Wellbutrin and weight loss

I'm fixing to start taking the generic of welbutrin tomorrow along with Topamax any input would help! I am always nervous to start something new. I have never been one to take anything

Keep an eye on what you are eating.

The one thing I have noticed is that the medications I take for depression and anxiety make me feel hungrier. However, I simply stick to my calorie goals and have no issues. Hopefully my body will start to level out with it though. I do have to spread out my food a bit more to deal with the hunger better. I find foods high in protein and fat help keep the hunger away longer.

I was in your same situation. Gained a few pounds on celexa so asked my Dr to switch me to wellbutrin. I easily lost the weight I had gained on celexa but have not lost additional weight. It does suppress appetite for the first couple of weeks (you may also feel jittery) but that goes away after a while. Good luck!

I have taken several ADs in the past, including Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin was my least favorite. It did not seem to do much for my depression issues. It did not help me lose any of my Effexor fat, either. Instead I noticed the following problems:

- almost daily headaches (started after a dose increase)
- constipation (and I hardly ever have that problem!) (also started after a dose increase)
- acne (also after dose increase)
- extreme sensitivity to alcohol-- two glasses of wine would make me drunk and even vomit. I usually have a very high tolerance.
- overly talkative to the point my jaw would start to hurt! I know I was annoying but could seem to stop myself.
- unusually angry outbursts

I took it for about six months before I gave up on it. All of the above went away within a week or two of quitting it.

Frankly, all those anti-depressants caused more problems than they fixed. Good counseling is what helped me. As I felt better about myself, the extra fat started to come off.

Wellbutrin can help with weight loss however, if you have a major negative change in your life while taking it, I have seen suicidal tendencies; make sure to monitor that carefully and if you have any thoughts along those lines, consult your doctor immediately -- emergency room if after hours. That can be very serious. Also, never stop taking Wellbutrin except under a doctor's supervision. That can be a very dangerous situation including seizures.

Okay....so I took Lexapro 10mg a day for 10 years. Over those years, I was peri-menopausal and I gained 20 pounds. I could not drop it no matter what I did. We checked thyroid, etc. Nothing came back. Just eat less. Just exercise more. NOTHING WORKED. When I reached 140, I decided I had HAD it and wanted to try something else. I did my research and thought Wellbutrin MIGHT just be the magic bullet. I had a stressful year. Probably NOT the best time to start a different medication. LOL Sold a house. Built a house. Moved in with another family, WITH my family and 2 dogs and 2 cats. Rented and moved out on the worst possible day of the year - RAIN RAIN RAIN. Awful. Began rehearsals for show in which I had the lead. Had a mini TIA early September without any warning signs. Daughter went into the hospital 4 days after my release due to seasonal allergies and the new house fumes. Watching your 10 year old daughter struggle to breath is very very scary. Opened the show. Held a HUGE 90th birthday party for my father. Came back and started FINALLY working on the house and unpacking. Decorated the new house for Christmas, bought all of my gifts, wrapped them and had just bought all of the food for the Christmas Eve meal at 1:00 on December 19th and 3 hours later was in the emergency room with my 90 year old father who was having what we thought was a sever heart attack (my husband is a doc and called me). Well....he had major surgery and on December 30th, my birthday I moved him out of the hospital and into a rehab facility. Falls, more hospitalizations, moving him out of his apartment and a decline in health is where we now stand on March 31st. WHEW...! So, all of these were going on as my body started to do the following: I cut out alcohol. I started eating on smaller plates. I had a little low grade nausea that made me less hungry. I get cold, but still have hot flashes that make me sweat something awful. I continued to go to Jazzercise 3-4 days a week. Slept well. Have lots of good energy. When people saw the show back in October, they all noticed my weight loss. "You look great!" My clothes have gotten bigger and I have gone from a 10-12 to a 2-4. In January, I went to show and someone was taking photos. I saw them later that night on FB and was shocked. I did not think I looked good. Dark circles and my coloring looked off. I looked too skinny! I had a physical in March. Everything came back good EXCEPT my labs which showed a possible thyroid issue. Hyperthyroid? Who knows. I am going to see a PCP next week and then the next day an endocrinologist. I hope this is nothing or something that is not life threathing. I won't say I am not concerned, but I don't know what it is. All I can say, is getting off the Lexapro and starting the Wellbutrin did make a change in my weight. I will keep you posted. Good luck to all.

