Wellbutrin got me feeling crazy (potential seizure)

[wellbu_got_me_feelin_crazi]

    When I was first prescribed Zoloft I had very vivid feelings of deja vu, so after two weeks I stopped and switched to Wellbutrin 300mg (SR at first and now XR, prescribed for fatigue and depression).  The deja vu persisted for a week or so and then tapered off to be much less frequent and much more mild (12 weeks later).

 

    However, as of late, I've been experiencing what is a much sneakier and more subtle type of deja vu, if that is what it is.  So background info: I am very active on social news websites, as well as various channels on YouTube and listen to podcasts frequently (sometimes all day long); also I am a college student.  So now when I come across various types of information and media, I feel like someone has told me about it.  I don't immediately recognize it as fabricated, and sometimes I remain unsure even when I recognize it might be false.  For example, when watching an HBO miniseries, I feel like someone has told be some background information and various specific details before.  I never remember the source, but when seeing something that would be recognizable when rewatching it, I'm like ohhh, THATS what they were talking about!   There was a shot in the show that depicted a giant arch made from two sword sculptures.  I noticed it looked rather CGI, and then had this mild flashback where I thought someone mentioned how bad it looked in the show.  This sort of stuff would happen once or twice per episode, as well as when someone tells me some new information.  I see whatever is new, and try to draw connections to something I've heard in the past.

 

    The reason I mentioned that "background info" is because how I am combatted with a huge amount of information per day, playing games and listening to podcasts at the same time, watching lots of shows, and closely following a variety of news.  I've heard that wellbutrin can cause seizures  and after some online research I found that it affects the temporal lobe in the brain, which is responsible for long term memory.  Also I believe I read somewhere that deja vu is a symptom of a mild seizure, because it is basically a hiccup in memory from the pathways being short-circuited (oversimplified, I know).  My current hypothesis is:

Because of the stress induced by forcing recall for various exams for college, coupled with the additional [unnatural] amount of information ingested thanks to the speed and convenience of the internet, I am able to make more connections between information than I could without these tools.  But this high rate of connections also accounts for a high rate of misses (loose decision criterion).  Further more, due my medication affecting the temoral lobe, I have trouble distinguishing these misses from actual connections, possibly attributed to the common seizure side-effect altering memory.

 

    The reasoning I came up with for this phenomena could be just "Medical Student Syndrome" (not a med student, but I've been thoroughly researching potential causes and side-effects for my diagnosis).  Maybe I am reaching too much for a third-variable, when in reality it may just be Wellbutrin causes deja vu/siezures, or not allowing myself time to decompress without constant learning leads to me having too much vague information in my head.  However, I am certain that the deja vu/incorrect-memory-connections occur semi-frequently.

 

Thanks for reading this block of text.  I love you.

 

(links:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_partial_seizure; http://www.drugs.com/sfx/wellbutrin-side-effects.html)

 

 

 

 

 

[Josie]

Did you have a question?

 

If you think you are experiencing seizure activity, you should tell your doctor, not hypothesize about it on an internet forum.

 

I mean, that really should be your first stop.

[wellbu_got_me_feelin_crazi]

Did you have a question?

 

If you think you are experiencing seizure activity, you should tell your doctor, not hypothesize about it on an internet forum.

 

I mean, that really should be your first stop.

I guess I never said this, but I'm asking if there is anyone one who is familiar with the drug or the symptom who could tell me if the two are connected, or if it not an issue at all.  I mentioned it to my doc when it first started, and he said he thinks its a sign that the meds are working. It's been a couple months since then, and its been less significant (from frequent deja vu when talking to people and experiencing events, to less common deja vu over information or plot) I don't plan on making another appt unless the symptoms are disabling in anyway, because as of right now its just perplexing.

[notfred]

We can't tell if you are or are not having seizures, you need a consult with a doc to cover that.

[wellbu_got_me_feelin_crazi]

We can't tell if you are or are not having seizures, you need a consult with a doc to cover that.

I responded to this in my previous response.

[Angelion Rhonda]

I've had these moments too! I was tested with an EEG, so I KNOW I am not prone to seizure.  This was done in Spring 2008, before I began any medication at all. With that being said, my brain will have "deja vu" or "jerking" sensation.  This "jerking" seemed to happen before a panic or cause a sense of disorientation.  This happened before my med.  I noticed an information overload will induce that feeling you mentioned.  I'm 33 and didn't grow up on tv or internet, and I am a student as well, and it's frustrating.

 

I'm on WB 150 XL and have been on the name brand and generics for five years.  The "deja vu" persisted more with the generics (less effective).

 

Hope this helps.

[notfred]

I've had these moments too! I was tested with an EEG, so I KNOW I am not prone to seizure. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most often an EEG returns to normal after a seizure so it is not the diagnostic tool you assume it is.