I’m on Wellbutrin. It took the edge off. I became slightly happier. Slightly more active. It was a noticeable, if very slight, difference. I should note that I was a mild case to begin with.
As for side effects, I don’t sleep quite as well as I used to, although I’m by no means an insomniac. This was especially true before I got used to the drug. It’s mild enough that I’d be reluctant to try another formulation to avoid it, lest I loose the good effects.
Wellbutrin caused anxiety for me as well. I was given it by my primary care doctor for anxiety, but it only made it worse (it went from low level constant worry to flat out panic attacks).
My physician insisted that Wellbutrin could’t have worsened the anxiety. My psychiatrist assured me that it could. He explained that, based on his experience, he wouldn’t have tried Wellbutrin first in my case. However, his reasons why don’t seem to apply to Gozu. I had anxiety but no depression. I also had a very high energy level (even before the Wellbutrin). I certainly didn’t have anything approaching apathy (quite the opposite).
Gozu, I don’t know if you are getting your scrips from your primary care physician or from a psychiatrist. If Wellbutrin doesn’t work well for you and you’re seeing your primary care doctor, you may want to try seeing a good psychiatrist. Anti depressants seem to work differently in different people. It’s good to talk to someone who specializes in that area and has experience with all the different reactions you can have.
On a good note, a very good friend of mine has had wonderful results from Wellbutrin. He went from being so depressed that he didn’t care if he lost his job, house, wife, etc. to being a productive–even occassionally happy–person.
I am another person that took it to quit smoking. Not only did it help me quit smoking, but it help me quit eating too. It was quite nice to lose 15 pounds at the same time that I quit smoking a pack a day. It was a miracle drug for me. I am a very low-key person who could sleep 12 hours a night every night and I do remember when I first started taking it that there were a few times that it felt like my heart sped up and I was “hyper-alert” for a minute or two. Maybe that is my version of a panic attack. 
I also had trouble sleeping on it, meaning I “only” slept 7 or 8 hours a night instead of falling asleep on the couch at 8 PM. So yeah, I loved it and it also gave me fabulous vibrant dreams.
I started on Wellbutrin last week. My symptoms were persistent exhaustion, even with 14 - 20 hours of sleep. It may be purely physical or it may be depression. It sure doesn’t feel like depression; when I’m not exhausted (about 6 hours a week) I enjoy everything I usually do and I am able to function most of the time, even though I’m so freakin’ tired. I know what depression is, it and suicide run in the family, and I’ve been on every anti-depressant, except the MAOIs. My psychiatrist is erring on the side of caution, allowing me to decide when and if to increase the dosage and being clear that I should stop it immediately if I start feeling more depressed/suicidal, since she’s not entirely certain that it *is * depression.
Wellbutrin comes in sustained and extended release versions in the US, not sure about Canada. IME, SR and XR versions of any med are a lot easier on me than the regular version.
I took buproprion for about 6 months. It took the edge off the debilitating depression (situational, but with personal history) just enough to let me function again. It also eased some OCD-type behavior and helped me sleep. It doesn’t sound like much improvement, but it was amazing to me, since I had been depressed for so long that I had resigned myself to it.
There were sexual side effects as well as 13 days of hyperrealistic violent nightmares. It was like being in another reality just as real as my own life, but grossly violent. They stopped abruptly and didn’t trouble me again after that. (As a side note: this was something my doc warned me about specifically, saying that if the nightmares went on for more than two weeks I should call him right away because there was a danger of me going into a homocidal rage IRL :eek: ). No withdrawal problems.
Although I was initially very resistant to the idea of meds, I’m glad for the time I was on it, because it gave me the emotional excuse I needed to go into a mode where I was intensely evaluating my situation and behavior and working on improving them. Before that I ignored myself and dismissed negative feelings as being weak. But with the meds – “Hey, I’m on antidepressants! I need to focus on myself right now!” I believe it also helped get my brain out of the chemical rut it was in.
Over a year later, I’m happier, more energetic, and I sleep a lot better. I’m emotionally resiliant again. I also taught myself to actively manage stress and watch myself for symptoms of depression so as to keep myself steady. It’s probably something I’ll always have to watch, but it’s totally managable now and I don’t anticipate needing the meds again (knock wood).
Ghanima before Wellbutrin: :mad:
Ghanima after Wellbutrin: 
Seriously, Wellbutrin helped me tremendously. I finally sought help after realizing I was angry near 100% of the time and I wanted to do something about it. I went from having flashes of blind rage and tons of anger and frustration to feeling pretty damn good.
I was very jittery for about the first month. Then the side effects basically wore off. I am on 300 mg per day for about 2 years now. My boyfriend was amazed at my change in attitude. He noticed right away that things that would have normally gotten me very angry I now just let go. It also eventually helped me quit drinking, smoking and marijuana.
I am bipolar and thus taking other drugs too. I do have problems with minor anxiety, and minor depression. But my worst symptoms, rage and hatred, are gone. And I am very happy about that.
