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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Greg on April 10, 2000, at 11:39:19
I've been taking Wellbutrin for about 3 weeks and every 3-4 days instead of the desired effect (emotional stability, energy, etc.) I just get irritated! Today I feel like my skin is about to turn inside out and I'm really short-tempered with my co-workers. My doc is out of town on a family emergency, I saw his backup last week but he was real hesitant to make a change to my meds without my regular docs OK. Has this been a side effect for anyone out there (I'm sure it has)? Is it just a matter of the Wellbutrin building up in my system, or is this a problem I should be concerned about? The Wellbutrin has done so well for my depression most of the time that I hate to think about stopping it, but on days like this I'm afraid I'm going to go "postal" Anyone with experience with this would be appreciated.
Tx,
Grrrrreg
Posted by CarolAnn on April 10, 2000, at 14:56:11
In reply to Wellbutrin and that irritated feeling, posted by Greg on April 10, 2000, at 11:39:19
Greg, I'm not sure, but I think that you just need a few more weeks for the Wellbutrin to level out in your system(I take it too.). In the mean time, maybe you could ask the Pdoc for something that you could take "as needed" to calm you down. I'm not sure what would be best, but I would imagine that Xanax or something like that would probably do the job. Good Luck! CarolAnn
Posted by allisonm on April 10, 2000, at 15:39:33
In reply to Wellbutrin and that irritated feeling, posted by Greg on April 10, 2000, at 11:39:19
I remember feeling irritable last fall when my Wellbutrin dose was doubled to 200mg, but I haven't felt irritable for quite awhile now. I think it went away over time.
I have been on Wellbutrin SR for 11 months.
I also felt my mind racing back in the fall with the dose increase, so we split the dose, which seems to have fixed the problem. I take SR 100mg in the morning and 100mg in the afternoon around 3, followed by 30mg Remeron at night.
Posted by bob on April 10, 2000, at 18:46:58
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and that irritated feeling, posted by allisonm on April 10, 2000, at 15:39:33
Hi Greg,
I hope your story continues the way CarolAnn and allisonm's have, but just in case it winds up more like mine -- while I was on wellbutrin, the only way my pdoc and I could manage the rage was with a low dose of an anti-psychotic med, perphenazine. At 4mg/day, it did a great job of mellowing me out enough to see if the wellbutrin was going to do anything for me. It didn't. Well, nothing good, that is.
So, it's good to hear that you're getting a favorable response wrt your depression on it. Three weeks is still pretty early on wellbutrin, so the irritability could certainly be just a matter of adjusting to the new med.
good luck,
bob
Posted by dani280 on August 28, 2002, at 8:23:44
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and that irritated feeling, posted by bob on April 10, 2000, at 18:46:58
I, too, just after beginning to take Wellbutrin for one week have noticed that I am easily angered. I am also on Zoloft (25mg.) and my doctor wanted to ween me off of Zoloft and try Wellbutrin. He told me to continue to take the Zoloft every other day for 2weeks then stop and at the same time take Wellbutrin (150mg) once a day for 5 days and then one tablet twice a day( for a grand total of 300 mg.) I have exploded over just simple things and this is not like me at all. I mean I get angry but not like this. I need some feedback here. Is this just all the drug swapping or is this going to be a constant side effect of Wellbutrin? If so, then I am going back to the Zoloft. Also, isn't 25 mg a day of Zoloft a low dosage? I am being treated for Panic Disorder? My doctor said he wanted to try and help me lose weight at the same time as treating me and give me back my sex drive. When I asked if 300 mg a day of Wellbutrin was a high or low dose my doctor said it was "middle of the road" but I think 300 is the max.? Is it not? If so then, what is going on? This is my Family doctor. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Posted by Anyuser on August 29, 2002, at 9:38:47
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and that irritated feeling, posted by dani280 on August 28, 2002, at 8:23:44
You've got a couple things going on here. You might be experiencing some withdrawal from your SSRI, which will go away in a few days. The anger and irritability from WB is a typical side effect, and it should lessen over time. When I was ramping up on WB, my husband once bought zucchini at the store instead of cucumber, which I wanted. Duh. I was overcome with rage. I had to go for a drive by myself. We can just barely laugh about it months later. "Having a zucchini reaction" has become a metaphor in our house for "going nuclear." In my experience with WB, the potential for irritability never went away completely.
