Wellbutrin making things worse
 

I've been taking Wellbutrin for just over a month now and I think it's actually making my depression, and especially my anxiety, worse. I'm constantly stressed out over little things and I've been incredibly irritable. I've read that a side effect can be feeling tightness in your chest and I get like that a lot. I think I might stop taking it. Has anyone else had these problems while taking Wellbutrin? I was pretty bad before taking it too. Over the summer I was taking Zoloft and it really helped but I'm pretty sure it was making my hair fall out. I might have to go back to it, though.

Go back to your doctor and see what your other options are if the side-effects are unbearable. There are many meds out there on the market to try. Good luck!

and don't ever discontinue a medication without asking first...some you need to taper!

Good luck!

When I was Wellbutrin I was an OCD, overanxious MESS!!!! And I don't even HAVE OCD or anxiety!!! So I would say it definitely caused this in me. Plus it made my hair fall out.

It's okay, there are many different options out there. You don't necessarily have to go back to Zoloft.

What about Effexor?

~CGH~

i did not know it was such a common thing for antidepressants to make someones hair fall out. :(

YES I was incredibly irritable on Wellbutrin...AT FIRST. Irritable and anxious. I was a mess trying to fall asleep, but mostly I was crazy jumpy and felt irritated all the time.

My doc lowered the dose and it's been smooth sailing since. Mention it to him/her though. Mine seemed to act like it was a common complaint.

I loved Wellbutrin. I was laser-focused and hyper as all get out. :-)

That said, if it is not working for your anxiety and/or depression, speak to your doctor. Also, Wellbutrin is not meant to be stopped cold turkey. This is serious. Talk to your doctor and taper off.

It's not for everyone, which is why those doctors get the big bucks!

Wellbutrin is my new best buddy. When I started it I stopped obsessing about food and my xhusband and slowly lost 40 lbs without much effort at all. (Now if the last 20 should be so easy...)

It needs to be tapered (ask my daughter how I know) so make that appt. asap.

Good luck.

My husband passed away a year ago and I have been on Wellbuterin for about 7 months due to depression...I haven't had any of these side effects, mine actually gives me energy and at the same time calms down the anxious feelings...I would talk to your doctor...maybe they have another remedy out there for ya!

I have had the same experience as you Madys momma. I like bupropion/wellbuterin. Actually helped me sleep a lot better, get out of bed easier, and it must have aided me in losing my 130 lbs becuase I was on it since I started WW.

But check with the Doc. I had some minor issues and a dose change fixed it all.

The wellbutrin I take seems to help, but I also take clonzipan for the anxiety. Up until a few months ago, I was on both wellbutrin and effexor, and the anxiety meds, I was an emotional mess. I agree, that if it doesn't work, and the side effects continue, get to your doctor as quickly as you can,

Through faith and patience we will inherit the promise

Manda, please call your doctor :hug: Let us know what he says.

Mady's Mom sorry to hear about your DH :cry:

I did great on Welbutrin, now Zoloft is another story, that stuff gave me wicked thoughts and anxiety.

I take Cipralex (aka Lexapro in the States) and it's worked miracles for my anxiety!

I've been taking Wellbutrin for about 3 years, and love it. But everyone is different. There are lots of meds out there, so talk to your doc. DO NOT quit meds cold turkey. I did it with Paxil, and was crazy as a loon. Your doctor needs to taper you off.

I've been taking wellbutrin and prozac for OCD/ eating disorder (recovered) for the past 3 years or so. before that, I had to try different combinations of medications. It took multiple tries until I found the best combo for me. Some medicines made me more anxious and upset. And now, I've been doing well with this combination. I guess my point is that it might take several tries but you will be able to find the right medication(s) for you. Just make sure you talk to your doctor before making any changes. :hug:

I didn't have extra anxiety on it (I was just on it to quit smoking, though), but I didn't like the side effects (I was loopy and jittery at the same time), so I didn't take it long.

Please go talk to your doctor. Wait to go off it until he/she can give you something else.