My husband has been on every anti-depressant and has stabilized with Wellbutrin. He has anxiety, too, but the Wellbutrin seems to be okay for him. All of the other drugs had sexual side-effects, except for Neurontin which made him feel like he was choking.
I should think so, as they are not even name brand drugs here in USA.
They are called Bupropion SR Tablets (Wellbutrin SR being the ‘brand’ name)
You still have to take the doses according to your doctors recomendation. I get told to take two in the morning and 2 at lunch time. Taking more than that at any one time my doctor said leads to an increased likelyhood of seizure.
(I don’t know if she meant grand mal seizures or some over form of seizure are a possible side effect.
The SR tablets are supposed to release the drug over a period of a few hours.
This cite http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/202098.html gives details of three forms of the drug, at various relese rates. It also contradicts my Doctor’s advice to take my doses only 6 hours appart, as it recomends 8 hours as the propper period.
Also it is made in Canada and get’s bought in uSA see this site http://www.canadadrugs.com/prescription/product/Wellbutrin+SR+150mg/2118/
I had no dreams because the insomnia was, like, extreme. I tend towards insomnia anyway, and this stuff made sleeping out of the question. We’re talking two-three days at a time…exhausted…wired…and jumpy…
I wish I could say that.
Just to clarify, I was prescribed Wellbutrin for depression, not anxiety. From everything I’ve read, it is definitely not the drug of choice for folks who have GAD along with their depression.
I’ve never had anxiety attacks, but I am prone to rumination, and the Wellbutrin helped with that.
I tried the SR about a month ago and was jumpy, irritable and was ready to jump across the table at my husband if he said “Good Morning”… My blood pressure went from normal to 150 over 90 and I had the worst headaches of my life… I toughed it out for a couple of weeks then I decided that it was NOT the drug for me…
I then started looking around for an SSRI. I had taken Zoloft in the past and had gained around 60 pounds - and didn’t want to go through that again… I quickly realized that one of the MAJOR side effects of all SSRI’s is weight gain… So went back to the doctor this week.
He and I decided to give the Extended pill a chance. I take one pill per day, and it lasts 24 hours… It’s really strange, it is totally different… I’ve felt calmer already and I’ve only been on it for the past three days… and no headaches or wanting to kill the world… The only thing I can figure is that it is releasing into my system more slowly and so isn’t causing the side effects…
Good luck with whatever you decide… and as you can see, I’m in Canada, so yep, both kinds are available here…
Well, I’m seeing one of the counselors at my school on a weekly basis but the drug was actually prescribed to my by the resident psychiatric nurse after a short Q/A session. It’s all covered by my student insurance which is nice. It’s probably not as optimal (can you say “as optimal” in modern english?) as seeing one psychiatrist who’ll be more involved and aware of my particulars when prescribing but I’m not sure I could afford that right now.
And once again, my heartfelt thanks to all of you for taking the time to share your experiences with me. I truly appreciate it. It’s been very informative.
I was on wellbutrin for 5 years. Overall it wasn’t the best drug for me. It produced no side effects. After a year of wellbutrin I started on celexa which worked better for depression but really sucked for my sex life. Whenever I stopped taking wellbutrin I got depressed so I simply continued to take it. When I quit my job and lost my insurance I finaly stopped taking it. Right now I’m on Zoloft which works well.
I’m quite surprised by all the adverse reactions to Wellbutrin being reported here. I’ve been on it for something like 10 years for severe depression, and it has been nothing short of an Ogsend. I’ve had no nervousness, anxiety, nightmares, decreased libido (I can’t imagine what could do that to me ), no side effects of any kind. Just a complete eradication of the indescribable pain that I thought nothing could help with. It didn’t stop me from smoking, but I guess you can’t have everything.
Bear in mind that different classes of psychotropes have different mechanisms of action and/or act on different brain chemicals, and there’s really no way to know what your specific problem is or what’s going to work without trial and error. I tried Prozac first and it did absolutely nothing for me.
Also be aware that the proximity of two events in time does not necessarily indicate a cause-and-effect relationship. Not to discount anyone’s experience, but taking Wellbutrin and then having symptom X doesn’t mean the Wellbutrin caused X. You might have just made that connection because X is unusual, and taking Wellbutrin was the only other new or unusual thing you had done lately.
I don’t have experience with Wellbutrin (Bupropion)… but I do recommend the following website for all your head-med questions:
Don’t go there seeking medical advice, but if you’re looking for “things people report, but that your doctor never really told ya”, it’s awesome.
Thanks for the link, it looks great. I wonder if there are similar websites for other conditions.
Count me one of the positives. I’ve been on lexapro in the past and it worked, despite the sexual sideeffects as I wasn’t having sex.
The next time I needed medicating, I was having sex and wanted to CONTINUE having sex. I was dianosed with GAD (counter to the experiences above) it worked fairly well. When it’s not enough, a xanax as needed brings everything back down to normal.
I am SO happy it’s available to me. I only wish it had been available to my father while I was a teenager. By all indications, he needed it more than I did.