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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Hiba on August 17, 2002, at 0:06:41
Does anyone know a way out of wellbutrin induced anxiety? One in this board commented it induces anxiety and panic. Is this similar to the aggravated anxiety and panic at the initial stages of SSRI therapy which goes away after two or three weeks? Or is it a persisting phenomenon? When I first took my first SSRI, I felt terrible agitation and anxiety leading to panic, I was almost to stop them but my doc added clonazepam for the initial stage to control agitation and related symptoms which did the job effectively. After two weeks I stopped using benzos and there were no more agitation and anxiety. Will the story be the same with wellbutrin also? Please help. I deperately need a drug substitution which my doc prefers wellbutrin.(I am an axious depressive patient)
HIBA
Posted by Anyuser on August 17, 2002, at 10:13:30
In reply to WELLBUTRIN INDUCED ANXIETY? ANY WAY OUT?, posted by Hiba on August 17, 2002, at 0:06:41
My experience with an SSRI was similar to yours. When I ramped up on Celexa I had a couple of episodes of panic. Eventually, Celexa had a calming effect in addition to raising my mood.
Subsequently I tried Wellbutrin. For me, ramping up on Wellbutrin was awful. Initially it aggravated my anxiety and dread, like pouring gasoline on a fire. Even so, I never had panic attacks. Eventually, a dose of 300mg of WBSR a day partially relieved my depression. I would not say I had full remission. I would not say that WB did anything for my "background" anxiety. There is a small study by the manufacturer of WB that says that WB has the same anxiolytic benefits as an SSRI, but that was not the case for me. I stopped taking WB because I had an irregular heartbeat for hours after exercise. Both my pdoc and gp said that was not dangerous, but I didn't like it a damn bit. There were things I liked about WB. I would say that subjectively an SSRI made my depression and anxiety disappear (along with my sex life) compared to WB, which distracted me from my depression and anxiety.
The conventional wisdom is that WB is no good for anxiety, and I wonder why your pdoc would prescribe it for you. Are you adding to Prozac or replacing Prozac with it?
Posted by hiba on August 17, 2002, at 11:34:59
In reply to Wellbutrin » Hiba, posted by Anyuser on August 17, 2002, at 10:13:30
I am going to quit prozac and give wellbutrin a try. Because I don't see any fun in losing sexuality and being well.But am still anxious of wellbutrin's anxiety aggravating properties. My question remains. Can't a benzo adequately control wellbutrin induced anxiety and panic? Will the anxiety persist? Please help
HIBA
Posted by utopizen on August 17, 2002, at 12:09:22
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and Anxiety: Question remains, posted by hiba on August 17, 2002, at 11:34:59
The only thing you should be asking the board is how to get a benzo script, not whether it works! That it does, no matter what. Anyone who tells you otherwise is rather unique, but his story probably won't apply to you even if the person exists.
=)
Posted by utopizen on August 17, 2002, at 12:13:31
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and Anxiety: Question remains, posted by hiba on August 17, 2002, at 11:34:59
I should probably add I get (15) .5 mg of Klono/2 mos., and require two per dosing as needed.
I rarely ever use them, because of the fact its scarcity tells me it's wiser to store them up and if I do use them for a few days I get what's called "reboundc dreaming"- that translates into vivid nightmares for me. Benzos change your dream phase patterns, and your body tries to realign its natural patterns after you go off them. So yeah, it works, but it's not the miracle drug for me like everyone's been talking of them. If you can stay on them or go off them without rebounding with nightmares, more power to you. But the fact that they work isn't what concerns me, it's the nightmares
Posted by terra miller on August 17, 2002, at 22:41:05
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and Anxiety: Question remains, posted by hiba on August 17, 2002, at 11:34:59
> I am going to quit prozac and give wellbutrin a try. Because I don't see any fun in losing sexuality and being well.But am still anxious of wellbutrin's anxiety aggravating properties. My question remains. Can't a benzo adequately control wellbutrin induced anxiety and panic? Will the anxiety persist? Please help
> HIBAi think a benzo can be helpful. it helps to ramp up slowly on your wellbutrin. for me and others it can hit hard the first couple of days, feeling like the agitation is like having had 10 cups of coffee. if you go up slow it's easier. i used a benzo more in the earlier stages. (i think i've been on a year now... time just blends together anymore.) i needed to adjust. but eventually it all worked itself out. now i am calmed, but it took 6 months to get there. (in the meantime the pos. side effects of extra energy and weight loss were great as i waited for the "antidepressant" actions to kick in.) i do have panic attacks from time to time, but they are therapy related and not wellbutrin related. i take .25 xanax usually only once and that does the trick. early on i took xanax also, but i didn't need it more than 3 times a week, one time a day. i never needed it regularly.
