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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Kingfish on March 8, 2001, at 11:41:45
I've been taking Wellbrutin, 100 mg, for a little over a week to counteract the sedation caused by Topamax and to augment Celexa. I've been irritable, had the return of racing and obsessive thoughts, and, this may sound strange, but had the return of violent nightmares which had all but stopped when I started Topamax.
I've been shaky and very anxious the last few days.
My pdoc had suggested we might try Provigil instead, which I posted about above, but when I called him a few days ago with an update, he seemed reluctant to stop the Wellbutrin because it wasn't causing insomnia.
Have others experienced these side effects? Would you suggest I continue it for a while longer? I'm really feeling icky.
Thanks!
Posted by Cece on March 8, 2001, at 14:13:35
In reply to Help! Feeling terrible on Wellbrutin, posted by Kingfish on March 8, 2001, at 11:41:45
I also had very bad reactions to Wellbutrin- tried it twice, and both times felt within a day like I had a horrible case of the flu- too bad to persist through. I was at a low dose, and the first time my pdoc (who I had just started working with) was a bit skeptical and I think perhaps thought that I was just anxious about taking meds. But, by the second try, a few years later, the evidence was clear- my body just didn't like it. And I fit the profile of someone it "should" have worked for!
Cece
> I've been taking Wellbrutin, 100 mg, for a little over a week to counteract the sedation caused by Topamax and to augment Celexa. I've been irritable, had the return of racing and obsessive thoughts, and, this may sound strange, but had the return of violent nightmares which had all but stopped when I started Topamax.
>
> I've been shaky and very anxious the last few days.
>
> My pdoc had suggested we might try Provigil instead, which I posted about above, but when I called him a few days ago with an update, he seemed reluctant to stop the Wellbutrin because it wasn't causing insomnia.
>
> Have others experienced these side effects? Would you suggest I continue it for a while longer? I'm really feeling icky.
>
> Thanks!
Posted by PhoenixGirl on March 8, 2001, at 15:39:20
In reply to Re: Help! Feeling terrible on Wellbrutin » Kingfish, posted by Cece on March 8, 2001, at 14:13:35
Hi Kingfish,
I'll tell you what my Wellbutrin experience has been. I started on the sustained-release kind a few months ago, and initially had most of the side effects you described. I felt AWFUL -- like I'd had 20 cups of coffee. There was this horrible agitation feeling, nasty gastrointestinal effects you don't want to hear about, and the sick-all-over feeling. It was so bad that I almost gave up on it. However, after about two weeks, it started to subside, and now the only side effect I notice is appetite reduction. For me it hasn't had any antidepressant effect, but I take it in order to stay awake during the day. For years I could hardly hold my head up I was so tired, but no asshole doctor ever tried me on Wellbutrin until I mentioned it myself. Well, my advice would be to give it a couple weeks to see if the side effects start subsiding. Good luck.
I also had very bad reactions to Wellbutrin- tried it twice, and both times felt within a day like I had a horrible case of the flu- too bad to persist through. I was at a low dose, and the first time my pdoc (who I had just started working with) was a bit skeptical and I think perhaps thought that I was just anxious about taking meds. But, by the second try, a few years later, the evidence was clear- my body just didn't like it. And I fit the profile of someone it "should" have worked for!
>
> Cece
>
>
> > I've been taking Wellbrutin, 100 mg, for a little over a week to counteract the sedation caused by Topamax and to augment Celexa. I've been irritable, had the return of racing and obsessive thoughts, and, this may sound strange, but had the return of violent nightmares which had all but stopped when I started Topamax.
> >
> > I've been shaky and very anxious the last few days.
> >
> > My pdoc had suggested we might try Provigil instead, which I posted about above, but when I called him a few days ago with an update, he seemed reluctant to stop the Wellbutrin because it wasn't causing insomnia.
> >
> > Have others experienced these side effects? Would you suggest I continue it for a while longer? I'm really feeling icky.
> >
> > Thanks!
