Wellbutrin xl symptoms and conditions

I started Wellbutrin XL about a month ago. I had a lot of trouble sleeping after about a week. I didn't feel tired at all. I just saw my doctor a few days ago and he switched me to Wellbutrin SR. He said that it doesn't stay in your system as long so I should be able to sleep. Has anyone tried this? Let me know. Thanks!

About 2 hours after taking my 18th day of generic Wellbutrin XL 150mg. (Sun)the palms of my hands started itching like crazy! No bumps or anything, just intense itching. I immediately applied 1% Hydrocortisone cream to them and after about 10 minutes that pretty much made all the itching go away. I didn't want a replay of that, so I kept applying the HC about every 4 hours all day long, or after washing my hands. That evening everything was okay. Then the next morning, my hands started itching again...so again I applied the HC cream again, and headed off for work...they itched SO bad, and this time it took about half an hour for the HC cream to even begin to work. Then about 20 minutes into the hand itching, the soles of my feet started itching..too wierd! I was driving, so I couldn't apply it to my right foot b/c it was on the gas pedal, but I applied the HC cream to my left foot, ahhhh! Then as soon as I could, I applied it to my right foot. It took about 10 minutes, but it was soon itch free. When it came time to retake my med, I decided not to risk it. I called my prescribing doctor and she was off, and some other doc just said to take Benadryl. Duh, I was at work and #1 didn't have any and #2 it makes me so sleepy, I can't function. Then later on in the day, my wrists got welts on them, then my left elbow got a huge set of welts on it, and itched like crazy...then a few hours later, my left ankle got a huge welt on it and it looked like my ankle was swollen and both my feet and ankles had pin pricking sensations....a few hours after that, my right leg started itching behind my knee...I could feel a welt through my slacks...so again, I went into the ladies room and applied HC cream and it helped. By now I've used 1/2 the new tube of HC cream! When I finally got home, I pulled off my clothes and I had huge welts (hives) all over the back of my right leg. Plus, a big long skinny (horizontal) welt where my bra and wrapped around me. Since I was home, I could take Benadryl...so I took 4 tsp. and jumped into a warm (not hot) bath (they say to use cool water but I couldn't do it) with a cup of baking soda. Felt SOOOO good! By the time I got out they felt much better. I kept taking the Benadryl every 3-4 hours all evening but by the time I went to bed, I had welts on the back of my left leg also and on my buttocks and hips. My head kind of itched here and there in weird places, more like pin pricks but I have really thick hair, so I can't tell if I have any welts there or not. I stayed home from work today to continue on the Benadryl and making sure it doesn't get any worse. It hurts to sit here typing as my panty line is in the middle of a big 3" welt. The Wellbutrin XL seemed to be helping my depression and anger issues, but I assume the MD will put me on something else. I really liked it. It did suppress my appetite during the day but not much at night. Oh well! I'm glad I'm not the only one with these symptoms.

I took Wellbutrin XL 6bvyears ago and experienced weight loss but no other side effects. I recently started again. At the same time, I had the keratin protein treatment that make my curly hair straight. Recently, i noticed a lot of hair loss. I been attributing this to the hair treatment, but when I went to an acupuncturist about hair loss, he immediately said it was the wellbutrin. I couldn't believe it!!! 2 different doctors told me hair loss was not a side effect of Wellbutrin XL (300mg). But after the visit to the acupuncturist, I did a little more digging and found this sight. I can't believe what I'm reading. This wasn't my experience in the past when I took the drug. I will definitely stop this med ASAP. Good luck to you all.

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???

I can basically cut and paste the posting from June 1, 2009. The timing, sequence of events and locations were dead on. It all started after day 10 for me too. No more Wellbutrin XL for me.

I have been taking Wellbutrin XL 300MG for 18 months now. It definitely cured my depression but since last couple of months I noticed my hair falling at an alarming rate. I can now see my scalp in several places. It is discouraging. I am going to lower the dose to 150MG and then stop after some time.

