Brand name symptoms and conditions

Just wondering if anyone has experienced sinus congestion (not relieved by antihistamines like Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec) and not having a cold?

I've been slowing working my dose up on Wellbutrin from 75 mg. a day to 100 mg. to avoid side effects. However, I'm experiencing a sharp rise in migraine headaches and this weird nasal congestion. I can't find where anyone has noticed 'nasal congestion' as a side effect.

Dr. today suggested I stop the medication for 1 week and see if these two possible side effects disappear; which I plan to do. I am small and sensitive to all antidepressants and have to go low and slow. 16 years ago there was ONLY Brand name Wellbutrin which is what I took.....75 mg. twice daily and I didn't have any problems. Don't know if I'm reacting to the fillers, dyes and substances in these Generic Wellbutrin by Teva.

Anyone out there that has nasal congestion or Migraines from Wellbutrin??

Thanks. L.

My 12 year old son had a lactose intolerance and because he loved dairy - especially skim milk, mac and cheese, ice cream - we decided to help him with the intolerance side effects of diarrhea, cramps, gas - and try the store brand of lactaid. The ingredients were identical to the brand name. the pills & worked great for about 3 weeks. This past week, he had horrible stomach pains, diarrhea again and nausea, so bad he had to miss school. He had an appetite, no fever, but was assaulted with the side effects from taking the lactaid pills. I thought I was helping him, yet only the reverse! I am grateful to have come across this web site and shared blogs. Now I know how to solve my son's problems that caused so much suffering. In addition to the stomach pains, diarrhea & nausea, he also complained of bad headaches. As a mom, my instincts are correct and I attribute all of this to taking the lactaid pills. Thankfully, my son will not have to endure the horrible episodes anymore. Lactaid pills are banned from our home!

I took Topamax 50 mg for about 2 months and experienced a change in menstrual bleeding. I wonder if Topamax effects progesterone levels. I had light spotting 5 days before period due for both months. This medication also made me very depressed and angry. I quit taking it about 5 days ago and felt the depression lift on the 2nd day after stopping the medication. This was my 2nd round for Topamax. My first time taking it I worked up to 100mg and lost 15 lbs in just a few weeks. I had no appetite. I also go very sick with a respiratory infection and dry coughing. I had menstrual problems with the first round too but didn't figure out if may be the Topamax until my 2nd round. It did help my migraines significantly. But I'm uncertain how if potentially messes up menstrual cycle. The warnings for the medication says "menstrual problems" but doesn't go into detail. Anyone else have menstrual problems.

I am 44 years old and have been taking singulair for about 4 years. 3 months ago I started experiencing crushing chest pain, tingling in my lower limbs, and felt very stressed out. I went to the ER last Thursday and was checked out for angina - the ER doctor told me I was suffering from chronic severe anxiety. I took Ativan for 4 days and felt better, but now the drigs are gone and I again having constant chest pain. In doing some research I found that anxiety can be caused by imbalance in adrenaline, and so started looking online to see if any of the allergy/asthma meds I am taking (adviar, singulair, allegra) can affect adrenaline. That';s when I found this website. Although i find the testimony compelling, I wish more folks would have poted about how their symptoms improved (or didn't) AFTER discontinuing singulair. Also I've noticed many of the stories are about children not adults; many people are taking more than one med for asthma, and most people's symptoms seem to come on right away whereas I have been taking sinulair for years and only recently have anxiety. I will stop singulair tonight and see what happens, but am wondering if anyone has come across further research that correlates singiulair with anxiety? My job life is really peaceful, I am otherwise happy, work can get hectic but that's true of any job, and I am out of ideas as to why suddenly at age 44, when I eat right and exercise - why get anxiety? Thanks for the posts, I'll try to remember to follow up after I am off Singulair for a few weeks.

I've been on Zoloft 11 years alternating between 50 - 75 mg. This SSRI positively changed my life. From being depressed/anxious/obsessive compulsive I've managed to lead a full happy and productive life.

HOWEVER, the last three nights I've experienced terrible anxiety producing nightmares. Waking up shaking and with my heart pounding, I'm wondering if changing from Zoloft (brand name) to a genertic would cause this problem.

I switched three months ago without any problems. Has anyone experienced the same symptoms, and if so, had you switched to a generic? It seems these nightmares would have occurred sooner if that was the problem.

I've been on Wellbutrin XL 300mg for quite some time now...coming up on 2 years, I think? I think I took the brand name drug at first, but for most of the time, I've taken the generic BUPROPRION--different generics from different companies, even. But this last refill, the pharmacy had switched to BUDEPRION for the generic. Bupropion and Budeprion are NOT the same!

