Posted by Chairman_MAO on February 29, 2004, at 9:41:17
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin Withdrawal, posted by Althea8869 on February 27, 2004, at 19:19:53
By "withdrawal", I meant a "withdrawal syndrome", i.e. a clearly identifiable cluster of symptoms that was not present before the bupropion and happens in nearly everyone that stops taking it without tapering. That said, ANY chronically administered substance will cause _some_ changes in the body, including vitamins, water, sugar, etc. We are beings in a constant state of flux. To expect to chronically administer a psychoactive drug and not expect to notice its withdrawal at all when it's removed is illogical. I expect people to think that it's logical these days with doctors, drug companies, and the media feeding people bald-faced lies concerning the nature of physical dependence, namely that only drugs that make you high cause habituation/dependence. Antidepressants are simply psychoactive drugs like all other psychoactive drugs when you understand them even a little bit; they're not correcting any sort of "imbalance". This assertion is bolstered by studies that show successful talk therapy producing the same changes on PET scans as successful antidepressant treatment outcomes. The change is the RESULT of feeling better, not the cause. More philosophically, one might argue that cause and effect here is moot, since we have no concrete idea how the brain produces consciousness in any way ...
"What goes up, must come down". This is especially true with antidepressants, all of which purportedly work after inducing physical, adaptive neurological CHANGES that take place over the course of several weeks.
It's reasonable to expect to feel "out of sorts" upon the withdrawal of bupropion--to some degree. However, the "withdrawal syndrome" of bupropion is milder than just about anything I can think of, including caffeine and certainly SSRIs, which are worse than opiates. Keep in mind, also, that "ye seek, and ye shall find." With all of the talk of withdrawal reactions on this message board, you may be prone to detect one where none exists.
Ayn Rand took three Dexamyl Spansules (dextroamphetamine+amobarbital extended release capsules) per day. When her doctor told her to stop, she stopped, no problem. This is undoubtedly true for scores of people who used these supposedly "addictive" or "habit forming" products moderately. I am NOT asserting that this is true for all people who used them moderately, of course, and this is especially not true for the benzodiazepines. Then again, the SSRIs precipitate horrid withdrawal reactions in most people who cease them.
Perhaps withdrawal reactions are more a physiological expression of sudden, intense psychological pain than simply the lack of a drug ...
poster:Chairman_MAO
thread:318034
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040228/msgs/318733.html