Posted by hf on May 13, 2001, at 18:56:21
In reply to Re: Any one with good/bad exp. w/ Wellbutrin?, posted by mvaureen on May 13, 2001, at 1:38:01
> Well, Welbutrin made me feel some joy for the first time in the couple of years on Effexor. For me, Effexor was a neccessary evil: an induced stupor. The withdrawal symptoms were almost unimaginably horrid for five days, and now are tolerable. I found that if I could just get out of the bed long enough to get stimulants in, I could break the cycle of excess sleep and lethargy. I felt terribly depressed because I realized that while Effexor probably saved my life, I am quite fat now. I also realized that I was quite detached from my emotions for these couple of years and a flood of them came back by the 5th day off of Effexor. I regretted some of the things I tolerated because of the detachment created by Effexor.
>
> As for Wellbutrin, I feel that it is a gentle mood changer. It is what I need now, and while I was flooded with emotions for a week -- it was natural after sustaining an enforced evenness for over 2 years. I feel some happiness. HERE IS AN IMPORTANT TIP: my doctor was right about not smoking with Wellbutrin. By the time the Effexor wore off, I was only taking Wellbutrin and vitamins. I forgot to take the stimulants to stop me from sleeping too much. What I thought was depression disappeared when I added the stimulants to Wellbutrin. ABOUT THE SMOKING: what I didn't realize for a day or two was that I was experiencing grotesque sensations every time I smoked. I thought the sensations were part of the already ghastly Effexor withdrawal. The cigarettes were making me sicker. At one week off of Effexor, I thank Wellbutrin from preventing me from succumbing to depression because of the withdrawal symptoms. I also realize that my doctor was right to prescribe stimulants. Until I took them, I was feeling like I was depressed. It's a side affect AND withdrawal symptom of Effexor. I hope that you avoid depression and can find success with a drug that won't leave you with the double rebound of bad side effects and withdrawal when you stop taking it. Wellbutrin, I hear, does not have those effects. According to my doctor it will stop food cravings once the withdrawal ends, permit a free range of emotions, allow more energy, and make cigarette smoking disagreeable. I didn't believe much of that. I am starting to, though! Good luck and I hope Wellbutrin works out well for both of us.******
You know, I didn't realize how much of a stupor I was in until I read this post. Now that I think (ouch!) back on the last three years, I realize that, indeed, I was totally numbed emotionally. I started forgetting to take my EXR when I started working with a volunteer program last summer mainly because of the early and late hours. I got off schedule and just kept forgetting. The pain and other withdrawal symptoms kind of came and went with when I remembered to take my EXR but I didn't notice the correlation and I was totally uninformed. What I do see is that, during this period of on and off taking EXR I started getting angry with how my husband had not been working for most of our married life and how things had been a real nightmare with him and his undisciplined brat teenagers. I filed for divorce and kept working with the volunteer program which means I kept forgetting the EXR. To make a long story shorter, I quit taking alot of things and had honest emotions about them and did something about the situation. Thankfully, it woke up the ex, who's now the hubby again, and the kids were made to move out and grow up (both had physically threatened me - one had threatened to kill me - guess brat is a mild word :) ). Now, when I consciously decided to go off the EXR, I know more what's going on and why due to this list. No, it's no fun but the withdrawals are a necessary thing to get my life back and I am definitely willing to go the distance. Things are getting better! Your post helps because I see the reason why I have been feeling some of the emotions I have the last week or so. It had sort of been scaring me as I thought, oh, no, what's happening now?! My temper was on edge as was my emotions. But I can see them as "delayed reactions" that should have happened when I was numbed out. I started taking the Wellbutrin again yesterday starting with the 175 mg/day and will go up to the 2x/day next week and I am still on the Klonopin. My life has turned around in so many ways - mostly due to the coming to as I started off the EXR. I made decisions that I have needed to and decided to do something that I really enjoy and quit listening to those who really shouldn't have had any say in the first place. I truly believe that my pdoc kept medicating side effects and adding more of the culprit - EXR - which just made things worse. A defeating cycle, for sure!! That is over. I hope it was ignorance and not negligence on his part. I will have a better idea on this when I see him this Tuesday as I plan to tell him NO MORE EXR!!! Wellbutrin and Klonopin, YES!Oh, and the weight!! I had kept gaining weight - about 30 pounds - and hadn't been hardly eating a thing and working hard physically (the volunteering was training horses for a youth ranch). I had been perplexed! I am hypothyroid but that is being medicated and shouldn't be the problem. Hopefully, my metabolism will get back on track once the EXR is out of my system and the Wellbutrin starts kicking in.
One thing that I have found to be helpful is Gatorade and salt. The potassium, sodium, electrolyte balance seems to be important. One of the things I noticed when I started withdrawals is that my blood pressure was staying very low so I started pushing the above and I have felt quite a bit better. That and Immodium and Zantac or Prevacid to counter some of the other effects. I will try some natural stimulants like your doctor suggested. What are you taking?
Sorry so long winded but it seemed that some things clicked when I read your post. I am very thankful for the people on this list as it helps to hear "the rest of the story".... :)
HF
poster:hf
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010507/msgs/62792.html