Wellbutrin XL side effects

[l'appel du vide]

So, I have been taking Wellbutrin XL 150mg for 3 days now. It is making me feel REALLY speedy and on edge. Anxiety has gone up to, along with bad insomnia. I have been taking extra Klonopin doses because it gets quite intense, and I usually NEVER have to take any extra klonopin. I was wondering, does this level out at some point where I do not feel like I'm on speed or what? I'm taking this to try and counteract the apathy I feel from Prozac, but honestly if I am going to feel like I did an eight ball all the time...I think I'd rather just deal with the apathy. Has anyone diagnosed with anxiety disorders along with depression had a positive experience from this? Does the anxiety and speediness go away? I also read that some people take Wellbutrin SR 150mg once a day, and that it works better for them. What's the reasoning behind that if you have to take the SR version twice a day? Wouldn't you crash? Thanks for any replies.

Edited October 6, 2018 by icygrave

[argh]

Prozac and Wellbutrin are both CYP2D6 inhibitors..inhibiting both their own metabolism as well as each other. You might be feeling the effects of somewhat higher actual levels of both Prozac and Wellbutrin despite the doses.

Wellbutrin has a short half-life. SR/IR has more peaks in blood concentration. In theory more stimulating but with more insomnia.

See the pharmacokinetics section for the graph.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1163271/

I've only had XL. 300mg gives me insomnia, but 150 actually put me to sleep. Can't quite help you there. Insomnia at 300mg aside, I would actually say it reduced any anxiety I had. I don't officially have an anxiety disorder dx however. Questionable as my bottle of gabapentin says anxiety or sleep, and gabapentin is known to be a good off label anxiolytic....things are definitely less chaotic in my head so long as I consistently take it..so point for that. Then again Zoloft, Paxil, Hydroxyzine, Remeron, are supposedly as well (on and off label) and they did nothing for me in that area.

The extra energy does taper a bit, if that helps you any. When I hit 300 (was on 150 for about 2 weeks), there was a good bit of extra, semi-speedy energy. Maybe lasted about 2 weeks. Somewhat in your face,  but as time has gone by, it's much more subtle.

Edited October 6, 2018 by argh

[l'appel du vide]

1 hour ago, argh said:

Prozac and Wellbutrin are both CYP2D6 inhibitors..inhibiting both their own metabolism as well as each other. You might be feeling the effects of somewhat higher actual levels of both Prozac and Wellbutrin despite the doses.

Wellbutrin has a short half-life. SR/IR has more peaks in blood concentration. In theory more stimulating but with more insomnia.

See the pharmacokinetics section for the graph.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1163271/

I've only had XL. 300mg gives me insomnia, but 150 actually put me to sleep. Can't quite help you there. Insomnia at 300mg aside, I would actually say it reduced any anxiety I had. I don't officially have an anxiety disorder dx however. Questionable as my bottle of gabapentin says anxiety or sleep, and gabapentin is known to be a good off label anxiolytic....things are definitely less chaotic in my head so long as I consistently take it..so point for that. Then again Zoloft, Paxil, Hydroxyzine, Remeron, are supposedly as well (on and off label) and they did nothing for me in that area.

The extra energy does taper a bit, if that helps you any. When I hit 300 (was on 150 for about 2 weeks), there was a good bit of extra, semi-speedy energy. Maybe lasted about 2 weeks. Somewhat in your face,  but as time has gone by, it's much more subtle.

Wow, thanks for the information about them both being CYP2D6 inhibitors. My GP prescribed the wellbutrin to me, and I see my psych tomorrow, si I'll ask him if he thinks this is a good idea. There might be outside factors increasing my anxiety already, and I may have just had a peak in anxiety. Especially when I think about the seizure risk lol. Again thanks for that information about the CYP2D6. Do you take an SSRI or any other antidepressant along with your wellbutrin?

Edited October 6, 2018 by icygrave

[argh]

I haven had the best luck with SSRIs, though I suppose 2 failures isn’t much in the grand scheme of things, so I can’t personally condemn the class. Haven’t revisited them in about 15 years.

Was on Wellbutrin and Remeron at the same time. That was pretty horrible.

Seizures risk is dose dependent. Your benzo, I believe has anticonvulsant effects. And really the chance of a seizure is quite low, especially on the XL formula.

iirc @Sync is on an ssri and Wellbutrin and she doing well.

Edited October 6, 2018 by argh
Talking seizures

[Sync]

Hi, yes. I had Wellbutrin added to my Zoloft a few months ago and am doing very well. You say you've been on it for 3 days? At three days in I definitely felt like I was on speed, lol. My pdoc said there was an immediate and a long-term effect, and the immediate effect for me was somewhere around days 3-6 on the meds. I was energetic as hell, couldn't calm down, insane insomnia, sweating like crazy, the works. That passed in a few days, I got depressed again, and then the long-term effect kicked in a few weeks later. We messed around with my dose a bit and I did have some pretty bad anxiety spikes and "speed" feelings while all that was getting sorted out, but once we settled on 150XL and stuck with it, it did calm down eventually. 

