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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ryan_s on February 27, 2000, at 22:10:27
about a day ago i opened my two week old perscription of wellbutrin, and i smelled something funny. i looked around my bedroom to see what was causing this horrible smell. after a couple of minutes of being puzzled, i stuck my nose into the wellbutrin container. YUCK!!!!!!!!!!. To my surprise the wellbutrin was causing the stench. the antidepressant smelled just like rotten eggs!!!
Posted by vesper on February 27, 2000, at 22:51:50
In reply to wellbutrin equals rotten eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by ryan_s on February 27, 2000, at 22:10:27
> about a day ago i opened my two week old perscription of wellbutrin, and i smelled something funny. i looked around my bedroom to see what was causing this horrible smell. after a couple of minutes of being puzzled, i stuck my nose into the wellbutrin container. YUCK!!!!!!!!!!. To my surprise the wellbutrin was causing the stench. the antidepressant smelled just like rotten eggs!!!
Wellbutrin, especially the SR, has that attribute. In the original bottle from the pharamaceutical company, there is a little container of charcoal to absorb the odor. The smell has no significance re the effectiveness/age of the medication.
Posted by JohnL on February 28, 2000, at 5:13:12
In reply to wellbutrin equals rotten eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by ryan_s on February 27, 2000, at 22:10:27
> about a day ago i opened my two week old perscription of wellbutrin, and i smelled something funny. i looked around my bedroom to see what was causing this horrible smell. after a couple of minutes of being puzzled, i stuck my nose into the wellbutrin container. YUCK!!!!!!!!!!. To my surprise the wellbutrin was causing the stench. the antidepressant smelled just like rotten eggs!!!
I was reading in the Physicans Desk Reference book that Wellbutrin can have a particular smell. My Wellbutrin never smelled like that though. I know it degrades quickly when the outer coating is broken, like if the pill is cut in half. But I've never noticed a rotten egg smell. I wonder if you could go to a pharmacy and just ask them if you could take a whiff of their Wellbutrin? I'm sure they'll understand if you explain why. Maybe the supply at your pharmacy smells the same. Maybe go to a different pharmacy, explain the situation, and ask them to simply let you take a whiff of their supply?
I don't know. All I can say for sure is my supply of Wellbutrin never had a rotten egg smell, and I've had it in storage for about a year. In your shoes I would want to explore this a little further. I'm puzzled because, like I said, my bottle of Wellbutrin (both regular and SR) has never had any kind of strange smell.
Posted by Cam W. on February 28, 2000, at 7:18:24
In reply to Re: wellbutrin equals rotten eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by JohnL on February 28, 2000, at 5:13:12
Ryan - Vesper is right. You probably got a little moisture on the Wellbutrin. I found that keeping a dessicant (one of those drying things) in the bottle I had no problem with smell. Also, do go back to the pharmacy (or phone them) about this. They may have taken the dessicant out of the original bottle or maybe the bottle was close to the expiry date. Do you live in a humid area? - Cam W.
Posted by CarolAnn on February 28, 2000, at 8:57:00
In reply to Re: wellbutrin equals rotten eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by Cam W. on February 28, 2000, at 7:18:24
Ryan, I've been taking Wellbutrin for several months now and every bottle I've ever had has smelled like that. I just figured that was how it was supposed to be.
Cam has an interesting point about humidity, I do live in Central Florida, so that must have something to do with the smell.CarolAnn
Posted by Noa on February 28, 2000, at 19:35:24
In reply to Re: wellbutrin equals rotten eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by CarolAnn on February 28, 2000, at 8:57:00
OK, I am in a really silly mood (to counteract a very bad, one, I think) but....
You think when pharmacists are really bored, to amuse themselves, when they are filling scrips for Wellbutrin, as they're counting them into the vial, they say, "Last one in's a _________ ____!"?
Posted by CarolAnn on February 29, 2000, at 8:10:37
In reply to Re: wellbutrin equals rotten eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by Noa on February 28, 2000, at 19:35:24
I'm familiar with the abreviation LOL, I think we need them for, chuckling, snickering, and sighing(for bad puns and such). CarolAnn
Posted by kazoo on March 2, 2000, at 0:53:34
In reply to wellbutrin equals rotten eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by ryan_s on February 27, 2000, at 22:10:27
> about a day ago i opened my two week old perscription of wellbutrin, and i smelled something funny. i looked around my bedroom to see what was causing this horrible smell. after a couple of minutes of being puzzled, i stuck my nose into the wellbutrin container. YUCK!!!!!!!!!!. To my surprise the wellbutrin was causing the stench. the antidepressant smelled just like rotten eggs!!!
