutrin. I personally think the side effects are awful, while Wellbutrin wasn't so bad. Some of the meds really do take 4-6 weeks to work, or need increased doses to notice an improvement. If Wellbutrin is so expensive, there's no need to switch to it before trying cheaper possibilities. Talk to your doctor about inexpensive alternatives, and don't be so focused on dopamine.