As of now I'm doing much better with both depression and anxiety with the addition. I have multiple major anxiety diagnoses in addition to the depression with my PTSD, so that's all hopefully pretty relevant to your question. My pdoc said it shouldn't help anxiety, but it's actually been very good for mine overall. Side effects have dropped to almost nothing. A bit of extra sweating and a muscle twitch or two. 

Hope that's all helpful.

[l'appel du vide]

7 minutes ago, Sync said:

Hi, yes. I had Wellbutrin added to my Zoloft a few months ago and am doing very well. You say you've been on it for 3 days? At three days in I definitely felt like I was on speed, lol. My pdoc said there was an immediate and a long-term effect, and the immediate effect for me was somewhere around days 3-6 on the meds. I was energetic as hell, couldn't calm down, insane insomnia, sweating like crazy, the works. That passed in a few days, I got depressed again, and then the long-term effect kicked in a few weeks later. We messed around with my dose a bit and I did have some pretty bad anxiety spikes and "speed" feelings while all that was getting sorted out, but once we settled on 150XL and stuck with it, it did calm down eventually. 

As of now I'm doing much better with both depression and anxiety with the addition. I have multiple major anxiety diagnoses in addition to the depression with my PTSD, so that's all hopefully pretty relevant to your question. My pdoc said it shouldn't help anxiety, but it's actually been very good for mine overall. Side effects have dropped to almost nothing. A bit of extra sweating and a muscle twitch or two. 

Hope that's all helpful.

Thank you so much, that really gives me hope. DEFINITELY an immediate effect, insanely speedy. And it's not like an amphetamine type of speed, that feels smooth. It literally feels like I'm on cocaine that lasts 24 hours, without all the euphoria. It stresses me out so much that having depression and anxiety make it difficult to find a medication, because it's so easy to be too stimulated and cause anxiety, or be too down and exacerbate depression. Ugh. Btw, off-topic question, when you started up on Zoloft did you have extreme anxiety?

[looking for answers]

3 hours ago, icygrave said:

Thank you so much, that really gives me hope. DEFINITELY an immediate effect, insanely speedy. And it's not like an amphetamine type of speed, that feels smooth. It literally feels like I'm on cocaine that lasts 24 hours, without all the euphoria. It stresses me out so much that having depression and anxiety make it difficult to find a medication, because it's so easy to be too stimulated and cause anxiety, or be too down and exacerbate depression. Ugh. Btw, off-topic question, when you started up on Zoloft did you have extreme anxiety?

that should die down, but like @argh said the prozac could be amping the effects up. I am on trintellix and welbutrin, i had to cut my trintellix back due to similar effects, and the same interaction. IM only on day 2 of cutting back though.............wellbutrin can be a wonderful drug, it seems that when it works for people, boy does it work, good luck and keep us updated

[Sync]

7 hours ago, icygrave said:

 Btw, off-topic question, when you started up on Zoloft did you have extreme anxiety?

Nah, Zoloft went directly from not doing anything at all to making my anxiety much better. I had terrible anxiety before medication though, for sure. 

[Hopelicious]

I'm been on Lexapro a long time, in fact until I added Wellbutrin XL 2 weeks ago it was the only anti-depressant I've ever take. When I started on Lexapro I decided that unless the side effects were horrible I'd put up with them figuring they would go away. Sure enough after a couple weeks they did. Anyhow, my point is I'm extending that attitude to Wellbutrin.

For me Wellbutrin has been an easier startup ride . Definitely some fidgetiness at times, but I figure fidgetiness never hurt anyone, I may be lucky because for me it just feels like I'm wired on caffeine, not cocaine, lol . And because I tend to suffer from exhaustion due to anxiety, the extra energy has been a good thing for me overall. Today was funny, I was at a restaurant with my wife and I asked her to tell me if anyone sat behind me in the booth, because I kept bouncing my legs up and down and figured if anyone sat on the other side of the booth I'd be driving them crazy.

As far as seizures I would not worry about it, from what I read it's a bum rap that continues to persist because of the early days before they had XL where it went into peoples bloodstream quicker, supposedly then it was like 3 in 1000 people, whereas now with XL it's 1 in 1000, which is the same as just about every SSRI from what I read.

Finally the good news. I'm feeling better than I've felt in a long time, I'm thrilled. Things that might normally hit me hard emotionally are having much less impact, and I don't start to automatically catastrophize or go negative, but instead just brush them off. I feel "normal".

