anyone with experience with wellbutrin?
 

A couple weeks ago when my pdoc added the depakote she also called in some wellbutrin SR 150mg once per day in the morning. It has been sitting in my dresser drawer. I am confused as to whether I want to add another med. Right now I'm taking lithium, depakote, and xanax as needed. I am feeling the crash from the mania that I was having when my in-laws were here. I am so tired all of the time. At first I thought it was the depakote, which I still think it could be, but it is feeling more like true depression now. Even my arms are heavy. I've got loads of laundry and housework to do yet I don't do it. I would rather sit in the recliner and rock with my youngest or lay with her on the couch. This is anti-me. I am a go-go-go person. I'm a perfectionist. I am usually very driven. Maybe the depakote is working and this is how a neurologically normal person feels, I don't know.

I've been on Prozac which made me feel really disconnected from everyone so I stopped that. After 3 weeks on Zoloft it triggered a manic episode. That was all before I found this forum. I want to take the wellbutrin but am worried it could cause mania, pdoc assured me that of all anti-depressants that wellbutrin was the least likely to cause mania.

If you have experience with wellbutrin please reply or send me a message (if you feel more comfortable with that).

P.S. I quit smoking 4 years ago so that's not a factor.

I took welbutrin for a while at half dose no side effects and stopped taking it because I did not think I needed it. both paxil and prozac made me manic. It is awful ....it is definately a leap of faith.
good for you for stop smoking!!!!!!!!!!
best news of the day!
bizi

My oldest son took Wellbutrin for many years. I'm honestly not sure
if he still does. He took it for depression.

It helped him immensely.

I hope if you decide to give it a try. It helps you as much as it helped
him.

donna:grouphug::hug:

Do you remember how many mg you took bizi?

Yeah, quitting smoking is one of the better decisions I've made. As I saw Brokenfriend say one day - I use better medicine now.

Thank you Donna, that is very encouraging.

Hi,

I was on 300-450 mgs of Wellbutrin for 12 years. It worked well for me during that time.

I was however on the immediate release form of Wellbutrin (75 mgs pills) rather than the 150 mgs formulations.


Mari

Sometimes it is best to change one medication at a time. This way we can monitor ourselves and notice what is helping and what is not.


M

It's your body and mind... feel ready first, then go forward
 

Dear Butterfly,

I am agreed 100% with Mari about changing one med at a time. However if several weeks have passed since adding the Depakote, you have had a chance to see what it can do depending ... is this current episode more manic or depressive? (or a bit of both)? What has the Depakote done for you?

------------

I do have experience with Wellbutrin and specifically with Wellbutrin SR:

Wellbutrin SR is my best ever antidepressant experience!!!

Now that is me, and we are all different so you'll have to try it to find out. The pdoc who gave it to me told me that, especially if you have mixed moods or rapid cycling it can be helpful because it has slight mood stabilizing properties of its own.

---------------------------------

Try it when you feel ready to try it. Gathering information first, even discussing the "variables" thing, some more with your pdoc, is perfectly ok. Get more reassurance.

What's the other side of the coin? Taking a med when you feel resistant to it or frightened of it from the getgo can sometimes produce a nocebo effect (opposite of placebo), that is, psychologically induced negative reactions. So it is really important, medically speaking, to give the drug a fair shake, you feel at least neutral about it. Even better if you feel good about it, willing and hopeful about a good outcome.

I wish you the best of luck. This drug really made me feel "good" - but normal good. I mean if something bad happened i still felt bad, but normal bad, the kind that goes away. But it controlled my depression really well and did not make me manic. I did of course have mood stabilizers on board FIRST, similar to your depakote. ;)

~ waves ~

oops i think you have the XL not the SR...
 

Hi... ok this sounds like it's the XL - eXtended reLease formulation of Wellbutrin, as opposed to the SR - Sustained Release.

I did try this but had some side effects that would not stop so i could not use it. Basically it comes only in 150 and 300. I would have needed 300, or at least more than 150. if i recall correctly, i managed after many days to get used to the 150 but i could not find any way of increasing the dose from there, even using the 300s on alternating days caused problems and i finally gave up.

There are lots of people on this forum that do use the XL and even use 300mg however so do not be discouraged.