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 have been on generic Wellbutrin for almost two weeks and have not gotten a rash but have noticed that my anxiety has gone up, especially at night. I already have anxiety about not sleeping and normally will take benadryl or lunesta to help that. I also feel like I have this surge of anger, that I am not sure where it came from. Has anyone else had this? I talked to my doctor yesterday and he said to follow up on Friday and see. I am switching from lexapro to wellbutrin because of massive weight gain and to help me quit smoking. Any advice would be grateful, I can deal with it if I know its going to pass shortly!!

i have been taking Wellbutrin xl for 10 days.I broke out with itchy red warm whelps that vary in size all over my body. I started around hairline, neck and wrist. Next day it moved to stomach, under breast and armpits and legs. day 3 its now on my face. Benadryl helps some but as soon as it wears off the rash appears again. I have been experiencing major heartburn as well. Doctor said because it took 10 days to break out , he doesn't believe it is the medicine. I take absolutely nothing else other than 1 a day vitamin.
He prescribed prednisone for rash relief. So we will see if this works , but after this web site , I am going to stop the Wellbutrin. Its not worth the itchy splotchy rash. Driving me Crazy!!!

I am 20 and have been on Wellbutrin XL for the past 3 months but two weeks ago my doc increased my dose to the max which is 450mg. Since then my life has been a mess because I am always nervous (the feeling you get before you do something you are not comfortable with like presentation or exam) and I have this feeling all day it initially started with episodes of this nervousness but this week I am noticing that I am always tense. Does anyone feel this way??

My head is spinning, I feel like this quite often (I am gonna try to explain this) as if your brain is shifting L to R and then everything around you starts spinning like for example I was writing an email earlier today and I started feeling like this I literally felt as if the words I was typing were moving back and forth. Does anyone feel anything close to this.

I was just curious if anyone else could relate to how I am feeling :(

Hello,

I am so happy to find these posts. I started the generic Wellbutrin SR 100 MG in the morning about four months ago. She wanted me to increase my dose but there is no way I can handle it. I am also on Zoloft 50 mg for panic attacks. She added the wellbutrin to give me more energy and help with my low sex drive. It gives me lots of energy but I can not have caffeine or much sugar when I am taking it or I have a panic attacks. Also I am very short of breath, I thought this was just my anxiety but after reading all the other posts I am beginning to wonder if it is the wellbutrin. My sex life is a little better but not much, of course I am taking a very low dose. About a week after I started taking it, my back and neck was killing me. I went for a massage and she said I had knots all over my back and neck, this four months ago, I kept getting massages and they just keep getting bigger and will not go away! I am almost certain the wellbutrin is making me tense and causing these. I decided to call my doctor today and ask to go off of it.

What is funny is I was on it a few years back but it was Wellbutrin XL not generic. It was wonderful! I had the best sex life, I had so much energy and no side effects.

I just wanted to share my story.

I had been taking Wellbutrin XL 300mg for a number of years with great results I told all of my friends how great it was. Then when the generic Budeprion XL came out my insurance company automatically filled my Rx with it. The nest time I saw my Dr. and was to get a new refill he didn't even know about the generic. I guess I have been taking the Budeprion XL for almost 2 years, since it first became available. I started noticing brain fog and as time went on more depression and anxiety, no zest, frumpy, and just not feeling like I used to. Last June when I saw my Dr. I asked him if a patient could become tolerant of a drug after taking it a while since I was experiencing more depression. We talked of HRT as a thing to try since I was experiencing perimenopausal symptoms as well. However I was faced with a cancer scare a week after that appointment and all thought s of HRT went out the window for me. I received the Prevention newsletter this am which contained the article on Wellbutrin XL vs the generic. I am upset that this can be happening, but also happy to know that there may be a solution to my problem as simple as a change of my Rx.

I have been on Wellbutrin XL 150 mg for about a month and a half. I really do not feel any difference. I was put on it for mild depression and loss of energy, but I still feel like I am floating through my days and can't wait to go home and crawl into bed. I should also mention I am on a very small dose of beta blockers for my atrial fibrillation (which is meant to decrease my heart rate). Should I increase to the 300 mg dose? I am concerned about doing this, as this is my first time on any anti-depressant and I would eventually like to wean myself off.
Also, have any women noticed their periods are late or non-existent? I am a week late in my period, and I am NEVER late. I will be going to get a pregnancy test done, but I am fairly certain I am not pregnant. I also noticed very heavy cramping yesterday that would signal the start of my period, but nothing happened.
I would appreciate any feedback!
Thank you.

