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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 IRA2 on April 23, 2008, at 22:37:16
Hi - I have been taking the Budeprion XL for almost a year. First I started with 100mg - and then 150mg and now 300. For some reason the medicine stops working for me after few months.
I feel like I need to have the dosage increased every 3-4 months. The sysmtoms comes back. I start eating like crazy again. I am not very nice to my kids. I am getting a lot more irritable.
Any suggestions or recommendations?
Posted by Phillipa on April 24, 2008, at 12:10:23
In reply to Budeprion XL, posted by IRA2 on April 23, 2008, at 22:37:16
Hi welcome to babble see you're new. I'm sorry don't know this med . Lots of knowledge here soon someone who knows will answer and good luck. Phillipa
Posted by Racer on April 25, 2008, at 22:32:29
In reply to Budeprion XL, posted by IRA2 on April 23, 2008, at 22:37:16
It sounds to me as though mybe this isn't the right medication for you. First of all, if you're only getting a couple of months of benefit, my guess would be that you're getting mostly a placebo effect -- although buproprion does tend to work more rapidly than other antidepressants on average, that still doesn't sound like enough time to lose robust benefits.
Have you ever tried Wellbutrin XL? That's the brand name version, and sometimes the inactive ingredients make a difference. They're not supposed to make any difference, but there are often differences in the real world. For instance, I get hives from some of the generic versions of fluoxetine, but not from brand name Prozac. It might be worth checking into whether Wellbutrin XL offers the same problems.
Meanwhile, what specific sorts of symptoms are you having? I'm assume depression, since you're taking an antidepressant, but there are so many varieties of depression that it's worth listing specific symptoms. Knowing that might help figure out what might be good alternatives for you.
Welcome to Babble, and good luck to you.
Posted by undopaminergic on April 26, 2008, at 22:53:25
In reply to Re: Budeprion XL » IRA2, posted by Racer on April 25, 2008, at 22:32:29
> It sounds to me as though mybe this isn't the right medication for you. First of all, if you're only getting a couple of months of benefit, my guess would be that you're getting mostly a placebo effect --
>I strongly disagree with that. It is very common with many drugs to get the strongest response initially, with progressively declining effects in the following days or weeks. In my (somewhat unfortunate) experience, a couple of months is an extremely long time for a drug to work, and indeed, I've yet to experience it. My record so far is with methylphenidate, the efficacy of which could be extended, after dose increases, to a little more than a month.
Of course, there are drugs that tend to work slowly (if at all), in which case efficacy may improve over the first weeks or months, and last for months or years. However, bupropion is not one of these.
Posted by Racer on April 28, 2008, at 8:52:48
In reply to Re: Budeprion XL, posted by undopaminergic on April 26, 2008, at 22:53:25
> >
>
> I strongly disagree with that. It is very common with many drugs to get the strongest response initially, with progressively declining effects in the following days or weeks.Can we say that this pattern is common *IN YOUR EXPERIENCE,* since it's far from common overall, and absolutely nothing like my own experience. I'm sorry if that's been happening to you with medications, and I'm very sorry if you're not getting much benefit from the medications you've tried -- but that is not a pattern I've read about very often around here, nor is it anything I've experienced myself.
> In my (somewhat unfortunate) experience, a couple of months is an extremely long time for a drug to work, and indeed, I've yet to experience it.
A couple of months is not a long time for a drug to work. There are many people -- probably *most* of the people who take antidepressants, although not necessarily those who post here -- who take the same antidepressant for years, with good results. It's tragic you haven't experienced that, yet, but your experience may not be as typical as you seem to believe.
> Of course, there are drugs that tend to work slowly (if at all), in which case efficacy may improve over the first weeks or months, and last for months or years. However, bupropion is not one of these.
It has been for me. I have taken buproprion for close to four years now, with good results. I like my Wellbutrin, it is my good and trusted friend, and has been very loyal to me. I can't say that it's ever been 100% effective -- but I can say that it's close enough, considering the benign side effect profile. That is, my experience of the side effect profile.
