Wellbutrin

I take the same and I find it easier to lose weight with it. Weight loss is one of the side effects. I find that it helps decrease my appetite a bit.

Wellbutrin is one of the few brain meds that doesn't cause weight gain (normally.) Worse case scenario, you may not lose *because of it* but you won't gain *because of it* either.

newwed412 wrote: »

Last week my doctor prescribed me 150mg of Wellbutrin. I am so afraid it's going to make me gain weight. Anyone here taking it or has taken it? Any feedback? Thanks in advance!

I have lost weight on Wellbutrin and I have gained weight on it. The Wellbutrin had no direct effect on my weight.

Psychoactive drugs CAN interfere with hunger signals in some people which makes them overeat (or undereat). If you turn out to be one of those, just continue to religiously weigh, measure, and log and trust the numbers instead of your feelings.

One good thing about antidepressants is that they can help you feel more in control of your life and more willing to get out there and do things. These are both good things when trying to lose weight or get healthier. I have been on them for 15 years (took a while to find the right one). You will generally feel a placebo effect in about a week or so. Wait 4-6 weeks to determine if it really is helping. If Wellbutrin isn't the right one for you, there are so many more. Each one is a little different and affects the patient differently. Having a committed doctor & therapist to help you navigate this is the best thing.

i lost weight when i started welbutrin.

I've been taking Wellbutrin for years along with Prozac. Both do what they are supposed to do which is keep the clinical depression under control. I think their effect on weight is exaggerated -- I've never experienced any effect. What does work is the appropriate treatment of depression. If you are not busy with depression you have brain time to concentrate on "eating right" (whatever that means for you). I find I am less likely to self-medicate with bread and butter if I'm not miserable.

I lost 20lbs pretty quickly on wellbutrin (for situational depression). I was about 30lbs overweight at the time. I started it the same time I started MFP. It cut my appetite big time. That effect did wear off after a few months but really helped jumpstart my loss. My mental state also improved instantly which encouraged me to be more positive, energetic and proactive about losing. It was the best thing ever for me at the time.
I went off of it with no issues and no weight gain later on (with doctor's oversight).

My mental health benefits were not instant. It took about 2 or 3 weeks for me to start feeling a bit different. Just in case you are taking it for mental health and not for weight loss or smoking cessation.

I've been on Wellbutrin twice, and one thing I would suggest when you're starting out - take it in the morning. The first time it gave me really anxious dreams and I ended up switching to Cymbalta for years. The second time I switched from Cymbalta to Wellbutrin and for a while I just couldn't go to sleep if I took it right before bed. I noticed the "speedy" feeling as someone else put it about two weeks after starting it. Since the main reason for switching was that I was tired all the time, sleeping a lot, etc., that was the change we were looking for and it evened out in time.

I didn't connect it at the time, but it was shortly after I started on Wellbutrin that I started losing weight, mainly because I had the energy to think about cooking food at home and planning ahead instead of eating fast food and skipping meals half the time. I've lost 40 lbs and working on the more stubborn next 30. So I wouldn't worry, like everyone else said.

My doc prescribed it to mitigate the effects of Hashimoto's (my thyroid levels are in the normal range, but I still have all the symptoms). I noticed a big difference in my symptoms (including weight loss) the first 6 months or so, but then they tapered off. I am on the lowest dose and have been for 1 1/2 years. I want to ask my doc to up my dose, but I also don't want to rely on a medication I don't actually need to use for the intended purpose (though there may be some depression in the mix but my doctor and therapist have never recommended meds specifically for depression). Another problem is my doctor for the past 10 years is moving 4 hours away so now I have to find a new doc that is willing to even prescribe the Wellbutrin for non-depression related reasons...

newwed412 wrote: »

I am not taking for weight loss as I have already lost 45 pounds and only have about 5 pounds left to lose. I am taking it because of depression/anxiety. A few years ago I took some medicine for the same thing and it made me gain weight rapidly. I was hesitant to take anything again for fear I would gain weight after I worked so hard on my own without any medication. But my anxiety has gotten so bad that I need something to help with that.

arrghmatey1 wrote: »

Wellbutrin was offered to me by my doctor six months ago to help me loose weight and I weighed 317.6lbs.
I took it for a week and got very little sleep.
Felt like an impulsive squirrel... stopped taking it immediately.
Six months later I weigh 252.4 lbs.
Tightened up on logging and MADE time to meal prep.
Sometimes the old ways are the best ... My opinion is if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Just remember that no medication will "make" you gain weight (other than things like steroids that cause water retention). You gain weight when you eat more than you burn. Antidepressants are not known for lowering the metabolism. Some of them ARE known for affecting the hunger signals to the brain making people eat more. Since you have already been losing, you know how to eat. I assume you have been weighing, measuring, and logging. Trust the numbers, not hunger signals and you will be fine.

pageohana6 wrote: »

Doc prescribed it for depression. When he said it'll also help with weight loss in some ppl I got excited. I honestly didn't lose any weight. My appetite didn't decrease. What did happen was my mood turned into rage. I would get upset/bothered by just about any and everything. I stopped using it. I was on it for about 2 months. Funny as I used it a year prior and quit because of the anger mood, forgot about that, tried it again, same thing. So no Wellbutrin for me.

I experienced similar symptoms. It made my depression and anxiety way worse. I was unable to control my moods at all... uncontrollable crying at the drop of a hat and actually had suicidal thoughts.. like a plan in my head and everything. So scary I stopped it immediately. I never lost any weight but didn't really have any to lose at the time either and was only on it for about a month. I was in a terrible relationship at the time and it was the source of all my depression and anxiety. Haven't needed anything since I left . Pay close attention to how you are feeling both mentally and physically... and get to the doctor immediately if anything seems off. You know your body best!