Wellbutrin side effects

Anyone out there having double vision or intention tremors, like reaching for something and your hand shaking even if you clench your fist? I also have trouble typing and will type a word incorrectly over and over again, not because I don't know how to spell it I just can't get the right letter to come out of my fingers. I take Trileptal as a mood stabilizer, and have been taking these meds for 7 years and have been so happy with the results, and I'm wondering if now I'm going to have to change because of these side effects. Kind of scary.

By the way,, it took me a month or six weeks for my meds to feel comfortable in my body. It took awhile to get the doses right and for my brain to register what I was taking, but it probably saved my marriage and my life. It's so much better than the Lithium and Zoloft I took years ago which made me a totaly zombie.

Why is there not a class action lawsuit against the makers of generic Wellbutrin-bupropion xl??? I'm an RN who tried taking it after not wanting side effects of SSRIs I'd experienced in the past and so many of us are having the SAME severe allergic reactions! I quit taking it after 2 ER trips and swollen lips and made sure to document everything that happened. I have no food or drug allergies yet now have to carry around an epi-pen! This drug should be pulled, I know people who've taken the name brand Wellbutrin or generic Budeprion SR and didn't have these reactions. I'd stick with the name brand and if on the generic be alert for the first sign of hives. It's a week later and I'm still having to take antihistamines for severe headaches even though they gave me steroids for a week!

I took Wellbutrin 150 mg a day for two weeks. I was fine. Then I took two more, I got uninteruptrd ring in my ears. I stopped taking Wellbutrin immediated. It has beem two full weeks now. My tinnitus has not stopped or subsided any. I just woneder if amy body else has the similar experience. Did their tinnitus ever go away?

Thank you for any information.

I was on Wellbutrin SR for a couple of years for anxiety while in school and then again for post partum depression. Dosage was upped to 300mg/day. I did very well on it; no side effects that I could see. I changed jobs and was without insurance for all of November and December. I just got back on the medication. 150mg/day for one week for starters, now I'm at my full dosage of 300mg/day. I have a never ending, crashing headache! The headache started with the 150mg/day.That is my only complaint. Why is this happening now when I never had a problem with it before? I took one dose of a migraine medication and it helped for about 2 hours. Headache is back with full force. I think I will tough it out and see what happens. If it gets worse, I will call my doctor.

Most of the side effects seem to be with women. Are there any men taking this drug? I'm forty years old and have been taking for a week. I a little pain in the hands and feet and haven;t been sleep well (I am not tired though).. anyone?

Wow! Thank you to all of you for being so specific in your posts. I was able to find my symptoms and don't feel crazy anymore....I could not understand the mild chest pains the other day. I got a rash on my feet a few weeks ago and was told the other day that it was fungal. Slowly this week I began to notice those red raised rash/hive spots. I thought I had burned myself or had the water to hot in the shower. Saw a 1/2 dollar size rash; just figured it would go away. Then today I saw that it was still there and that I am getting more all over. My stomach & back are itching like crazy. I too have not been as sharp. I can't remember famous names when watching Jeopardy-then when they say it I know that was in my head but I could not get it out. I can’t remember things that I just talked to my husband about 5 minutes later. I ask the same question and then remember I already asked that. I have to tell people to please say that over again because I wasn’t paying attention. The past few days since I felt mild chest pains-really more like a strain; then with these red spots popping up all over and now the itchy feeling all over and my face feels hot like I got a sunburn but it just hasn't shown up yet. I have been thinking that I am going to die. Just snippets of that thought (no not suicidal); worried about leaving my daughter and worried about leaving my husband to have to deal with all of my stuff: old clutter that I still need to go through. I also have a sinus infection that just won’t seem to go away and am on amoxicillin. I’ve had a bloody nose and just thought it was the sinus thing but now I wonder if anyone else has had a bloody nose…

I am so happy to have stumbled across this forum. Although I haven't suffered from some of the symptoms listed here I am having issues with my period. It isn't heavier, it's lighter (not complaining) but the cramps associated are killing me. They get so bad it feels like labor. I've always suffered from bad cramps, but never toe curling, tear inducing ones. They feel like they are on fire. I've been for examinations and there is no sign of disease on or around the ovaries. I've lost weight, no need to take Valium anymore for panic/anxiety attacks, no memory loss, no nothing except painful periods. I cannot find any specific site that actually goes in-depth on this issue, if any of you have come across one would you mind sending it along, thanks in advance and have a super day.

I have taken Wellbutrin for the past 3 weeks due to mild depression. I in the beginning I experienced headaches, anxiety attacks and palpatations. After experiencing these side effects, I cut my dosage from 150mg per day to 75 mg. This weekend, I noticed bald spots in my scalp. My hair has always been thin but even more so now. I'm not sure if the Wellbutrin has anything to do with it, but it is the only major change in my life. I defientely feel better while taking the Wellbutrin and also notice the difference when I'm not taking it. I hope this medicine is not taking my hair out. Has anyone experienced this?

I've been taking wellbutrim for two weeks now and I too have broken out with a horrible, itchy red rash with welts. I thought it was something in my clothes, perhaps in my detergent. I first noticed it yesterday- I began to itch like crazy and my torso, arms, hands, and legs were red. I took a shower, put on different clothes and felt better by this morning. I took my pill, and two hours later, the itching started again- only this time it is unbearable wit huge red welts- looks like an allergic reaction. I googled side effects of wellbutrin and found nothing about red, itchy, hives. Then I googled "itchy welts and wellbutrin" and found this post. I will stop using wellbutrin and contact my doctor. I'm about to go take some benedryl and hope this doesn't come back tomorrow.

