Wellbutrin pro's and con's

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bulldog2006x
bulldog2006x Posts: 6 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Looking for anyone with any experience with this for weight loss??
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  • lois1231
    lois1231 Posts: 331 Member
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    I am on it and it doesn't seemed to have hindered my weight loss. I am down 28 pounds already since January.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited March 2018
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    I haven't had any weight related effects from being on Wellbutrin, but side-effects are really individual. Just remember that there's nothing about most meds (including wellbutrin) that directly cause you to gain or lose weight - what they do for some people is influence their appetite, so if you're careful, you can compensate for that.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
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    Rx_Keto wrote: »
    Pro: stimulant based (amphetamine like structure but not a controlled substance, 2 carbons shy of diethylpropion, a C4/control substance category 4) helpful for improving daytime lethargy/malaise/asthenia/somnolence, weight loss (a few pounds is typical from baseline starting weight; myself even relatively lean (BMI ~22 even with years of lifting) took off 2-3 lbs from baseline, can help improve concentration/attention span (off-label ADHD). Other labeled uses: smoking cessation/seasonal affective disorder/neuropathic pain (off label), weight loss (in combination with naltrexone; currently investigational new drug for weight loss with zonisamide/combo). Other big pro is no withdrawal symptoms according to package insert (unlike serotonergic drugs); does not have significant affinity for serotonin subtypes (weak norepinephrine & dopamine reuptake inhibitor, can have benefit for those with Parkinson's like symptoms). Does not affect sexual function/libido

    Cons: anticholinergic (mild) effect of the mouth (dry palate), lowers seizure threshold (not ideal for those with epilepsy), lowers alcohol tolerance, 2D6 substrate inhibitor (strong, interacts with certain medications; this technically could be both an advantage & a disadvantage based on the circumstances), adverse drug reactions: hypertension, tachycardia, tremor, headache, seizure, insomnia, Raynaud's phenomenon, (more), pretty mild for weight loss, XL dose form can show up as a "ghost stool" due to the tablet coating (this really does not matter yet can bother some).

    Just PM me if you want more details (lol)

    Excellent summary! Some folks in my experience can have some trouble with anxiety & body aches/pains abruptly stopping this drug (despite the pharma label) (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC181057/ e.g.)
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    @Rx_Keto what is ghost stool? I googled it and got images for kitchen chairs/stools lol

    OP Wellbutrin is called Zyban here in Australia, it is used as a quit smoking aid, but sounds like it has many other benefits tied to moods.
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Oh, also called a ghost shell...outer shell of tablet can be seen in the feces (ah details).
    Con (omitted): other adverse drug reaction irritability/outbursts of anger/frustration

    I'll keep my thoughts about how I feel about case reports to myself...
  • xLyric
    xLyric Posts: 840 Member
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    I asked my doctor about it for weight loss and she gave it to me for depression instead. It has the benefit of treating depression without the typical side effects. I don't, however, get the energy boost some people get right after taking it. It does give me enough energy that I feel like a normal person throughout the day. So it's helped my weight loss in that I have the energy to do things now, but I would give that credit to the depression getting treated. As far as I know, it has not had any affect on my metabolism.

    Maybe had I started at a 'normal' energy baseline it would give me a boost, energy-wise, but as it is I just feel normal, which is fantastic.

    My alcohol tolerance is GONE, though. :/ And I used to be the one that could drink everyone under the table in school.
  • andreaen
    andreaen Posts: 365 Member
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    I have been on Wellbutrin for 6 years now, and I am *kitten* scared of going off them. I didn't notice any effects on weight at all, but it helped a lot to increase my energy (as I was severely depressed) which of course helps because it made me move more. I can testify to the alcohol tolerance though, it is so cheap to get drunk with them!
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
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    (possible TMI warning) It helped me with weight loss, but it turned my stools into large rocks that were painful to pass. Lowered dosage and it isn't as bad. I just increase the dosage if I have a down swing (I am on the type 2 bipolar roller coaster).
  • emilycramsey19
    emilycramsey19 Posts: 15 Member
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    It never messed with ny weight. It made my anxiety skyrocket though. I coukdnt stay on for longer than a month
  • rdupuy1142
    rdupuy1142 Posts: 21 Member
    edited March 2018
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    A while back I went to a weight specialist (doctor). I hadn't yet figured out what I needed (constant exercise).

    And to make things worse, I cannot exercise to lose weight because it doesn't motivate me. I need constant exercise, but only do it for other reasons (like competition).

    Anyway, back to the weight specialist, he prescribed wellbutrin. He put me on an exercise plan, which I did, but without any motivating reason to do so, and he put me on one of those pills that reduces the room in your stomach.

