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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Annette on June 4, 2000, at 15:39:20
I've been taking 100mg of Wellbutrin SR for about a month now. It seems to work okay -- I don't feel great but I've only gotten severely depressed once or twice, for a couple of days at a time.
The problem is that it makes me so jittery that I can't sit still, think deeply or focus for at least 4 hours after taking it. I feel like a child that has untreated ADD. I feel very anxious (I'm not normally an anxious person) for at least half the day.
My doctor prescribed .5 mg of Klonopin at night to help me sleep, but I was wondering what would happen if I took it during the day, as I'm still jittery during the day, though I sleep better at night.If I don't find something to get rid of the jitteriness, I'm going to have to stop taking the Wellbutrin, as it makes me too unproductive for too long.
Any input on this would be great!
Posted by Zannah on June 4, 2000, at 17:15:07
In reply to klonopin + wellbutrin, posted by Annette on June 4, 2000, at 15:39:20
> I've been taking 100mg of Wellbutrin SR for about a month now. It seems to work okay -- I don't feel great but I've only gotten severely depressed once or twice, for a couple of days at a time.
> The problem is that it makes me so jittery that I can't sit still, think deeply or focus for at least 4 hours after taking it. I feel like a child that has untreated ADD. I feel very anxious (I'm not normally an anxious person) for at least half the day.
> My doctor prescribed .5 mg of Klonopin at night to help me sleep, but I was wondering what would happen if I took it during the day, as I'm still jittery during the day, though I sleep better at night.
>
> If I don't find something to get rid of the jitteriness, I'm going to have to stop taking the Wellbutrin, as it makes me too unproductive for too long.
>
> Any input on this would be great!Hi Annette,
I have been 'through' several AD's this past year and one of the drugs I tried for 2 months was Wellbutrin. It was the only AD that seemed to help at all-in the second week of treatment, 10 days into WB therapy, I was ecstatic to have found st that worked for me. The WB petered out quickly, tho, and I could not take 450mgs. daily, as my g.p. advised, it made me much too jittery. So, I forged ahead, feeling pretty much like garbage on a daily basis.
A few AD's down the line brings me to Remeron, my latest AD. I've only been on it 3 1/2 weeks, but, I like the sound sleep, and I am less edgy and ragged feeling in general. I still don't feel much motivation, however. So, this past week I introduced WB to the mix. 150 SR for 3 days, then 300 mgs., taken in 2 doses. I am feeling more alert and, not jittery, pressure-in-the-chest feelings. In fact, I went back on just WB alone for a while, with no Remeron to dull anxiety no jittery side-effect. I took WB 10 months before this, and the jumpiness I had had the first period I took it, had vanished into thin air. Like you, I used to feel just "not good', nervous and not-so-funny pressure in my chest every time I took a 150mg. pill. Now, months after my original intro to WB, I no longer react to it in the same manner. (Rather long-winded) food for thought, maybe...I have used Klonopin at times, and I bc used to it & took small amts. during the day on occasion, w/out any sleepy/woozy feelings. But, if I were you, I wd. try using the daytime dose of say .25 out at home, during the day, to see how you react. Klonopin is a very long-acting sedative, so I don't know if splitting your dose bt a.m. & bedtime really matters, it may just be a placebo effect, but, I feel better sometimes if I split the dose. That's just me, however...
Hope you feel better soon. Have you tried many AD's prior to the WB?
Zannah
Posted by ChrisK on June 5, 2000, at 5:30:08
In reply to klonopin + wellbutrin, posted by Annette on June 4, 2000, at 15:39:20
From time to time when I am expecting some situational anxiety I take .5 mg of Klonopin on top of my WB without any problems. You may want to try .25 mg to start out and see how that works out for you.