I hope you feel better.

just to reiterate what everyone else here said, talk to your doctor. i am on budeprion (which is like a generic, but i think just slightly different?) to quit smoking. in early january, i developed crazy insomnia, major jitters, anxiety, and extreme thirst. i had to completely cut out coffee. getting into february, the major anxiety and insomnia have stopped. haven't tried coffee again.
so you are not alone.

I am on cymbalta for depression and buspar for aniexty. The combination is incredible with no side effects.

My doctor has mentioned that many of his patients (myself included) reacted very differently to the generic form of Wellbutrin, so make sure you know what you're really getting from the pharmacy.

I took Wellbutrin for over a year.Actually gained 15-20 lbs.Yikes!!!No noticeable change in mood and depression.

What kind of wellbutrine are/were you on? Wellburtrin, Wellbutrin SR, Wellbutrin XL?

I was on Wellbutrin SR a few years ago-it worked good, but my doctor switched it to XL. I could not handle XL at all. I was practically out of my skin. I was living with my mom at the time. I was so anxious that I'd be up all night practically just rocking back and forth. I resorted to a video game to occupy myself.

I guess XL is known for increasing anxiety in some.

After that, I went through many other anti-d's, but none were as good as SR. I'm back on SR now and I feel great. I just absolutely refuse XL. My doctor prescribed me XL in error, and I was freaking out because I knew I needed the SR (and was out) and he gave me XL instead.

Either way, I hope you were able to talk to your doctor and working something out, either with the wellbutrin or another med :)

If you are concerned about how you are feeling on buproprion, go to your doctor and follow their instructions on how to come off the drug. It is not unusual for people to have strong negative reactions to it. As well, it is one of the drugs that needs to be tapered off of so you don't emotionally crash and possibly become suicidal. If you want to remain on medication, there are other drugs out there that may work better for you.

I had a nasty reaction to buproprion when I took it in the form of Zyban to quit smoking. I reacted to it so badly that I could not work for 2.5 years and had to work hard to get back to my old self. Buproprion stole my life and cost me a lot of money. These days, I refuse to take anything beyond the odd Advil, Gravol, or anti-histamine unless I am deathly ill, and will definitely never ever take a drug designed to be mood altering ever again. Personally, I think there are too many risks involved, especially with longitudinal usage, and that the research conducted is not always thorough or totally unbiased.

Prior to taking buproprion, I would have considered an anti-depressant for dealing with depression. Now, after what I have read about anti-depressants combined with my personal experience, someone would have to force feed them to me to get me to ingest them at all. I would rather come through the depression using exercise, talking with friends and a therapist, writing, and eating healthy.

If you want to know more details about my reaction, I will be glad to share them with you via a private message.

Good luck sorting out what you are going to do. I wish I had of done thorough research before glibly taking buproprion while only reading the handout from the pharmacy and in the box. Quitting smoking cold turkey would have been easier any day than dealing with that drug.

Lou

wellbutrin can worsen anxiety. In the past wellbutrin (along with say paxille) had worked for me. I know a week into the drug, I was testy, this can be fleeting. But it was my drug of choice at that point of life it's the only med that worked for ME, me being the key word, each person is different, so we never know how one will react.

I was off ( wellbutrin thank you) for eons, went and saw a family doctor he started me off with a high dose, talk about testy, oh yeah, testy is downplaying what I went through.

But yes, if your no better, TALK with your doctor, , wellbutrin can provoke anxiety. agitation . If it's not working for you, it's not working for you, the doctor needs to reevaluate.

I have suffered clinical depression for many years. Have been on several different meds. The latest 3 have been Zoloft, Prozac (generic) and Wellbutrin. Zoloft was a great Godsend to me at the time. Was suffering from anxiety and this just seemed to help calm me. But it also made me eat a lot more than I wanted, thus some big weight gain. The Prozac (generic) did nothing for the weight gain problem. It was just cheaper. I needed something that wasn't going to mess with my RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome). And Wellbutrin was the only one that seemed to fit the bill and didn't contribute to the problem. I think that it is helping the depression pretty well, and with few side effects. We did try upping the dose (took it twice a day) when my depression seemed to be deepening and that was not a good plan at all. It gave me increased anxiety, started having swallowing issues (like I forgot how to do it). So tapered back off (so important to taper off slowly) to my current dosage. I do suffer from SAD and try to remember to do my light therapy every day. Thanks goodness spring and sunshine is on its way.