I have been on Wellbutrin before and recently to counter the effects of libido loss due to an SSRI. I can tell you that yes it can make you irritable and angry, especially if you drink a little too much alcohol and the wrong situation arises. So watch that. Wellbutrin is chemically similar to certain stimulants which also interact with Dopamine. This is the reason it can make you feel edgy. When i recently stopped taking it I noticed my aggression level went down. Other things I noticed are also that my lower back pain (sciatica) has come back. Even when I first took this stuff years ago I noticed a positive affect on my posture, which was a good thing. So it's all a compromise. I am considering going back on it mainly for that reason, back pain and my job don't mix. There is no easy answer. If you want to stay on it, find a good dose medium, watch the alcohol (normal amounts are fine IME), maybe try to exercise a little more to relieve the jitters and eat a little better. I'm sure there are meds the doctor could give you to counteract the bad effects but then you are just getting into more variables to deal with. I suggest you tough it out a little longer and see how it goes. It may take a few months for the medication to 'level out' and get your body and mind used to it. It's not a good idea to go on and off this stuff in short intervals as it doesn't tell you anything you only end up confusing yourself. I wish you luck.

Hi folks...I was on paxil for probably 10 years and it worked well but as time wore on I began to question its effectiveness and was bothered by: sedation, lack of motivation (used to love to play piano, but now played only occasionally), chronic flatulence, constipation, loss of libido, sexual dysfunction. I also think it caused a sort of mental fatigue, i just didn't have energy to read or pursue activities which demanded a lot of concentration or mental energy. Also felt i was being held hostage by paxil because i had severe discontinuaton symptoms. Anyway decided to try bupropion if for no other reasons than the fact that it was available and heard it was more enervating. Main reason i'm writing is that although i'm not a doctor and don't pretend to be, i've tried many ADs and have done a lot of reading and feel I have something to offer which may help others. Things i've learned:
I had to wean myself off of paxil very slowly, went from 30mg to zero in about 3 months. switching to bupropion helped. I tried weaning myself off much more quickly and let me just say I'm lucky I'm still here to talk about it.
I now use a psychiatrist instead of my medical doctor. Medical doctors simply aren't trained and prescribe ADs the same way they would prescribe statins or other meds. If you suffer from serious depression don't trust its treatment to a medical doctor. Medical doctors lack the expertise and generally speaking just aren't "tuned in" and aren't able to devote the time necessary to treating pyschiatric problems.
If you are seriously interested in trying ADs then you have to commit to at least 2 months and be willing to tolerate many of the side effects that others reject treatment for. If sexual side effects are enough to sway you, you're probably not depressed enough to use ADs. If someone would have said i'd never have sex again but wouldn't be depressed I would have asked where to sign up w/o hesitation. The effect a drug has on you after 2 weeks vs 3 months can be as dramatic as night an day. ADs aren't aspirin where the drug goes directly (or closely) to the source. ADs can be extremely effective but bear in mind that ADs are more like a shotgun approach...you fire a whole bunch of pellets and hope some of them attack the problem w/o creating too many negatives so that the net outcome is desirable. Affecting the serotonin or dopamine levels in your brain is not an exact science which is why it's always a question of comparing the benefits (relief from depression, aches and pains, etc) vs the costs (lack of energy, sexual side effects, nausea, etc...).

As for my personal experience with bupropion, so far so good..Started switch from paxil to bupro mid sept 09, have been on bupro only going on one week. So far impressed with the physical improvement (constipation gone (lived on metamucil for years with paxil), relief from chronic aches and pains, when i exercise my muscles feel sore the next day and not like they are going to tear when I stretch; more energy both physical and mental, love playing the piano again (yeah!), the best description i've read is i "feel like a saner version of my true self", depression has lifted BUT i do feel at times like i'm more irritable at minor annoyance and i am experiencing memory loss which may be due to switch from paxil to bupro. Actually memory loss is a misnomer from what i've read. It's more like the things i am supposed to remember just don't stick which is different from remembering something and later forgetting. So i'm just going to sit tight, stay on my present course, and see where i am 2 months from now because i know from my prior experiences that the way I feel then may be dramatically different from how i feel now. Hope i didn't ramble too much.
Good luck to all.

I have just begun researching the longterm memory deficits and possible permanent brain damage because of my recent experience....

I have been taking Wellbutrin for about 9 yrs and the dosage had gotten to 3 tablets a day at 150mg each and that seemed to work fine for me. I had been at that dosage for a few years. I got a refill on Dec 9th of 09 and by Dec 16th I was having seizures with severe memory deficits. These seizures were not the unconscious fall on the floor kind but another kind where you only notice the post-seizure effects as your brain tries to recover. This stage lasted between 3 hours to 2 days for me and was awful. Hallucinations, tremors, short term memory gone, chunks of memory gone, aphasias associated with alzheimers, dizzy, paranoia, couldn't connect thoughts, severe pressure on the sides of my head, etc and it all matched perfectly what they call the postictal stage of complex partial temporal lobe seizures. I was conscious the whole time but had difficulty talking and couldn't write or type or even text since my fingers seemed to be incapable of putting pressure on anything. I was horrified since I have never had seizures before and I am a really healthy 50 yr old very active woman. As I moved through this post seizure stage though my lucid time frames grew longer until I was "normal" again. Except I wasn't. There are ongoing significant memory problems. I was hospitalized at one point for 3 days when it happened at work and they did CAT scans, MRIs, etc and found nothing wrong. I meet with a neurologist in a couple of weeks. About a week after the hospital thing and another progressively worse seizure my psychiatrist said he wanted me to take only 2 tablets a day of the Wellbutrin and to begin taking Clonazepam (an anti-seizure med originally and now used as an anti-anxiety med) until I meet with the neurologist. By this point I had been taking that particular Wellbutrin prescription for 26 days. I only had one mild seizure after the medication reduction and addition of the anti-seizure med.
But I was still experiencing memory problems and was beginning to have a personality change, becoming irritable and downright suicidal. I JUST yesterday found out by my pharmacist when I called in for the Wellbutrin refill that the prescription I had picked up last Dec had been for 3 pills a day at 300 mg a pill! I had suddenly gone from taking 450mg a day to 900 mg a day by some mistake! That certainly explained the seizures but I could have gone into a coma! I know the Clonazepam is addictive and was really worried about taking that as well anyway. I have stopped everything right now. And feel sick. I will have to take one Wellbutrin (150 mg) a day for a bit though to not shock my system but stopped cold turkey the Clonazepam after 18 days on it.
So now after reading up on all of this I see that I could have died because of this mistake (the pharmacy did catch it for this refill but should have caught the change last month, the prescription was a "call-in" refill so there is no written record of the prescription so we don't know if the call was verbalized wrong or the person taking the call got it wrong at the pharmacy) and am VERY concerned about permanent brain damage from that crazy high dosage, basically an overdose, and the seizures for a month. That will be the basis of my conversation with the neurologist next month.
Part of my job includes public speaking so the thought of not being able to connect my thoughts or having permanent short term memory deficits is.......awful.

