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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jessers11581 on March 28, 2005, at 21:12:30
Please give me any comments you can regarding this drug. I'm about to start adding it to my Lexapro and am very curious about the different experiences people have had. So far, my only feedback has been negative. Am I doing the wrong thing by starting it? I'm definitely an anxious person to begin with, but my doctor thinks that the 15 mg. Lex will counteract that side effect, especially since my WB dose will be low (75 first week and 150 from then on). Inside info please!!!
Posted by Minnie-Haha on March 28, 2005, at 21:28:22
In reply to Is there anyone who LIKES Wellbutrin?, posted by jessers11581 on March 28, 2005, at 21:12:30
> Please give me any comments you can regarding this drug. I'm about to start adding it to my Lexapro and am very curious about the different experiences people have had. So far, my only feedback has been negative. Am I doing the wrong thing by starting it? I'm definitely an anxious person to begin with, but my doctor thinks that the 15 mg. Lex will counteract that side effect, especially since my WB dose will be low (75 first week and 150 from then on). Inside info please!!!
It's probably to early to give you a glowing review, but I've been augmenting Cymbalta 40mg with 150mg Wellbutrin XL for about two weeks now and I have noticed a subtle, positive change in my activity level (up) and appetite (down).
I was on 60mg Cymbalta, but my blood pressure went up a little and my appetite was up quite a bit -- I gained 5 pounds in a couple months. So when we decided to try reducing the Cymbalta (to lower the blood pressure), we also talked about augmenting with Wellbutrin. We waited a couple of weeks after reducing the Cymbalta dosage, and first I tried augmenting with 75mg of Bupropion (generic Wellbutrin) in the morning (I take my Cymbalta in the late afternoon). That really didn't do anything for me. That's when we switched to the Wellbutrin XL.
The first couple of weeks on the Bupropion/Wellbutrin I had a little trouble sleeping at night and a *little* extra general anxiety, but nothing I couldn't manage. I think Wellbutrin, like a lot of other psych drugs, requires a good 3-4 week trial period before. (I was on Bupropion about 3 1/2 weeks before I switched to Wellbutrin XL.)
FWIW: I am BP2 and OCD. I also take Trileptal. I took Wellbutrin with Trileptal a few years ago, with Wellbutrin as my only AD, and I didn't get as good a response with it as I am now combining Cymbalta and Wellbutrin.
Posted by Minnie-Haha on March 28, 2005, at 21:31:19
In reply to Is there anyone who LIKES Wellbutrin?, posted by jessers11581 on March 28, 2005, at 21:12:30
You might want to follow this thread...
Posted by Emily Elizabeth on March 28, 2005, at 22:34:27
In reply to Is there anyone who LIKES Wellbutrin?, posted by jessers11581 on March 28, 2005, at 21:12:30
I have a mixed review: I took a very small amount (75mg) about 2 yrs ago to offset some of the tiredness that I felt with Paxil. It seemed to do the trick and it seemed to increase my general "happiness."
Unfortunately, about 1 yr ago I tried to add it in to my Lexapro for the same reason. This time it made me insanely anxious and I had to discontinue it right away. I couldn't lower my dose as it was at 75mg already!
I have a high anxiety level to start with, so it isn't entirely surprising that I had this experience. But, I do think that a lot of people have been completely happy with their WB experiences. Remember, you can always stop it if you don't like it.
Best,
EE
Posted by rainbowbrite on March 29, 2005, at 0:57:30
In reply to Is there anyone who LIKES Wellbutrin?, posted by jessers11581 on March 28, 2005, at 21:12:30
It's my favorite drug if I had to pick one, I hate drugs! But it is really the only one that helped me.
Good luck with it
Posted by bart on March 29, 2005, at 12:16:31
In reply to Is there anyone who LIKES Wellbutrin?, posted by jessers11581 on March 28, 2005, at 21:12:30
Not me!!!!!
Posted by Racer on March 29, 2005, at 12:56:10
In reply to Is there anyone who LIKES Wellbutrin?, posted by jessers11581 on March 28, 2005, at 21:12:30
Wellbutrin is the closest I've come to a truly comfortable experience with an anti-depressant, after trying dozens from almost all catagories. (No MAOIs.)
I'm taking it with Cymbalta, which wasn't doing much on its own, and it took about one week on 150mgs of Wellbutrin to have me singing as I cooked breakfast in the morning. (Literally: I took seven days at 150mg, then on the second day of 300mg I was singing as I cooked breakfast. It's not a perfect drug, though: I was still singing far, far off key...)
I have a comorbid anxiety disorder, which is more and less problematic depending on environmental stressors, but the Wellbutrin has, if anything, improved it since the depression is gone, so it's easier to dig my way out of the anxiety.
Hope that helps.
Posted by Iansf on March 29, 2005, at 18:46:48
In reply to Is there anyone who LIKES Wellbutrin?, posted by jessers11581 on March 28, 2005, at 21:12:30
> Please give me any comments you can regarding this drug. I'm about to start adding it to my Lexapro and am very curious about the different experiences people have had. So far, my only feedback has been negative. Am I doing the wrong thing by starting it? I'm definitely an anxious person to begin with, but my doctor thinks that the 15 mg. Lex will counteract that side effect, especially since my WB dose will be low (75 first week and 150 from then on). Inside info please!!!
In terms of its antidepressant effects, Wellbutrin is not nearly as good as Luvox or Prozac, but it's great in that I've never had any side effects from it. As an antidepressant, its OK - it generally keeps me from falling into deep depression, and if I do, I bounce back fairly quickly - just not great.
