Hi girls,
Brief history - I am 28 and never had more than the occasional blues throughout my life until this past June.
My 24 yr old and only sister died from a severe asthma attack. The clinical term is "status asthmaticus" if anyone is curious about looking it up.
It was so sudden, I tried CPR which enabled her shallow breaths but it wasn't enough and I along with my mom and her bf watched her slip away as the paramedics tried and were unable to revive her.

Then came the "blackout" period as I call it because I remember nothing of the following 2 months. I finally went to see a psychiatrist and have been taking Wellbutrin XL (450mg) since August. *and Klonopin as a prn which I use rarely but it's nice to have in case I need it**

I was satisfied with the drug...It didn't artificially elevate my mood but it enabled me to focus my attention away from the bad so that I could function and I was glad for that.

Then (unrelated to the medication) I lost about 50% of my hair, went through bloodwork and biopsies to determine the cause which was "telogen effluvium" A common condition as a result of a major stressor but the hair will come back (thank goodness!)

Last week, I ended up back in meltdown stage and I'm still there. My dog that I've had since I was 14 was put to sleep as she rapidly declined in health after a diagnosis of kidney failure. I held her as she died and I can't function anymore...I spent half my work week hiding in a bathroom stall sobbing. I feel like I lost not only my dog but that my sister died all over again....It was almost like part of my sister remained in our puppy and now it's all gone.

My diagnosis is "Depressive disorder NOS" but I believe I have enough symptoms to have a diagnosis of PTSD as well.

My question to you all is if anyone has had good results with adding an additional drug to wellbutrin. I still love the way that wellbutrin enables me to focus my attention to tasks but I cannot control my emotions anymore...A nurse friend of mine recommended the addition of lexapro and another friend recommended zoloft.
I'm leaning toward requesting the wellbutrin+lexapro combination based on my "research"(mostly other forums for people's experiences and RX interaction studies)

What have been your experiences with such combinations? The good and the bad. I do NOT want anything that will cause weight gain. Right now, I do feel slightly too skinny but I want to correct that dietarily so I've added Ensure for extra calories. An uncontrollable weight gain from medications would be devastating to me.

If you've read this far thank you for listening and I appreciate any feedback.

<3

Hope you don't mind me jumping in here. I have never personally been on any of the meds, but I am a substance abuse and mental health therapist and deal with meds a lot.

Personally, I am not a fan of adding an SSRI (which both Lexapro and Zoloft are) to Wellbutrin. Also, Lexapro typically - although not of course in everyone - causes some pretty significant weight gain.

How is your sleeping? If you are having any sleep issues, or even if you're not, I would "kick start" the Wellbutrin by adding a low dose (50 or 100 MG) of Trazodone at night. No weight gain, good sleeping, and very little in terms of side effects.

Good luck - I hope you find something that works for you. Also, I wanted to say that I am so terribly sorry for the horrific losses you have endured and I am sending you healing vibes.

Hi Dalgishake,

I'm sorry for your loss of both your sister and your beloved dog! It's extremely hard when tragedies happen back to back.

I was on Lexapro for a few years, but I had drug resistant depression. My doctor decided to add another medicine thinking it would help give me a push. We first tried Wellbutrin, which I reacted badly to. I became very aggressive and hostile- wellbutrin, unfortunately, wasn't a good choice for me. Even though I've known quite a few people who did well on it. Everyone reacts differently to different drugs. Which is the reason why all psychiatric medicine comes with a warning that "may cause suicidal thoughts and behavior" etc etc. - Many people react well- there are a few that don't. In my case, I don't react well to Wellbutrin. But I've never had a bad reaction to Lexapro. It was pretty good. I've know quite a few people on it as well with good results. I was eventually paired with Lexapro, Abilify, and Seroquel. It was a good combination for me. But I did gain a tremendous amount of weight (like 60 lbs.) However, I attribute that to the Seroquel. It made me loopy and binge eat in the middle of the night.

So, you don't have anything to loose by trying to pair, especially since everyone is different and will have different reactions. And you'll know quickly if the Lexapro doesn't mesh well with you. I was pulled off Welbutrin after a week.

I hope this helps!

LR

So sorry for your losses. I was on lexapro after having post-partum depression and I gained 35 pounds in 2 months. YIKES. My doctor said I was feeling better, therefore, eating more. Not true. Yes, I felt better, but my diet did not change. I weened myself off very slowly and remember having these feelings like my brain was getting zapped. It was really weird. I think if I would have stayed on the lexapro I would have ballooned up even more.

HTH.

Hey there, I don't have any experiences with adding other meds to Wellbutrin. I'm also on 450mg and feeling great, but I lost my father two years ago which triggered my depression. I just wanted you to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that I know a little bit about what you're going through.

Have you spoken to your doctor about any of these combo ideas?

Also...is that Ikuta Toma in your avatar??

Wow, that's some pretty heavy stuff you're dealing with. Are you talking to a therapist as well? While you certainly may be suffering from clinical depression, you might want to try some talk therapy. It provides a safe, confidential place for you to let out some of the stuff you must be feeling. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. Best wishes to you.

Hi Dalgishake, I am so sorry for your losses.

I was taking wellbutrin 300xl and it helped but I did have to add 10mg of celexa as my anxiety was still a problem. Its not much but it sure does help. I tried to drop it once and I ended up a sobbing mess and my anxiety returned. So I have no problem with combining the two, I needed them.

I hope you find the right combination for you and I hope you are getting some counseling as that has also been a big help.
Take care,
K

Cherrypie - I did try Trazodone but it was awful...I felt like I had "trapped in" syndrome like a person in a coma or someone post-stroke or a TBI. It was a low dosage and my brain was working but I couldn't move a muscle for about 12 hours and it left me utterly exhausted for the next several days....so the Trazodone had to go. It was a weird and scary side effect.

I do have some sleeping issues but those are the least of my worries really.. I just need to get back to functioning. I'm okay with emotional breakdowns from time to time (it probably would be odd not to have those) but they've been non-stop and that's the main issue. I can't get through a work day, if I do leave the house, I just want to go to a store and buy random crap.

It was so hard and took 2 years to lose weight so anything that really packs on the pounds....I can't get to that point again. I know there's nothing that's devoid of side effects but if the major ones can be avoided and the mental anguish can be alleviated, it would be good.

and it is Ikuta Toma..I've had a bit of a crush ever since Hana Kimi

I am so very sorry to hear about the loss of your sister, and your dog My deepest sympathy to you and your family. My heart goes out to all of you.

Can you take some time off work? Maybe a few vacation / personal days to give yourself some time to grieve in private, and not have to worry about being at work?
I know that a few days isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but it might really help.

Sending you tons of positive vibes.