    The wellbutrin was OK at first, but then one day I had a very scary episode of paranoia where I thought I was dying, and there was nothing wrong with me. I quit those pills pretty quick.

    That's my experience with it, I know it helps others, everyone is different. The whole weight loss doctor "episode" was mostly worthless for me, I think I lost 10 or 15 pounds before gaining it back.

  • its_me_april
    its_me_april Posts: 57 Member
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    I took wellbutrin for several months a few years ago and didn't notice any weight fluctuation during that time. I'm assuming you're taking this for reasons other than weight loss? Good luck!
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Oh, just wanted to add, I personally feel more motivated, energetic, & focused from taking bupropion; you know keep doing the things one enjoys (for me: exercise, diet, art, designing, reading, etc.). Well tolerated for myself as well as family members.

    Yeah, paranoia, anxiety, fear, anger, irritation are the main reasons I witness people discontinue this drug. Palpitations too occasionally (goes along with many of these emotions). Metabolites half life up to 30 hours, wash out in about 5-6 days at most (parent drug half life only 12 hours)
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    CarvedTones wrote: »
    (possible TMI warning) It helped me with weight loss, but it turned my stools into large rocks that were painful to pass. Lowered dosage and it isn't as bad. I just increase the dosage if I have a down swing (I am on the type 2 bipolar roller coaster).

    Do antidepressants make you hypomanic? I have experienced this with everyone I have taken without a mood stabilizer.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    edited March 2018
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    singingflutelady wrote: »
    CarvedTones wrote: »
    (possible TMI warning) It helped me with weight loss, but it turned my stools into large rocks that were painful to pass. Lowered dosage and it isn't as bad. I just increase the dosage if I have a down swing (I am on the type 2 bipolar roller coaster).

    Do antidepressants make you hypomanic? I have experienced this with everyone I have taken without a mood stabilizer.

    Yes, SSRIs do and they tend to give me the grumpy hypomania. Wellbutrin is not an SSRI, but it can also if I don't limit the dosage. When I am down, 225mg helps a lot; 300mg helps a little too much, but it gives me happy puppy hypomania, which is what I usually get if I am unmedicated also. It's sort of fun to me, but I am kind of an arrogant jerk to other people. Not a great career move to show up at work like that much. Lamictal is what works on the other end, limiting the ups (and the downs to some degree).
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
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    singingflutelady wrote: »
    CarvedTones wrote: »
    (possible TMI warning) It helped me with weight loss, but it turned my stools into large rocks that were painful to pass. Lowered dosage and it isn't as bad. I just increase the dosage if I have a down swing (I am on the type 2 bipolar roller coaster).

    Do antidepressants make you hypomanic? I have experienced this with everyone I have taken without a mood stabilizer.

    They can for some people, and for some antidepressants can push them into a manic episode. That's why it's good to be working with a prescriber you have reasonable access to and with whom you've developed a good working relationship.
  • lvsglass
    lvsglass Posts: 90 Member
    edited March 2018
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    I have been taking this at a 150 mg dose for about 5 years. It was at about 3 months after starting the drug that I woke up one day thinking about my weight and just made this decision that I could lose the weight. I never looked back and I am now at an approximate 135 pound weight loss which I have been maintaining 4 years. I don’t know if my weight loss success is related to taking this drug, however, considering that I have been obese all of my adult life until 3 months after I started this drug, I can’t help but believe there is some sort of influence. I have no negative side effects from taking it. I will caution women in particular; at one point in time my doctor advised me to up my dose to 300 mg a day. Within a couple of weeks I was in fetal position pain with my bladder. I had every single test a urologist could dream up, yet nothing was found to be causing the pain. During this time, for other reasons, I decided to lower my drug dose back down to 150 mg a day. It took another four months, but the bladder pain stopped. Since then I’ve done a great deal of research and apparently, this is a drug that can cause severe bladder pain. I learned that most physicians who prescribe this drug have no idea that it can cause severe bladder pain... having said all of that, after 5 years of taking it, I never want to stop.
  • Morgaen73
    Morgaen73 Posts: 2,818 Member
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    I've been on Wellbutrin since mod-December 2017. Initially there was quite a bit of weight loss but I suspect the stimulant part helped me to focus on work so I got so busy I forgot to eat. After the first to weeks I cant say it had any impact on weight loss.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited April 2018
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    I didn’t know they prescribed this for weight loss specifically. I took Wellbutrin years ago for depression and I lost a ton of weight, unintentionally. I didn’t really have any weight to lose at the time, I just got really skinny. I didn’t really keep tabs on my weight at the time So I don’t know how many pounds but I know I went down a lot in clothing sizes. I think it just suppressed my appetite, but I don’t really know.

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