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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 21 of 21. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mdertinger on February 21, 2002, at 14:57:38
I was recently prescibed 150 mg Wellbutrin in addition to the 80 mg of Prozac I've been taking for 7 years. The Prozac just didn't give me enough energy, although my depression was at bay.
The Wellbutrin has been great. Lots of energy, but I'm having a hard time falling asleep at night. I've resorted to taking Xanex before bed, but I know if I keep that up I'll become addicted.
I tried Remeron before Wellbutrin, but gained 20 pounds. I tried Serazone at night, but I was groggy all day.
Anyone got advise?
Posted by janejj on February 21, 2002, at 15:44:20
In reply to Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, posted by mdertinger on February 21, 2002, at 14:57:38
you could try Trazdone, that might help.
Posted by mdertinger on February 21, 2002, at 15:47:58
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, posted by janejj on February 21, 2002, at 15:44:20
Is trazodone an anti-depressant?
Is it known to cause weight gain?I just want to keep taking my Xanex!
Posted by janejj on February 21, 2002, at 21:24:53
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, posted by mdertinger on February 21, 2002, at 15:47:58
Hi
Trazodone is actually an anti depressant in a class of its own, that has been around for years. It is now more commonly used to promote and aid sleep because it makes you very tired. Its non addictive, so a good alternative to Xanax. I have only just started taking it, so I'll tell you how it goes !! Before this I was taking Lorazepam.Good luck
Janejj
Posted by Ritch on February 21, 2002, at 23:28:08
In reply to Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, posted by mdertinger on February 21, 2002, at 14:57:38
> I was recently prescibed 150 mg Wellbutrin in addition to the 80 mg of Prozac I've been taking for 7 years. The Prozac just didn't give me enough energy, although my depression was at bay.
>
> The Wellbutrin has been great. Lots of energy, but I'm having a hard time falling asleep at night. I've resorted to taking Xanex before bed, but I know if I keep that up I'll become addicted.
>
> I tried Remeron before Wellbutrin, but gained 20 pounds. I tried Serazone at night, but I was groggy all day.
>
> Anyone got advise?Hi, I am having similar type of problems with Wellbutrin. The trouble is that its active metabolite takes about six hours to peak and then has a fairly long half-life (up to a day I think). Since WB is a lot like a stimulant that could explain a lot of the insomnia. Some people have tried taking their dose right before bedtime and seem to sleep OK (paradoxically) and then get up easily in the morning without a lot of grogginess. You might try it and see what happens. I did, but I woke up *too* early.
Mitch
Posted by BLPBart on February 22, 2002, at 11:41:50
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin » mdertinger, posted by Ritch on February 21, 2002, at 23:28:08
Taking the wb at night is a great idea. I'm on 300 mg/day and just started dexedrine spansules. I still struggle to get up in the mornings although I seem to sleep OK. I have never found the wb to be particularly stimulating so I don't think it would keep me up. My pdoc just started me on the dex two weeks ago and we're titrating up so I'm currently only on 20 mg/day and can't even tell that I'm taking it. Do you take one in the morning and the second before bed?
Posted by mdertinger on February 22, 2002, at 12:55:38
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, posted by BLPBart on February 22, 2002, at 11:41:50
No, I only take 150 mg in the morning.
Posted by allisonm on February 22, 2002, at 15:51:19
In reply to Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, posted by mdertinger on February 21, 2002, at 14:57:38
You didn't say what time you take it. I take 150mg in the morning and 150mg at 3 pm. You might want to take it earlier in the day if you think
it is disrupting your sleep. Also, if you drink caffeine
it could exacerbate the insomnia caused by the WB, especially when taken closer to bedtime. I would cut out any caffeine and give WB more time by taking it at other times of the day to see how that works before trying another drug.Allisonm
Posted by mdertinger on February 22, 2002, at 15:58:06
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin » mdertinger, posted by allisonm on February 22, 2002, at 15:51:19
> You didn't say what time you take it. I take 150mg in the morning and 150mg at 3 pm. You might want to take it earlier in the day if you think
> it is disrupting your sleep. Also, if you drink caffeine
> it could exacerbate the insomnia caused by the WB, especially when taken closer to bedtime. I would cut out any caffeine and give WB more time by taking it at other times of the day to see how that works before trying another drug.Yes I did. I only take 150 mg at 7 am and never drink coffee after 12 pm. Does't help.