300mg WBSR is considered the minimum therapeutic dose. If it doesn't work, the dose is increased to a maximum of 450mg.
I have to tell you that WB for panic disorder makes no sense to me at all. I never got the sense of well-being on WB that I got on an SSRI. Maybe you should consult a psychiatrist. There are a lot of medicines for panic and and anxiety, but IMO I would not consider WB one of them.
Posted by fairnymph on August 30, 2002, at 19:25:22
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and that irritated feeling, posted by dani280 on August 28, 2002, at 8:23:44
I too got that 'irritated'/anxious feeling for the first 1-2 weeks on wellbutrin (starting at 100 mg and going up to 300 over that period). It did subside though, and I haven't had any problems with that since.
It seems to affect my appetite only very slightly, so I (unfortunately) haven't lost any weight. However, I recently began taking effexor as well (which i have taken before, and strongly suppresses my appetite), so the combo has helped me lose about 6 pounds over the past two months.
Good luck and stick it out with the wellbutrin...unless the side effects are absolutely unbearable (or untreatable --- I have ocd/anxiety and depression, so when i had bad days and extreme anxiety when starting on wellbutrin, I would use small doses of benzos (such as klonopin and xanax) to treat acute anxiety). You are already a week into it though so you should be doing much better very soon.
Btw, I plan to switch from effexor to zoloft very soon. Do you like zoloft/find it effective? How do you like it compared to other medications you have taken? And what side effects have you experienced on it?
~fairnymph
Posted by terra miller on September 2, 2002, at 23:35:56
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and that irritated feeling » dani280, posted by Anyuser on August 29, 2002, at 9:38:47
Posted by Simcha on September 3, 2002, at 1:13:26
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and that irritated feeling, posted by dani280 on August 28, 2002, at 8:23:44
I have an anxiety disorder with Major Depressive Dysorder and Dysthymia.
I could not be on Wellbutrin SR alone. I needed Celexa and Klonopin with it. The Wellbutrin SR acts as a stimulant for me allowing me to have a sex life. Otherwise the other drugs for depression and anxiety I take make having sex difficult.
What is the reason for switching to Wellbutrin SR from Zoloft? Were you complaining of sexual side effects too?
Posted by WINGER on September 3, 2002, at 2:05:50
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and that irritated feeling » dani280, posted by fairnymph on August 30, 2002, at 19:25:22
I'm taking effexor XR, and have few side effects at a lower dose...
I took zoloft for a while and the only problem I had with it was stomach problems (ulcer like stuff).. but for me, just about everything causes that... I think the zoloft is harder on the sexual function s/e, but it sure did relax me, help me concentrate, and just feel less anxious... it might be worth a try for you.. just start off low dose, they have a 20mg that you can split... I took it at night before bed...good luck with whatever you decide..
I'm still trying the effexor (for anxiety mainly, with some depression) - not sure yet... may try the celexa or lexapro...hang in there!!!!!
> I too got that 'irritated'/anxious feeling for the first 1-2 weeks on wellbutrin (starting at 100 mg and going up to 300 over that period). It did subside though, and I haven't had any problems with that since.
>
> It seems to affect my appetite only very slightly, so I (unfortunately) haven't lost any weight. However, I recently began taking effexor as well (which i have taken before, and strongly suppresses my appetite), so the combo has helped me lose about 6 pounds over the past two months.
>
> Good luck and stick it out with the wellbutrin...unless the side effects are absolutely unbearable (or untreatable --- I have ocd/anxiety and depression, so when i had bad days and extreme anxiety when starting on wellbutrin, I would use small doses of benzos (such as klonopin and xanax) to treat acute anxiety). You are already a week into it though so you should be doing much better very soon.
>
> Btw, I plan to switch from effexor to zoloft very soon. Do you like zoloft/find it effective? How do you like it compared to other medications you have taken? And what side effects have you experienced on it?
>
> ~fairnymph
Posted by SMB on September 13, 2002, at 12:48:42
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and that irritated feeling, posted by WINGER on September 3, 2002, at 2:05:50
This is the end of the thread.
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