I have been on a new depression/bi-polar drug for a weeks now. The drug is Aplenzin. I have been suffering from headaches, dizzyness, and lack of motivation. It actually feels like I have gone backwords in my treatment. I attempted to contact my pdoc Friday to get him to change my meds, but the office was closed.
Anyone taking this medication, let me know if it is affecting you the same way.
Anyone that is not taking the drug, please contact me before you do.

Hi,
This is Bupropion / Wellbutrin, right?
Yes, those side effects sound about right.
They should lessen or abate -- it seems like the headaches could go away soon.

I took regular release Wellbutrin for 12 years and did very well.
But I did not take the slow release / extended release versions.


Wellbutrin takes four or more weeks to take effect.

In my case the cognitive problems seemed to be less than the other ADs that were available at that time (early 1990s).

If you have been on it for a short period of time, you could stop taking it. Is your pdoc off for Labor Day?
I hate long weekends when I need someone.


M.

http://www.empr.com/aplenzin/drugproduct/72/
.

i take bupropion extended release also. i started 2 months ago (have been titrating up slowly).

mine comes in the package so i have the drug insert which says that headaches happen in MORE than ONE OUT OF TEN patients!

i have migraines, and i had migraine headaches while getting used to it... worse ones during my more susceptible times of month.

i didn't get the lack of motivation (already had that) but had a lot of fatigue at first... could be a similar sort of thing.

the good news is all the sx you are reporting are usually transient - i.e. they stop once you get used to the med.

oh one question... do you consume any alcohol? if so how much/how often? the effect of alcohol can be increased by this med, and in my case, alcohol triggers migraines, so i have had to stay away from it. i think it could also increase the likelyhood/severity of your getting headaches. however do NOT stop drinking alcohol suddenly if you do, because that can have serious consequences too, including seizures.

Like Mari says if you have only been on bupropion for a short amount - like? a week or less... you can suspend it, and start again after you discuss these things with your pdoc to your satisfaction.

----------

I preferred the SR formulation because doses were easier to control and could be altered even by a small amount for a day here or there as needed. i took that before with other medications and it worked best of all the other antidepressants for me.

currently, i only have the extended release formulation available to me however. so i am stuck. also i am taking different other meds than before.

i am currently taking Wellbutrin brand at a dose of 150mg/300mg on alternating days. i have been on it 2 months. i did have migraines badly during my luteal phase when adusting to each titration. they seem to have remitted now... but i have just entered new cycle, so jury's kind of out on that.

i don't know if i will be able to keep up with this med/formulation, with my current med combo however... if we don't change it, we may have to change or add something else.

anyway, good luck to you. i hope the headaches remit quick. i will check this thread in case you have other effects about it you want to talk about.

~ waves ~

No, I do not drink at all. Luckily, I stopped drinking several years ago.

This Aplenzin is actually doing a lot of things to me. The headaches I expected, as I had the same problem when I was on Welbutrin years ago. However, I am also light headed, weak, and can't sleep. A more serious problem that has popped up is that I have become much more obsessive and compuilsive. I have always had a little bit of OCD in me. My Mother is also OCD. However, I have never had any symptoms to this degree. I don't know what is in that drug to cause this, but it scares me a little. I hope it is the drug and not just my OCD getting worse. I have got enough problems to deal with. That's all I need, I am already suffering from severe chronic lower back pain, I have Type II Bi-polar disorder, and severe depression. Let's see what else we can add to the pool.....lol

this sounds like hypomania, which can happen to bipolar folks when given an antidepressant. the not sleeping and the increased OCD...sounds like hypomania which can turn to mania if not corrected.
just my opinion keep us posted
bizi

i think things are a little more complex actually.

i mean, not saying you couldn't be getting some activation symptoms like bizi suggests, but i would need to know more before i could say it sounds hypomanic. also, i would like to make a distinction.