Well, after day 6 of horrible hive breakouts, the doctor is taking me off Wellbutrin XL and putting me on Celexa. I'm nervous to try something new. I loved how Wellbutrin makes me feel, minus the excruciating hive break outs. Wish me luck!

I'm 27 years old and finally admitted to myself that I am depressed. My doctor put me on Wellbutrin XL. 150mg for the first week then 300mg ever since. My first week on 300mg I was extremely anxious, shaky, tightness in chest, couldn't sleep for days, etc. I started to split up my does. I took one pill in the morning and one about 5pm. This helped a lot. By week three I felt wonderful and decided to go back to taking both pills at the same time. Again, I felt great. By the Friday of my 3rd week, I began having hives like crazy. I have been living on Benadryl and Ibuprofen for the pain. Today is day 3 of hives and I am once again plastered. I also have extreme pain in my feet, to the point where I can barely walk. My hands (knuckles) and my knees are also tight and sore, but no where's as bad as my feet. I believe that my body may be very sensitive to this drug now. I have experienced just about every other side effect, but I pushed through it and they went away. Wellbutrin has been amazing for my mood and I am very sad at the thought that I may have to go off of it. Are the hives something that I can just push through or is the inevitable about to happen and I will be forced to stop using this drug?

To make a long story short (I think). Taking Celexa (20 mg) for more than 4 years definitely caused decreased sexual sensations (numbed nerves), though it did change my life. In October Switched to Wellbutrin XL. Withdrawal from Celexa was not easy but Libido is definitely back. Problem is I am angry ALL the time at my husband. In fact, I've been angry almost from the get go from switching to Wellbutrin. I have also been puzzled by slight hair loss in the back of my head at the hairline. I have of late experienced abrupt halts in thought processes and my periods, though I am 45, have suddenly become irregularly. Frankly I didn't realize that Wellbutrin could likely be the cause of these symptoms until I read some of these posts. I really would like to wean off of this drug (was prescribed 300 mg but have taken 150 mg due to feelings of being 'wigged' out on higher dosage - did up the ante for just over a week to see if that would help but didn't seem to matter)...Nevertheless, I really think Wellbutrin is causing me to feel deep resentment toward my husband. This is not a usual emotion for me and it pretty well started immediately after I began taking Wellbutrin. I really could use your opinions(s). IS THE WELLBUTRIN causing the anger??? Did the Celexa simply MASK existing problems??? Is it a combination of both. Is this depression again or am I in the process of slipping back in??? (anger was not a previous symptom of my depression though black clouds, low esteem, doom and gloom and sadness were) Also, aside from anger and sheer resentment, I feel as if I'm spinning my wheels, that I'm in rut and that no matter how I try to move forward, I can't - I really feel lost and am so angry at my husband and see him in such a different way that it is almost to the point of being ridiculous). THANK-YOU so much for your replies.

I've been on wellbutrin XL 150mg for just over 1 month. From day 1 I've had all different side effects. The first week my mood was fantastic, as well as my energy. But I hardly slept at all. I have headaches, but that has always been a problem for me. Then I started feeling tired and drowsy and had severe dry mouth. Now, over the past day or two I started feeling really sick. Very dizzy, nauseous, it feels hard to breathe and I have a headache that will not go away with Tylenol or Advil. I'm considering stopping it.

Have been on Cymbalta 30mg daily for a year. Started on Wellbutrin 50mg daily about 6 weeks ago to help with attention deficit. About 4 weeks or so ago I started having occasional muscle cramping in hands and feet. Yesterday I started with twitching of left eye. Last time I had the eye twitching it was the beginning of an allergic reaction to Prozac. I'm thinking even the low dose Wellbutrin may be too much. anyone else had this experience? I'm also starting to notice an increase in anxiety. Not sure if it's due to worrying about the cramping and twitching or the Wellbutrin itself. Any thoughts?