Today is my second day on Budeprion and I feel like crap. Jittery, shaky, diarrhea, peeing constantly ("polyuria"), heart racing, nausea, nausea while hungry, hot-and-cold, and now worn out from a day of all that! My psychiatrist is on maternity leave but I've got a call in to her office to get it switched back to brand-name. Thankfully I'm in grad school, and under my student health insurance, the copay is the same for brand or generic.

Why Budeprion is considered a generic of Wellbutrin, I don't know. Wellbutrin is bupropion. This Budeprion stuff is a different chemical composition and is absorbed by/released into the body an entirely different way, from what I've been reading. When is the FDA going to get its act together???

August 2009
My provider gave me a Rx (cozaar) to reduce and maintain my blood pressure. When the cost of the brand name cozaar became unmanageable, I was given an Rx for generic lisinopril, which I have been taking now for about 2 months. Within 2-3 weeks of taking the lisinopril, I developed a tickle in my throat, resulting in a minor, but consistent cough. I see, from the side effects posted on your website, that many others have found the cough resulting from taking lisinopril. I am immediately discontinuing my use of lisinopril. Thanks for the "heads up".

August 2009:
About 3 months ago, my provider gave me an Rx for generic lisinopril to save the significant cost of brand name cozaar. For the past 2 months, I have developed a tickle in my throat resulting in an almost constant cough. Until I read some of the side effects of lisinopril on your site, I never connected the cough with the lisinopril. Now that I see many taking lisinopril, with the cough side effect, I am ceasing to take lisinopril.

I was on ortho-tricyclene lo for years and had no problems. I had a baby a year ago and was on a progesterone only pill due to breast feeding. I recently weaned him, and wanted to go back to the ortho. My doctor prescribed me the Ortho, and when I picked it up at the pharmacy it was the tri-sprintec. I gained weight with in the first week of taking this medication. I weighed less when my breasts where engorged with BFing!! Now my breasts are not full and I eat less and work out more and still gained weight!!! This is really discouraging because I work really hard to stay in shape and I am a petite girl, so a few pounds goes a long way on my frame. Anyway, because this is the brand name and not the generic that I want, it is a pain to request the brand name now to get it covered by insurance. I am hoping to go back to the ortho and get rid of this excess weight!!!

Everyone should note which brand they are using: Wellbutrin brand name, Budeprion, or Bupropion. I recently started taking Budeprion and about 3 weeks into it, my hair started falling out; every morning after my shower, about 10 strands are in my hand. However, I have taken BUPROPION on 2 occasions over the past 10 years, and I NEVER had any side effects and definitely no hair loss. Walgreens decided to fill my Wellbutrin prescription with Budeprion because that's what they carry. I had to ask them to order BUPROPION from their warehouse (Same dosage, Same price). I am convinced that the hair loss I'm experiencing is from this other generic branch, Budeprion. So you all may want to try a different generic and see what happens. With Budeprion, I have also been having horrible headaches all day; which I don't remember experiencing with the BUPROPION. At any rate, this message board has been a relief and a big help on this issue (I bought some Biotin yesterday to try to regrow some of the hair I've lost over the past 2 weeks).

*****For those of you posting in the future - and even those who have posted and are now reading this - could you please be specific on whether you are taking Wellbutrin or bupropion and what mg. Would be interesting to see if there's a noticeable pattern!*****

So glad I found this site. I too have had marked hair loss on this drug, with the exact symptoms most of you describe. I was on 300mg of Wellbutrin (the brand name) and had no problems. I switched to the generic (bupropion) and my hair starting thinning and falling out until you could easily see my scalp. For other reasons (I didn't put it together until recently), I went down to 150mg of the bupropion and my hair started growing back in. I went back up to 300mg and it fell out again - so I am now 100% convinced it is this drug. I too ruled out - with tests - all other causes: hormones, vitamin deficiencies, side effects of other meds, etc.

Here's my focus now: it seems to me, and many other people have noted this, that it is the generic (bupropion). When I was on the Wellbutrin, I had no hair loss. However, I noted several people said they had hair loss on "Wellbutrin" - so even though this wasn't the case in my experience, I'm so freaked out right now about the amount of hair loss that I decided to go off completely. A shame because I was doing really well.

