Posted by Joakim on January 15, 2016, at 20:06:23
On the third and fourth week on this drug i felt much better, excitement and pleasure in life came back.
Too bad it stopped working shortly after. I had a panic attack on the fifth week on Wellbutrin and broke down in tears, really intense emotions. After this i did not feel any of Wellbutrin's positive effects anymore. I tried giving it more time and tried all the doses (150 mg, 300 mg and 450 mg), i was on it for well over 3 months before i eventually gave up on it.
Now i am on the search of a replacement. Because i had a short lived good reaction to Wellbutrin, i'm trying to find something similar to it. Wellbutrin is a NDRI, and the list of other NDRI's are not antidepressants. But rather stimulants like Ritalin, and these aren't very good for long-term use.
After studying and research, i've learned how Wellbutrin works. It mostly acts on norepinephrine, and to a lesser extent dopamine. It is actually a weak antidepressant overall (which might explain why it's positive effects on me were so short lived) Because of this, i am looking for something stronger that works on either norepinephrine or dopamine. And what i ask myself is, did i have a good reaction to Wellbutrin because of it's action on norepinephrine? Or because of dopamine? This is what i'm currently on a quest about to find out.
I am taking the dopamine strategy first, i have not found many options for this one. Most prescription dopaminergics are psychostimulants, which aren't very good for long-term use. I have however, discovered an atypical antipsychotic named Amisulpride which i am currently trying. In lower doses, this drug releases dopamine. It has been reported as very useful for depression, dysthymia and emotional numbness.
If my dopamine strategy fails, then norepinephrine is next. I have found several options for this one, like NRI tricyclics such as Nortriptyline and Desipramine.
I'd like to hear some advice and recommendations from you guys. If you know of something that works similarly to Wellbutrin, and could be a good replacement for it. Please let me know.
poster:Joakim
thread:1085444
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20151225/msgs/1085444.html