Wellbutrin and seizure

Feb 2005 I was given Wellbutrin to ease with the stop smoking. I don't go to doctors and I don't take any medication-NONE. But I had to do something I couldn't stop smoking. May 10th I had a seizure, have never had one prior or have not had one since. Family took me to emergency room, then I had brain tests, sleep tests, MRI, CAT scans, over $10,000. later in medical bills, well they couldn't find anything wrong.
Not one Dr. would say it was because of the 3wk supply of the crap I took.
I refuse another Dr. and over my dead body will I put a prescription in my body.

My palms and feet are itching like crazy! I'm also very worried about the possibility of having a seizure. I don't like not ever being able to have a drink (alcohol).

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?

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 am trying to wean myself off of Wellbutrin. Was taking 300mg (150 2x day) for about 2 years. After my sister had a seisure, I immediately cut my dosage in half and did that for about 3 weeks. Felt fine. Cut that in half for about 2 weeks and felf fine. Today (Sept 3, 07) is my first full week off the medication. I've had the text book withdrawal symptoms; lack of sleep, light headed, tingling in arms and legs, headaches, and occassional shaking.
Any idea how long symptoms will last, and is there any thing to do, naturally, that will help.

i have been taking wellbutrin for almost 3 months to quit smoking (300mg/daily). BE VERY CAREFUL with antihistamines-i took one not long after i started the wellbutrin & felt that horrible seizure-ish feeling coming on, paranoia, racing thoughts & found out from another doc that they are not supposed to be mixed. which sucks for me, because i have suddenly become allergic to dogs & can't take any benadryl-my allergist says there is nothing that she can do until i can take it.

i asked about weaning off it (this med has me scared s*less now). i took it every other day for about 2 weeks. i haven't had it in about 4 days & i feel ok, a little psycho at times, but nothing out of the ordinary lol (i haven't been on it long at all, so i don't know if someone who's been on it for years should get off it the way i am). i just want it out of my system so i can get some relief from my allergies!!!

WELL I HAVE BEEN READING EVERYONES SIDE EFFECTS THAT THEY CLAIM TO HAVE EXPERIENCED SINCE BEING ON WELLBUTRIN.FIRST OF ALL WELLBUTRIN IS A VERY EFFECTIVE DRUG FOR DEPRESSION AS WELL AS BEING PROVEN TO HAVE SOME OF THE FEWEST SIDE EFFECTS OF ALL ANTI-DEPRESSANTS.THIS DRUG DOES NOT CAUSE SEIZURES,WHAT IT DOES IS LOWER SEIZURE THRESHOLDS,WHICH MEANS IF YOURE PRONE TO SEIZURE(LIKE STOPPING DRINKING WHILE ON IT)YOU MAY HAVE A SEIZURE.IF YOU SEIZURE WHILE ON THIS MED ITS BECAUSE YOU MAY HAVE A CONDITION THAT YO ARE EVEN UNAWARE OF THAT MAKES YOU PRONE TO SEIZURES,WHEN AN ALCOHOLIC DRYS OUT THEY ARE PRONE TO SEZIURE SO IF ON THIS MED THEY ARE ACTUALLY TOLD TO NOT STOP DRINKING.EACH PERSON IS DIFFERENT IN CHEMICAL MAKE UP,SO WHAT ONE HAS AS SIDE EFFECTS OTHERS MAY NOT.IT JUST SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU ALL HAVE READ POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS AND HAVE CONVIENCED YOUR SELF YOU HAVE THEM.EVERY DRUG HAS A SIDE EFFECT BECAUSE ITS NOT NATURAL IN THE BODY.HOW DO I KNOW?? WEL I AM A PSYCH NURSE IN A PSYCH WARD AND SEE WELLBUTRIN USED AND RECORD AND OBSERVE SUCH MEDS AND THE EFFECTS THEY HAVE ON PEOPLE,AS WELL,I HAVE BEEN ON WELLBUTRIN FOR SOME TIME NOW AND HAVE HAD VERY LITTLE SIDE EFFECTS AND THE ONES I HAVE ARE ANNOYING BUT NOT SERIOUS.I BELEIVE ALOT OF YOU PEOPLE DEPEND ON YOUR MEDS TOO MUCH AND THINK THAT THEY ALONE IS WHAT WILL MAKE YOU BETTER,THEY CAN ONLY HELP YOU,NOT CURE YOU.WELLBUTRIN IS ONE OF THE BEST YOU CAN TAKE,JUST TRY TO COME OFF SOME OTHERS OUT THERE AND YOU'LL SEE.IF YOUR ON WELLBUTRIN COUNT YOURSELF LUCKY AND STOP LOOKING FOR THINGS WRONG WITH IT,WORK WITH IT.