>
> Allisonm
Posted by allisonm on February 22, 2002, at 22:53:52
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, I do!, posted by mdertinger on February 22, 2002, at 15:58:06
Sorry, I missed that post. What if you cut the dose to 100mg? It's a light blue pill stead of the purple.
When do you take the Prozac?
Posted by mdertinger on February 23, 2002, at 9:49:41
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, I do!, posted by allisonm on February 22, 2002, at 22:53:52
> Sorry, I missed that post. What if you cut the dose to 100mg? It's a light blue pill stead of the purple.
> When do you take the Prozac?Yes!!! I didn't know there was a smaller dose! There is no way you can break those 150 mg purple pills.
I take the 20 mg Prozac at 7am and another 20 at 1 pm. I've experimented not taking the Prozac at 1 pm, but my depression seems to return. I'm actually supposed to be taking 60 mg of the Prozac, but I was hoping I could cut back since the WB was lifting me so well.
I think I'm going to ask my pdoc for the lower dose WB and take both doses of Prozac in the morning. It's being able to work in the morning and afternoon that most concerns me, so that might make sense. Then maybe the AD's will wear off by 10-11pm so I can sleep.
Thanks so much for the info!
Posted by allisonm on February 23, 2002, at 13:43:11
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, I do!, posted by mdertinger on February 23, 2002, at 9:49:41
Just FYI, NEVER EVER try to split the pills. The coating is what makes them sustained release.
From what I see in the literature, Wellbutrin SR only comes in 100mg and 150mg doses. Regular Wellbutrin also is available in several increments (maybe some lower than 100mg -- I'm not sure), but you will have to take them more often because they don't have that special coating.
Good luck.
Allisonm
Posted by Ritch on February 23, 2002, at 14:13:00
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, posted by BLPBart on February 22, 2002, at 11:41:50
> Taking the wb at night is a great idea. I'm on 300 mg/day and just started dexedrine spansules. I still struggle to get up in the mornings although I seem to sleep OK. I have never found the wb to be particularly stimulating so I don't think it would keep me up. My pdoc just started me on the dex two weeks ago and we're titrating up so I'm currently only on 20 mg/day and can't even tell that I'm taking it. Do you take one in the morning and the second before bed?
I am on just a tiny dose of WB in the morning only. I've got bipolar and I am super sensitive to antidepressants. The highest I have taken is 150mg (50mg 3x daily) during a seasonal major bipolar depression. Adderall worked better than WB for the same problem but made me too uptight. I wish I could tolerate it-I made tremendous improvements in my ability to listen and focus.Mitch
Posted by Bekka H. on February 24, 2002, at 14:59:20
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, posted by BLPBart on February 22, 2002, at 11:41:50
Hi. Do you mean that you take Wellbutrin AND Dexedrine? If so, how do you take them, at what times of day and how many milligrams. That's interesting that Wellbutrin wasn't very stimulating for you.
Posted by Bekka H. on February 24, 2002, at 15:01:16
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, posted by BLPBart on February 22, 2002, at 11:41:50
Do you take Sustained release or immediate release?
Posted by BLPBart on February 25, 2002, at 10:02:27
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, posted by Bekka H. on February 24, 2002, at 14:59:20
I know it sounds nuts but I'm on 300 mg/day wellbutrin plus I'm up to 30 mg/day dexedrine and I can't even tell that I'm taking the dexedrine yet. I go back to see my pdoc next monday and I'll see if I need to keep titrating up or try something else. I guess the reason why I can do this is I'm the type of person when I get depressed I just turn into a blob. All I want to do is sleep or sit around. On top of that it looks like I have an inattentive form of ADD that makes you unmotivated and feel "out of gas" all of the time. If it wasn't for these two drugs I know I wouldn't be able to maintain a full time job.
Posted by BLPBart on February 25, 2002, at 23:48:19
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin, posted by Bekka H. on February 24, 2002, at 15:01:16
> Do you take Sustained release or immediate release?
I take the SR version 150 mg 2 x a day. I used to take one early in the morning and the second in the afternoon, but I had a really bad habit of forgetting the second one. My doc has me taking both together in the morning along with the dexedrine spansules (I'm up to 30 mg/day and I still can't tell I'm taking it).