I've been on Buproprion for about 8 months: 150mg 1x per day - in the morning. I've always had pretty thin & fine hair, but in the last two months I've noticed an increase in shedding and marked thinning on at the front and on the sides. Very fine now as well. No bald patches that I'm aware of yet, but it seems like any day now. It was recommended to me mainly for weightloss , but I've only seemed to gain weight (which may not the medications fault). I too notice the disorganized thought to speech. I do feel it stablizes my mood, however, and I don't notice the mid day fatigue anymore.

Don't know what made me think of checking for this side effect. The thought of being fat AND bald is pretty depressing - especially since it could be caused by anti-depressant medication! As others have posted, I too plan to wean off this medication. Hopefully it won't be too difficult, as I don't take very much, but certainly notice if I don't take it. I hope this isn't a permanent hair loss. I really hope someone will post back here having had their hair grow back, and I REALLY hope it's me :-D I've been taking Vit B complex every day for two weeks & going to try the biotin & GNC nourish supplement, per this list.

Good luck everyone.

Thank God I found this site...........I reallly thought that I was really losing my mind.....I have been on welbutrin SR for almost 10 years now.....I took this medication faithfully. I have never had a problem with this medication except the minor side effects such as dry mouth. Until one day in November 2009, I went to my monthly appointment with my physcian. I took my prescription to the drug store that I go to reguarly..The pharmacist was the one who changed my medication to the XL. It was the pharmacist who changed my dose without telling me...I came home and noticed that it was different and I called to find out why the change.His explanation to me was that they had run out of the other medication and it was on back order. So he took it upon himself to change my medication from 150 mg of Wellbutrin SR twice a day...and he changed it to Welbutrin XL 300 mg at once...I talked to him and he said that they were both the same and told me not to worry and everything will be fine..WELL THEY WERE NOT. I started having such bad headaches that I couldn`t even get out of bed to get myself a drink....My husband started putting it together after a couple of days and spoke to the pharmascist and he then changed it Wellbutrin XL 150 mg twice daily....Yes, my headaches did go away. But I never felt quite the same after that.... I started taking this medication in October,2009. Since being on this med I have become increasingly agitated and moody. I can go from crying to screaming in the same sentence. I have to fight with myself just to get out of bed. If it was wasn`t for my dogs needing to go out to pee, I may still be there....Then that one frightful and terrifying night,I washed my hair like I normally do everyday...as I went to remove the towel from my hair, I could see that it was very tangled, which is not normal for me....I could not even put a wide toothed comb through my hair....I just started crying and couldn`t understand what was happening to me. I finally got through combing out my hair and the hair I lost could have made a wig for someone.....I was petrified...So, I thought it was just a one time thing and washed out my hair again the next night. Only to go through the whole process again.....Now, it is January 22nd, 2010 and it is still happening. This is when I turned to the pc for some information and this is where I find your site.....I have a Doctor appointment on Tuesday, January26th, 2010...I hope she can fix what this pharmascist did to me.....I am a mess and I just walk around in a daze most of the time now....Within a couple of months my whole life has ben turned upside down...........Will my hair grow back again.....

If anyone has any information that will help me,I would certainly appreciate every little bit of information that I can get............Thank you

I am also taking wellbutrin for about three weeks now, I guess I'm going to have to stop taking it because the soles of my feet have been on fire for a few days..I tried to take wellbutrin a few years ago and had the same reaction, but I thought maybe it was a fluke. I really hate it, because I truly feel better when I am on it mentally and physically, if I could just avoid this side effect somehow. It is only the soles of my feet but it's like I have plunged my feet into really hot water, and also into a nest of ants that are biting me...NOT COMFORTABLE!....So today I'll call my doctor to find another treatment plan.
Wish you all the best of luck!

Happy to have found this thread! I'm a 32 yr old female and have been experiencing a huge amount of memory loss since I started Wellbutrin XL (300 MG). I have a hard time remembering how to do tasks that I've been doing for years (like at work) and it can be very difficult to recall words and names. But I have been okay with this side effect because it does such an incredible job at neutralizing my anxiety and depression. I have really loved it. Yesterday, however, I had a really frightening memory loss experience which sent me on a google search of side effects. I was at work and came out of the ladies room into a long hall which I've walked down about 10 times a day, 5 days a week for the past year and I was completely disoriented. The hall seemed familiar to me, but I didn't fully recognize where I was. I felt like I was dreaming of a place that I knew, but couldn't completely recognize. I knew that I should know where I was so I panicked. I looked both directs and had absolutely no idea which way I should go. I stood there feeling what I imagine someone with the beginning stages of alzheimer's would feel and almost started to cry. Then I decided I should just choose a direction and go for it. After about half of the hall length it all came back to me and I knew exactly where I was. Super scary but still not sure if I want to quit the med that has improved my life this much emotionally.

was prescibed to help quit smoking. This is day 5 and I fell like I am drugged all the time.. about an hour after I take my pill I get some anxiety, then acouple of times I get a sweating spell. also I get this weird feeling thourgh my body most of the dI just can't explain it.after reading the posts I decided this is not for me I would ray,ather have the nicotene withdraws I am taking the generic brand

Aren't there anybody who knows how long it can take for the hair loss to stop?

