Wellbutrin and gaining weight

Day 21 on Welbutrin XL 150 mg. - prescribed to help stop (light) smoking habit & for depression. I loved it - smoking urges not nearly as strong, more energy, very few emotional outbursts & general sense of calm, happiness & well-being. I haven't felt this good for 4 years. Have tried other meds in past but quit due to weight gain & sexual side-effects. Yesterday I developed HIVES. Damn. Saw nurse practitioner today. She wants me to switch to Lexapro. Told me to start w/ 1/2 a tab @ bedtime tonight. AAaaarrrgh! Anyone have any experience w/ Lexapro?

This is the 3rd time I have been on Wellbutrin. Once in 1999, then in 2004, and just started taking it again 3 months ago. The first two times I took it I had joint pain and a lot of muscle inflammation. This go around is different... Just recently, within the past few weeks, I started breaking out with hives, after taking it with no problems for three months! Started on my head and progressively got worse. I break out all over my body, head, legs, back, hands, etc. For some reason it seems to happen more frequently when I lay down in my bed to go to sleep (weird!) One other scary side affect is, I frequently stop breathing when I start to fall asleep, and wake up gasping for air. Has anyone else experienced this?
Since I had never experienced problems with hives the first few times I was on Wellbutrin, I didn't think it was the medication causing the hives. So, I cut my dose in half (50mg/day). The hives didn't go away, so I stopped taking it all together 3 days ago, but still continue to get hives. Does anyone know how long it takes to get it out of your system?

Not sure if the side effects are a cause of weaning coming off of Effexor or beginning Wellbutrin XR 300 mg.

I have been feeling quite dizzy and light headed, also very on edge for the past week. And I guess the best way to desribe it would be small shocks inside my hide. Like someone or something is pounding inside my skull. I weaned off of Effexor completely a week ago and started on the Wellbutrin XR 300 mg.

Anyone else experiencing similar symptons?

Cyn

Coming off WB SR after 2.5 yrs. Started on prozac for depress, anxiety, PTSD. "stopped" working. Tapered off that & supplemented with Lexapro. "didn't work" so added WB SR, 300 mgs. I didnt split up taking 300 into 3-100s because I kept forgetting a dose, so my doc said better to take all at once than forget & mess up the chemicals all the time. I liked the caffeine effect. No hair loss, some headaches throughout, muscle twitches, shakiness, dizziness. At first didnt affect sleep; I took it at night, then I had to take it during the day cuz it was beginning to keep me up at night. When I missed a dose, Id enter a huge emotioanl rollarcoaster. When I skipped the Lexapro, no effect. SO, 2 mos ago I tapered off Lexapro. Expected w/d affects, but there were none. Now if I take the WB hours after I normally do cuz I forgot to take it earlier, there is no emotional roller coaster effect. Oh yeah-I started smoking & gaining weight since starting all these ADs. Now I am tapering off the WB. I feel OK and dont want this medication crutch anymore. My rape, & subsequent drop-out of college, which started my downward spiral are in the past now. Ive been in therapy for years and am very close with my therapists. I am getting more active in & support from my church as I get rid of my "crutches". I am quitting smoking at the same rate I reduce the WB. Tried to look up w/d symtoms for WB but this is the only place google came up with with actual information. I am grateful to you guys. Ive been off WB for 2 days maybe at this point and am completely exhausted and can sleep all day & all night. Today is the first day Ive been awake much of the morning. As another person mmentioned, my apetite is voracious-I am not feeling full until Ive had the equivalent of two meals, per mealtime! Sure hope this goes away, I'm at the heaviest Ive ever been. Also, all at once my allergy meds seem to have completely stopped working? Yesterday I sneezed every 5 min and nose ran and my nose is just rubbed raw. Today the allergies haev calmed down. Don't kniow what all thats about...Ive been walking the dog each morning, whom I got to help me feel happier, and he does. I started an online business to try to reduce the stresses of working outside of the home. It has its own stresses! But at least I have comforting things nearby...I would not recommend taking Ad drugs without therapy.

gaining weight steadily with no change in diet or exercise; painful sweilling in joints getting worse over time; also tightness in my chest, but i'm not sure if that's related-does anyone else get that?