I'm wondering ... when people are saying "Welbutrin" - is it really Wellbutrin? Most pharmacies will automatically switch it out. Maybe some of us think we are taking Wellbutrin, or are just calling it Wellbutrin, but really are taking bupropion. Generics and brand names differ in "ingredients." I noticed a definite difference in the "feel" of the Wellbutrin vs. bupropion - but it was a $50 vs $7 co-pay! It would be great to sort this out because those of us doing well on bupropion but have hair loss could switch to Wellbutrin - albeit a more expensive route.

Maybe its both? Either way I'd like to know. The doctors are no help. I love my doctor and brought this up to him several times. He did not think it was the meds. If he had simply gone on the Internet and typed in "Does Wellbutrin cause hair loss?" - like I did, it's impossible to totally dismiss it!

Thanks so much for sharing and letting me share. Oh - and please note, at least for me, even when I went down to the 150mg on the generic, my hair totally started growing back in. So, at least in my experience, hair regrowth starts immediately after reducing/eliminating the drug. And my hair loss was (and now is again) really bad.

I am experiencing severe hair loss - I was on Wellbutrin XL for a year and a half with no side effects, then changed doctors and we prescribed the generic, bupropion. That is when my marked hair loss began. I then switched to Lexapro, but felt like a zombie, and so went back to the bupropion hoping that it was a vitamin deficiency that was causing my hair loss and not the med. But, with all sorts of supplements, my hair continues to thin - I used to have thick, healthy shiny hair, and now cannot bear to touch my head because it is so upsetting to have lost so much hair.
Has anyone else experienced NOT losing hair on the brand name Wellbutrin, then switching to the generic and losing hair? I don't want to give up the med because it has worked so well for my depression, but I don't want to loose my hair either. HELP!!
Thanks!

I am so glad I decided to look at side effects of Yaz tonight. I have been on it for 4 months and have gone through hell the last 4 months. I attributed my depression and mood swings to losing my job, which I loved very much, and having to go back to waiting tables, which I don't love. But in the back of my head I knew that I would normally be able to weather this kind of thing with poise. Instead I've been crying myself to sleep almost every night, been short tempered with my daughter and husband, and had zero sex drive. When breakthrough bleeding happened again (I've had it every month), I called my doctor. She is switching my pill in 10 days, but after reading all this, I wish it were tomorrow. Anybody on this pill who has experienced any kind of life change (emotional, mental, physical) since taking it should request to be switched. As patients on a voluntary prescription like birth control, we have the right to switch whenever we choose. You don't have to wait 3 months!

Yes, I got hives from taking generic Wellbutrin at 450 mg. I never got this reaction from the brand name Wellbutrin. At first I wasn't sure if the generic caused it, but this morning I took some again (only 300 mg) after a two week break, and sure enough within a few hours I had hives. I'll be sure to get the brand name prescription when I see my doctor next week.

I was on Yasmin from the day it hit the market a million years ago and absolutely love it. Absolutely no side effects (other than my skin looked amazing and I could eat whatever I wanted without gaining weight!). I loathe Ocella, the generic version. I was on it for four months and am now trying Yaz (which, for the time being, does not have a generic so my insurance will cover it). If Yaz doesn't give me the same results as Yasmin, I'm going to just pay the penalty and get the brand name Yasmin...I love it that much! For everyone complaining after 2 days or 2 weeks on the pill (any pill), you need to remember that any transition is going to mess with your chemical balance. We're talking about something that chemically moderates your natural chemical composition. You really need 3 months to fully adjust.

People!In short BIOTIN!
Here's my story... I have had severe hair loss from this med and from other causes. Wellbutrin is now causing me anger severe memory loss and itch all over. I have taken it before several times because it has no sexual side effects but the hair loss is a no can do for me. I didn't know it did that until reading recently these posts. I just switched back to it from zoloft because of weight gain and sexual stuff. What I do know is about hair and that mine is falling out. I also know that I have been working on regrowing mine basically from nothing fore the last two years and that BARNONE BIOTIN is the best thing you can take to regrow your hair healthier and faster from the inside out. It takes about one month to see results. You can get it from CVS! Take the highest dose, twice a day at first and then once a day for maintenance. Two hairdressers told me about it and then I said I should try this. So glad I did, because I have great hair genes like so many here and now they are showing. Now to get off this crap medication!! I've

I have been on Toprol-XL (BRAND) for 3 months. I took the generic for 2 months with no change in BP so I requested the brand name. I found your website by surfing the web looking for answers to my complaints. I have weight gain, vivid violent dreams, extreme fatigue, my breathing is slow and I am just dragging around in a fog. I felt better when my BP was high and I didn't take all this medication. Currently, I am taking first, Lisinopril, then added Toprol XL AND then added Clonidine. My BP is still not properly controlled. I am going to the doctor today to have my medication changed. Thank you for sharing your comments.

