I am on my third day of taking wellbutrin. It doesn't make me dizzy exactly, unless I throw my head back suddenly, which isn't often. But I have lost my balance several times with no vertigo. Kind of odd, I fell into a wall just standing still. No other noticeable side effects, but I sure hope it helps the depression. Had a melt down last night for no reason. sigh.
Trying the 6 week body makeover in conjunction with the antidepressant. Have lost 6 pounds this week. Losing weight seems like it could cure my depression by itself. How long does wellbutrin take to help with sleep? I am exhaused by late afternoon, go to bed early out of sheer need for sleep, then wake up in the wee hours and can only doze on and off. Any experience??

I found it takes about 2 weeks to notice any difference and 4 weeks to really kick in for depression. I was not taking it to control sleep but it definitely did not improve my sleeping. I actually went on another drug, at the same time, to help me sleep. The side effects come right away and for me lasted about two weeks. Good luck,

I've been on Wellbutrin for a while. It gave me the shakes at first but they went away. Wellbutrin is usually taken in the morning because it tends to be more stimulating than other antidepressants. I lost weight on it, which made me happy and it helped with depression, but the regular dose wore off and I started needing higher doses to combat the depression. I'm on 450 mg a day now, the maximum dose, which doesn't make me happy, but I do what I gotta do.

I've been on Wellbutrin Xl for the last 8 months or so with no adverse side effects. I've even lost 15 pounds due to being more active. Personally it gives me energy and is a bit of an appetite suppressant. (If I forget my pill I end up with a headache and eat uncontrollably). As a psychology major I can tell you that exercise has over 50 medical benefits and has been shown to reduce depression drastically. Good luck, Laura

Hi fellow Wellbutrin users!

I just thought I'd share my recent experience with you all. I've been on Wellbutrin XL 300mg for several months now with wonderful results. I feel great for the first time in forever and it has really been an appetite suppressant for me and gotten rid of my binge compulsions.

Last month, the pharmacy gave me the generic version by mistake. I thought, well generics are the same thing, so I took it. After two weeks, my depression was back, I was having those bad thoughts about my life, and my appetite and binging impulses were back with a vengance. After struggling for almost 3 weeks, I asked around and did some research and found that I wasn't alone in the generic not working at all like the brand name. I got my refill with the brand name meds again and after a week I'm back to feeling great.

Imagine my surprise to see this article on MSNBC.com today! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21142869/

It's nice to know I wasn't imagining it. But it's scary to think about the possible ramifications of this kind of inconsistency. Just thought I'd share in case someone else feels like they are losing it after a change to generics on this medication.

Ooh! I'm going to start Wellbutrin in a few days, after I adjust to this lowered dose of Effexor. Since the increased dosage of Effexor did nothing for my depression, I'm bumping it down (the lower dosage helps my anxiety a lot) and adding Wellbutrin. My doctor has me starting off on just one of the SR tablets, which you normally take twice a day, just taking it in the morning.

If it helped my binges, that would be an even greater side effect! But I'm taking it for depression. I'll be sure to pay the extra on my copay for the regular and not the generic!

I started 100 mg wellbutrin two weeks ago. It's actually the generic. I understand that this may be hard to believe, but WOW! it seemed to help by the second day! The first week, I seemed to get a huge energy boost. This was probably due to the stimulating properties. My depressing thoughts went away (mostly). My libido skyrocketed. However, by the third week, that initial "high" had worn off. The improved mood stayed though. I know this sounds wierd because it usually takes 4 weeks to start working. I am now taking 200mg. I am also on prozac 80mg for OCD, so the wellbutrin is kind of a "booster" for me. So maybe it just helped to the prozac work better.
I did have shakes for the first couple of days. The other side effects I am experiencing now are less sleep and the occasional headache. I will ake these anyday over how I was feeling.

I understand that medicines may affect people differently, so if it isn't working out for you, keep working with your doctor to find what does. It is sooooooo worth it to find the right meds.

Also, if there is anyone else in your biological family who is treated for depression and found something that works, I would suggest talking to your doctor about it. My mom dealt with severe depression for many years. Wellbutrin was the first medicine that really worked for her. Perhaps the biological basis of depression is a componant to finding the right meds. It would make sense that a genetically close person would have similar results with a medicine.

Emily

Hrm. I ended up with the generic (I forgot to specify) and I'm taking an absolute minimum dose. It's the non-extended dosage, and I'm taking just one pill in the morning instead of both.

So far nothing much. Though, maybe I'm actually feeling better, and just haven't realized it. When I'm really depressed I stay in my bedroom in bed, and now I'm getting up and dressed on the weekends and hanging out in the living room with my cats. And I'm eating better, which I think is making me feel better -- well, I know is making me feel better -- but I'm not sure which came first. Did I start eating better because of the medicine? Or is it just coincidence, that I decided to improve my health so decided to adjust my medicine and eat healthier?

So right now I don't feel depressed, but I do feel apathetic, like I don't care about much around me, or doing much with my time. I could just watch TV or hang out with the cats or write or read or whatever.

It takes, on average, 4 weeks to help with sleep

Hrm. I've been on Wellbutrin a few weeks now.

I don't feel like it's helped that much with my depression, but if I analyze, I think it has. I'm no longer holed up in my bedroom, at least. I don't have days where I don't get out of bed. I've tackled a few "projects". And the big thing -- I'm taking better care of myself.

It really has helped, so far, with my binges. Or something has. It's hard to explain, but maybe folks who have experienced this will understand. It's like, before I would have these overwhelming cravings and it was just so hard to resist. Now they're gone. Instead of cravings, I have hunger. Real hunger, not cravings (though sometimes I'll be hungry for particular foods, it's different).

I don't know, maybe it's coincidental, maybe not. Either way, it's been a good past few weeks in terms of cravings and binges.

I've been on brand name Wellbutrin XL 300 mg for depression for about four months now. The first week on it was pretty rough. I remember being tired often, but unable to sleep through the night. I was shaky, dizzy, had no appetite, and had some bad headaches. After that first week the bad side effects went away mostly and I could tell a definite difference in my mood. I'm now more social, have a better outlook on life, and have far more motivation to be active, even just to do basic tasks.

My mom also takes Wellbutrin and it's the only thing that's worked for her.

I started with the generic and it worked great! Lost weight, felt happy, had energy, and no loss of libido. At first my physician said that my sleep would most likely get worse before it gets better due to the chemical changes your brain is dealing with...so I noticed after about 3-4 weeks I was sleeping a little better, but I still have too many thoughts at night and am thinking about adding a sleeping pill to the equation!

Did your sleep clear up for you? How is it going now?

I switched to Wellbutrin and I don't feel that it works as well for me! I am gonna go back to the generic! It's so funny how the 'same' med combination can work so differently....

Thanks for the info on the generic wellbutrin. I just started taking it a week ago and I asked the pharmacy not to give me a generic. Unfortunatley I don't have insurance right now so 1 month costs 150.00. yuck!

Anyone get really bad nightmares? I got stuck in a nightmare that kept repeating over and over, scariest one I have ever had... I woke up shaking and scared to death. Argh...