Posted by undopaminergic on April 28, 2008, at 23:54:07
In reply to Re: Budeprion XL » undopaminergic, posted by Racer on April 28, 2008, at 8:52:48
> >
> > I strongly disagree with that. It is very common with many drugs to get the strongest response initially, with progressively declining effects in the following days or weeks.
>
> Can we say that this pattern is common *IN YOUR EXPERIENCE,* since it's far from common overall, and absolutely nothing like my own experience.
>Perhaps "very common" was an exaggeration that is true only for some people, such as myself, but the development of tolerance and loss of efficacy after initial response to a drug is not at all unusual - especially not in the case of rapidly acting drugs, although it should be noted that different effects of a drug may differ in their persistence upon chronic treatment - this applies to both benefits and adverse effects.
> I'm sorry if that's been happening to you with medications, and I'm very sorry if you're not getting much benefit from the medications you've tried -- but that is not a pattern I've read about very often around here,
>As far as I've seen, "not getting much benefit" from many or most medications tested seems to be a frequent issue "around here".
> > In my (somewhat unfortunate) experience, a couple of months is an extremely long time for a drug to work, and indeed, I've yet to experience it.
>
> A couple of months is not a long time for a drug to work. There are many people -- probably *most* of the people who take antidepressants, although not necessarily those who post here -- who take the same antidepressant for years, with good results. It's tragic you haven't experienced that, yet, but your experience may not be as typical as you seem to believe.
>Note that in this case I did say "in my experience", and I even suggested that my experience may be somewhat unfortunate, so whence do you get the idea that I believe it's typical? Besides, it should be seen in light of the context in which it was said - it was directly in response to your comment:
"if you're only getting a couple of months of benefit, my guess would be that you're getting mostly a placebo effect ... doesn't sound like enough time to lose robust benefits."
> > Of course, there are drugs that tend to work slowly (if at all), in which case efficacy may improve over the first weeks or months, and last for months or years. However, bupropion is not one of these.
>
> It has been for me.Are you saying it took a long time (weeks to months) to reach efficacy? I have the impression that bupropion generally has a fast onset of action, and that many people notice the effects after the first dose.
> I have taken buproprion for close to four years now, with good results. I like my Wellbutrin, it is my good and trusted friend, and has been very loyal to me. I can't say that it's ever been 100% effective -- but I can say that it's close enough, considering the benign side effect profile. That is, my experience of the side effect profile.
>It's great that you've found it dependable in the long term, but it doesn't imply that anyone else's response to the drug must be placebo only because it doesn't last.
Posted by Phillipa on April 29, 2008, at 19:30:55
In reply to Re: Budeprion XL, posted by undopaminergic on April 28, 2008, at 23:54:07
Unfortunately it worked very quickly in a week I was put in the hospital by my pdoc as I became hypomanic. Hence they the docs in the hospital got rid of it immediately. We're all different. Phillipa
Posted by undopaminergic on April 30, 2008, at 13:56:55
In reply to Re: Budeprion XL » undopaminergic, posted by Phillipa on April 29, 2008, at 19:30:55
> Unfortunately it worked very quickly in a week I was put in the hospital by my pdoc as I became hypomanic. Hence they the docs in the hospital got rid of it immediately. We're all different. Phillipa
>I think it's classified as "mania" and not "hypomania" if hospitalisation is required. What was it like, by the way? Was it the classical euphoric type of mania, or a mixed/dysphoric state?
Posted by Phillipa on April 30, 2008, at 20:17:18
In reply to Re: Budeprion XL, posted by undopaminergic on April 30, 2008, at 13:56:55
No wasn't mania I just went around his office reinacting how boring each day was now this was a pdoc at the beach and not the smartest cookie in the world. I slept my usual hours each night was angry. He just didn't know what to do with me so sent me to the hospital. Hence no wellburtin. Horrible hospitalization. All the pdoc were new grads and interns and knew nothing about meds used calculators to try and figure our some strange switch over stradegy for xanax to valium. Past pdocs just switched. Love Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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