I stopped Wellbutrin 12th of September, and by now the shedding is just a little tiny bit less.

I started Wellbutrin about two weeks ago. At first, I was happy because it did seem to increase my energy. I did notice a type of metallic taste in my mouth. However, the real concern has been the past few days. I started my normally clock work period, a week and a half early and I have had profuse bleeding for two days. And, I am not exaggerating, by profuse I mean two/three super tampons plus pads per hour are soaked plus blood clots, non-stop. I have had heavy periods in the past, but nothing even close to this type of bleeding. I had to go to the ER! In fairness, it may be just a coincidence and there could be another issue, but the fact that this is the first time I have ever experienced anything like this in my life AND under severe side effects Wellbutrin does list change in menses. I was wondering why they would list it under severe? I can find no information on how Wellbutrin specifically effects menstruation, only change in mense under severe symptoms. I have found several references to women mentioning problems with their periods online related to Wellbutrin, but nothing very specific.

I have had good effect with the med for the symptoms I am taking it for, but if I end up bleeding to death, it won't be worth it. Forgive the dark humor!

Know what? You don't know what you are talking about! I took wellbutrin for a while and BAM had a severe seizure. Ended up in the CCU at the hospital for 3 days. So yeah, i would say it was from the medicine. Actually, had another seizure in front of the doctors. They took me off the wellbutrin right then and there. Never to be taken again.

My md prescribed the generic SR (100mg *twice a day) because Pristiq was killing my sex drive.

Day 1: About 15 days later, my hands began to burn and itch and then later the soles of my feet. I took my am Allegra and put benadryl cream on them thinking it was related to some lotion I used. I called my doctor and she told me to take an extra Allegra and to make an appointment. I asked if there was a connection to the Welllbuterin and she said she didn't think so. By then, I was convinced it was the lotion so I turned down the offer to make an appointment. By the end of the day, I started to get hives under my arms, my chest and my hands and feet were burning and itching again. I took 25 mg of Benadryl and the symptoms were relieved.
Day 2: I woke up to the same burning hands, feet and itchy skin. Took morning Wellbuterin as prescribed plus 2 Allegra. The itching was alleviated until about 8 pm. I skipped the evening Wellbuterin pill and took a benadryl to help with the hives.
Day 3: I woke up to the same burning hands, feet and itchy skin. Did not take Wellbuterin but did take 2 Allegra. The itching was alleviated until about 8 pm. I skipped the evening Wellbuterin pill and took a benadryl to help with the hives.
Day 4: So far, same as Day 3. I understand it takes 3 days for medications to exit the system. I will push fluids and hope that by Day 6, I will be itch free. I am making an appointment with md asap.

I understand that these side effects are common with the generic but not with the name brand. I am tempted to try the Wellbuterin (name brand) together with Prozac (I used to take 20 mg of Prozac for years but I was a fool and wanted to see what else was out there...Prozac worked fine). I do like the idea of mixing the Wellbuterin to give me a boost, but not if I'm going to get hives or lose my hair...

I am going to add something here that I think is very important. Although the BRAND name Wellbutrin can have side affects, the GENERIC form has been creating a lot of problems. I was one of those.

I had started on the generic form of Wellbutrin, and I had side effects: kind of rush and hyper feeling, jittery, and agitation. Then came the extreme itching. My feet itched like you would not believe and then it spread to the palms of my hands - then everywhere.

The Brand Name Wellbutrin does not do this to me. I am on that now, and most of the side effects i had with the generic are gone. I found information on the generic about creating problems for those who had been on the Brand Name and swithched to the Generic and brought it up to a doctor. After allowing my body to wean off the generic and made sure I had no more hives - I started with Brand Name Wellbutrin. If you are on the generic and have these symptoms, please let the FDA know.

Also, some people actually go through some type of withdrawl symptoms when switching from one drug to another. I do know that they found that the generic actually releases the medication a lot quicker then the brand name perscription. Wellbutrin Brand Name has a slower and more gentle release from what I have been able to tell. If the bupropion (the base name for this drug) metabolises in your liver a lot more then some medication and it is being released too fast, perhaps this is causing the itching reaction? Just a thought.

P.S. to my post - I had a special blood test run to see if I have the same clotting problem as my father and the results came back negative, so it's not that.

What a bummer! I've been on Wellbutrin XL 300mg (150mg at night, 150mg in the morning) for almost 3 months. I found this site running a search on "shortness of breath Wellbutrin" because this is definitely a fly in the ointment. The shortness of breath isn't constant but it is definitely bothersome. I've had to cut WAY down on my coffee consumption and am about to quit completely, but I also starting to wonder of sugar doesn't cause some of problem as well.

About 1 month ago, I had a very scary episode that I now believe is def. a result of caffeine, Wellbutrin and possibly sugar not mixing well. I was at Barnes & Noble and met a friend for coffee. I drank a grande peppermint mocha (two shots of espresso + a good dose of chocolate and sugar syrup). During our conversation I couldn't help but notice a sudden-onset of increasing nasal congestion to the point where I was having to mouth breathe for the rest of our conversation/visit. After she left, I spent the next 20 minutes finishing up some Christmas shopping, all the while the shortness of breath continued to progress. Finally, as I was checking out, I said to the sales clerk, "I'm sorry, but I need to sit down NOW before I fall down!" because even though I was breathing very deeply I felt I wasn't getting any air, my ears started ringing LOUDLY and things were starting to go dark so I HAD to sit down - and then *lay* down - right there in front of God and everybody. Freaked them and myself totally out! I am 40 years old but in excellent health and have NEVER had ANYTHING like this happen.