I have been taking Bupropion XL 150mg ("generic" Wellbutrin) once a day as a mood stabilizer everyday for exactly 2 weeks. I suddenly developed severe itching in random different areas on my body. My lower scalp, palms of my hands, and ankles were the first areas that itched but did not have any obvious marks on the skin as to what was causing it. About 3 hours later it became progressively worse and started showing tiny red raised areas in the previously stated places on my body and started to spread to my neck, wrists, mid-chest below my breasts, behind my knees, and upper thighs near the front panty lines, but even worse on my lower back.

I was becoming a bit scared and annoyed by the constant itching and the hives that were forming in those areas. I had never in my life had hives before. The bottoms of my feet were so itchy but they did not have any hives on them, they just itched! I took 2 benadryl and tried to sleep but woke up quite a bit during the night because of itching.

By morning, the hives were worse and especially on the back of my neck where it was swollen and red and I could not even bend my head back. My face was slightly swollen and my eyes were puffy as well. My right palm was so swollen and painful and I could not make a fist.

I called my doctor but he was on vacation, so I had to talk to a message service he had set up in his absence!
I went to the emergency walk-in care center near my home and was evaluated by a physician who concluded that all this was actually due to the Wellbutrin which I myself found hard to believe and wanted to deny it in my mind. He ordered me to stop taking it and prescribed all sorts of drugs to counteract the hives and itching.

I am writing this only about 9 hours after seeing the emergency physician and have had some rest and taken my prescribed medicines, Medrol ( a steroid-type drug) to treat the swelling, Hydroxyz hcl for the itching, Allegra for allergy, and Zantac for the side effects (stomach pain) of all these drugs I now have to take for a while!
The swelling has gone down a bit and itching has subsided somewhat. In conclusion I must note, that it was the pharmacy's decision to substitute the Wellbutrin my doctor had prescribed with a "generic" version (bupropion) that is still so new to the market and is still undergoing studies on human subjects. We are the guinea pigs and did not even know it.

I had open heart surgery August 23rd 2006 for a conginital heart defeat (Aortic Valve replaced with mechanical St Jude valve). I wanted a bio valve but Drs insisted I should have the mechanical valve because of my age (45 at the time).

Prior to my heart surgery I was a performer, singer/songwriter/actress/comedianne and I loved what I did. It was my life. Now, after 2+ years post-op and on Warfarin (7.5 mg daily for life) I feel like life has ended and I'm just a walking dead person. The effects I feel daily are as follows...

Dizziness
Severe Headaches
Blurred vision
Memory Loss
Fatigue
Weight Gain
Trouble concentating
Fluttering effect in my head/ears- Hard to explain
Hair loss
Unexplained pains in chest & left side of my body
Unable to sleep well
Tiredness- even when I've done nothing to be tired for
Nausea
Gas & Diarrhea off and on
teeth pain- Like I've drank something very cold
feeling in my head similar to a brain freeze- like you ate ice cream too fast
Night bleeds in my month- wake up with a mouth full of blood daily
What do think, is that enough??

I'm going in tomorrow for a cat scan because the headaches have been so bad they feel I need to be checked for brain tumor and/or internal bleeding. When I tell the Drs I think this is due to Wafarin they pratically laugh in my face as if to say, "Silly silly woman, don't be foolish! We know whats best for you. Remember, we saved your life!" Really? Did you?!

I want nothing more than to get off this rat poison and regain my life, but to do so could mean a stroke or heart attack. I would go under the knife again to have the mechanical valve removed and replaced with a biological valve, but do you think my insurance company (Kieser) would pay for a "silly" thing like that? Right!

Welcome to the greatest country in the world!

I'm going to start a website to help people like us. I want your stories, please send me your info, together we might make a change, what can it hurt to try? Email me ******

B.

I took Alesse 3 years ago with no problems, Aviane is horrible. I've been on it for a week, thought I'd tough it out. Forget it. Anxiety, increased heart rate, irritability, depression, negativity, intense nausea and heartburn, weight gain, increased hunger, insomnia, bloating, dry eyes...you name it. The only issue is that I can't find brand-name Alesse anymore, pharmacies say it hasn't been produced since 2007, is this true? Anyone know if or where it's available? Some of you are writing in 2008 and seem to be taking Alesse, any help is appreciated!