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Thank you for bringing up this subject.
For months now I've been trying to get people to stick their nose
in my bottle of Wellbutrin to see if they could smell what I was
smelling; i.e., hydrogen sulfide, or rotten eggs.
Not only did people retract with horror over the idea of doing such a thing,
but the notion enhanced my image as being kooky in the process.
So, it *wasn't* a sensory hallucination after all!
Whew!
Kazoo
Posted by jpar on March 15, 2003, at 17:07:10
In reply to Re: wellbutrin equals rotten eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by kazoo on March 2, 2000, at 0:53:34
Noticed the same phenom. From org chem a century ago, wondered if had some sort of methane connection. Found a website that connected it to cathinone or methcathinone. Wonder if that is source of odor.
My only concern is this: Does the presence of odor indicate change in chemistry that may affect the effectiveness of the drug? BTW, I've been taking Wellbutrin for about 8 years, and the SR for about 3 or 4. Never noticed the smell with the original tabs, only with the SR.
Comments?
jp
Posted by utopizen on March 16, 2003, at 13:14:22
In reply to Re: wellbutrin equals rotten eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by jpar on March 15, 2003, at 17:07:10
Back when I was using it (I've used many different SSRIs for my social phobia, and they've done nothing for me) I always wondered why they didn't just add a fragrance to it. I mean, they do add dyes, so why not fragrances?
Posted by theoddsr on May 31, 2003, at 21:51:38
In reply to Re: wellbutrin equals rotten eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by utopizen on March 16, 2003, at 13:14:22
Hi...just wanted to let you know that I get this smell in every bottle of Wellbutrin I get, so I became concerned and asked the pharmacist. He smelled it and said it was normal. Hope this helps.
Posted by MB on June 1, 2003, at 11:32:20
In reply to Re: wellbutrin equals rotten eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by theoddsr on May 31, 2003, at 21:51:38
Interestingly, though, I've smelled the rotton egg smell from the extended release (the cock-eyed smiley-faced purple ones), but I've never smelled that nasty sulfer smell from the immediate release reds or yellows--curious whether Zyban stinks like this as well (they're also SR). This could be because the sustained release tabs containe cysteine hydrochloride, and the immediate release tablets don't. Cysteine is a sulfer containing amino acid.
MB
ps. I read a Rolling Stone interview with Christina Ricci where she pulled out her bottle of Wellbutrin SR during the interview and asked the interviewer to smell the pills. She made some comment about how awful they smelled. So, they stink even for movie stars, so that's comforting in a really sick way, I guess.
Posted by Snoozy on June 1, 2003, at 15:31:05
In reply to WB SR contains sulfer (cysteine HCl), posted by MB on June 1, 2003, at 11:32:20
Thanks for the tidbit about Christina Ricci - very interesting and a good chuckle.
In cleaning out my closet a few weeks ago, I came across a bottle of Wellbutrin from 10 years ago - the non-SR. Curious, I took a whiff - no smell. When I first started on the SR, I called the pharmacy because of the funny odor.
I just wonder if there isn't a way they can cover that up? I've taken other SR drugs that didn't smell. My favorite drug manufacturer is Abbott labs. I've had 2 different drugs from them, and there's always this sweet, candy-like scent. Mmmmm. Maybe Glaxo's got some subliminal psychology thing going on - if it smells awful, it must be good for you?
> Interestingly, though, I've smelled the rotton egg smell from the extended release (the cock-eyed smiley-faced purple ones), but I've never smelled that nasty sulfer smell from the immediate release reds or yellows--curious whether Zyban stinks like this as well (they're also SR). This could be because the sustained release tabs containe cysteine hydrochloride, and the immediate release tablets don't. Cysteine is a sulfer containing amino acid.
>
> MB
>
> ps. I read a Rolling Stone interview with Christina Ricci where she pulled out her bottle of Wellbutrin SR during the interview and asked the interviewer to smell the pills. She made some comment about how awful they smelled. So, they stink even for movie stars, so that's comforting in a really sick way, I guess.
>
>
Posted by Kathii on June 1, 2003, at 15:53:36
In reply to Re: WB SR contains sulfer (cysteine HCl) » MB, posted by Snoozy on June 1, 2003, at 15:31:05
My pharmacy puts in the charcoal filter in the bottle, which cuts back on the smell. I guess the smell is good if you have kids - if they get into it, it stinks, so they won't think it's candy.
I remember when I was a kid, I got into my mom's rolaids, thinking they were certs - bleeeaahh!
This is the end of the thread.
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