Wellbutrin - Side Effects?

My doctor put me on Wellbutrin. I've been online, looking for side effects, but I want to hear it from some real people who have been on it?

Anyone out there on Wellbutrin?

I was on Wellbutrin last year for several weeks and it gave me the most terrible chest pain; to the point where I had trouble breathing so I quit using it and started exercising instead- to help with my mood:blushing: Another side effect was constipation. Not good. But, we are all different and it might be different with you. I am not a believer in pills and "quick fixes" so I quit taking it. I still take Vitamin B though, and that helps.

I know a few people who are on this and love it. For me, it increased my anxiety instead of reducing it. It also interfered with my sleep and gave me crazy dreams.

I was on it and it didn't work for me. The side effects were pretty nasty for me. I have read your story and am really surprised your doc put you on that. My doc tried me on it for SAD (which I have but take Cymbalta...wonderful med). Any med you start will have side effects for the first few weeks to a month, it just depends on if you can deal with them or not. Wellbutrin made me gain weight, hungry, shaky, kind of off balance. (the info that came with this was the opposite of what I was feeling). It also has a lot of sexual side effects. I was on the regular Wellbutrin not the XL though so it may be different. I also didn't read the side effects until after I had started it so I wouldn't be "expecting" them.

For me, I have tried everything. I have SAD but also a LOUSY childhood and major emotional issues, including an alcoholic husband. The best thing I did was get some counseling. I think if you talk to someone who doesn't know everyone involved in your problems, it is sometimes easier for them to be more objective. The counseling helped (made me realize I wasn't the ONLY one messed up and how to deal instead of take the blame for things) but the medications helped also. I was on Effexor for a long time (major weight gain side effects) but switched to Cymbalta when it came out. It also has a pain reliever type med in it. It is really true that depression can make your body hurt and the Cymbalta helps with that (I sound like a commercial). The side effects for that one were thirst, loss of appetite, some dizziness when I stood up too quickly, but they passed in about 2 weeks.

I agree with the exercise that was mentioned above. I also only take it from October to March and go back on it in October when it starts getting dark longer. I just went off of it last week and am having some withdraw side effects (same as when I started) but they will pass in a few more days.

Hope this helps some.....I also hope you are doing better. Let me know if you ever want to talk (my first husband cheated too, my second is a drunk....not EVER going for third time is a charm.) Keep your chin up...:flowerforyou:

I was on it in 2002. No side effects but it also didn't help 'brighten my mood' either. I quit after a few months.

depends which wellbutrin you're on and the dosage. that will have a big effect.
call your pharmacist--and explain any unusual new symptoms and see if they are expected with the drug. pharmacists know tons about the drugs.

another thing--all these meds take at least 3 weeks to be effective. but if it's really needed, you need to be patient--as awful as you feel inside (not physically, but mentally). that is, if you're going the route of rx, you need to stay the course.

wellbutrin deals with the dopamine receptors. i believe it also helps you stay more alert . Some other anti-depr, will make you a little sleepy.

zoloft and some others deal with serotonin, another neurotransmitter involved in moods. sometimes this route is more effective.
or a combo.

you should ask your dr why he/she chose wellb--you want it to be an answer that speaks to the specific benefits of this drug vs another. also, when you should expect to see effects/improvement. and long term plans. if you are getting it from your gp, you'd be better switching to a psychiatrist. this is what they do day in/day out and can more carefully help you navigate thru these decisions.

finally, mood stabilizers are a whole different class of drugs (trileptal, lithium, risperdal etc). they are not effective for dealing with down depression only. in fact, they can bring you really down. it is crucial to be working with a very good dr when going this route. there are a variety of mood disorders and different tx therapies are effective in different cases. even within depression, there are varieties.
also, there is maintenance programs and more acute level of drugs/dosages. so that should be explained to you.
if needing these meds, helpful to go thru some cognitive therapy at the same time. then both feet can walk out of the tar pit which they're stuck in. therapy is not forever, but it can help you thru the tunnels and over the hurdles initially so you get get on your way to mental (and life) wellness.

i hope this info is helpful. and that you feel better soon. :flowerforyou:


ps--we are not drs here, so take it all with a grain of salt. ALWAYS go back to professional for guidance. we can all share anecdotal evidence, but your dr should be your main resource for medical advice.

It gave me severe palpitations and anxiety attacks. I also had severe constipation with it. I will never take it again. I only took it for about 2 months. I just couldn't tolerate it at all.

It gave me severe palpitations and anxiety attacks. I also had severe constipation with it. I will never take it again. I only took it for about 2 months. I just couldn't tolerate it at all.

Jill - I'm sorry you had those nasty side effects, and I hope you've found something that works for you.