We just need to find the right medication or combination of meds, the right dosage. And in my case, the right health provider.

I hope that things are going better for you ohmanda.

I was on Wellbutrin for just a couple of days and I was very hopeful. However, I broke out into a terrible rash, and apparently that is a major warning sign of danger, and I was told to stop taking it IMMEDIATELY. It just goes to show you that everyone reacts to meds differently.

I have been taking Wellbutrin SL for almost 10 years and doing well on it. I have chronic major depression and cannot go off medication for the rest of my life. This is the only medication that didn't result in huge weight gain. Like nanatoajr, I sometimes combine it with clonazepam for anxiety and insomnia. However, I do have to control my temper when on Wellbutrin -- it seems to make flying into a rage very easy to do.

I don't have rage issues as you mentioned SpeedLimit. I get can get very moody, very quiet, stuff like that. But that could be perimenopause stuff. Or PMS.

I don't believe that I have chronic major depression. At least I've never been told that. I would love to get off medication. I really would like to try it as long as my healthcare provider thought it was OK to do so. I think that I am OK during spring and summer months, but then I'm on the medication, so it's hard to tell.

Hi, you didn't say what dose you are on? I was on 300 for a while but just now went on 150. I seem fine on the 150. But 300 can be a lot, there is a seizure risk, and I developed arrhythmia and chest tightness. So the doctor gave me ativans for anxiety and to help quit an addiction. I also found after a while I was no longer depressed, just anxious. You might also want to cut back on caffeine by that I mean no more than one or two cups.

I did initially lose weight quickly, but that seemd to be only temporary.

Rose Marie...I'm on the 150 mg dose. We tried 300 mg, but it just seemed to make me more anxious and I was finding that I had to take my Lorazepam again. Once I got back to my 150 mg dose, things again improved. She initially increased the dosage because I was seeming more depressed. But looking back, I think that it wasn't depression but anxiety issues coming on about an upcoming trip to Arizona. My oldest brother was driving out there anyway and asked if I'd like to ride along. The only reason I went was it was a way to see my sister. This brother is a total jerk and also the thought of just him and me...just some bad memories.

I often wonder if I'd be able to get off the antidepressants...would my RLS improve? I am miserable with that when I don't remember to take my Mirapex at suppertime. I did have the RLS somewhat before ever going on antidepressants, but not near as bad as when I went on them.

If it's not one thing, it's another.

To echo what many others have said, please don't stop taking this medication without seeing your doctor first. I know first hand that stopping an antidepressant cold turkey can cause suicidal thoughts and attempts. There are many different antidepressants out there, wellbutrin may not be the right one for you. Ask your doctor about trying a different dose or a different medication all together, but please do not just stop taking it without first checking with him/her.

I would never stop taking this or any medication without talking it out with my PA. I used to be a nurse and I know what can happen if you're not compliant. Simply not good.

Thank you for the reminder talanae! :)

I recently went off Wellbutrin without the dr. assistance, actually by accident. I kept forgetting to take it. I threw out the remaining pills a few days ago. The dr. prescribed it for me after my husband died last year, and I had used it twice before to treat an episode of depression as well a smoking cessation aid. The only side effect I noticed and I really didn't tie it in to the withdrawal was a few days where I had headaches off and on.

I noticed on the days I did forget to take it, I slept very well that night. I am sleeping better than I have in a very long time, and I hope this will assist my weight loss efforts. I wake up refreshed, haven't had to take a sleeping pill. doing very, very well. (As a plus, I am able to go to the bathroom, yay, and less gassy - everyone around me must be thrilled as well, LOL!) Anyway, it really helped me and I would not hesitate to use it again if I needed to.