Some newbie questions about Wellbutrin

[Charlie]

Hello! This is my first post, but I've been stalking this forum for over a month. I just started Wellbutrin XL (actually the generic BuPROpion XL by Global) five days ago. I tried Lexapro and Pristiq, but I couldn't stand the side effects. So far Wellbutrin's side effects have been tolerable enough for me to give it a shot. I'm taking it for depression and am currently taking 150 mg in the morning. I also take 10mg of IR Adderall twice a day.

I have some questions maybe the good people of this forum:

1) My energy level is all over the place. Sometimes I'm all speedy and sometimes I'm dead and spacey, espcially after 4 pm it seems. Will this level out and about how long will it take?

2) I'm having some trouble sleeping. I wake up mutltiple times throughout the night. Some of this I think is due to VERY dry mouth (I'm buying a humidifier today), but sometimes I wake up because my mind is racing. I've taken Tylonol PM in the past, but I feel hungover the next day. I'm taking Melitonin (sp?) now, but it doesn't seem to do much. Will this eventually stop and when?

3) While some people mentioned increased concentration, I feel like I have zero concentration and decreased motivation. I feel super ADD. I was thinking about upping my Adderall anyway before I started this crazy antidepressant adventure, as I didn't think it was working as well anymore. My dossage is fairly low (10mg IR, 2x's/day) and I've been on the same dossage for about 4 years. I know Wellbutrin is supposed to help with ADD, but I think it is making mine worse! I was thinking about talking to my doctor about bumping up to either 15mg twice a day of Adderall XR (which I've never taken before) or 10 mg IR three times a day (instead of two).

- Does anyone have any experience with the Adderall XR and Wellbutrin vs. Adderall IR and Wellbutrin?

- Does anyone with ADD feel super ADD on Wellbutrin and does this ever go away with time?

4) I know it takes at least a month to get an idea if this medicine will work for me, but how will I know it is the right one for me? How do you (meaning people who have been on the medicine a while) feel?

Sorry this was long and thanks for any help or insight you can provide!!

"Charlie"

[olga]

Charlie, if you do a search in this forum using "Wellbutrin generic" as your search words, you'll find several threads in which people discussed WB and its various effects.

Susan is absolutely correct that you need to give it some more time.

I want to address the "dead after 4:00 PM" issue. You are taking an XL, and I'm assuming you are taking it in the morning. Some of the manufacturers of the generics have not worked out the extended release part of the drug. The Teva version released 60% of its active ingredients in the first 4 hours. When I was on it, my mornings were fine---but by afternoon I was weepy, logy and just feeling awful. You might want to Google the version you are taking and see if other people are having the same problem.

Don't bother with the manufacturer's website---they will tell you that it's exactly the same stuff as the name brand Wellbutrin.

I hope that others will join the discussion and talk to you about stimulants.

olga

[maybetinymaybesad]

i think your crash at 4 pm is probably caused by adderall. adderall generally causes a crash. the XR will have less of a crash than IR.

i found that the XL kept me up (i was taking the budeprion version) but that the SR, which is usually dosed twice a day, didn't keep me up.

[null0trooper]

I want to address the "dead after 4:00 PM" issue. You are taking an XL, and I'm assuming you are taking it in the morning. Some of the manufacturers of the generics have not worked out the extended release part of the drug.

Personally speaking, I was never convinced that GSK had it worked out. Once the daily dose washed out, some of the worst of my ADD symptoms went through the roof.

As to combining Adderall XL or standard-release: do what works for you. The biggest benefit to the standard release is being able to split the dose so it's not all hitting in the morning and early afternoon. Kids can benefit from a late afternoon dose for studying and homework; adults need a cool head driving home from work. But the XL is a one-pill-per-day deal, and that's a whole lot easier to remember to take on a regular schedule (That's important for both ADHD and depression!) In either case, since WB is a SNRI it will keep the stimulant-released noradrenaline in circulation at higher levels for longer than without. In fact, you might benefit from a reduced dose if the combination is jacking you up ( "wired and tired" usually means too much noradrenaline, caffeine, or both )

Again personally speaking, I saw benefits almost immediately from Wellbutrin, but it took a couple of months to get things stable.

[Charlie]

I want to address the "dead after 4:00 PM" issue. You are taking an XL, and I'm assuming you are taking it in the morning. Some of the manufacturers of the generics have not worked out the extended release part of the drug.

Personally speaking, I was never convinced that GSK had it worked out. Once the daily dose washed out, some of the worst of my ADD symptoms went through the roof.

As to combining Adderall XL or standard-release: do what works for you. The biggest benefit to the standard release is being able to split the dose so it's not all hitting in the morning and early afternoon. Kids can benefit from a late afternoon dose for studying and homework; adults need a cool head driving home from work. But the XL is a one-pill-per-day deal, and that's a whole lot easier to remember to take on a regular schedule (That's important for both ADHD and depression!) In either case, since WB is a SNRI it will keep the stimulant-released noradrenaline in circulation at higher levels for longer than without. In fact, you might benefit from a reduced dose if the combination is jacking you up ( "wired and tired" usually means too much noradrenaline, caffeine, or both )

Again personally speaking, I saw benefits almost immediately from Wellbutrin, but it took a couple of months to get things stable.

Thanks for the info. I've been on it a week now and am very glad to report my energy level has mostly leveled out. I still get a little tired in the 2-5 pm time range, but its not longer the peeling-my-face-off-my-desk crash. I'm sleeping better, but still wake up 1-2 times/night with dry mouth. Hopefully this will pass too.

[citysteeple]

Charlie - Glad to hear that things are leveling out. I recently went from generic 150 mg SR 2x a day to 300 mg XL in the morning, and I've had some of the "4 pm crash" issues, especially early on. However, the pdoc thought the 300 xl might help me because I frequently forgot my afternoon dose of the 150's, and with only getting 150 mg a day I start to decompensate in other ways (I once went to my GP absolutely convinced that I had bugs crawling in my hair, and it was the GP who caught the fact that I was missing my afternoon doses). I do think there are some issues with the generic XL - I tend to have a "happy burst" about an hour after taking the XL when I feel so good it's almost more than I can handle, and then start to crash in the afternoon. I also have issues with insomnia, but that happens pretty much no matter what I take. So, on the whole, I'm probably better with the 300's than not, though I think I'll ask my pdoc about getting the name-brand rather than the generic.