IMPULSIVITY can be an indicator of hypomania. COMpulsivity is different, and OCD-like symptoms are not really in the hypo/manic picture, even though in mania one certainly can get certainly get over-focused on a project and obsess over things to the point where it may look OCD-like... but in mania it is more of a fascination and energy drive than a true obsessive/compulsive issue. Now, with increased activation and decreased inhibition, i could see where compulsions you might normally control would be harder to control, but it would be the activation/lack of inhibition that hint at hypomania.

--- are you more IMPulsive?
--- do you feel activated (hyper, agitated, overly energetic) in general?
--- are you experiencing racing thoughts or rapid speech?

just remember, every med has a different effect on every person's brain. we are all quite different. if you have the predisposition to OCD as your family history might suggest, could be this med is bringing it out some.

also when you say you can't sleep. that is a broad statement in the sense... i say that too, meaning i have trouble falling asleep. but i do sleep, and i get enough sleep. also, i am tired during the day due to how much benzo i am taking now. these aspects are important.... by "can't sleep" do you mean

--- you have difficulty falling asleep?
--- you have difficulty remaining asleep (or wake frequently/poor quality sleep)
--- are you tired (besides feeling weak) during non-sleeping hours?

i would be a bit concerned if you were getting a reduced amount of sleep - less than 5 hours a night average, and i would be WORRIED about mania if you were not sleeping AT ALL, or sleeping less than 3 hours per night. that is definitely a big red flag.


the dizziness should be another transient symptom.

i hope you get to talk to your doc tuesday. what is your dosage? can you skip a pill? i do if things are going too fast for me. the problem with this dang extended release stuff is we can't titrate gradually we have to start at 150mg per day!!! hummmph.



in sympathy (TRULY!!!)

~ waves ~

Dear Southerngq,

I thought that anxiety can feed the ocd --making it worse.

Is that the case for you?


M.

--- are you more IMPulsive?
--- do you feel activated (hyper, agitated, overly energetic) in general?
--- are you experiencing racing thoughts or rapid speech?

No, No, and No to the above questions.
As for the OCD, my Mother has OCD and I have always had some of the same issues, but never anything like this.
--- you have difficulty falling asleep?
--- you have difficulty remaining asleep (or wake frequently/poor quality sleep)
--- are you tired (besides feeling weak) during non-sleeping hours?
I am having difficulty falling asleep, which is one thing I do not normally have a problem with.
After I do fall asleep, I am waking up numerous times during the night. Also something I never do.
Before and now, I am always tired, theres no change there.

I called the doc this morning and let them know I am having a lot of issues. I am just waiting for them to call me back to see what he is going to do.
I am misurable on this stuff.

these are all good signs you are NOT becoming hypomanic.

sleep problems per se are quite common with bupropion, even in non-bipolars. btw, i had these problems in my first month of wellbutrin - especially the night awakenings, but i settled down after a while at the same dosage (then 150mg).

this is consistent with the lack of sleep and, along with everything else you've said, i would not say you are hypomanic. the flag to hypomania is loss/reduction in sleep but not feeling tired.

i do not know how/why this med would worsen OCD symptoms, but apparently you are not alone. i looked for some studies testing for efficacy of bupropion in treating OCD and it fails miserably... one small study on 12 patients reports that 4 improved, but only two of these to the extent of established "responder criteria." The other 8 patients WORSENED!

link to abstract:

Bupropion for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: an open-label, fixed-dose study

Authors: Nienke C C Vulink, Damiaan Denys, Herman G M Westenberg

i hope he calls you back soon and can get you on something else, or combine it with an SSRI. it sounds like it is not going to be a good med, at least not alone, due to the OCD. The SSRI's are very good for BOTH depression and OCD, but must also be taken with stabilizers to avoid hypomania/mania.

have you ever taken one of those before? Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac, Celexa or Lexapro are the most popular. I am not sure which are most indicated for OCD as well - certainly Zoloft is, but in any event they would not worsen it.

good luck dear. hang in there.

~ waves ~

Dear Southerngq,

I hope that you heard from your pdoc and got some help.
Med changes can be difficult.

M.