Wellbutrin and brain

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???

Took Wellbutrin XL 150's for 7 days and the dizziness and vertigo was only getting worse day after day. Been off it for 4 days and STILL have dizzy and vertigo feelings. I was doing 100 times better with no meds!! I just wish I knew how long before I can expect this to get out of my system. It cannot be good for you at all.

I was on SSRI's for a while (lexapro, zoloft) when I finally couldn't take the tiredness, weight consistency, and NO sex drive. So I tried Wellbutrin SR 150 2x a day. Started off at 150 for a few days and felt like I was given a new life! I had never felt so good. Then it was time to increase my does to the 300mg. I started getting headaches, dizziness, my ears are ringing so bad I can't hear very well anymore. So I went back down to 150mg per day. I don't feel as tired, but it's still there. The ringing won't go away and I am still dizzy. The funny thing is, is that I can almost guarantee it's the same time everyday. I get the dizziness and headaches around 3pm, they go away(most of the time I have to lay down) and by about 5pm they're gone, but by about 10pm they're back. And it happens every day like clockwork. I like the way I feel (minus the headaches and dizziness, and ringing) my brain doesn't feel "numb" like I did on the Zoloft or Lexapro, and I have lost a few pounds which doesn't hurt, but I don't think I should feel like this everyday. I want a medication that I can feel good on without headaches and dizziness. And PLEASE no ringing in the ears. It's good to know that other people are experiencing these side effects, I really thought I was the only one.

Hi! I've been on Wellbutrin XL since November 2007. It's late February 2008 and I just stopped taking it two days ago. I know I shouldn't go cold turkey, but like others...I'm afraid of the side effects.

I've been having headaches since December. After having my eyes checked (prescription barely changed) and returning to the chiropractor (thinking something may have been pinched in my neck), nothing helped. I have NEVER had migraines until I started taking this medication, which a friend brought to my attention. "When did you start having these headaches? Wasn't it around the time you started Wellbutrin?" He asked because he, too, has had issues finding an anti-depressant that worked for him. On many, he's experienced headaches.

My doctor ended up prescribing a CT Scan and an MRA w/contrast of the brain because I told her that, in addition to the migraines, I also had two occasions where it felt like I was going to have a stroke (like my head was just going to explode and I almost passed out).

I have yet to have the scans due to an insurance issue, but I have stopped taking the Wellbutrin to see if that will help. I'm not looking forward to the depression, but I'm hoping I can take other positive steps (exercise, proper diet, vitamins, etc.) to avoid taking any more anti-depressants. The side effects are NOT worth it, at least at this point. I'm just going to have to find another way to get myself out of bed in the morning! :)

I have been taking only 75 mgs for seven days. It feels wonderful, however I'm pretty sure I experienced a few simple partial seizures at first while my brain was getting used to the drug. I only take it once a day (even though I was prescribed twice),Although the drug wears off around ten pm or so. I still lay awake most of the night unable to sleep. Here and there I will take 1/2 an Ativan to alleviate the stress of this, but on the whole. Wellbutrin has completely removed my acute panic disorder. I no longer sweat, or shake profusely, and I feel competent and confident. I seem to manage on what little sleep I am lucky to get. I do still get the symptoms of my ADD, and OCD, but they are much toned down. I can control my brain if I try hard, whereas before it was a rushing river that I could not focus on. No one should expect anything to be a wonder-drug. You are using your mind as a guinea pig. Don't be scared of seizures, they won't kill you, they might make you more creative, or less depressed( or you might fall into the street)
Even so, Wellbutrin is much better than Prozac.

Have been on WB TR 300 for ten days. Have been on depression meds for several yrs. This is by far as bad/depressed as I have ever felt. My brain feels like mush, my memory is poor amd am extremely emotional. I also feel detached from everything. I hear it can take 30 days for results. This just isn't worth it for me. Scared to stay with it and worried about stopping. Wish I had never started.

I have been on Wellbutrin XL 150mg for 5 days now and have noticed that I am very short with people and experiencing anger. I tend to lash out. Will this go away?

I started taking Wellbutrin three weeks ago. I had been taking Zoloft for four years and it had been working fine except my insurance company tripled the cost and I was beginning to have to take more to get the same results. I thought Wellbutrin might be good alternative after doing some research and my doctor thought it would be good for me to try out. Well, since I have been taking Wellbutrin I have become emotional (wanting to cry at things I would never cry at before), more irritable, my husband says "I am not the same person", dizzy, two sips of a beer gave me a horriable headache which lasted until the next morning, I had to sit down on a bench at the mall because I felt like I was going to faint, and worse of all my brain became very "fuzzy" feeling. It was like my short term memory was damaged. I am taking a Spanish class and was doing well (A's). After I started taking Wellbutrin I could not concentrate enough in class to learn, even saying to my professor, "please skip me, I am not feeling well". It was humiliating. I have maintained a 4.0 in every class I have taken since 1999 and completed a masters degree last year. So, all in all-this was my experience. Maybe if I had taken it longer, it would have been different, but it was like torture for me. One positive note....I felt absolutely no internal depression after a week of taking it (other than being upset about the other symptoms). It worked really well in that area.....so, maybe if others do not have all the symptoms I experienced, it would be a very good drug to take for depression-just not for me!

I have been taking 100mg of XL for about 6 months, I have been feeling terrible, headaches, jittery, can't sleep, irritable,fatigued all the time. I thought it was neurological, had MRI of brain, spine, etc... I also have ringing in my ears, and don't feel like doing anything. I am usually very social and upbeat, but now just the opposite. I hate this anxious shaky feeling all the time. I am going to stop taking it, skip a dose every other day for a week or two. Does anyone have any advice on how to stop taking wellbutrin?? If so please let me know. I want to get off of it ASAP!!!

I have been taking Wellbutrin generic 75mg for 5 days. Today...WOW!! I feel like I did 10 lines of cocaine. I feel so speedy and upbeat. I don't have any other bad side effects. I notice at night, I feel the need to stretch out my legs because I feel agitated. SO far so good. I think this stuff is a lot better then the SSRI's. I had horrible side effects and suicidal thoughts. My only curiousity is, why would my DR. put me on this if I have anxiety and not depression? Weird. I have an appointment with him today and I think I want to stay on this dose and see how it works for me. I don't want this Dr shrinking my brain. LOL I'm really scared about drinking on this.