I took Wellbutrin XL for two weeks. After a week and a half I felt very depressed-I was very lethargic and just didn't care about anything. I also wanted to die, which is NOT a symptom of my depression. So I decided to stop taking it. A few days later I started itching like crazy. I had had an allergic reaction to sulfameth earlier in the year and this was exactly like that. This time I didn't fool around with Benedryl and calamine lotion but made a drs appt for the next day. The morning of my appt when I woke up I was not only itching horribly, but had a deep red rash on different parts of my body that would disappear and reappear. My right hand was starting to swell and so was my right eye, just like an earlier poster. By the time I got to the doctor the rash had spread up my chest, over my neck. The nurse freaked out when she saw me! But the straw broke when I was in with the doctor--I had a seizure!!! I thought I had just passed out (which was frightening enough) but she said my eyes had rolled back in my head and I convulsed. I had to have a cat scan which came back fine but I am firmly convinced it was the Wellbutrin, and I was just lucky enough to be in the doctor's office at the time I seized. She had never seen the itching or rash with any of her other Wellbutrin patients, but my brother had experienced the same thing when he took it a few years ago for smoking cessation. If you are itching, go to a doctor immediately for relief! That was over a month ago and I still have occasional itching spells. You just never know how certain medicines will react to your body.

I have been diagnosed with ADHD,I've been on Wellbutrin SR, for one week now and started with 150mg, This week I am to double my dose, I feel light headed all the time, a little lack of sleep and small headaches that move around, fade in and out alot.also Heart Pains now and then too. I've had alcohol and my Dr. said it would be o.k in moderation, when the instructions say not to, So i'll stop. I don't want a seizure. I'm in school and i'm not sure I should be testing this now, as i HAVE TO PASS, all i need is help with attention, not really depression, my question is should I be on this now or at all, what can i expect in the future, and are holistic alternatives good or better? Is it safe to excersize or will i get a heart attack at 23---PLEASE ANY INFO IS APPRECIATED.

My MD gave me Wellbutrin samples to try to combat my depression resulting from legal woes back in Feb 2004. I took the med for about 2 days with no side effects. But on the 3rd day, I had a shot of whiskey - which I was not aware alcohol was a no-no when you're on these drugs, so I suffered a near seizure while driving on the freeway. My bp went up to almost 200/130 and I had to take Toprol after that episode. The things I remember the most while I was on Wellbutrin was that my adrenaline seemed to always be on overdrive, dry mouth, dizziness, high alertness and irritability.

I had been taking Wellbutrin SR 150 mg for about a month and two days ago I funneled one beer at a football game (I am in college) and i had a seizure. It was really scary. Before that, I was expiriencing very bad anxiety, ringing ears, and felt out of my element. It wasn't for me. But everyone has different expiriences. I just know mine wasnt a positive one.

My side effects were short-term.....just a few weeks. They included slight nausea, headache and loss of appetite. I occassionally have violent dreams and night sweats, but this drug is a miracle to me. I was suicidal with very severe depression and now I am my old self again. Happy and productive. I've tried others like Prozac ( I refer to that med as the demon med) and had AWFUL side effects.....severe weight gain and a feeling of anxiety at all times, not to mention the zombie it turned me into. I was informed by my doctor that Wellbutrin may cause seizures so he's got me on an anti seizure med also. It's called clonazepam......no bad side effects at all. In fact, it gives me a feeling of calm. I think the reason I've gotten such positive effects from this drug is because it actually works on the Dopamine part of your brain, releasing "feel-good" enzymes into your bloodstream. No other antidepressant drug works that way. That's what my doctor told me when I asked what makes Wellbutrin so different from the others. I take 300 mg/day and I weigh 120 pounds (lost 18 pounds with no effort after coming off Prozac). Good luck to all who try Wellbutrin. Hope you have the positive experience I have.

I'm not now on Wellbutrin, but have discussed going on it with my therapist for long-term, mild depression.

This site has been very useful to me in helping me decide whether to brave all the possible side effects. I've decided to start at the lower dose of 150 XR and, becus i am so afriad of the side effects, especially seizure, i will stop using the drug rather than go the full 300 mg dose and risk the side effects.

Everyone's experience with it has been so different, i've come to the conclusion there IS no universal reaction to it becus everyone's experience with it is different.

What I've read here has also told me that you should never trust your doctor 100% to do what's best for you. It's really our responsibility to do as much research as they can, for instance, just reading thise sites. I saw one doctor started off the patient at 300 mg, which you're definitely not supposed to do, you're supposed to build up gradually, then taper off gradually when you want to get off the drug. And I saw another post where the doctor prescribed Wellbutrin to a patient with a history of anorexia, another definite no-no.

I'm really kind of scared to go on such a powerful drug after reading about hair loss, insomnia, etc. etc., but i've suffered from chronic depression for about 30 years now and i'm tired of living a mediocre life.

I have been on Wellbutrin xl 150 for about 8 months. I also take 5 mg Lexapro daily, but am weaning off. I was recently upped to 300, about 1 month ago, since I want to eliminate the Lexapro completely. I have noticed I sometimes stutter or cant get my thoughts out fast enough! I am a nurse and work in the ER in a very fast paced environment. I thought it was just me, and I am worried maybe it is something else, but has anyone experienced this? I noticed it only after upping my dose??? also I am very concerned about the seizure statistics.. 1 in 1000 or 1 in 4000 people have seizures on Wellbutrin???? I never knew this, has anyone had a seizure from this? I am very worried!!!!!

not eating or forgeting to eat, sleeplessness, dry mouth, sweating, confusion, short term memory loss, and finally i had a seizure and they had to take me off of it.

Nov.25 2002
seizure