Wellbutrin and prozac

I have been taking 150 mg Wellbutrin SR twice a day for about a month now. It has lifted and stabilized my mood to a lifesaving degree. I feel like I have "me" back and my life back after suffering through a very deep depression for approx. a year. My only negative side effects are a bit of cystic acne, which I haven't had since college (I am 45 now) and breast tenderness all month long rather than just before my cycle. I have started using Proactive for the acne and it is working well. I guess I'll just live with the breast tenderness if it means having my life back! I have also had a few positive side effects, namely, my libido which was completely dead has started to re-emerge, and I am eating less, although I haven't lost any weight yet. (I used to have a compulsive desire to binge and that has waned.) I have more energy but whether this is due to the Wellbutrin or just ot being in a fog of depression, I can't say. Overall, Wellbutrin has been a very positive medication for me. I have used Prozac and Zoloft in the past and they neither worked as well on my mood and also had many unbearable side effects (weight gain, loss of libido, inability to orgasm to name a few). I'm hoping once I have been stabilized for a while the doctor will allow me to lower my dose and perhaps then the breast tenderness will go away.

I've been on Welbutrin for about six months, along with Zoloft. I had tried it because of the lack of motivation and the lithergy I was feeling (I suspect) as a result of the Zoloft. I came across this site after a search for memory loss connected with Welbutrin. I believe I'm having that problem. I don't seem to have the quick grasp of words I did. In a phone conversation today, I could not remember a certain medical term that I have been using rather frequently over the past six months. There are some other cases, but that incident put me on the trail of memory loss research. I actually suspected that it was the Ambien I had been taking for sleep (I have not completely ruled that drug out). But all the posts here seem to indicate that the welbutrin could be at fault.

I'm on 150mg, twice daily. However, in the morning, I will actually take one and a half pills (225mg) to get me going. I have noticed CONSIDERABLE jitters, hand tremors, enough that if I'm doing delicate work of some type, I have difficulty continuing ti complete the task. At the 225mg, I do seem to become over amped a bit, but it improves my motivation. A St. Johns Wart capsule will usually calm that, but you see the problem of one drug, helping one problem, but causing another, so you take a third! I have tried numerous other antidepressants and they all caused more side effects than they were worth.
Celexa cause an eventual complete lack of ANY motivation! Plus SERIOUS sexual side effects. Zoloft has been the best with the least side effects and I have always returned to it. But the sleepiness can just be extreme with me.

I have run out of Welbutrin and the result is return of the lithergy. I also believe that the Welbutrin may be causing my occasional up tick in anger. Possibly spreading the dosage will help. Not mixing it with caffiene may also help because caffiene can make me explosive if I don't limit my intake to about a cup of coffee. Most of you know that Zoloft, Prozac and the like increase the available seritonin in your brain, a calming neurotransmitter. Welbutrin increases the available norepinephrine, a stimulating neurotransmitter, akin to adrenalin. (Research for yourselves those facts, remember, I posting this because of a problem with MEMORY! :) So it makes perfect sense that people can become overstimulated with Welbutrin. The memory aspects of it, I don't yet understand. I'm going to experiment with dosage reduction and possibly replacing the Welbutrin with the amino acid L-phenylalanine. I hope this little post can help some of you as much as the other posts here have helped me!

Burt

i've been experiencing ringing in my ears since taking Wellbutrin.
it's scary. also my mouth is very very dry making it hard to even swallow sometimes.
kinsey

The first time I went on Wellbutrin, I had a really bad reaction to it. I had insomnia, horrible tremors, apathy, I felt like I was walking around in a cloud. I went on to try other medications. Now I'm taking a combination of Prozac and Wellbutrin and it seems to be working. My depression is under control. I don't have the apathy or zombie feeling anymore, but I do still have the tremors, though they aren't as bad. I get some mild insomnia, but taking it in the morning helped with that, and lately I've found that a little bit of coffee in the morning (not too much, don't need to be MORE shaky) helps with a lot of my side effects. I do have the confusion and concentration issues too. It hasn't caused any severe problems, it only seems to really happen in casual conversation, where I'll completely forget what I wanted to say. It's annoying, but way better than depression, and not severe enough for me to stop.
To those people who are telling others to stay away from this drug, or any drug for that matter, don't forget that there is a reason there are so many different kinds of anti-depressants. Everybody's body chemistry is different, so their gonna react in different ways. Also, the people who don't have issues with side effects rarely go looking for sites like this....
Just something to think about.

I too have experience a late period, 11 days late so far. In addition, I am having extreme nausea. I thought maybe I was pregnant, I took 3 tests and all are negative. I have been on the Wellbutrin for 1 month now and am not really thrilled with the results. Actually, I find it's not helping at all.

I was on Celexa for about 6 months and loved it with 2 exceptions. Hair loss and a huge loss of my sex drive.

My thought is that none of these drugs are without side effects...there is no free ride.

Anyone else have similar experiences with Wellbutrin?