I can agree with so many of you who've shared your experiences - for about a year I felt more like 'the old me' on Wellbutrin, but in the last six months I've become progressively more fuzzy-minded. It scares me that there are times that I worry that I won't be able to finish a coherent sentence... like I'm speaking in slow motion waiting for individual words to filter through the fog of my brain so that they can be spoken. OK, it's certainly not always like this - and so far only my husband seems to have noticed, but I dread muttering the wrong thing in a business setting. Perhaps worse than this, in the vanity that is our present reality, I've seen significant hair loss from the top of my head - my squeaking clean pate is SHINY in the mirror and I hate it!!! It's winter now, but I can't wear hats all the time, and I just don't happen to work in a 'fashion forward' industry where I might hope to make hats a trend for all to follow. I will be weaning myself off of Wellbutrin and looking into oral and topical arnica b/c I'm nervous about trying Rogaine and begging stuck with that regimen for the rest of my life. The women in my family all have lovely hair; I'm 40, not 80!!

I started Wellbutrin in the beginning of December. Someone very close to me passed away and I developed severe anxiety with some depression. I took some control of it with simply taking Ativan, but the doctor insisted I get on something for depression as well. I didn't really understand why I need to take a pill when I was just fine before this event.... but ok, I agreed.

I was prescribed Wellbutrin XL 150 mg. I was optimistic about it. She said it might improve my focus, give me some energy back, had no sexual side effects.

I took it in the morning, and usually with at least something in my stomach. The first 3 days of taking it, I was severely unstable. I think if I didn't have my boyfriend, I would be dead right now. I would cry uncontrollably, for no reason, pace, have terrible anxiety... I remember going through my closet, throwing things around, looking for a belt, throwing a few on the bed and taking one and tightening it around my neck.. I then walked around and was looking for a place to hang myself.. Luckily my boyfriend got home because he had a bad feeling about what was happening with me... otherwise I, to this day, do not know what I would have done.

After the first 3 days... things sort of calmed down... sometimes I would feel "better" in little spurts the first week.

I also had my sex drive for the first 2 weeks and it was good. I still wasn't "happy" but the medication wasn't doing any significant harm.

In the 3rd week, I lost interest in nearly everything. I didn't want to step foot outside. I stopped talking to my family, stopped answering my phone, I would lay in bed for hours, thinking of depressive things. I began eating, a lot. Constantly. Which shocked me since it is supposedly supposed to suppress appetite. I stopped going to school.

In the 4th week, and last, things gradually, and then quite suddenly just went downhill. It started with me becoming very agitated, snapping at everyone. My mental clarity was out the window. When someone said something, it took me a long time to register it, if I ever did. Sometimes my boyfriend would look at me after saying something and I would realize, oh my god, he said something... I really didn't hear/listen anymore. I was brain dead to everything except these horrible thoughts of just wanting to die. As the days progressed in the 4th week, I became more and more depressed. If I had to describe it, I would say it was a mental breakdown. I would cry hysterically over nothing. Absolutely nothing. I couldn't think of a single reason. I would start to cry while brushing my hair, while eating, sitting, watching a movie... I would cry 20 or more times a day. I really wanted to die because I could not bear it anymore. I felt like this was the end and it was going to end.. I wanted to inflict injury on myself, but focused my thoughts on more "permanent" damage -- suicide. I became obsessed with buying a gun. I swear if I had one, I would not be here. I would hit myself, all over my legs, while sobbing uncontrollably on the floor. Days later my boyfriend would ask where the bruises came from because it would be in such a weird area that there was no way i walked into something... and I would tell him I had no idea, and I didn't..... until later I realized it was me, hitting myself.... I felt very depersonalized. I felt unpredictable and I felt that I was not sure what I was going to do next, I was afraid of myself and very paranoid. I lost my appetite and never wanted to eat, thinking of food made me nauseous. I felt sick to my stomach. My anxiety was through the roof. My mind wouldn't stop spinning with thoughts, repetitive... until eventually it lead to another breakdown.

With my luck, it reached it's worst around the new year when everything was closed and I couldn't get a hold of anybody. I desperately called mental emergency facilities but all they said they could do was commit me for at least 72 hours and I didn't want that. I just wanted this to end, NOW, not be trapped in another hell hole. My mental doctor was closed so I tried to see my primary care and he was too afraid to mess with anything and told me to double my ativan dosage (WHAT! Because of Wellbutrin, I went from taking .5 or less mg of ativan a day to taking 2mg or more and still, it barely did anything!), so I went to the ER, and they did nothing, except tell me that the only way to help me would be if I went to a hospital for 72 hours. I said NO. It is ridiculous to allow someone to get this bad, and to not help them immediately, instead leave it up to them, to either be placed in some state run down mental facility or kill themselves that day.

