Wellbutrin and weight??

pbandz

I have recently been switched from Effexor to Wellbutrin as an antidepressant and my doctor said I may lose weight. My weight before starting two weeks ago was 113-114 lb and I'm averaging around 111lb right now. My question is, I know people take it and lose weight but being im already a healthy weight, should I expect I'll lose any more weight? I had gained 6 pounds on the Effexor so I'm down three . Thanks

futuremanda

Drugs affect everyone very differently. So I'd adopt a wait-and-see approach, or talk to your doctor about it.

fevrale

The reason that Wellbutrin would affect weight loss is because it acts as an appetite suppressant for a moderate percentage of people who take it. The expected Wellbutrin weight loss is only around 5 pounds on average. If you don't want or need to lose weight, just eat as you normally do even if you're not feeling hungry. It won't make you just lose weight; it just might affect your appetite.

victoire713

I've had weight loss while on Wellbutrin, but since having my mood stabilizer upped, my weight doesn't know what it wants to do with itself. I do blame myself though, for the gain I had during the 2 months I had gone without a weigh in, because of the holidays and the ever-present eating. Now that the holidays are over, I'm pretty sure the weight loss will continue.

I haven't had much bad effects with Wellbutrin, but of course that's just me saying that because I have it coupled with a mood stabilizer to prevent becoming manic(I'm Bipolar Type 2, and if I were to take the Wellbutrin by itself, uhoh I'd have mania like uv never seen before).

I would also give it a wait and see on the weight side of things with Wellbutrin. Like I say, different spokes for different folks. That also goes for meds. Good luck!

Kenda2427

I had a weight loss for the first little while as I had no appetite but it returned after a couple of months. Nice while it lasted. Lol

FatFreeFrolicking

Wellbutrin is considered 'weight-neutral'... Meaning it isn't known to cause weight gain or weight loss.

wishiwasarunner

fevrale wrote: »

The reason that Wellbutrin would affect weight loss is because it acts as an appetite suppressant for a moderate percentage of people who take it. The expected Wellbutrin weight loss is only around 5 pounds on average. If you don't want or need to lose weight, just eat as you normally do even if you're not feeling hungry. It won't make you just lose weight; it just might affect your appetite.

That - talk to your doctor if it becomes an issue - but you probably will not notice much of a change

lemon629

Years ago I also switched from Effexor to Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin was weight neutral for me. (I packed on the pounds with Effexor, though.)

Wellbutrin also didn't have much of an anti-depressant affect for me, either. So my dose was increased which then made me constipated and gave me headaches and acne. Obviously I didn't stay on it for long.

HeySwoleSister

I gained 35 pounds in the month I was on Effexor and the week I spent getting off it. (I had a life-threatening side effect on top of the other typical ones, blergh) I maintained there for 5 years and then gained 5 pounds more this year and pitched a wobbly finally and joined MFP in October.

If you are at all prone to binging or emotional eating, Effexor may have also exacerbated that problem. I was told after the fact that it tends to stimulate the same dopamine receptors as addictions do, which is why many people have insane alcohol cravings on it and others develop major shopping problems. I know that Wellbutrin is sold under another name for smoking cessation, not sure if it also quells other quasi-addictive impulses.

fevrale

lemon629 wrote: »

Years ago I also switched from Effexor to Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin was weight neutral for me. (I packed on the pounds with Effexor, though.)

Wellbutrin also didn't have much of an anti-depressant affect for me, either. So my dose was increased which then made me constipated and gave me headaches and acne. Obviously I didn't stay on it for long.

Acne is my side effect too

Liftng4Lis

futuremanda wrote: »

Drugs affect everyone very differently. So I'd adopt a wait-and-see approach, or talk to your doctor about it.

This

Holla4mom

Considering your weight is already so low, I'd let your doctor know if you are concerned about weight loss (or are you trying to get lower than 111?). There are other anti-depressants that either don't affect appetite, or even seem to increase it.

lemon629

EWJLang wrote: »

I gained 35 pounds in the month I was on Effexor and the week I spent getting off it. (I had a life-threatening side effect on top of the other typical ones, blergh) I maintained there for 5 years and then gained 5 pounds more this year and pitched a wobbly finally and joined MFP in October.