So best of luck to you - I hope it will also be a wonderful combination for you. I bet you if you stick with it the wired feeling will recede. I'm on 300 MG BTW. And wasn't until I was into the second week that I started to feel better mentally.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Hopelicious

[l'appel du vide]

Thank you all for such kind replies. My psych said that he particularly doesn't like prescribing Wellbutrin alongside SSRIs, but he said to continue taking it and see if I like it, and if it works out well we can continue on it. Then he gave me a back up incase it did not work out in my favor: A month supply of samples of Rexulti, along with a discount card if I end up ever needing it. I looked into Rexulti and its mechanisms and it seems like a very interesting medication, although it is an AAP. I also read that Rexulti is very similar to Abilify and the two are unique in mechanisms compared to other AAPs. Ironically, through my insurance and this copay discount card, Rexulti is CHEAPER than generic Abilify! $15 a month vs $30 a month, respectively. That is outrageous. Anyway, I'm going on a tangent and rambling. The anxiety from the Wellbutrin has died down a lot, it may have just spiked when I posted here. I am already feeling more energized and motivated, and focused even! That is already improving my mood. I'm going to give this a good try and hope for the best since, honestly, I don't like the idea of being on an AAP. Tardive dyskinesia is not to be taken lightly. Anyway....rambling again.

I'll finish off with another thank you for all the help and advice the community of this website has offered to me, and I am taking some serious time to recover mentally, as I have been unemployed, recently relapsed on opioids, and looking to just get it the hell together. It feels like everyone else my age, 23, is prospering while I am struggling to brush my teeth. How pathetic. I pray these medications work, and I pray I make the right choices. Thank you all, again.

[looking for answers]

1 minute ago, icygrave said:

Thank you all for such kind replies. My psych said that he particularly doesn't like prescribing Wellbutrin alongside SSRIs, but he said to continue taking it and see if I like it, and if it works out well we can continue on it. Then he gave me a back up incase it did not work out in my favor: A month supply of samples of Rexulti, along with a discount card if I end up ever needing it. I looked into Rexulti and its mechanisms and it seems like a very interesting medication, although it is an AAP. I also read that Rexulti is very similar to Abilify and the two are unique in mechanisms compared to other AAPs. Ironically, through my insurance and this copay discount card, Rexulti is CHEAPER than generic Abilify! $15 a month vs $30 a month, respectively. That is outrageous. Anyway, I'm going on a tangent and rambling. The anxiety from the Wellbutrin has died down a lot, it may have just spiked when I posted here. I am already feeling more energized and motivated, and focused even! That is already improving my mood. I'm going to give this a good try and hope for the best since, honestly, I don't like the idea of being on an AAP. Tardive dyskinesia is not to be taken lightly. Anyway....rambling again.

I'll finish off with another thank you for all the help and advice the community of this website has offered to me, and I am taking some serious time to recover mentally, as I have been unemployed, recently relapsed on opioids, and looking to just get it the hell together. It feels like everyone else my age, 23, is prospering while I am struggling to brush my teeth. How pathetic. I pray these medications work, and I pray I make the right choices. Thank you all, again.

IM 34, been engaged twice, have a good job, and had to move back home because of my struggles. ALl of my friends are married with children. I hear what your saying. However, its the right spoint in life FOR YOU. Its what makes you, you. All that matters is you. Take care of yourself and things will work out. hang in there

[l'appel du vide]

16 hours ago, looking for answers said:

IM 34, been engaged twice, have a good job, and had to move back home because of my struggles. ALl of my friends are married with children. I hear what your saying. However, its the right spoint in life FOR YOU. Its what makes you, you. All that matters is you. Take care of yourself and things will work out. hang in there

Thank you for the words of encouragement, I know I will get through this okay. It's just been kinda hitting me all at once the past 2 weeks. I hope you and I are both in a better spot soon, content with life. We are, after all, just human. Good luck to you.

[looking for answers]

6 hours ago, icygrave said:

Thank you for the words of encouragement, I know I will get through this okay. It's just been kinda hitting me all at once the past 2 weeks. I hope you and I are both in a better spot soon, content with life. We are, after all, just human. Good luck to you.

it will happen, good luck

[argh]

13 hours ago, icygrave said:

Thank you for the words of encouragement, I know I will get through this okay. It's just been kinda hitting me all at once the past 2 weeks. I hope you and I are both in a better spot soon, content with life. We are, after all, just human. Good luck to you.

With the exception of insomnia at 300mg, I have zero side effects from Wellbutrin. All of them like excessive sweating and constipation stopped after a few months.

[argh]

Welp just got a new rx for a non xl form of Wellbutrin due to sleep issues. Will let you know how that goes if you’re interested.