it also helped me trememdously to drop caffeine. i just could not regulate my mood/agitation. if i took my morning well. dose and had coffee, by 2pm i was terrible to be around. dropping the caffeine did more than using the benzo. but to answer your question, in my case i thought xanax was helpful in heading off the anxiety and panic. after 6 months, i don't feel i have wellbutrin induced anxiety anymore. i just have the kind that you get when you're in therapy.
take care,
terra
Posted by hiba on August 17, 2002, at 23:34:05
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and Anxiety: Question remains » hiba, posted by terra miller on August 17, 2002, at 22:41:05
Thank you Terra Miller,
Your message was conclusive. It is nice to hear from an experienced one than from a doc. I think I will quit prozac and after the two week wash out period, begin with a low dose of wellbutrin and slowly increase it. That is what my doc also agrees. Doc is ready to give me a prescription of klonopin for the initial stage, and I hope it will work. Thank you once again
HIBA
Posted by hiba on August 18, 2002, at 0:03:17
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and Anxiety: Question remains, posted by utopizen on August 17, 2002, at 12:09:22
Dear Utopizen,
what do you mean by this message? I was on klonopin for a long time and I can honestly say,, that was the best period of my life. I have been subjected to a lot of Antidepressant experiments. That is why a return to the normalcy or klonopin alone is almost impossible for me. Because I have gone too far with ADs. There may be exceptions. There could be existence of human beings who can share horror stories of benzo withdrawal. "WITHDRAWAL" is what I mean. I agree with you for the argument, there could be withdrawal symptoms if you quit benzos cold turkey. Because benzos fix your problems and make your life much easier so your brain has been adapted with the easy going way. When there is a sudden alteration to it, brain will react and it has the right to do so. But the question is why should you try to get off the MEDICINE? Antihypertensives are not bothered to come off their medications. So do diabetics. But chronic anxious patients want to come off benzos and curse the medication for their awkwardness. I haven't seen anyone complaining of any serious adverse reactions while on benzos. But have seen many serious adverse reactions on antidepressants. If you are talking about nightmares, nightmares can occur if you reduce the antidepressant dosage. I have experienced it. I have lost my sexual self because of the "safer" antidepressants. And if I had a choice, I would definitely have sticked with benzos rather than more complicated ADs.
Good luck Utopizen, I am waiting for your reply
HIBA
Posted by utopizen on August 18, 2002, at 13:15:31
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and Anxiety: Question remains » utopizen, posted by hiba on August 18, 2002, at 0:03:17
um, hiba, I think you're doing the same thing my p-doc did for the first 6 months of treatment with him...
6 months into doping me up (and I mean to say dopping the most flattering way) he asked me "how often do I get your panic attacks" and I was like "what are those?"
I don't have GAD, I have a bit of performance anxiety. I'm a bit shy, and Klono helps me to overcome the limited areas where I feel anxious. Without one of my "triggers" (public speaking, party, etc.) I feel rather calm.
Why on earth would I take Klono everyday if I can take Neurontin everyday? My condition isn't as severe as anyone else on this board. I've never entered a psychosis before, I don't know what a panic attack feels like, and I can talk to random people I don't know off the street without drugs.
This is the end of the thread.
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