I got a hold of my doctor the next day and she switched it immediately.

I just wanted to hurry and post this for all of you and anyone else reading these posts. I was having bad hair loss from wellbutrin.It works so good that I did not want to quit so I went to gnc and bought womans ultra nourish hair supplement by gnc just to see what would happen and behold...it works the very same day I took it. I haven't been losing hair at all except the normal 1 or 2 a day6. Please go try this it really worked for me. God speed...

I have been taking 300mg of Wellbutrin XL since 2005. The doctor prescribed it to me due to major depression. Ever since then my hair is thinning, I used to have really thick hair and now its very thin. I have severe ringing of the ears, if I am in a quiet room I can't concentrate. The worst of it all is that I have extreme paranoia. I constantly worry about EVERYTHING! I have to sleep with the lights on and have to have the TV on at night as well. Sometimes I hear things or see things that aren't there. I can not sleep on this medicine what so ever, so they put me on another medicine to help me sleep. I am going to tell my doctor I want off of it now! I can't stand it! I get so worked up over it I feel like I am going to have a heart attack. I also shake like crazy when I get scared. When I go to get my nails done my hands tremble and they ask me to relax when I can't.

I've been on Wellbutrin for 3 years. My hair has been falling out more and more every month. My scalp itches horribly! It feels almost as though bugs are crawling all over it. I am irritable and have dramatic mood swings. The final straw, though, was recently when I had a blood test to find that my white and red blood cell counts had become dangerously low, and my red blood cells were swollen (macrocytic anemia).

I'm now training myself off of Wellbutrin. I tried dropping to a quarter dose and felt flu-like symptoms (chills, extreme tiredness, dizziness) and extraordinary appetite (gaining 10 lbs in week 1). I also became unable to handle simple tasks at work, and excessively negative in demeanor.

I'm now back up to 1 pill and the chills have stopped. I am hoping that I can go back down to 1/2 pill gradually.

Will my hair grow back? Is the liver/blood damage reversible? Has anyone kicked the Wellbutrin habit and recovered fully? Please help.

Thank you in advance.

Wow!!! Should have done my homework when they switched me to this nasty Budeprion!!! I have been on Wellbutrin XL for over two years, after being on quite a few other drugs for depression, with great results and absolutely no side effects. Then about two months ago my insurance company would only pay for the generic, so unless I wanted to pay a lot more for the Wellbutrin, I decided to switch. This was also after many phone calls and being assured by the pharmacist and the nurses at my doctors office that it was the exact same drug. I have had lots of trouble with generic drugs in the past, and this is why I was so leary to switch since I was doing so well. For the last week I have felt like absolute crap! I have had a constant headache, nausea, stomach pains, indigestion and lots of crying!!! Never in a million years did I think it was the drug, since it is suppose to be the exact same make-up and I never thought it would take two months to feel these terrible side effects when I never had any before. Sure wish I had come across this website two months ago. I have fibromyalgia as well, and thought a lot of the additional joint pain and numbness in my hands was from that, although I have had my fibro under control for a couple of years now. Thinking back now over the past few months and all the crazy symptoms I have been having, it all makes sense!!! At least I know I am not CRAZY and hopefully I can stop this nasty drug and feel better soon. How can this Budeprion be on the market and how can pharmacists tell people that it is the same. Now I have to fight my insurance company, and hope they will pay for the Wellbutrin.

After taking wellbutrin xl 150 mg. for 2 weeks, my 13 year old son broke out in large red hives that over the course of the last few days have covered his body from head to toe. He has joint pain and is itching like crazy. Doctor prescribed prednisone and he's also taking benadryl. Doctor thought the hives could be a virus but doesn't seem so given all of these posts. He's stopped taking the wellbutrin today. The wellbutrin was so helpful for his depression but the hives are horrible. Any idea how long the hives will last?