I have been taking Wellbutrin 200mg daily for about 2 weeks. I have taken prozac, which made me very violent, I've taken paxil and quit taking it when I got pregnant, and I've taken Zoloft, which worked wonderfully for me. Then, there is the Wellbutrin. When I first started it, I was tired and out-of-it. I figured I would give it a few days for my body to adjust. Now, I am tired, out-of-it, restless, annoyed at everyone, don't want to be touched, nervous, scared, emotional roller coaster, constant headache, muscle aches, stomach upset, smells are very pronounced, and to top it off, I thought I could quit smoking....but turns out I want to smoke more, however, they taste like crap, and smell even worse! I think I am going back to the doctor to switch back to zoloft. Wish I would have never started taking Wellbutrin!

I started taking 300 mg wellbutrin sr while weaning off of effexor xr (another nightmare) about three months ago. The past few weeks I have been extremely agitated with everyone in my life. I have also had the worst migraine of my life that will not go away. I'm not sure if this is a side effect of the welbutrin, or just more painful effexor withdrawal? My husband swears that my anger has made me a different person. I hate the way I feel, but don't know if the Wellbutrin is making it better or worse. Anyone have any input?

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.

I've been taking Wellbutrin sr for 3 days, I'm mostly forgetful, irritable, my mind is racing panicky, tremor, nausea ringing in my ears, speedy energy but then when you crash ur sooooooooo tired. jittery.

I originally started on Prozac about four years ago but it didn't work so my doctor switched me to Lexapro. When I went for my next doctor appointment she noticed the drastic weight gain and noted it had been since I started taking the Lexapro so again, I changed medications. I'm now on Wellbutrin and have been for almost a year. I have been exercising, eating healthier, but am still gaining. Is anyone else having this problem. The doctor told me Wellbutrin did not have a reputation of causing wait gain but something is wrong. I also never thought about it until reading all the other postings. I am constantly having headaches and a very short temper. I'm ready to come off of it all together and just deal with the depression.

Right now I am a total mess from taking Wellbutrin, sr. I started at 150 mgs last summer. I am now up to 450mgs a day, plus 80 mgs of Prozac a day. The doc cut my Prozac dosage in half, without telling me, and for the last week, I feel like I'm going out of mind. I am going to the doc tomorrow to have a PET scan, just to make sure I don't have a brain tumor, but I am pretty sure I know what is causing all these symptoms. I don't know if dropping the Prozac dose set me off or what, but some of the symptoms I have are; the worst headache I have ever had, dry mouth, ears ringing, heart palpitations, stumbling (I fell down 5 times in the last 2 weeks, enough to send me to the ER) I feel like I have no co-ordination, I tremble and jerk uncontrollably, and I am totally brain dead. I can't remember from one day to the next what I did, or was doing. Heck, in the last few days, I can't even remeber what I did 15 minutes ago. I start something, and walk away from it, and then I think about it later, although so far I have let the sink over flow a couple of times, and let food burn. I have been married and taking care of my family for 33 years, and now I can't even get my kids', my grandkids', and the dogs' name straight! I forget a word I know that I know, and it makes me so frustrated. I have outbursts of crying, the other day I had a meltdown because I couldn't find the leftover ham bone to make soup. I talk real fast, and sometimes get the words all mixed up. I do impulsive stuff, like I maxed out the credit card during Christmas. My husband is going nuts, too, because he says it's like living with another person. Today I have felt like I could barf at any minute, my head is pounding, my heart is pounding, and I could stay awake forever, and then in an hour I'm so tired I have to take naps every day! I never took naps, since I was 5!! I had a similar experience when I was on Paxil. Prozac has worked for me since it first came on the market, but since my doc added the Wellbutrin, I just don't know. It was working fine until she cut the Prozac dose in half, so maybe that set it off, I don't know. I wish I could get off all the crap, but due to PTSD, I have to take at least the Prozac. I hope I get some answers tomorrow!

I've been on Wellbutrin for 8 years. After reading this forum I seriously question wether if I am the forgetful person that I've become. It's been so long since I've been clear-headed, but I know that as a child I had an extrodinary memory. Because this has viably been a side-effect that has existed for 8 years, I learned to believe that it was who I was. 2 years previous to starting Wellburtin failed in an sucicide attempt and thought that it could be from that. But because of overwhelming anxiety and hives,my doctor has upped my dose from 150mg to 300mg daily. Now I'm noticing that I can't remember chuncks of time. Trying to replaying an event in my mind and realize that I don't what happened after...and which roads I drove on to get home. It's a daily occurence. I will set everything out to take to school, but forget to grab the stuff. Laundry takes me days, because I constantly forget to change loads. I get distracted easily and don't know what I was doing or simply forget that I was doing something. 3 times while writing this I forgot what my next sentence was going to be. I always feel like I'm in a brain fog anymore. My greatest fear is that Wellburtin is the only one in it's class. I tried Paxil, Prozac, Effexor and had horrible side effect. So is it Wellbutrin or nothing? Does anyone know or have suggestions of other meds? When someone hurts me, I usually can't remember it long enough to mad ever again. I also have severe migranies, but not sure if thy're are related.