Posted by harry b. on June 5, 2000, at 9:48:02
In reply to klonopin + wellbutrin, posted by Annette on June 4, 2000, at 15:39:20
Annette- I've used Klonopin for 5+ years. As with
so many meds, you can develop a tolerance to it.I always took it at night. My GP several years ago
advised taking .5mg in the am also. I found that it made
me too sleepy, but if I knew I was going to be in
a social/work situation that was bound to cause
anxiety, I would take .25mg beforehand.A few months ago a pdoc advised taking 1mg in the am.
I was in a hospital setting and as low as I ever
care to go again. I continued the 1mg untill a month
ago when I reduced my am dose to .5mg. Now I take
.25mg in the am. I would advise trying .25mg for a
few days then when you become accustomed to that,
and if it is not enough, up it to .5mg.I took Wellbutrin for about a year, several years
ago. I did not feel any undo anxiety that I could
blame on the WB. BUT, I was already taking Klonopin.FWIW: My bedtime dose is 3mg and sometimes that isn't
enough bring sleep swiftly. Use what works but be
careful not to overindulge. (sorry, not lecturing
just speaking from personal experience)
hb
Posted by Carol on June 7, 2000, at 0:58:29
In reply to Re: klonopin + wellbutrin » Annette, posted by harry b. on June 5, 2000, at 9:48:02
ANNETTE,
I have been using Wellbutrin 150mgm three times a day plus klonopin 2mg at night and 1.5 mgm in the day time. I seem to be doing well on that. I have also just started Topamax25mg a day last week and increased it to twice a day today. My mood is getting stable but remaining low.
Posted by SLS on June 7, 2000, at 14:46:24
In reply to klonopin + wellbutrin, posted by Annette on June 4, 2000, at 15:39:20
Hi.
> I've been taking 100mg of Wellbutrin SR for about a month now. It seems to work okay -- I don't feel great but I've only gotten severely depressed once or twice, for a couple of days at a time.
> The problem is that it makes me so jittery that I can't sit still, think deeply or focus for at least 4 hours after taking it. I feel like a child that has untreated ADD. I feel very anxious (I'm not normally an anxious person) for at least half the day.
> My doctor prescribed .5 mg of Klonopin at night to help me sleep, but I was wondering what would happen if I took it during the day, as I'm still jittery during the day, though I sleep better at night.
>
> If I don't find something to get rid of the jitteriness, I'm going to have to stop taking the Wellbutrin, as it makes me too unproductive for too long.
>
> Any input on this would be great!
Take a look at the following thread. It appears below this one."Anyone tried beta blockers with stimulants?"
It may be relevant. Wellbutrin has some amphetamine-like properties, and the symptoms you describe are not uncommon when taking it. Wellbutrin has also been used for ADD AD/HD. If it *really* works to treat your depression, using a beta-blocker seems like a reasonable alternative to Klonopin.
Good luck.
- Scott
Posted by Cari on June 8, 2000, at 13:02:37
In reply to Re: klonopin + wellbutrin, posted by Carol on June 7, 2000, at 0:58:29
Please be VERY wary of the Topamax. There is a very scary & sad posting on here from Dari that shows his personal experience with it. It made his IQ drop drastically among other things. My doctor prescribed it for me when I complained about weight gain from anti depressants, because Topomax has a side effect of weight loss, but THANK GOD I never filled the prescription. He (doctor) scared me when he said people had a difficult time thinking on Topamax and specifically could no longer "form words out of their thoughts." After reading Dari's account I will never touch the stuff. As for Klonopin, it has worked extremely well for me in controlling anxiety for many years. I know everyone is different, but I could never even feel anything less than 1 mg, even when I first began taking it, so you'll have to see if .25 or .50 will do anything for you. I pretty much took 2 mg each morning before work to take the edge off, and that awful anxious knott that never left the pit of my stomach till I started taking Klonopin. I've never even heard of anyone only taking .25, that's a tiny dose. People around me also have needed at least 1 mg just to feel any benefits. As for the jittery-ness from Welbutrin, if it's doing that to you, have you considered stopping it and trying another anti depressant that does not have anxiety has a side effect??? Paxil and Remeron don't cause anxiety, and Remeron has no negative sexual side effects either.
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