Posted by Klavot on January 2, 2007, at 15:41:43
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin » Klavot, posted by tensor on January 2, 2007, at 12:23:32
> How did you respond to it, the first weeks?
I took Wellbutrin SR 150 mg / day for 10 months, give or take, and I had already been taking Zoloft 50 mg / day for 2 months prior to the addition of the Wellbutrin.
Positive: more energised; reduction in anhedonia; improved muscle-coordination, fine motor movements and handwriting; felt more driven; I did "boring" things more easily, things like work in the garden, wash my car, clean out my room, etc.; I felt more in control of my fate.
In later months, I became better at socialising, without necessarily enjoying it more. I did something that I probably would never have done before, namely I took a Dale Carnegie course in public speaking. I gave talks to small groups of people (+/- 15 people) both inside and outside the Dale Carnegie setting, and I never really felt stressed beforehand (in the past I would have been sick with fear; when I was still in school, I even pretended to be sick so as to miss class presentations). I became less sensitive to criticism in general - developed a thicker skin so to speak.
I'm not saying that all this was as a result of taking Wellbutrin, but rather that all these things happened while I was taking Wellbutrin. I achieved a lot of permanent personal growth while on Wellbutrin - I believe Wellbutrin galvanised me into doing beneficial things that I would not normally do. I should also add that my parents, who know that I take medication, but also people who do not know that I take medication, have commented that they noticed an improvement in my general attitude and behaviour while I was on Wellbutrin. I think that third party input can be quite beneficial to guage the effect of medication, since depression corrupts objectivity.
Negative: akathisia in the evenings which sometimes prevented me from falling asleep because I couldn't lie still; urinary hesitation; when driving on roads where trees and buildings cast shadows, so that the road surface alternates between light and dark, I would develop a feeling of derealisation (seizure incident maybe?); felt more edgy.
In the long run, Wellbutrin never really properly impacted my anhedonia or drowsiness, which are the two reasons why I took it in the first place.
I have seen articles suggesting the dopamine reuptake inhibition of Wellbutrin is quite weak, that at "civilised" dosages Wellbutrin acts mainly on norepinephrine.
Klavot
P.S.: To anyone reading this who has public speaking issues, I can stronly endorse Dale Carnegie. It works on the principles of "baby steps" and "exposure to the object of fear desensitises one to that fear".
poster: Klavot
thread:718453
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070101/msgs/718563.html