Posted by MoBe on October 9, 2002, at 22:02:31
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin » mdertinger, posted by Ritch on February 21, 2002, at 23:28:08
> > I was recently prescibed 150 mg Wellbutrin in addition to the 80 mg of Prozac I've been taking for 7 years. The Prozac just didn't give me enough energy, although my depression was at bay.
> >
> > The Wellbutrin has been great. Lots of energy, but I'm having a hard time falling asleep at night. I've resorted to taking Xanex before bed, but I know if I keep that up I'll become addicted.
> >
> > I tried Remeron before Wellbutrin, but gained 20 pounds. I tried Serazone at night, but I was groggy all day.
> >
> > Anyone got advise?
>
> Hi, I am having similar type of problems with Wellbutrin. The trouble is that its active metabolite takes about six hours to peak and then has a fairly long half-life (up to a day I think). Since WB is a lot like a stimulant that could explain a lot of the insomnia. Some people have tried taking their dose right before bedtime and seem to sleep OK (paradoxically) and then get up easily in the morning without a lot of grogginess. You might try it and see what happens. I did, but I woke up *too* early.
>
> Mitch
>I find it very interesting that some of you are taking wellbutrin before bed and are still sleeping. But, come to think of it, the very first time I took it, it was about 3 in the afternoon and right away I fell asleep like a baby for a couple of hours. Maybe I'll have to try taking l50 mg. before bed this weekend to see if taking the second dose that way will work for me.MoBe
>
Posted by Ritch on October 9, 2002, at 23:36:11
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin » Ritch, posted by MoBe on October 9, 2002, at 22:02:31
> > > I was recently prescibed 150 mg Wellbutrin in addition to the 80 mg of Prozac I've been taking for 7 years. The Prozac just didn't give me enough energy, although my depression was at bay.
> > >
> > > The Wellbutrin has been great. Lots of energy, but I'm having a hard time falling asleep at night. I've resorted to taking Xanex before bed, but I know if I keep that up I'll become addicted.
> > >
> > > I tried Remeron before Wellbutrin, but gained 20 pounds. I tried Serazone at night, but I was groggy all day.
> > >
> > > Anyone got advise?
> >
> > Hi, I am having similar type of problems with Wellbutrin. The trouble is that its active metabolite takes about six hours to peak and then has a fairly long half-life (up to a day I think). Since WB is a lot like a stimulant that could explain a lot of the insomnia. Some people have tried taking their dose right before bedtime and seem to sleep OK (paradoxically) and then get up easily in the morning without a lot of grogginess. You might try it and see what happens. I did, but I woke up *too* early.
> >
> > Mitch
> >I find it very interesting that some of you are taking wellbutrin before bed and are still sleeping. But, come to think of it, the very first time I took it, it was about 3 in the afternoon and right away I fell asleep like a baby for a couple of hours. Maybe I'll have to try taking l50 mg. before bed this weekend to see if taking the second dose that way will work for me.
>
> MoBe
> >
>
>Hi there, Here's a little update. I'm currently taking 150mg WB SR in the morning (first thing). I've never taken an entire SR dosage before (without chopping it up). I have been successfully dealing with the insomnia by either doubling up my Depakote (every other night), adding Neurontin at bedtime, and taking Klonopin at bedtime. If you don't want the benzo, and you don't want the weight gain from Depakote, you could try a 300-400mg dose of Neurontin (only at bedtime) for sleep. The nice thing is you don't wake up like a zombie.---Mitch
Posted by gregg on October 10, 2002, at 14:08:04
In reply to Re: Can't sleep from Wellbutrin » MoBe, posted by Ritch on October 9, 2002, at 23:36:11
> > > > I was recently prescibed 150 mg Wellbutrin in addition to the 80 mg of Prozac I've been taking for 7 years. The Prozac just didn't give me enough energy, although my depression was at bay.
> > > >
> > > > The Wellbutrin has been great. Lots of energy, but I'm having a hard time falling asleep at night. I've resorted to taking Xanex before bed, but I know if I keep that up I'll become addicted.
> > > >
> > > > I tried Remeron before Wellbutrin, but gained 20 pounds. I tried Serazone at night, but I was groggy all day.