So short story long, I had to lay there for 10 or 15 minutes before I felt well enough to get up. My husband came to get me and we went to my M.D. as soon as possible but it still took a couple of hours before I got in to see him. All the while I experienced waves of breathlessness and weakness interspersed with periods of feeling almost normal. I felt like I had the flu - that sort of out-of-body weirdness that goes with having a fever - but EVERY test he ran came back normal - no flu, no fever, glucose, urine, blood and EKG tests all came back PERFECTLY fine. When I started crying b/c I was so scared and still felt so awful and mentioned that my father's side of the family has trouble with blood clots, he consulted with his colleagues in the office and referred me to the emergency room of the hospital he's associated with to have additional tests run that he could not do in office and it was after hours.

4 hours later and ALL tests run AGAIN, PLUS sonograms to check for clots in my legs and a CAT scan to make sure I didn't have a clot in my head, I was pronounced 100% perfectly healthy and fine. Great. Nice wellness check-up: only $2,000. :b~

So this afternoon I gulped a bag of M&M's in record time (I'm healthy, not a saint) and then lay down for a nap. Sinus congestion rapidly set in along with shortness of breath. ENOUGH ALREADY. So I went to Google and that brought me here. Lo and behold, I'm not the only one. Trouble is, I really, really like the Wellbutrin. I'm going to cut out caffeine and sugar completely and see what happens. I'll report back in a week or so and leave my findings.

Best of luck, everybody!

HEADACHE, KNEE JOINT PAIN AND IT"S LOSS OF FUNCTION, FORGETFULNESS TO THE MAX,
IN THE EVENING WHILE RELAXING I GET TWITCHING IN MY KNEES AND BUTT, LIKE A SHOCK

I was on Wellbutrin for about 7 years. No doctor ever considered the link between that and my migraines. In the past year, they come more often, they are more intense and they last longer. The migraines were causing me to miss a lot of work and I was taking Axert once or twice a week just to function. The Wellbutrin really wasn't helping the depression and anxiety anymore, so I decided to stop taking it. I've been off of the Wellbutrin for about 3 weeks now and I haven't had a single headache.

Reading your stories has been very eye opening. I've loved Wellbutrin since I started taking it many years ago but now I'm realizing that my physical "falling apart" may be due to my long-term use of Wellbutrin. I started Wellbutrin because I was having severe PMDD and it worked like a charm. I didn't really want to go on it full time so my doctor said that I could just plan to take it a few days before and after to treat the PMDD. Well that worked for awhile but then I needed it full time to feel normal. I just assumed that was because I was "getting older"....but, to make a long story short...

I've been taking it for about 8 years (I think) and just recently upped the dosage to 300 XL because the 150 didn't seem to cut it anymore. Well, symptoms that used to be an irritation are now in full swing and I'm wondering if it isn't cause this horrible pain I'm having in my knee. I'm hurting all over and I feel like a much older woman.

I'm 44 and really thought I'm in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's. I have the mind blowing dreams that others have mentioned but ironically my short-term memory is so bad I now have trouble recalling the dreams to my husband. I can't remember common words...watch becomes "thing on your wrist that tells time" or I'll say "the fruit that is yellow" because I can't remember lemon. I'll forget where my kids told me they were going 15 minutes after they tell me.

My hearing is going fast. I got a hearing test and he told me there was some hearing loss but it was probably from using a saw for some remodeling. Well, it really feels like if I could just drain my ears I could hear again. Is Wellbutrin making my ears "thick"? They tell me I don't have any fluid in my ears but when I blow my nose I can hear better. It's like I'm in a pressurized airplane all of the time. Ironically loud noises still bother me but the comprehension is atrocious. It's really becoming noticeable.

I do have a fuzzy focus problem too. If I'm looking down at a book or even a grocery list and then look back up I can't even read the store signs. I have to blink and rub my eyes to get them back in focus. Sometimes it takes a long time.

Now I have a knee that is not responding to chiropractic. I've never had this trouble before but I'm wondering now it this isn't a tendon problem.

Thanks for all of your stories. I don't have all the problems but I have a good many of them so it can't really be so coincidental, can it? Like so many others, though, I'm wondering what I'm going to do without Wellbutrin...but I can't get "Alzheimer's" at my age if I can prevent it.

PS: My daughter tried to take it because I'd had good success with it but he put her on 300mg and she started menstrual bleeding and couldn't see. She ended up at the emergency room and they ran a battery of tests and there was "nothing" wrong. I found online that Wellbutrin had the bleeding side effect and told her to stop taking it. The problem went away (not the depression but the side effects.) I guess I should have stopped then...maybe my hearing and memory problems wouldn't be so bad.

I posted on January 1st and I'm sorry to say...it got a lot worse. Later in the day, around 10pm I had all the symptoms of a heart attack. Chest pain, strange sensation in my head with cold sweat that moved through my body head to toe, feeling like I was going to lose consciousness, feeling of impending doom. I immediately took 3 baby aspirin and told my husband what was happening. I went to the emergency room where they kept me overnight. My blood pressure, usually low, was 159/100 and my heart would fluctuate wildly from 60-100 bpm. After taking blood, chest xrays, cardiogram, and nitro patches and lopressor, I was overjoyed to hear it didn't seem to be my heart. The doctor at the hospital immediately ordered me NOT to continue the Wellbutrin.

BTW, I also was having lots of hair loss, too. Hairs in my hand each time I ran my fingers through it. I am hoping this will stop as I am now off Wellbutrin completely.

I take all of this to be a side effect of the Wellbutrin. Please be warned about this. And if you do have side effects, do what is posted on your prescription information: "You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088." They need to know about this.

i started Wellbutrin about 3 weeks ago and just a week ago i started noticing hives and or an allergic reaction, thought it had something to do with a body wash i receive as a gift, however, after throwing out the body wash about 4 days ago, i am actually noticing the hives, under my arm pits and on my stomach, all around my sweat glands, and it's itching horribly bad, so i am going to just stop taking it and call my doctor on Monday to see what else i can do. i did not realize this was a possible reaction, but now i know it is. other then that, those are the only side effects i've really noticed physically at least.