If you are at all prone to binging or emotional eating, Effexor may have also exacerbated that problem. I was told after the fact that it tends to stimulate the same dopamine receptors as addictions do, which is why many people have insane alcohol cravings on it and others develop major shopping problems. I know that Wellbutrin is sold under another name for smoking cessation, not sure if it also quells other quasi-addictive impulses.

My goodness, this is the first I've heard about there being a connection between Effexor and over shopping, perhaps even worse than my horrendous weight gain. This was a HUGE problem for me when I was on Effexor. I told my doctor about it, and she just laughed it off. So then of course I thought full steam ahead! And everything got much, much worse. Other doctors I told about this shopping problem seemed to not believe me.

I also think it's the cause of the fibromyalgia/ chronic fatigue syndrome or whatever it is that I have. I think it also changed something in me where I am extremely sensitive to medications and also very prone to insomnia.

Effexor almost ruined my life.

HeySwoleSister

lemon629 wrote: »

EWJLang wrote: »

I gained 35 pounds in the month I was on Effexor and the week I spent getting off it. (I had a life-threatening side effect on top of the other typical ones, blergh) I maintained there for 5 years and then gained 5 pounds more this year and pitched a wobbly finally and joined MFP in October.

If you are at all prone to binging or emotional eating, Effexor may have also exacerbated that problem. I was told after the fact that it tends to stimulate the same dopamine receptors as addictions do, which is why many people have insane alcohol cravings on it and others develop major shopping problems. I know that Wellbutrin is sold under another name for smoking cessation, not sure if it also quells other quasi-addictive impulses.

My goodness, this is the first I've heard about there being a connection between Effexor and over shopping, perhaps even worse than my horrendous weight gain. This was a HUGE problem for me when I was on Effexor. I told my doctor about it, and she just laughed it off. So then of course I thought full steam ahead! And everything got much, much worse. Other doctors I told about this shopping problem seemed to not believe me.

I also think it's the cause of the fibromyalgia/ chronic fatigue syndrome or whatever it is that I have. I think it also changed something in me where I am extremely sensitive to medications and also very prone to insomnia.

Effexor almost ruined my life.

"Effexor almost ruined my life" is a common statement. Except many people leave out the almost. I never would have filled the prescription if I'd read up on it, I was really down with PPD and had tried several other meds before, otherwise? NO WAY. The withdrawals can be brutal, too, so anyone coming off it should be gentle with themselves. I was taken off early b/c of side effects (I went into serotonin syndrome...and was ONLY taking Effexor, not other drugs as well) and the withdrawal was still rough. People who take it for a long time really suffer sometimes.

missdrylove

fevrale wrote: »

lemon629 wrote: »

Years ago I also switched from Effexor to Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin was weight neutral for me. (I packed on the pounds with Effexor, though.)

Wellbutrin also didn't have much of an anti-depressant affect for me, either. So my dose was increased which then made me constipated and gave me headaches and acne. Obviously I didn't stay on it for long.

Acne is my side effect too

missdrylove

I'm on wellbutrin also and I've barely beentaking it for 3 weeks now for ADHD its also help me to stop smoking as far as weight loss I've heard a lot of people lose weight off of it lol I hope so for me ....we will see

HeySwoleSister

missdrylove wrote: »

I'm on wellbutrin also and I've barely beentaking it for 3 weeks now for ADHD its also help me to stop smoking as far as weight loss I've heard a lot of people lose weight off of it lol I hope so for me ....we will see

Do you find it helps with the ADHD? I found that Adderall helped my depression, so I wonder if Wellbutrin wouldn't be a good choice for me if I ever need an anti-depressant again. (Ooooh, Adderall/Wellbutrin double whammy! Maybe my office would FINALLY stop looking like an outtake from Hoarders!)

Also, not gonna lie, I've heard Wellbutrin doesn't have THAT side effect that most SSRIs have. Any Y/N on that from those who have taken other medicines and know what I'm talking about?

lemon629

I have ADD. I did not notice Wellbutrin helping with that at all. Wellbutrin was just a big did for me all the way around.

I take Adderall and have noticed a slight AD effect which I like. I haven't told my doctor, though, because I thought she might not like my saying that for some reason.

