Posted by James_Glasgow_UK on May 9, 2008, at 1:04:30
In reply to Re: any long-term Abillify users out there? » michael, posted by emme on May 8, 2008, at 21:46:46
Hi there
I was wondering is there anyone here on Wellbutrin and Abilify. I am really sorry if I am hijacking your post but it was easy to hit the post reply button, i cannot recall how to start a new post (it will become apparent why).
I have just started Wellbutrin XR it has finally become available in European Union countries for Major Depressive Disorder although unfortunately not here in the UK so I am having to get it from Italy (with my GP's tacit permission, but I am not sure if I make an appointment on the NHS he will be able to treat me for this I would need to go private or stop taking them).
I started it at using Zyban 150mg SR for 3 days then went up to the 300mg XR and the side-effects after 5 days on the 300mg dose are becoming intolerable, today is day 6 and I am very worried what is to come I am armed to with clonazepam to sedate myself to sleep.
Last night before bed I took 2mg of clonazepam (in addition to my usual daily dose to diazepam 5mg, down from 15, and 10mg nitrazepam), but I am further concerned about this (but it may have worked abit as I would not have been able to write this yesterday afternoon), i think because of the severe anxiety I am getting from the Wellbutrin of taking anything with anti-convulsant activity, then stopping it and the risk of seizure, as I am hoping this will pass soon and I dont then want to be in a haze due to the clonazepam on top of everything else.
The other Wellbutrin side-effects are problems with concentrations, memory loss I will forget what I did 5 minutes ago and go to do it again plus not being able to recall words when speaking for a minute or so and the same with my ATM PIN number, confusion (rather than opening the bottle of tablets and putting one on my hand, I opened the bottle of water I was going to wash down the tablet with and poured it over my hand, trousers and the floor!) such as wandering about not know exactly where I am or what I am doing for a 5 to 10 minutes at a time, which is all topped off with a nasty headache. They wore off for about 2 hours in the afternoon then started again.
So, I was wondering if I tried 2mg of Abilify to begin with do you think this may help calming me down to see if this is a phase and I can get passed it. I am desparate, I have had every anti-depressant (plus anti-psychotic, plus mood stabiliser, plus anxiolytic) you can imagine with the exception of bupropion and Abilify (which is on the market here in the UK, I have 10mg tablets). I also have prochlorperzine but know that both is and Abilify is supposed to lower the seizure threshold.
I am praying this is something that will pass as I am sick of SSRI fatigue, weight gain that can be up to 40lb from my original starting weight, and sexual problems mainly disinterest, and was hoping bupropion would be the answer (you cannot get buproprion to use in combinatoon here in the UK to attempt to mitigate these side-effects, even our best Psychiatrist are likely to pull a face if you even mention it they dont know it is an antidepressant they are so ignorant on psychotrophic drugs the things you would expect them to know very well, never mind methylphenidate!) I dont want to go back to taking an SSRI nor do I want to go back to Parnate as I had a spontaneous hypertensive crisis that scared the life out of me when I ended up in hospital, they did not know what is was and did not believe me when I told them and then when I asked for something for the pain they tried to finish me off with an injection of tramadol which when I refused it they got very annoyed. I also cannot at this time be bothered with the diet.
I think the clonazepam must have helped a bit overnight as I have managed to concentrate to write this but I am worried just how bad I will feel by 2pm (it is currently 6.35am here in the UK).
But my question really is, do you think adding Abilify will make this worse with its potential start up anxiety or help calm me down, I dont have the option of getting 150mg SR tablets to lower the dose and raise it more slowly although I could cut the XR tablets in 4 pieces approximately 75mg each which I assume will make them immediate release (i look at details of the technology used in their sustained release formulation and they are a bilayer tablet, so cutting them would expose both layers to stomach acid and try building up the dose with those.
I dont know what to do, and all and any help will be very much appreciated.
Sorry i have gone on for so long to.
Thanks
James
poster:James_Glasgow_UK
thread:827982
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080430/msgs/828090.html