Thank you so much for each and every one of you posting this information! Thank God I found you. I have been taking Wellbutrin SR (generic Sandoz) 100mg/2 times a day for almost 3 weeks. I, too, have had chest pains that stay for a couple minutes then just disappear. A little into the second week came the forgetfulness. I even had to ask my husband what my cell phone number was! Names of people, actors whose names I know, and lyrics to songs and lines of poems are all evading me. But just as I approached the third week, my palms and wrists have started itching like mad. It lasts for a while then completely disappears. This is also happening with my head, on the scalp, around the hairline, in the corners of my eyes, and yesterday in the genital area. When I woke yesterday, I took a shower. By the end, my palms and the soles of my feet felt hot like they were sunburned and itchy. I wondered if I had some rash or athlete's foot. But my hands? A systemic fungal infection? As luck would have it I had a doctor's appointment that morning and told her about it. No mention of this as a possible side effect from Wellbutrin! None! She mentioned that it could just be dry skin, to which I said, no, I know what dry skin is like, this is not just dry skin. She said to take Benadryl (Boo, a cover up for the symptom - I don't believe in taking another drug to take care of another drug's side effects. What the hell!). I then asked her if anything I was taking might cause this to occur. I can't remember exactly what she said (Thanks for nothing, Wellbutrin.); something about taking Benadryl, going to a dermatologist who, if he/she could confirm it was a drug allergy, we would have to start all over again from scratch re my mood (and a new regimen with a new drug). The itchiness continued intermittently through the day. As the evening approached, and a couple of hours before my evening dose, my hands started having hot spots (and my hands were cold to the touch), my fingers started to swell with pains and a strange sensation in several of them. I became very worried, thinking I might need to go to an emergency room on New Year's Eve. I did not take my evening dose and eventually things calmed down. I am going to take only 100mg a day (one dose in the morning) and see how I feel and contact the doctor tomorrow.

I think it is ROTTEN that these side effects are not well expressed in the literature that comes with the drug! Look at these symptoms on this page alone; they are from six years ago! How did this pass the FDA??

I do know that this drug is hard on one's liver. But I was never given a liver panel before taking it. Rashes can be a sign of toxic, overloaded liver. I'm getting off of this. And I'm pissed that I'm the one that has to do the research on the internet to find out what's really going on. I thank you all for sharing and helping to educate us all.

I have been taking the generic of Wellbutrin for about 2-1/2 months. I noticed a little hair loss and mentioned it to one doctor that thought it was just stress. About 2 weeks later I noticed a bald spot about the side of a half dollar had appeared right on top of my head. The skin there is pink, not white like the rest, and very tender, almost like a burn. I have also noted the extreme dreaming - not mightmares, but so busy all night long and I never used to be aware of dreaming at all. Now anytime I wake up there are stories running. I am glad to find this blog, as I would be seriously bald in another few weeks if I had not see these comments. Now I have to find out how to wean off this stuff so I don't have some kind of neurological or psychological problems. Any ideas???

I had a terrible experience with the generic form of Wellbutrin. I felt a weird "rush" sensation and after taking it for a few weeks, developed crazy itching and rashes. The weird "rush" could have been from the fact that the generic form of Wellbutrin releases more quickly then the brand name does.
The FDA now is aware of this. I also had some agitation with it.

The name brand - I am fine at a low dose. Just enough to take in the morning. I have always been told that when first starting this medication, a low dose is a must - then building up to 300 or more is the usual method. This medication is not for anxiety, and sometimes can create some of that. If a doctor puts you on a high dose in the first start of the medication, ask to start with a lower dose and then build up. When you do go higher = start with taking two every other day.

I started with generic Wellbutrin SR in November (150 mg for first three days, 300 going forward). I felt great, but very jittery. I didn't mind the jitters because almost immediately my depression lifted, my mood got so much better, my appetite lowered and I had tons of energy. I was thrilled. However, 10 days into taking it, I broke out in hives. I stopped taking the medication and the hives went away. Two weeks from the breakout, I started on brand name Wellbutrin XL (150mg). It's day 11 today and so far (knock on wood), no hives. The experience on the brand name is very different. Granted, I'm on half the dose, but the positive affects are coming on much more gradually. I feel better and much more in control of my emotions (particularly, irritability). Though I have more energy, it’s not as much as I had on 300 mg of the generic. My appetite is under control. I don’t think about food all the time. I'm going to stay on 150 mg for a month and see what happens. This dose might to the trick. I searched online for success stories of individuals having allergic reactions to generic and not to brand name. There are a few and they gave me hope b/c I liked this medication so much. So, for those of you, who have a similar experience, talk to your doctor. I still have Claritin in my purse just in case, but I’m hoping that the brand name won’t cause any problems.
Good luck!

I feel like wellbutrin killed my life as I knew it. After 18 months on it, I was worse than I was before I went on it. I had to see a chiropractor and massage therapist for the pain in my back and stiff muscles. I stopped working out because one of my knees was stiff and painful to bend. Prior to that I was a competitive athlete and extremely fit. I developed pain in one finger joint that woke me up at night. I developed severe acne that continued even after I quit the wellbutrin and finally was diagnosed with perioral dermatitis. I am convinced it was caused by the wellbutrin. I was somewhat short of breath, forgetful, had sunburned like skin at time, had trouble sleeping and nothing ever bothered me. I was just there. I eventually developed what seemed like toxicity where I couldn't see to drive, my thoughts were racing, I was tachycardic, my skin was flushed and hot all over, and I couldn't remember basic daily things to do. I will never take this medication again. After eight months my mood is actually better. The wellbutrin made my self esteem go in the toilet with how I felt and I also gained over 15 pounds.