Okay....so I took Lexapro 10mg a day for 10 years. Over those years, I was peri-menopausal and I gained 20 pounds. I could not drop it no matter what I did. We checked thyroid, etc. Nothing came back. Just eat less. Just exercise more. NOTHING WORKED. When I reached 140, I decided I had HAD it and wanted to try something else. I did my research and thought Wellbutrin MIGHT just be the magic bullet. I had a stressful year. Probably NOT the best time to start a different medication. LOL Sold a house. Built a house. Moved in with another family, WITH my family and 2 dogs and 2 cats. Rented and moved out on the worst possible day of the year - RAIN RAIN RAIN. Awful. Began rehearsals for show in which I had the lead. Had a mini TIA early September without any warning signs. Daughter went into the hospital 4 days after my release due to seasonal allergies and the new house fumes. Watching your 10 year old daughter struggle to breath is very very scary. Opened the show. Held a HUGE 90th birthday party for my father. Came back and started FINALLY working on the house and unpacking. Decorated the new house for Christmas, bought all of my gifts, wrapped them and had just bought all of the food for the Christmas Eve meal at 1:00 on December 19th and 3 hours later was in the emergency room with my 90 year old father who was having what we thought was a sever heart attack (my husband is a doc and called me). Well....he had major surgery and on December 30th, my birthday I moved him out of the hospital and into a rehab facility. Falls, more hospitalizations, moving him out of his apartment and a decline in health is where we now stand on March 31st. WHEW...! So, all of these were going on as my body started to do the following: I cut out alcohol. I started eating on smaller plates. I had a little low grade nausea that made me less hungry. I get cold, but still have hot flashes that make me sweat something awful. I continued to go to Jazzercise 3-4 days a week. Slept well. Have lots of good energy. When people saw the show back in October, they all noticed my weight loss. "You look great!" My clothes have gotten bigger and I have gone from a 10-12 to a 2-4. In January, I went to show and someone was taking photos. I saw them later that night on FB and was shocked. I did not think I looked good. Dark circles and my coloring looked off. I looked too skinny! I had a physical in March. Everything came back good EXCEPT my labs which showed a possible thyroid issue. Hyperthyroid? Who knows. I am going to see a PCP next week and then the next day an endocrinologist. I hope this is nothing or something that is not life threathing. I won't say I am not concerned, but I don't know what it is. All I can say, is getting off the Lexapro and starting the Wellbutrin did make a change in my weight. I will keep you posted. Good luck to all.

A friend of mine gave me two good pieces of advice. One is that in real depression, it's not like we can just work our way out of it. I have been seeing a trauma therapist for two years now--suffering from PTSD.

The second thing he said is to keep a journal when you start a med, so you pay attention to cue's and what it tells you. Good advice as I started. Because I notice I can't drink caffeine on this. Why I thought today, when I stepped up the full dose it would be ok to drink two cups of regular coffee is beyond me! Super jittery episode! But because I had been paying attention...I took steps to bring it back....10 minutes of calming/meditation and some sleepy time tea...in the morning but it helped.

As far as weight loss....7.40 pounds in a week! And I'm the type that I can do almost anything and will not lose weight! I've run 5 1/2 marathons but I work out/eat healthy and lose maybe .30 of a pound. I'm sure some of it has to do with the chemical imbalance and stress from what created the PTSD but it sure was demoralizing...

Now I will see if it works for depression.

It works very well for me, no problems, it's been a lifesaver. It didn't take too long to work, less than 2 weeks in my case. You can get the generic form (which I use) at Kroger's pharmacy 3 months worth of 150 mg twice a day for around $65!! It was far less expensive than anywhere around here anyway & that's the price without insurance. I shopped around. I hear if there's a Harvey's grocery store nearby with a pharmacy it is even less--friend of mine says it's one of their $4/month prescriptions.
Edit: I did find that taking a good Vitamin D3 supplement helps the medication work especially if you can't get outside in the sunshine very often.