Oh! Thank God I'm not the only one dealing with this. I have pretty much the same side effects as everyone who has posted. I was on Seasonique for one cycle (which was fine, some light spotting) then the Pharm gave me Quasense. I'm about four weeks into the pack and I've noticed my clothes are fitting tighter and just thought it was holiday weight, but now I'm thinking its probably the pills! For the last week I've also had spotting and bleeding so much so that I can't have sex with my b/f either. Which is the reason I went on the pills in the first place -- more time for sex! I've had migraines in the past, but since going on Quasense I've had two in the past four weeks! I was worried I'm going to have a stroke or something! I called my doctor immediately after reading all the similar posts and had them call in a refill "brand necessary" for Seasonique. The nurse said that the bleeding and side effects were probably due to the Quasense, because even though Pharms prescribe the generic in place of the brand name, they are not exactly the same pharmacologically! If you are having problems with this pill, call your doctor and switch! No need to suffer or "stick it out" since everyone's body reacts differently to the pills. These are expensive and they should work like they are supposed to!

I am so glad I found this site!! I think I've found the culprit of my rashes/welts. It started about 2 or 3 days after starting 100 mg of the generic of Wellbutrin SR but I had taken it before without any side effects (I had taken the brand name med) so I didn't think it would be this. It started with massive itching on the back of my head which turned into welts that ran down my neck. I also had swollen lymph nodes on the back and sides of my neck. Then wherever I itched, I would develop hives and the scratch mark would show up about 2 minutes later and be raised. I still have this problem and I have been taking Wellbutrin SR for about 3-4 weeks. I am so disappointed because it was working for me. I was taking 10 mg of Lexapro but the sexual side effects (or lack thereof) prompted me to ask for an alternative. He prescribed this alongside Lexapro. Even though you're supposed to do what your doctor says, I refuse to add another pharmaceutical to my list of meds so I stopped the Lexapro and started the Wellbutrin (after weening off of Lexapro of course). Anyway, the libido is back but it doesn't work too well if you're itching all over!

I took Wellbutrin 300 mg for two years before to quit smoking and for mild depression. After the initial (weeks 2-4) side effects of nausea, dizziness and headaches - I felt great. Not drugged and not overly emotional. I had been crying all the time and felt hopeless. I felt much better (and didn't want to smoke at all). I quit it for about 2 years and now I am back on Wellbutrin for the last 7 months. I started with Cymbalta - but hated the loss of sex drive (not able to orgasm - so who wants to have sex, right?) and felt drugged. So Wellbutrin was a welcome "old friend" I didn't have bad side effects with switching and have been pretty happy. EXCEPT for the one very scary side effect that I have experienced just a handful of times - but I really am curious if anyone else has had this HEAD TRIP WHILE DRIVING: It has happened when I'm on the interstate and/or bridge when I am driving at fast speeds, and my head feels whoozie all of the sudden and my brain seems to shift sideways - like on a roller-coaster, up and down, sideways - and I am amazed that my hands don't go with it and drive me into the wall! It takes intense concentration and wheel gripping to get myself where I can pull off the road. What the?? I don't want to ever experience this again - but it is so OCCASIONAL. The only variable I can think of is that I have not been faithfully taking the WB at the same time everyday (I'm more and more forgetful) and have skipped a day. Has ANYONE ELSE had a similar experience???

Well.....ain't this drug wonderful!! Glad I came here first. I am currently on Diovan 80mg. basically doing very well on it, but I started to loose some hair, and do have some sinus issues, so talked w/Doctor he gave me a prescript. for Toprol XL yesterday, got it filled (my proper prescription for 3mos. supply mail in is written for the Brand Name) the prescrip. I filled yesterday locally (he gave me 2mos to fill locally before sending in my mail in prescrip.) My God! When I read the patient info, scared the living crap out of me! See if I TAKE that medication - NOT! I will stick with the devil I know, Diovan and hope that the hair loss thing will resolve itself. I suffer from anxiety, so can push my BP up at will, and it's been up since I started stressing on the hair loss - I have made up my mind to just try and chill about it, but Diovan appears to be one of the least "evil" of the BP meds I'v taken so far. Lisinopril was a nightmare, Diltiazem wasn't too bad, but thought my teeth were going to fall out! I swear, the anxiety about these meds. does nothing to help ones BP but I definitely am not taking this poison, probably would make me stress worrying, I'd give myself a stroke. I am making a copy of the patient info. and sending it to my Dr. (whom I love by the way) and ask him "what the hell were you thinking Doctor?" Good luck everyone