The side effect to which you refer was a problem for me on Paxil. Effexor seemed to do the opposite, increase rather than suppress. Prozac had the same effect as Effexor, but even more so, to the point it was a problem. Wellbutrin was once again, neutral.

HeySwoleSister

lemon629 wrote: »

I have ADD. I did not notice Wellbutrin helping with that at all. Wellbutrin was just a big did for me all the way around.

I take Adderall and have noticed a slight AD effect which I like. I haven't told my doctor, though, because I thought she might not like my saying that for some reason.

The side effect to which you refer was a problem for me on Paxil. Effexor seemed to do the opposite, increase rather than suppress. Prozac had the same effect as Effexor, but even more so, to the point it was a problem. Wellbutrin was once again, neutral.

The Voldemort side effect? For me, Effexor was the same as Prozac and whatever the other one was that I took (generic for Paxil or Zoloft, I think). Wanted the thing just the same. Couldn't GET to the thing. Ugh.

And, yeah. If your main depression symptom is apathy and lethargy, Adderall can help a whole heluva lot. At least that was my experience.

lemon629

The side effect to which I thought you were referring was sexual function/ desire.

I hesitate to admit Adderall has an AD effect for me because I don't want her to try to put me on an AD. I hate them all and don't really have depression, I just like the slight lift Adderall gives me in addition to helping with ADD. It's barely noticeable and I can do without it. Some doctors seem to get very excited about anything I say so I've gotten very careful.

HeySwoleSister

lemon629 wrote: »

The side effect to which I thought you were referring was sexual function/ desire.

I hesitate to admit Adderall has an AD effect for me because I don't want her to try to put me on an AD. I hate them all and don't really have depression, I just like the slight lift Adderall gives me in addition to helping with ADD. It's barely noticeable and I can do without it. Some doctors seem to get very excited about anything I say so I've gotten very careful.

Yeah, I was talking about what they call "loss of libido," but for me and for most of my friends that have been on SSRIs, the problem hasn't really been a loss of desire, it's been a loss of ability to, er...get to the goal line? Very frustrating.

I was diagnosed with ADD after I had to go off ADs. I did mention that I noticed the AD effect to my prescriber, and she said that was pretty typical...relief from frustrations related to ADD and just the stimulant boost can counter many depression symptoms. Considering that my main one was wanting to crawl into bed and sleep for the next 20 years, the Adderall made a huge difference...not only did I get a little get up and go, but I miraculously could do actual productive things for more than 30 seconds sustained at a time!

lemon629

I had that problem with Paxil, but none of the others. In fact when I was on Prozac, my sex drive was incredibly high (too high) and no problems with reaching the goal.

ashleycde

Taking Wellbutrin will not cause you lose weight.

Taking Wellbutrin may cause appetite suppression.

Appetite suppression may cause you to lose weight.

Not eating due to appetite suppression will cause you to lose weight.

Does that make sense?

I had problems in college losing too much weight due to a medication because of its appetite suppressant qualities, and I found drinking Ensure +calories helped because I found it almost impossible to remember to eat (which seems crazy now, but I course overloaded and neglected my health by really overdoing it while in school). Now that I know better, however, I would suggest snacking on calorie-dense foods if you find yourself skipping meals (avocado and nuts are good for this).

pbandz

I was put on Wellbutrin because I was having concentration issues and I couldn't sit still. It worked to at least help me focus better but I don't have ADHD. My goal weight is ~106 but I'm 5'1". I noticed my metabolism slowing down on Effexor because going onto it my diet did not change and I gained some weight. I even began strict dieting and I've been working out more, but being on a weight neutral med, those few pounds are going away since I think my metabolism is going back to normal.
But yea Wellbutrin may not be my best option, my doc has my diagnosed as bipolar and my moods been really weird on this so ya. Thanks for all the responses

mkakids

lemon629 wrote: »

The side effect to which I thought you were referring was sexual function/ desire.

I hesitate to admit Adderall has an AD effect for me because I don't want her to try to put me on an AD. I hate them all and don't really have depression, I just like the slight lift Adderall gives me in addition to helping with ADD. It's barely noticeable and I can do without it. Some doctors seem to get very excited about anything I say so I've gotten very careful.

I agree...I'm on vyvanse for ADD and love the "lift" I get from it!