Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 994454

Shown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Quitting Wellbutrin

Posted by mair on August 21, 2011, at 13:56:16

I've been on Wellbutrin SR for 15+ years, most of it at 400 mgs/day. My current scrip has expired; I'm now out of pills and I'm considering using this as an excuse/opportunity to just stop using it altogether.

Am I likely to encounter difficulties if I just stop using this drug cold turkey?

Thanks

 

Re: Quitting Wellbutrin » mair

Posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2011, at 15:50:59

In reply to Quitting Wellbutrin, posted by mair on August 21, 2011, at 13:56:16

I don't feel you should do this as the med is still working? If you go off might not work again and what if you find you need it? Seizures could be a possibility if you just stop it. Have you discussed this with your doc? Phillipa

 

Re: Quitting Wellbutrin

Posted by mair on August 21, 2011, at 16:22:51

In reply to Re: Quitting Wellbutrin » mair, posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2011, at 15:50:59

I thought seizures were just a potential side effect of taking the drug, not going off it.

My preference would be to withdraw a bit more gradually. But my doc has not responded to a telephone message I left for her, nor has she responded to a refill request filed by my pharmacy a week ago or so. Until she responds to one or the other, continuing with the drug is not an immediate option. I have been thinking alot lately about weaning myself off everything I take so the timing is about right. But I want some idea of what I might anticipate in terms of the side effects of a more rapid withdrawal.

I don't think she puts much credence in the theory that a drug may not work for you again once you've stopped it. I have a vague recollection about having discussed this point with her sometime in the past.

 

Re: Quitting Wellbutrin » mair

Posted by Phil on August 21, 2011, at 17:31:16

In reply to Re: Quitting Wellbutrin, posted by mair on August 21, 2011, at 16:22:51

not sure i'd take her word for anything if she can't even refill a script.

i dunno about cold turkey but being on a med that long and suddenly stopping it doesn't sound like a very good idea.

good luck

 

Re: Quitting Wellbutrin » mair

Posted by Dinah on August 21, 2011, at 17:31:42

In reply to Quitting Wellbutrin, posted by mair on August 21, 2011, at 13:56:16

Stopping cold turkey doesn't sound safe to me. You've been on it for 15 years, and Phillipa is right. Seizures aren't out of the question. I had weird temporal lobe experiences during my brief cold turkey with Luvox. I then tapered verrry slowly.

Could your primary care physician prescribe a small dose until your pdoc gets back? Did you call the office? No one is filling in?

It's wonderful to see you! Dare I hope the desire to quit Wellbutrin goes along your doing very well? How is life? Family? Work?

 

Re: Quitting Wellbutrin

Posted by bleauberry on August 21, 2011, at 18:57:17

In reply to Quitting Wellbutrin, posted by mair on August 21, 2011, at 13:56:16

There are a couple issues to keep in mind I think. A rapid stoppage usually produces an uncomfortable withdrawal syndrome. Especially after being on it 15 years. Your brain will go through some confusion as it attempts to adjust to the absence of the wellbutrin molecule. Not guaranteed, but very common. The other issue is that when someone is doing well on a med and then stop it, there is no guarantee it will work again if needed. Stories of a med not working again are common. Some people though can bounce in and out of a med without any problem. So what I'm saying is, there is some risk involved in stopping....the risk is you may never get back to where you are now.

Anyway, we all have to do what we think is right on our own journeys. I'm just sayin that as long the med is working for you now, and it's already been 15 years, don't rock the boat because it might capsize.

 

btw, hi mair..long time (nm)

Posted by Phil on August 21, 2011, at 20:00:36

In reply to Re: Quitting Wellbutrin, posted by bleauberry on August 21, 2011, at 18:57:17

 

Re: Quitting Wellbutrin » mair

Posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2011, at 20:02:39

In reply to Re: Quitting Wellbutrin, posted by mair on August 21, 2011, at 16:22:51

I agree with new doc. I thought your name sounded familiar. Welcome back. Phillipa

 

Maybe I'll hear from her tomorrow (nm)

Posted by Mair on August 21, 2011, at 22:35:00

In reply to Re: Quitting Wellbutrin » mair, posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2011, at 20:02:39

 

Re: Quitting Wellbutrin

Posted by policebox on August 22, 2011, at 0:09:16

In reply to Quitting Wellbutrin, posted by mair on August 21, 2011, at 13:56:16

Your experience may vary from mine. I took Wellbutrin SR 150mg b.i.d. for several years and discontinued it without tapering, in preparation to switch to the MAOi Parnate. I experienced some periods of very mild dizziness. I found the discontinuous effects much more mild than when I discontinued a very low dose of the SSRI Lexapro.

Good luck to you.