Posted by JohnL on March 8, 2001, at 17:51:05
In reply to Help! Feeling terrible on Wellbrutin, posted by Kingfish on March 8, 2001, at 11:41:45
> Have others experienced these side effects? Would you suggest I continue it for a while longer? I'm really feeling icky.
>
> Thanks!While some people would say to stick it out and give it more time, I would say stop it right away. A drug that starts off as lousy as this one has for you doesn't often somehow magically turn into a great drug. A drug that works real well usually starts off with some kind of positive sign or neutral sign, but not side effects or other changes that are overwhelmingly bothersome. I guess some people do stick it out, but we rarely hear of how magical they felt after staying with. Maybe sometimes it has a happy ending, but not often. I would dump the Wellbutrin.
I would order some Adrafinil (the early ancestor of Provigil, except far superior than Provigil in my experience), and put Zyprexa at the top of the list too. Switching from Celexa to other SSRIs, even if just for short times to sample them, would be wise just to be sure you are on the best one.
John
Posted by terra miller on March 8, 2001, at 18:21:44
In reply to Help! Feeling terrible on Wellbrutin, posted by Kingfish on March 8, 2001, at 11:41:45
> I've been taking Wellbrutin, 100 mg, for a little over a week to counteract the sedation caused by Topamax and to augment Celexa. I've been irritable, had the return of racing and obsessive thoughts, and, this may sound strange, but had the return of violent nightmares which had all but stopped when I started Topamax.
>
> I've been shaky and very anxious the last few days.
>
> My pdoc had suggested we might try Provigil instead, which I posted about above, but when I called him a few days ago with an update, he seemed reluctant to stop the Wellbutrin because it wasn't causing insomnia.
>
> Have others experienced these side effects? Would you suggest I continue it for a while longer? I'm really feeling icky.
>
> Thanks!
Hi, I scoured this site for information on Wellbutrin (and still am! *s*). I had all the side-effects you mentioned. At first there was the shakiness and agitation. That went away after 4-5 weeks. I toughed it out because I wanted to see if it would go away (because if it didn't go away by that time, then it wasn't going to) Sure enough, I no longer have that initial agitation. You are right. It "is" nasty. And there's shakiness in hands, too. There's also this weird "rage" thing that happens when you start Wellbutrin, and I felt like a dangerous nut until I saw others had posted about that very same thing. Short fuse and rage. It was nasty. That has also gone away. I have found I have more energy during the day, and I can actually sleep at night now. (I had so much trouble with sleep before!) I get tired during the day sometimes, probably from being so incredibly productive. not manic, but definitely productive.you can either gut it out or you can stop. i found it a tough going at first, but i was determined. at times i used ativan to lessen the agitation and irritability during the first weeks. i don't need to do that much at all anymore.
take care. terra.
Posted by allisonm on March 8, 2001, at 19:28:07
In reply to Re: Help! Feeling terrible on Wellbrutin » Kingfish, posted by terra miller on March 8, 2001, at 18:21:44
Kingfish,
If you can stand the side effects a little longer, I would stick it out. I have tried a lot of ADs and have not found a single one that didn't have some type of side effect. Tremor and irritability are very common initial side effects of Wellbutrin. I found the tremor went away after a couple of weeks. The irritability took a little longer. With every dose increase, these side effects happened with me. One very nice side effect that I experienced after a few weeks was an incredible burst of energy. It was terrific! I got so much stuff done!!! Unfortunately, that side effect wore off too. But the best side effect of all has been the weight loss. I have lost about 25 lbs. since starting Wellbutrin in April '99.
I have searched for more than 3 years for the right drug mix. I have found Wellbutrin has been the most helpful. This I do not consider a sife effect.
As Cam has often written, and as my pdoc also insists, it can take up to 6 weeks for an AD to start working. This is because your brain needs to adjust to the chemical changes. I decided to stick out the initial side effects and was rewarded for it.
For those interested in Wellbutrin, there is an eGroups page on it: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/psycho-babble-tips/links/Wellbutrin_SR_000963633280/
Good luck.
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