I forgot to write about my memory problems with this medication. There was one case when I had drawn something on the podium where I work, and came back several minutes later and asked who had drawn it, and my coworker looked at me like an idiot and told me that I did. Another time, I came in and said hello to my coworker and had a few words with her. Later that day, I saw her again in the kitchen and said "Hey, I didn't know you were here today!" And then she reminded me that we had spoken when I came in. This sounds almost too ridiculous to be true, and I wish it was. I also have the tremor issue, but that is hardly important compared with these other crazy side effects.

Like so many other people I have read from here on this post, I just today made the connection that I have been losing a LOT of hair, and that it seems to have started when I started taking Wellbutrin generic about 7 months ago. I have always heard it's normal to lose 100 hairs a day, and that we subsequently get 100 new hairs a day. Though I have never collected and counted the hairs, I have a giant clump of hair in the shower when I'm done, more when I comb it, and even more after I put leave-in conditioner in my hair. I do not comb or brush my hair any more than after that first time in the morning, I do not dry it or use any other sort of damaging products on it. I take a multivitamin. There really could be no other cause for this severe hair loss. I am only 23.
I have noticed the great amount of hairs coming out, but just very recently actually looked closely at my scalp and saw that there is a frighteningly large amount of white scalp between hairs toward the front of my head, but not necessarily farther back on the head.
I read the official Wellbutrin prescription forms, and there is NOTHING about hair loss on it anywhere.
I am so very glad I found this blog. I am calling my doctor tomorrow to tell her that I want to move my appointment with her up sooner and have this changed. This is so incredibly disappointing, because this is like the miracle medication to me - I have been on so many antidepressants, and have spent most of my life feeling so tired I don't want to do anything, and Wellbutrin has eliminated this. I have also lost 30+ pounds. I am terrified - if I go off this medicine, I will gain all that weight back and more, but if I continue, I will go bald!!! I
To add, I have taken Budeprion and Bupropion, and did not notice a change in hair loss between the two. I have not taken the official Wellbutrin, but did see another page that actually said Wellbutrin has a side effect of hair loss in 1 in 100 to 1 in 1000 people. I have yet to see anyone answer the question of how long it takes to notice the hair loss stopping or hair regrowth. If anyone has any information on this, please post.

I've been taking the generic for Wellbutrin (Bupropion HCL XL) 300mg QD since January 2009. My gynecologist put me on this with a combination of progesterone only birth control in order to increase my sex drive (and I believe I recently found the cause of the loss of libido - Yaz BC). Anyway, the combination has not helped the libido at all - still just not there anymore. I'm very jealous of those of you who have reported an increased sex drive. I wish that was the case for me. However, the only side effect I've really been experiencing is shakiness of my hands (think Parkinson's). It sucks because I play violin, but since it's the only symptom, I can't really complain. I feel better in general, like an overall feeling of well-being and I can't remember the last time I had a mood swing or bout of unnecessary crying. No hair loss here. Although, I have lost some weight over the months, but not exactly sure if it's related to the Wellbutrin. I'm 25 years old.

I just started Wellbutrin about three weeks ago and I love it. I haven't lost weight yet but it definitely curbed my appetite, I'm not as hungry anymore. But every once in a while I am completely ravenous and can't stop eating; until I get a huge stomach ache, but that only happened twice. My dreams have certainly been strange. I have always have vivid and crazy dreams but these are intense. They're not nightmare-ish just really action packed and real-like. I wake up always thinking "whoa, did that really happen?" No harm done though. I'm almost done smoking cigarettes too! I went from about half a pack a day to maybe 1-3 cigarettes only in the evening/night. I just have no desire to smoke and only have one at night or if I'm having a cocktail. The medication also curbed my alcohol intake. I used to drink almost every night and now I just don't feel like it. I hope these side effects keep working in my favor!

I've been on Wellbutrin for about 9 years. There has been hair loss over that time, but I attributed it to aging. Then in 9/2007 I went to generic, and in early 2008 I was shocked and alarmed to see so much pink scalp showing through my salt/pepper hair. I was taking only 100 mg/day. Fortunately, the drug lost efficacy last fall, and I went to Prozac, with just 75 mg/d of bupropion to counter the fatigue of Prozac.
Now, having read all these reports, I think I'm going to taper off bupropion altogether. THe interesting thing is the hair loss was marked after going to generic, even at a low dose. So maybe it's the generic that's responsible. Anyway, I'm going to try more ginseng for the fatigue and biotin (thanks to all of you) for the hair loss.
By the way, the whole 9 years on Wellbutrin, I was edgy, anxious, and impatient, and worse with the generic. With Prozac (the generic also) I am a much nicer person to myself and others. Everybody is different, so follow your own good sense.

I lost my job because I was depressed, paranoid, angry, anxious, & crying at the drop of a hat. I was switched by my pharmacy from wellbutrin to budeprion - the generic - and I did not relate my crazy behavior to the generic. Too bad. I would never had know that the generic was defective (lacking the component to transfer the active ingredient into the bloodstream) if by chance I hadn't heard on NPR that there were class action suits because of the chaos caused by the generic. Too late to save my job. but I am searching for an attorney to help me join the class action.

just crazy dreams all around... not knowing what was reality or not... it didn't help me quit smoking. i still smoke today, a year after trying it...

I've been taking this medication for 12 days now and it's been a total nightmare. I take the pill in the morning, and at night I get really nauseous and dizzy, I feel like I can't stand straight, I'm really short tempered, I get mad for nothing. I gained weight because I'm always hungry ! I hope this will go away! The only advantage is the (very!!) increased libido. I'm currently taking 150 mg, but I think I will ask to get a lower dose.