Again when you feel ready try. I just wanted to amend my prior post... I got stuck on seeing "SR" and replied to that ... i was so excited that someone was being prescribed it. it seems it is seldom prescribed any more.

------------------------------

i would agree that what you are going through sounds like depression but it is hard to say. Would you say the mania ran its course rather than being nixed/controlled by the Depakote? Was the Depakote then given simply as a maintenance med? It is pretty common if you have a bad mania to have a Major Depressive Episode afterwards.

That said, Depakote can make you tired, fatigued. Generally you won't notice when you're manic unless you're seriously overmedicated. I typically take 800 mg Depakote for prevention but if i get manic my doctor raises it until i respond... last time I ended up on 1500mg plus additional meds. When i start to seem sane again he decreases it (slowly :p).

The Wellbutrin should help with your energy level, and as i mentioned before, my former pdoc said that due to its unique mechanisms of action it has mild mood stabilizing properties of its own - goes hand in hand with your doc's assertion that it is the least likely to cause a manic switch.

I am having trouble doing very simple things even taking care of myself, so I can relate. I feel really ashamed of it, and i cannot post about it or talk about it. (I am away from the US and they don't have Wellbutrin SR here.)

:hug::hug::hug::hug::hug:

Sending you many good thoughts.

~ waves ~

BUtterfly,


The 150 did not work for me at all.
I could not take it.


M

I had a manic episode the week of Halloween. Pdoc added the depakote to my lithium at that time. I believe it did help end the mania. I would hated to have seen what would have happened if the mania would have continued. Right now though, what I am experiencing feels like depression.

This is very encouraging waves. I have experienced both mixed moods and rapid cycling. This current depression is debilitating but I have had depressive episodes with normal to above average energy levels. I specifically remember experiencing rapid cycling during my pregnancies (no mood stabilizers or anything during that time).

I just looked on the bottle and it does say SR, so I'm hoping I'll have the same success you did. My pdoc is retiring in December and she is very old school.

I am sorry you are having a hard time right now. I hope things get better for you! I feel ashamed sometimes, too, but we need to remember that this is an illness and we're doing everything we can to manage it the best we can.

great that it is sr. I am happy waves responded to you. excited that you may take it and have some relief.
I wish you some peace of mind today.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

2 of my kids are on it. Both for anxiety related issues. My son is on a small dose and he's doing great, has a lovely wife and baby, a stressful high powered job. He's tried to stop it but always goes back on.

My other son is taking a much larger dose. He's still in college. Doing very well. Also takes dexedrine - both or ADD issues.

Both kids had immediate good results when they started it and there's been no reason to change the meds.

Thank you for sharing that Sybbie! I find it very encouraging.

I took my first wellbutrin this morning. Thanks to everyone. I'll see what the next few weeks bring. As they say only time will tell.

i wonder if there isn't a mistake - please call?
 

Dear Butterfly,

I am glad you checked the bottle. I am still confused and a bit concerned about the SR/XL because you mentioned you are supposed to take 150mg once a day in the morning. the SR would normally be taken twice a day. Sure, your pdoc may be starting you off with just one dose at first but that is not normally done for a whole month... perhaps the first week. I also find it odd she wouldn't prescribe the 100mg SR dose to start with.

Since both the SR and the XL forms exist in 150mg strengths, my concern is that there might have been some mixup with the prescription (only 2 letters, very easy to do - either on behalf of the pharmacy or when your pdoc wrote the script.

Might i ask you to call for confirmation? I'd start with the pharmacy since it was called in. When someone says "XL" it can easily sound like "SR" unless they use the long form (Extended Release, or Sustained Release). If the pharmacy confirms your rx, i'd really like you to check with your pdoc (speak to her in person). Again be specific about confirming the S(ustained) R(elease) formulation, the 150mg dosage, and the instruction to take once a day in the morning. If she says you're ok, you're all set. Otherwise, she'll call in a new script for you.

I hope you will make that call, and whether or not there be an error to sort out at first, I certainly do hope the Wellbutrin works for you as well as it did for me!!! :hug::hug::hug::hug:

~ waves ~

p.s. as you are getting used to the med... if you should start to feel too "up" or jittery, take a Xanax. do not hesitate.