Posted by jessers11581 on March 29, 2005, at 21:30:25
In reply to Re: Is there anyone who LIKES Wellbutrin?, posted by Iansf on March 29, 2005, at 18:46:48
I was told that taking SSRI's for a long time to counteract anxiety and OCD (which is why I began taking them 8 years ago) can eventually lead to depression brought on by a gradual dampening of the availability of dopamine. That's why my pdoc wants me to try Wellbutrin--because it works on dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake. Every SSRI I've ever taken worked well up until the past couple of years, and now nothing seems to be cutting it. I just feel so lethargic and apathetic and vegetative--no desire or motivation whatsoever. This is NOT a problem that I ever had before. I even tried Luvox recently and worked all the way up to 250 mg. on it, but it only seemed to increase my lack of caring about anything (began overeating and sleeping too much--gained weight). So anyway, this is my last hope. And I hope it works! :)
Posted by franco neuro on March 30, 2005, at 11:03:46
In reply to dopamine,, posted by jessers11581 on March 29, 2005, at 21:30:25
Sounds like you have a good pdoc. I switched to Wellbutrin for the same reasons. SSRI's just don't do it for me. They actually make a lot of my symptoms worse. Including the nagging physical pain. At this point I'm almost totally convinced that low dopamine/norepinephrine is my problem. So, I plan on increasing the dose until I feel better or have a seizure.
Posted by AuntieMel on March 30, 2005, at 11:17:49
In reply to dopamine,, posted by jessers11581 on March 29, 2005, at 21:30:25
I added it (to effexor) almost a year ago and it was the first med that actually increased alertness and motivation.
About 4 months ago I cut my effexor in half and added provigil - another improvement.
There's still a long way to go, but at least now I can do something besides sit and stare.
Posted by Sebastian on March 30, 2005, at 15:27:37
In reply to Is there anyone who LIKES Wellbutrin?, posted by jessers11581 on March 28, 2005, at 21:12:30
You will have problems. My dad to wellbutrin alone and all kinds of problems. It works for me, because I also take a downer like geodon, that puts me to sleep. wellbutrin alone probably won't work for you if you are already having a bad response.
Posted by jessers11581 on March 30, 2005, at 18:30:59
In reply to Re: Is there anyone who LIKES Wellbutrin?, posted by Sebastian on March 30, 2005, at 15:27:37
> You will have problems. My dad to wellbutrin alone and all kinds of problems. It works for me, because I also take a downer like geodon, that puts me to sleep. wellbutrin alone probably won't work for you if you are already having a bad response.
I'm not taking it alone. I'm also on 15 mg. of Lexapro. My Wellbutrin dose is only 75 mg. right now, and will increase to 150 after a week. I took my first dose today and feel great, but I know better than to assume that it will definitely last. Guess we'll see!
Posted by Patient on April 1, 2005, at 9:39:04
In reply to Is there anyone who LIKES Wellbutrin?, posted by jessers11581 on March 28, 2005, at 21:12:30
> Please give me any comments you can regarding this drug. I'm about to start adding it to my Lexapro and am very curious about the different experiences people have had. So far, my only feedback has been negative. Am I doing the wrong thing by starting it? I'm definitely an anxious person to begin with, but my doctor thinks that the 15 mg. Lex will counteract that side effect, especially since my WB dose will be low (75 first week and 150 from then on). Inside info please!!!
Here is what I posted recently:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050326/msgs/476790.html
I'm still taking 5 mg Lexapro one day, bupropion ER 100mg the next and alternating in this way. It is working great. The first couple of nights I felt a bit anxious-like my heart was pounding- during the middle of the night, but not anymore. I take a calcium/magnesium/vit. D combo most nights at bedtime and this help me sleep well.
On the days I take Wellbutrin I feel a calm within 2 hours after taking it-lasts into the evening. I've noticed I don't want a glass of wine on the days I take Wellbutrin. I usually drink 2 to 3 6oz. glasses of homemade wine just about every evening-it relaxes me-evening time is when I tend to get anxious in spite of taking SSRIs. Interesting, because one person with borderline personality disorder that tried Wellbutrin (at Remedyfind webpage) said it made her crave alcohol within days after starting it. If I do have a glass of wine while taking it, I find one glass is all I want.
I assume this calm feeling is associated with Wellbutrin's reuptake inhibition of dopamine. It is supposedly why it is used for smoking cessation-makes a smoker who's quit feel the same calm they'd get from the dopamine high from tobacco.
I just hope we can afford it. I took 10mg Lexapro and 150mg Wellbutrin SR about two years ago and I really liked the combination-took it for about two months-it was out of our price range.
Another thing I like about it-it increases my sex drive and I am able to concentrate on different things. I've often wondered if I have ADHD or adult attention deficit disorder-I've always had difficulty concentrating on what people are saying and while reading. This could also be caused by the fact that I get very anxious when people talk to me-enough to block out what they are saying.
The only negative thing about it is I still tend to feel a bit irritable just before menses time-PMS time at the moment-probably from not reaching steady state due to my alternating dosing schedule, and the low dose of both meds.
Your doctor is wise to start you on a low dose. You might consider the 100 mg Slow Release version of Wellbutrin instead of the Instant Release 75mg version.
Posted by jessers11581 on April 1, 2005, at 16:43:44
In reply to Re: Is there anyone who LIKES Wellbutrin? I do » jessers11581, posted by Patient on April 1, 2005, at 9:39:04
Thanks for this response. It makes me feel very hopeful about the drug. Best of luck to you!
This is the end of the thread.
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