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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Klavot on April 18, 2006, at 14:29:37
To use 120 mg / day of Wellbutrin, would the following work?
Crush and dissolve a 150 mg SR tablet in 1 litre of water (or fruit juice), and then drink only 800 ml of that over an extended period of time (say 6 hours) so as to simulate the slow release properties of the tablets.
I ask because my pharmacist gave me a stern "no" when I asked him, and the Wellbutrin SR insert also advises against this, yet I seem to think that it can be done.
Posted by curtm on April 18, 2006, at 15:06:04
In reply to Wellbutrin dose tweak, posted by Klavot on April 18, 2006, at 14:29:37
From my understanding Wellbutrin mean levels are regulated through its extended release. System levels taper up when starting, and levels taper off after discontinuing. So with that in mind, instead of taking (5)150mg doses every (5)days (that's one per day), you cold take (4)150mg doses every (5)days (that's one per 1.25 days.) Sound silly? The level averages out to 120mg per day. However I am not a pharmacist or a doctor.
Posted by bassman on April 18, 2006, at 16:08:01
In reply to Wellbutrin dose tweak, posted by Klavot on April 18, 2006, at 14:29:37
You don't want to use Wellbutrin XL instead or have lots of SR? As a chemist, I'd be concerned about the aqueous stability of wellbutrin-that is, does it decompose to something else in those 6 hours? My guess, and it is only that, is that it does not decompose (people used to do much the same thing with Prozac in cranberry juice when they started treatment to avoid over-stimulation)-but I don't think it's worth finding out by trying it...your idea is reasonable in the absence of drug degradation. You could also just break the tablet into pieces and have a piece every hour or so...but as I said, that's why there is XL.
Posted by Violetskyye on April 18, 2006, at 20:42:57
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin dose tweak, posted by bassman on April 18, 2006, at 16:08:01
I just spoke to my pharmacist today, and he said, with any extended release tablet, you should never crush it or split it. It screws up whatever the scientific formulation is that permits it to release slowly. [I know, that sounds really unscientific.]
Anyway, we had this discussion, because my doctor wanted me to cut an Effexor XR in half, and I remembered hearing you are not supposed to do this, and the pharmacy confirmed that I have to get a prescription for regular Effexor to do that.
I was also on Wellbutrin and had the same issue. When it was time to get off of it, I got a prescription for regular Wellbutrin, so I could cut up the tablets and take less and less.
Anyway, if you're on 150, why not just get 100SR and take in the morning, and then take a small does later in the day, which would accomplish the same thing.
Legal disclaimer: I am neither a doctor nor a pharmacist, so don't necessarily do whatever I advise. LOL.
Posted by minimal on April 18, 2006, at 21:56:08
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin dose tweak, posted by Violetskyye on April 18, 2006, at 20:42:57
I think you can definitely split an extended release pill. In fact, I have added 75mgs Wellbutrin to my regimen just in the past 5 days. I have been cutting a 150 SR in half with a pill cutter (because I already have them from an earlier prescription).
Obviously, once you split the coating (which controls the prolonged release), it will no longer act as an extended release pill (thus, I believe, the warning. The logic seems to be that you do not want to split a large dose and take it all at once because it will be administered all at once with no slow release effect). This logic works differently for a capsule with "pellets" inside, because then you have to count each pellet. But I can't imagine that a split 150 Wellbutrin SR would act any differently than a 75 immediate release. My pdoc says it's fine as well.
Now, as for the mixing a very specific dose in a beverage, I dunno. How could you be assured that the 800ml you drink on one day has exactly 120 mg of wellbutrin? My guess is that there is an equal or greater possibility for inconsistency in this method of administration than if you just did splits with a pill cutter.
Why not just follow some of the advice offered by previous posters?
-Mini
This is the end of the thread.
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