 

Edited October 9, 2018 by argh
Looks like it’s immediate release.

[looking for answers]

My sleep is fd but I doubt bc of wellbutrin

[l'appel du vide]

On 10/9/2018 at 10:50 AM, argh said:

Welp just got a new rx for a non xl form of Wellbutrin due to sleep issues. Will let you know how that goes if you’re interested.

 

What form of Wellbutrin is it, IR or SR? and what's the dosing schedule? I definitely have insomnia, but I always have and the Wellbutrin only made it worse for a couple days. Trazodone and melatonin takes care of it.

Also just want to give an update to anyone curious about this combo - Wellbutrin XL added to my Prozac has been AWESOME so far. I pray it doesn't poop out, because this is the first time I have felt soooooo normal. The cognitive and emotional dulling caused by the Prozac has been completely negated by the Wellbutrin XL. The combo of Wellbutrin XL + Prozac is so synergistic, I cannot believe this hasn't been suggested by my psych before. It has lifted my mood a bit, but my energy, creativity, and motivation are BACK. I am so happy. All the side effects I had initially are gone, and they subsided within 5 days I'd say. So happy I stuck it out. If you are on an SSRI/SNRI and still suffering from cognitive impairment, ask about Wellbutrin XL to augment it. The lowest dose helps me. A side bonus, the Wellbutrin I have noticed has made me crave drugs less. It almost sounds too good to be true.

So yeah, I'm really happy and grateful to all of you who suggested the combo. It also makes my orgasms more intense.....sorry if that's a little TMI. Thank you all so much again! There is always hope.

[argh]

1 hour ago, icygrave said:

What form of Wellbutrin is it, IR or SR? and what's the dosing schedule? I definitely have insomnia, but I always have and the Wellbutrin only made it worse for a couple days. Trazodone and melatonin takes care of it.

Also just want to give an update to anyone curious about this combo - Wellbutrin XL added to my Prozac has been AWESOME so far. I pray it doesn't poop out, because this is the first time I have felt soooooo normal. The cognitive and emotional dulling caused by the Prozac has been completely negated by the Wellbutrin XL. The combo of Wellbutrin XL + Prozac is so synergistic, I cannot believe this hasn't been suggested by my psych before. It has lifted my mood a bit, but my energy, creativity, and motivation are BACK. I am so happy. All the side effects I had initially are gone, and they subsided within 5 days I'd say. So happy I stuck it out. If you are on an SSRI/SNRI and still suffering from cognitive impairment, ask about Wellbutrin XL to augment it. The lowest dose helps me. A side bonus, the Wellbutrin I have noticed has made me crave drugs less. It almost sounds too good to be true.

So yeah, I'm really happy and grateful to all of you who suggested the combo. It also makes my orgasms more intense.....sorry if that's a little TMI. Thank you all so much again! There is always hope.

Ir.  So far I’m not sure if it’s better or not. Sleep is marginally better. I’m only taking it twice a day vs the standard 3x. Morning and early afternoon.

Makes me sleepy during the day. Not sure if that’s just depression that seems to have returned however.

Only have been on it for two days so I’m giving it more time for a fair assessment. Seems to be right in between 300xl and 150 xl.

150 xl is definitely smoother however with no sleep issues. Wondering if I should just bite the bullet and go back to150xl and wait out the depression. Gabapentin seems to keep it from getting as deep for me, which I guess as it’s not an ad it shouldn’t have that effect...maybe. Whatever. so I guess it would sucks less to wait it out?

[looking for answers]

5 hours ago, icygrave said:

What form of Wellbutrin is it, IR or SR? and what's the dosing schedule? I definitely have insomnia, but I always have and the Wellbutrin only made it worse for a couple days. Trazodone and melatonin takes care of it.

Also just want to give an update to anyone curious about this combo - Wellbutrin XL added to my Prozac has been AWESOME so far. I pray it doesn't poop out, because this is the first time I have felt soooooo normal. The cognitive and emotional dulling caused by the Prozac has been completely negated by the Wellbutrin XL. The combo of Wellbutrin XL + Prozac is so synergistic, I cannot believe this hasn't been suggested by my psych before. It has lifted my mood a bit, but my energy, creativity, and motivation are BACK. I am so happy. All the side effects I had initially are gone, and they subsided within 5 days I'd say. So happy I stuck it out. If you are on an SSRI/SNRI and still suffering from cognitive impairment, ask about Wellbutrin XL to augment it. The lowest dose helps me. A side bonus, the Wellbutrin I have noticed has made me crave drugs less. It almost sounds too good to be true.

So yeah, I'm really happy and grateful to all of you who suggested the combo. It also makes my orgasms more intense.....sorry if that's a little TMI. Thank you all so much again! There is always hope.

How long have you been on this combo