> > > >
> > > > Anyone got advise?
> > >
> > > Hi, I am having similar type of problems with Wellbutrin. The trouble is that its active metabolite takes about six hours to peak and then has a fairly long half-life (up to a day I think). Since WB is a lot like a stimulant that could explain a lot of the insomnia. Some people have tried taking their dose right before bedtime and seem to sleep OK (paradoxically) and then get up easily in the morning without a lot of grogginess. You might try it and see what happens. I did, but I woke up *too* early.
> > >
> > > Mitch
> > >I find it very interesting that some of you are taking wellbutrin before bed and are still sleeping. But, come to think of it, the very first time I took it, it was about 3 in the afternoon and right away I fell asleep like a baby for a couple of hours. Maybe I'll have to try taking l50 mg. before bed this weekend to see if taking the second dose that way will work for me.
> >
> > MoBe
> > >
> >
> >
>
> Hi there, Here's a little update. I'm currently taking 150mg WB SR in the morning (first thing). I've never taken an entire SR dosage before (without chopping it up). I have been successfully dealing with the insomnia by either doubling up my Depakote (every other night), adding Neurontin at bedtime, and taking Klonopin at bedtime. If you don't want the benzo, and you don't want the weight gain from Depakote, you could try a 300-400mg dose of Neurontin (only at bedtime) for sleep. The nice thing is you don't wake up like a zombie.---Mitch
>
>Ritch,
You are not supposed to chop up Wellbutrin SR. If you do, it is no longer Sustained Release, you are getting the whole dose at once.
gregg
Posted by Ritch on October 10, 2002, at 22:20:09
In reply to Re: chopping up Wellbutrin, posted by gregg on October 10, 2002, at 14:08:04
> > > > > I was recently prescibed 150 mg Wellbutrin in addition to the 80 mg of Prozac I've been taking for 7 years. The Prozac just didn't give me enough energy, although my depression was at bay.
> > > > >
> > > > > The Wellbutrin has been great. Lots of energy, but I'm having a hard time falling asleep at night. I've resorted to taking Xanex before bed, but I know if I keep that up I'll become addicted.
> > > > >
> > > > > I tried Remeron before Wellbutrin, but gained 20 pounds. I tried Serazone at night, but I was groggy all day.
> > > > >
> > > > > Anyone got advise?
> > > >
> > > > Hi, I am having similar type of problems with Wellbutrin. The trouble is that its active metabolite takes about six hours to peak and then has a fairly long half-life (up to a day I think). Since WB is a lot like a stimulant that could explain a lot of the insomnia. Some people have tried taking their dose right before bedtime and seem to sleep OK (paradoxically) and then get up easily in the morning without a lot of grogginess. You might try it and see what happens. I did, but I woke up *too* early.
> > > >
> > > > Mitch
> > > >I find it very interesting that some of you are taking wellbutrin before bed and are still sleeping. But, come to think of it, the very first time I took it, it was about 3 in the afternoon and right away I fell asleep like a baby for a couple of hours. Maybe I'll have to try taking l50 mg. before bed this weekend to see if taking the second dose that way will work for me.
> > >
> > > MoBe
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > Hi there, Here's a little update. I'm currently taking 150mg WB SR in the morning (first thing). I've never taken an entire SR dosage before (without chopping it up). I have been successfully dealing with the insomnia by either doubling up my Depakote (every other night), adding Neurontin at bedtime, and taking Klonopin at bedtime. If you don't want the benzo, and you don't want the weight gain from Depakote, you could try a 300-400mg dose of Neurontin (only at bedtime) for sleep. The nice thing is you don't wake up like a zombie.---Mitch
> >
> >
>
> Ritch,
>
> You are not supposed to chop up Wellbutrin SR. If you do, it is no longer Sustained Release, you are getting the whole dose at once.
>
> gregg
>
Hi Gregg, I am aware that I'm converting it from a sustained release to an immediate release med by doing that. The deal unfortunately is that its active metabolites have half-lives up to 30hrs whether you dose it SR or IR. Also, the active metabolites have much higher blood levels than the parent drug bupropion with chronic dosing. I nearly had a panic attack this morning a couple of hours after I took the 150mg SR and had to go somewhere. I don't know if I can hack the WB accumulation or not.
This is the end of the thread.
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