Posted by med_empowered on July 1, 2005, at 12:06:58
In reply to Re: How long should I give Wellbutrin XL? » SLS, posted by nolagirl on July 1, 2005, at 9:42:58
hey! Unfortunately, I dont think 300mgs every other day will work...Wellbutrin in its "normal state" has a very, very short half-life; the original wellbutrin was usually dosed 3X daily, which is one reason why people had seizures (the total daily dose was too much, an individual dose was too high, so on and so forth). The Wellbutrin-SR (12 hour) was an improvement, and the XL is finally making Wellbutrin a one-a-day Antidepressant. Sorry about your insurance situation...I think its terrible that premiums are skyrocketing, companies are dropping benefits, and millions upon millions of people are being expected to pay out of pocket for overpriced meds :-( . Maybe quitting would be a bit hasty. If you can afford it, you could try seeing a doc and asking about the original, 3X daily Wellbutrin (available in generic) or the 2X daily SR (also available in generic). Its a pain to take things repeatedly over the course of a day, but, if you're sensitive to meds, doing so might help you find the best dose possible for you. In terms of supplements...all kinds of stuff works. Omega fatty acids, selenium (200mcgs/daily worked for me...and its cheap and may help prevent lung cancer), even a basic multi-vitamin can boost you a bit. Have you tried traditional stimulants? They're really NOT the best thing as monotherapy for clinical depression, and they do have side effects, but if your primary problem is anhedonia and such, a little bit of Ritalin, Adderall, or Dexedrine (all available in generic forms) could be of great help...plus, they have pretty short half-lives, so if you have problems with them, you can stop quickly with very few problems (the stimulant withdrawal syndrome is more common among the high-dose ADHD crowd and, of course, among illicit users). Speaking from personal experience, I find that antioxidants and/or a b-complex help a good bit. Good luck!
poster:med_empowered
thread:521638
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050627/msgs/521956.html