I have been taking Wellbutrin SR, 150 mg., once a day for about 5 years now and I love it! I have always been very active my whole life until I had to deal with some very hard family problems. Well, I started getting to where I didn't want to get out of bed in the morning and to fix a meal was more than I could handle. I tried Prozac and just wanted to sleep, so my doctor prescribed Wellbutrin for me. I started feeling like my old self again. My doctor said depression medication should make you feel normal, not out of it or anything like that. Well, I feel normal. You have to listen to your body though. I had a hard time sleeping for the first couple of weeks but that went away. I also notice that if I am starting to feel overwhelmed, I just take an extra one. I'm supposed to take 2 a day, but I only take one in the morning. Every now and then I will take one at noon also. This helps if I'm feeling overwhelmed. You just have to pay attention to your body. If you get headaches, reduce your dose or only take it every other day. I tried the XL and didn't like it. I felt more tired. I really like the SR. It seems just right for me.

Please everyone who suffers from any of these symptoms, I would love an email asap as I feel like I am going crazy.
My dr prescribed buproprion sr 150 mg along with lexapro 20 mg about 3 weeks ago to help combat a major bout of postpartum depression. She had to wean me off of 40 mg of Prozac first from previous depression issues.
Since then, I feel as though I am losing my mind. I cry all of the time, I have pain in the middle of my right abdomen area that feels like a burning/indigestion feeling, I have no appetite at all, totally anxiety, terrible fatigue with even worse insomnia. When I do finally get to sleep, I experience HORRIBLE nightmares that last for hours. In addition, I have had multiple headaches and a few vomiting episodes.
The depression was so horrible that I feared the way I was feeling. Yet the buproprion has given me all of these new feelings and I am really affraid I will never feel normal again.
Should I give these new meds more time to take effect? Has anyone else used them for postpartum depression and felt these symptoms? Please email me at ****** I feel very alone in the ways I am feeling and would love to chat with someone who has had the similiar experiences.
Thanks
Trisha

I had been taking generic Wellbutrin 150 mg twice per day for about a year. On July 3rd I had a grand mal seizure. I spent 2 days in the hospital tryng to figure out the cause... It turns out it is the FIRST and MOST common side effect of Budipron ( spelling ? ) I cut myslef off and switced to Prozac. That scared my children and myself , not worth it.

I've been on Wellbutrin (switching over from Effexor) for about three weeks and have noticed dizziness. I'm glad to hear some people reporting increased energy. I've had depression since kindergarten (I'm 45) and tried many anti-d's - prozac, zoloft, and now effexor - each helped the depression, but I've never had much energy and almost always feel fatigued. I can deal with the dizziness if I finally have some energy.

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.

I began taking Welbutrin XL three weeks ago. (I took prozac for years and loved it, but then built up resistance.) Since starting the Welbutrin, I have been extremely aggitated. The smallest things throw me into a rage. I throw things, yell at my kids and hate everything in general. The worst part is that I really do not care if I hurt someone. I am sure that in the last three weeks, my kids have come to hate me or at least hate being around me. I was hoping it would get better, but I do not see that happening. I called my doctor today and she is switching me to Lexapro.

I've noticed that when I lay down my arms and legs and stomach jerk. Sometimes the movement is so strong that it wakes me up. One time I woke up thinking I was falling. Also, horrible memory loss. One day I was home cleaning my house and I forgot to pick my 8 year old son up from school. Also experience fatigue. My gynecologist has prescribed 300mg Wellbutrin and 80mg of Prozac for my depression and PMS syndrome. I'm concerned because everyone is telling me I should be monitored while being of this medication. Also, I question my decision making. Another thing is I was always scared of rollercoasters -- well, on this medicine I can easily sit in the first seat of a rollercoaster ride and go on it 4 times without being scared.
That also makes me nervous. Headaches, sleeplessness, dizziness and lights are too bright.

Been about two months now. Mostly good effects regarding mood, appetite, cravings. Sleep pretty good except for occasional weird nightmares. Constipation is managable. Lost sex drive (from Prozac) is back, some memory problems; not bad. However, I am having hair loss so scary I'm going off it- the Wellbutrin, that is.

Have been taking the Wellbutrin to quit smoking. It worked great for that. Had a real bad mood episode though when I took a herbal supplement called Rosavin while on the Wellbutrin. It wore off in a few hours. Later, I read the Rosavin label and it said not to combine with antidepressants. Maybe will try Rosavin alone.

Took to stop smoking and depression. Took Prozac for many years and responded well. Decided to go on wellbutrin to stop smoking and for depression. (figure i would kill two birds with one stone) . Had a hard time falling asleep, up til 2 in the morning. Also, I started breaking out. My skin was clear for years. ( I was on accutane 3 years ago). Still smoking, no desire to quit yet....however, I am considereing switching back to the prozac...can't deal with the acne...

i take prozac and wellbutrin. the wellbutrin has SIGNIFICANTLY helped my loss of libido from the prozac.

plus it has given me lots more energy -- i walk more now (and for further distances) than i ever did in my life.

in the beginning i had sleeplessness but that went away after two weeks or so.