I have been taking Bupropion HCL 150mg 1x a day off and on for about 9 months. I have begun to notice SEVERE hair loss. I am a 33 y.o. female with THICK hair. The loss is noticeable on entire head but most notable at front and sides of forehead. Very concerned by this... this side effect was never mentioned by doctor when prescribed. Plan to discontinue immediately. Thankful that I was able to read other posts and make the connection.. or else I would have continued Rx, not knowing what the cause may have been from. Still have not read any comments on regrowth.. time, amount. Best of luck to all. Disappointed in PA.

I was on Effexor xl 150 mg for 8 years and 3 months ago my doctor put me on WELLBUTRIN - cold turkey. In the first two weeks I was nauseated; tired; depressed; no desire to eat; I started to have still do have menstrual bleeding this has been for the past 10 weeks.. Three of those ten I was on YAZ birth control to stop the menstrual bleeding. Nothing is working I have lost 35 lbs and feel nauseated all the time and nothing is working.

Also on generic for Wellbutrin - 300mg daily. Bumped up from 150 since January 09'. Found this site after googled nausea and bupropion. I have been on he generic of wellbutrin for over a year and am now having terrible nausea for the last 3 weeks. Feels like when I was pregnant and had morning sickness. Have taken 4 pregnancy tests to rule out. I see that nausea is a side effect - but after a year?? I can't say that anything else has changed, diet, stress, food, etc. has changed in the last month. Anyone have a similar experience?

Also glad to hear that I'm not the only one noticing hair loss. Sister-in-law commented just yesterday about how fast my hair has thinned. Didn't think much of it because alopecia runs in our family.

Hate to stop this anti-depressant. Been on over half a dozen different anti-depressants due to horrible side effects - this one has been the best option I have been on in the last 16 years, but the nausea is really starting to get to me. Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

KH

Wellbutrin SR 150 mg. two times a day. I've been on Bupropion for over three years now and I absolutely love it. I had a horrible time controlling food cravings and an even harder time losing weight (like weight watchers said they never saw someone like me and my doctor was stumped). Suddenly a few weeks after starting I was dropping weight without even trying, and I didn't feel like I was going to die if I didn't have whatever food was in front of me. I've lost 50 pounds and have kept it off while enjoying the food I eat and not obsessing.

That being said, I've noticed in the past few months that a ton more hair comes out in the shower and it is really freaking me out. I never had this problem for 3 years, I don't know what changed. I still have new growth and there are no bald spots. I'm wondering if it has to do with me going off birth control 6 months ago? I've heard hormones can really effect hair loss. I'm scared to death of going off Wellbutrin because the few times I stopped taking it I started to put on a lot of weight IMMEDIATELY.

I'm seeing my doctor next week, I really don't want to go off it, I finally feel healthy and not obsessive :(

I was given Wellbutrin in the hospital. Two days later I became so dizzy that I couldn't even walk without falling down and I began to vomit excessively. The doctor said it was a bad reaction to the Wellbutrin and he took me off of it immediately. It has been 2 days since then the dizziness and the vomiting stopped but now giant red itching welps has appeared all over my legs, arms, and feet. What should I do? Should I go to ER?

I am stopping wellbutrin now for the 2nd time. After reading everyones response and the timing of when I started 300mg xl it fits. My skin is so bad I'm on 2 different antibiotics and as of today will not leave my house.

Oh I am so glad I found this thread! I am having severe memory loss. It is so bad I can't even remember if I took my wellbutrin pill XL 5 minutes after I did take it. Sometimes I end up taking too many. I can't remember names, places, dates, I couldn't even remember where my husband worked when filling out a form at the dentist for my kids appointment. If I don't take the pill I am extremely irritated by the smallest things, to the point I feel ridiculously raging mad inside. It really scares the hell out of me. When I drive I feel like I am in a fog mentally. Every once in awhile I think, how am I doing this? I can't believe I haven't had an accident. I am also getting constant headaches. They come on in the morning and go away when I take the pill. Then they come back at night as its all wearing off. Like others, the beginning was euphoria, I was cool with any and everything, easily gave up cigarettes, felt like I could get a lot accomplished but now, it is terrible. I am afraid of the pain of withdrawal. My head hurts so bad now when I don't take it and I am afraid I will have a raging fit in front of my kids. I have not lost weight but gained 15 lbs. I am not sure if that is because I quit smoking or because I am in such a fog when eating that I forget to stop and forget I am full. I am constantly constipated since starting this drug as well. I don't know how I will get away from this but it is definitely my goal to. I feel like if I don't stop taking it, I will end up in a nursing home with my tongue hanging out and drooling. By the way, I am 36, college educated, never had depression...just wanted to quit smoking.

I have been taking Wellbutrin 300 xl ( i believe - here comes the "Brain Farts" i attribute to Wellbutrin ) for seven years. I can tell you that i have noticed a small very very small amount of hair loss compared to most people but as i read thru these posts it appeared to me that MOST of them stated generic Wellbutrin. I will say i have had more hair than i am comfortable with appearing in my shower and bathroom floor and sink from drying my hair BUT i have NOT had the scary experiences that i have read here. I came to this site because i had to quit taking my Wellbutrin cold turkey because of some changes in the law in my state i have to drive 50 miles away to see my N.P. and because the office i was going to and the one she works in act like they have to send fire signals to each other instead of email and i am out of meds! so i was searching for side effects i could expect until i can get my meds back. i will tell you it is nice to see that i am not alone but i think it sucks that any of us have to decide if taking the medication and side effects are worth it! i also have problems with memory, spelling,speech, following thru with my thoughts much less getting them out of my head and making sense to someone else. did that make sense? ! ? i personally didn't notice any weight loss. my husband says i have the patience of a flea and really dislike " hate" a lot of things. i don't notice this but go back a couple of sentences and you will understand :)
After being here and reading all that i have i am afraid to continue taking this medication so i think i will just let it go and see what happens. i am also taking lamictal and seroquel and xanax and i am pretty sure i would be just as afraid of them if i went and looked them up but i have the choice as i am sure most of you do ...... do you take the meds and deal or go off the meds and well ... die?