Hey guy's I just joined so here is some of my story, I've been depressed for many years guess since my late teen's I am 42 now never wanted help as in meds or therapy two months ago I went to my first appointment and one month ago today I started taking wellbutrin.. like many of you I am dealing with mental illness issues that have controlled my life for many, many years and am trying to take control of my life. For the first time yesterday I laughed I was listening to the radio and the d j said something funny I haven't laughed or even smiled, I don't even remember when. Anyway some of you have been asking about the weight loss and lack of appetite it as amazing I no longer want to eat I went from eating 24/7 to just one meal a day. I haven't checked my weight yet be cause I gained a lot of weight over the last year after losing about 180lbs I know you guys will say it is not healthy to only eat 1 meal a day but who cares lol , I'm happy that there might be weight loss with/due to these meds I've been taking 150mg and was just put on 300mg today. Anyway thanks for your time and listening to me ramble sorry if there are any errors in my spelling but its late and I took a sleeping pill before I found this blog...

I was on Wellbutrin for approximately 3 months. I lost about 18 pounds on it. I didn't have much of an appetite. I am not sure though if it was the drug or not. It seems like most people I know on it either lose or maintain their weight. So at least for those I know it didn't cause weight gain.

Can Everyone please specify whether they are on WB XL or WB SR? I think there is a difference.

I started Prozac 20mg once a day early in 2012 after finding out my mother had stage 4 breast cancer. Prozac numbed me and helped me cope with the overwhelming emotions. I have always been a kind and very sensitive person who carries the weight of my friend's and family's issues on my shoulders, and deal with it by rambling on and on with whoever is present and will listen. The Prozac put a stop to all that. I was not bothered with other people's problems, problems that I was powerless to do anything about anyway.

On Prozac I lost 6 lbs within 2 weeks, but was numb and had Zero libido. So the doctor added WB SR 150 once a day. In about 2 weeks on those two medicines I decided to stop the Prozac bcz I had no motivation to get off of the sofa. On just the WB SR 150, motivation returned in about a month as did my libido. But I couldn't sleep, had memory lapses, ringing in my ears sometimes, and constipation.

Later in 2012 I started WB XL 150 when my doctor accidentally prescribed it instead of SR. I liked the XL better than the SR, because I slept better, had less of the memory loss side effects, no more constipation, and rarely had the ringing in my ears. Maybe bcz of the slower, steadier release of the meds into my system over a 24 hours period.

On WB SR 150, I didn't lose or gain back the weight I had lost on Prozac, even though I did not exercise. On WB XL 150, I gained back the weight and then some within a month. Both made me crave sweets, but the SR made me happy to just eat about 6 to 10 Jolly Ranchers nearly every day. On WB XL, I ate bread, high fat sweets like donuts and cake, and rich cheesy meaty meals. And now the XL had started to affect my sleep.

I stopped taking WB XL three weeks ago, because I was tired of the lack of sleep side effect, increased carb cravings, and lack of creativity in my book writing. Result: I slept better after the first few days, and had decreased carb cravings. But I did not write one word, and began stressing and ranting over annoying things I could do nothing about. Plus I put on weight and retained lots of water while eating less than I had been eating on the WB XL and exercising the same as I had been.

I started WB SR 150 again today because I don't like who I am off of it. It gave me peace of mind and evened out my emotions. Weight gain or loss is not my goal with the meds, but I certainly hope I don't gain.

Thanks everyone for keeping the community posted on your experience with WB. :flowerforyou:

Im on wellbutrin right now. And I lost 15lbs in 6 days. Ik its not healthy but im under a doctors care. He also told me to eat gluten free. I havent had much energy to do anything tho.

I got put on Celexa 20mg and was on it for almost a year I have gained 30lbs! And I have lost my sex drive. I am starting wellbutrin xl 150 tomorrow (I have to continue celexa too as I wean off)... I hope it makes me lose weight!

I took Wellbutrin for two months. It suppressed my appetite, but also prevented me from focusing very well and made me get agitated very easily... The very little weight loss I experienced was not worth it and I packed the weight back on after I got off the meds.

Can't help you. I took Wellbutrin a number of years ago and although I had terrible tremors from it, I found it a great way to lose weight. I was sorry to go off it, but the tremors were pretty bad.