I'm on day 4 so far, and feeling good. I felt very down on day 2 and barely got up off the couch, but I don't know if it's because I didn't sleep well the night before and had nightmares again coupled with the fact that my baby sister is pregnant. I'm happy for her and her husband - but that should be ME. I know that's selfish, but my husband and I had a "plan" to start trying this past New Year. Sometimes, it's hard to accept the fact that everyone else's lives keep rollin' - my other sister has a new boyfriend, I'm in a wedding in October, my cousin's wedding is in October - while my life is just falling apart.

But I'm good today. No side effects from what I can tell except maybe a little bit of a decrease in hunger.

I don't know where it's from, but there is a quote that says "Life is what happens when you're buisy making other plans" and that's exactly right. You're life isn't falling apart, it's just happening a little differently than you expected. We've all been there, you just have to plug through, do the best you can and know that you'll come out alright. It may not seem like it now, but your be fine and come out a better person for your struggle.

It gave me severe palpitations and anxiety attacks. I also had severe constipation with it. I will never take it again. I only took it for about 2 months. I just couldn't tolerate it at all.

Jill - I'm sorry you had those nasty side effects, and I hope you've found something that works for you.

I'm on day 4 so far, and feeling good. I felt very down on day 2 and barely got up off the couch, but I don't know if it's because I didn't sleep well the night before and had nightmares again coupled with the fact that my baby sister is pregnant. I'm happy for her and her husband - but that should be ME. I know that's selfish, but my husband and I had a "plan" to start trying this past New Year. Sometimes, it's hard to accept the fact that everyone else's lives keep rollin' - my other sister has a new boyfriend, I'm in a wedding in October, my cousin's wedding is in October - while my life is just falling apart.

But I'm good today. No side effects from what I can tell except maybe a little bit of a decrease in hunger.

I didn't mean to sound so negative about it. Different people tolerate drugs in different ways. I had been on Celexa for about 6 months before that and gained about 15 pounds during that time. It was wonderful about calming me but the weight gain was awful. I went on the Wellbutrin because my doctor thought that it would help with the weight gain. I defitnely wasn't hungry, but the reason I went on something in the first place was more for anxiety than for depression. Wellbutrin really isn't meant for anxiety, more for depression. I had started building a house with my husband. About 2 months before we were scheduled to close on our house, we started running out of money in the construction loan account. At the same time I found out that the departement where I worked for 6 years was closing. I would have to find a new job. I found a new job but they wouldn't let me close on the house until I had been working there for a month or so. So I had to file an extension on the construction, thus costing me thousands of dollars. Then I really hate the new job at first. It was also an hour commute one way. We were also having to do all the finishing work on our house at the same time that I was working the new job, 12 hours shifts and driving all that way. To top it all off, we were living with my mom and dad because we sold our place in order to start building the new house. It was awful and looking back I really dont' know how I didn't lose my mind. I made it through though. You will too. Just hang in there. I am currently still at the same job(been there a year and a half now) and in my new house. SO it all worked out in the end. Oh and the palpitations were so bad that they had me wear a holter monitor for 24 hours which showed I was having lots of PVC's and PAC's. So they put me on a different drug to control them, instead of taking me off the Wellbutrin. Crazy I know. The bout with constipation actually landed me in the hospital. After I took in a 24 hr period, 4 Correctol, 3 Fleet's Enemas, 4 stool softeners and still could not go, I decided to go to the ER. I thought I had an obstruction. Severe pain. The xrays showed that I had stool backed up all teh way under ribs from my descending colon, across my transverse colon and in my ascending colon. I had to do a soap suds enema in the hospital and sitll didn't get any results. I mean I was throwing up and everything. I've never been that constipated. Finally I got results. It was awful and I never want to go through anything like that again. So just be careful with it and it probaley wouldn't hurt to take a stool softener daily to help.

weight loss is seen a lot with wellbutrin as opposed to weight gain like other antidepressants. When I was on wellbutrin, it triggered a hypomanic phase in me and i went from 140-120 in a very short period of time, didn't sleep, people thought i was on drugs because i talked so fast and with a lisp, and was generally not the right medication choice for me. There was also a lot of environmental things going on in my life that I don't feel like discussing, but overall, I went off the medication.

For others I've seen great effects and I recommend it to most people with depression as a first choice med if they ask me for suggestions. Reason being, it doesn't cause that nasty weight gain side effect and I've seen a lot of people's depression become well controlled because of it. However, if you have anxiety issues as well, this med might not be the right for you or you might want to ask your dr for an antianxiety medication like ativan or klonopin to take with it as one of the side effects is increased anxiety/nervousness.

I was prescribed Welbutrin for depression and anxiety. Anxiety is one of the more rare but "serious side effects", and also one that should be reported to your doctor according to the information pamphlet. As a matter of fact, Xanax also has anxiety listed in the exact same way as Wellbutrin, and anxiety is generally one of the two things Xanax is prescribed for.

I think that depression and anxiety may be part of a combo platter in many cases, (not sure of the other poster's situation though) and that the doctors just want to attack that depression first hoping it will alleviate the other symptoms.