> I've been on Wellbutrin SR for 15+ years, most of it at 400 mgs/day. My current scrip has expired; I'm now out of pills and I'm considering using this as an excuse/opportunity to just stop using it altogether.
>
> Am I likely to encounter difficulties if I just stop using this drug cold turkey?
>
> Thanks

 

Re: Quitting Wellbutrin

Posted by policebox on August 22, 2011, at 0:23:32

In reply to Quitting Wellbutrin, posted by mair on August 21, 2011, at 13:56:16

I just checked the prescribing information on Wellbutrin SR on drugs.com as well as the prescribing information on the GSK website. There is no official suggestion to taper Wellbutrin. As far as I could see, the only warning was again abruptly stopping a benzo, since benzos raise the seizure threshold, stopping them while remaining on the same dose of Wellbutrin would cause seizure (although in my option the seizure concern with Wellbutrin is overblown).

So, although it wouldn't be unheard of for someone to experience some withdrawal effects, it doesn't seem unsafe to stop Wellbutrin SR without tapering.

All the best to you.

 

Re: Quitting Wellbutrin » mair

Posted by jane d on August 22, 2011, at 4:12:08

In reply to Quitting Wellbutrin, posted by mair on August 21, 2011, at 13:56:16

Hi Mair,

I just can't remember whether I stopped Wellbutrin cold or not. Too many years and too many meds ago. But if I did taper it was only by taking 1/2 the dose for one week (I was on 300).

If you can't reach your doctor you may be able to get the pharmacy to sell you a few. Talk to the pharmacist not the clerk. This would either buy you a bit more time to contact your doctor or allow you to taper a bit.

As to whether to stop entirely? Only you can answer that. Stopping has never worked that well for me but if you've been doing well you might want to try it. I'm not sure I believe in the cautions about meds not working again later either. Or at least not that discontinuing is the reason they no longer work.

If this really is something you want to do and this feels like a good time for you to try it, why not use this to give you a little extra push? But don't do it if you're just frustrated by the hassles of getting the prescription refilled. (That's what taking a big hammer to the old prescription bottle is for!)

Nice to see your name here.

jane d

 

Passive-Aggressive Doc?

Posted by mair on August 22, 2011, at 14:53:41

In reply to Re: Quitting Wellbutrin » mair, posted by jane d on August 22, 2011, at 4:12:08

Still no response to my telephone message of last week so before leaving another message or sending her an email, I made a quick call to the pharmacy and was told, lo and behold, that the prescription was called in last Friday, presumably after my message to her. I last checked with the pharmacist Friday AM so it had to have come in at some point after that.

It will be interesting to see what the dosage on the prescription is when I get there to pick it up since I told her in my voice mail message that I wanted to taper down. I'm sure it's just the same prescription as before.

I'm thinking that a simple phone message letting me know that she had called the prescription in might have saved me a lot of over-the-weekend worry and emotional wear and tear about whether there was a problem with stopping abruptly (not to mention thinking about why she was non-responsive). The pharmacy sent her a request for a refill early last week and I had checked with the pharmacy twice during the week before I left a message on her answering machine. Apparently her assumption was that I would just keep checking daily so that there was no reason to let me know.

I'm sure I'm overreacting,and she'll have some explanation, but it's hard not to feel like I've been jerked around, and that I've been put through an emotional wringer which was so unnecessary.

I'm still going to need to speak with her about working my way off this meiication and the 2 others she prescribes as well, but I have no interest in speaking with her until I calm down.

Thanks so much for all your support. What a wonderful resource you've been!

mair

 

Re: Passive-Aggressive Doc? » mair

Posted by jane d on August 22, 2011, at 21:01:28

In reply to Passive-Aggressive Doc?, posted by mair on August 22, 2011, at 14:53:41

Maybe. My guess at what happened would go something like this.

Nobody's calls get returned all week (for whatever reason). On Friday there's a ton of messages and she starts going through them in order. She gets the pharmacy's refill request and calls that in. She gets to your call and she mentally ticks it off as already done since she's called the request in and moves on to the next thing. (Since she wasn't returning calls all week there were probably a number of calls about things that were already done and she's in the habit of jumping over the second calls in relief that the to do list is that much shorter). Thoughtful? Not really. But human.

 

Re: Passive-Aggressive Doc?

Posted by emmanuel98 on August 22, 2011, at 21:17:14

In reply to Re: Passive-Aggressive Doc? » mair, posted by jane d on August 22, 2011, at 21:01:28

I once called my p-doc to phone in a scrip and the pharmacy kept saying it wasn't called in. I called him again and again no response. Finally, I went to the pharmacy and the pharmacist (who knows me, which is why I like doing things face-to-face rather than getting my scrips by mail) says, oh, the technician wrote down the scrip for Alan rather than Ellen (my name). My p-doc had called it in the first day I called.


This is the end of the thread.


Show another thread

URL of post in thread:


Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ


[dr. bob] Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD, bob@dr-bob.org

Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.