Wellbutrin and welbutrin

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???

During the three weeks I was using 150 mg. Wellbutrin, ringing in the ears gradually increased, mild headaches on top of my head, occasional light spasms around my mouth, constipation, and bladder problems. My sleep was unaffected, and my depression did not lift. My dose was increased to 300 mg, and by the fourth day, I was having serious facial spasms, intense headaches, louder and constant ringing in the ears, almost 'round-the-clock wakefulness, anxiety, difficulty thinking and completing sentences, pounding heart, amplification of sounds, jitters and quaking. I felt like a car, perpetually idling so roughly that all my parts were about to rattle right off the chassis. On the fifth day I took nothing. I've had some chills, a little nausea, headache, neck-ache (Isn't that weird?!) and some ringing, but at a lower volume that's hardly noticeable. This is the fourth day with no Wellbutrin, and I haven't had facial spasms at all in the past couple of days, have less nausea, and the very funky smell produced in my urine from the second week I was on the meds has calmed down. If I'm still in a depression it's been overshadowed by the most awful side effects I could have imagined. It felt like the spector of death was overtaking my body by day four of that 300 mg. dose. I had been on a hefty dose of Zoloft daily for almost ten years and never experienced anything unpleasant other than weight gain, my reason for trying to switch meds because I couldn't quit putting on weight no matter what. I am going to try SAM-e, and suggest that anyone looking for a natural alternative, with the prospect of few and insignificant side effects, do an online search. Whether I find success with the SAM-e, or if it falls short of what I need, I'll post here to let you know what happens. A month ago I thought the depression was the end of the world; I think the cure was worse than the disease.

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 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.

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 took 300 mg. wellbutrin about 1 1/2 years ago and did not react well to it.
I just quit taking cymbalta after about 3 months because of sexual side effects, but here is the kicker. I started on a lower dose of wellbutrin about a week ago (175 mg xl) after only 3 days I was so screwed up it was a no brainer that I could not take it. It has been 4 days since I quit and I am still getting waves of disorientation and mild panic. How long will this last. Damn I only took it for 3 days and the side effect have lasted 7

I am so glad I came across this website. I have been taking Wellbutrin for about 5 weeks and I have not be great about taking it regularly. I woke up yesterday with my left eye swollen and by mid-day that went away but my lip was completely swollen. Now today my stomach has an enormous rash across the right side and my wrist are swollen on the palm side and extremely itchy everywhere. I will stop the Wellbutrin and report it to my doctor.

Been on Welb for about a month now and it seems as if a few side effects are getting stronger instead of diminishing. The headaches are seeming to get stronger and are there the whole of the day. Just like a tight band around the top of my head. Also my ears are constantly singing like a little electric zzzzsss. Also I have found that I react much snappier and very quickly ticked off byt the slightest things. Haven't really got rid of the depressive thoughts completely as yet and am thinking of calling the Dr on Monday as the headache is really tiring.

Been on welbutrin (bupropion) 150mg sr for 4 years. I quit smoking after about 6 months the taste of cigs were nasty. I lost 30 pounds but also started my workout at curves. I have had neck pain for about a year now and I am wondering if this is a side effect of the welbutrin. Went to a specialist at a university orthopedic and nothing is wrong with my neck but the muscles in the back of my neck hurt constantly. Also has anyone ever tried the super dieters tea while on welbutrin. Overall I have had no side effects with welbutrin everyone is different though.

My son and I have both taken Welbutrin. I didn't really notice a lot of side effects. I know that it did not effect my sex drive which other meds did. I lost weight, lost interest in drinking alcohol, lost interest in smoking. Had more energy,
My son has had some different things happen to him. He gets real sharpe headache pains in the left top of his head. They come and go away within about 30 seconds. Has anyone ever had that problem? He tried getting off of the meds and experenced all these body pains. It drove him nuts so he went back on welbutrin. The body pains have gone away, but the head pains came back. The doctor said the head pains would go away if he took his meds regular.

I have been on Wellbutrin for two weeks. About four days ago I began having joint pain and swelling in just my left hand, middle and ring finger knuckles. It is swollen and getting worse, not better. Has anyone experienced joint pain in just a specific area and not all over with Wellbutrin?

I switched from celexa to wellbutrin...celexa made me gain 40lbs!!! Losing weight was so hard and for me thats unusual...My doctor thought if that was my concern i should try wellbutrin. I have only been on Wellbutrin for 4 days. Im spacey and moody and energetic. But at the same time I want to sleep. Its weird. Do these side effects go away? I hate feeling the first two. Also-very weird...I know you arent supposed to drink on it but I figured what the heck...so I went out with some friends. I drank seven drinks in the course of like 6 hours and did not feel anything but a remote buzz. Very strange. Usually that would get me drunk. What a waste of alcohol and money! :>

took welbutrin for a few weeks.. i couldnt breathe at all, and i didnt notice any weight loss (part of the reason i chose this meds). i was on it for situational depression and so maybe this is why it didnt work as well. im not sure what would have happened if i'd given it anuther chance but hallucinations from anuther medication following that has scared me away from all meds. ive been off any meds for over 6 months now and things are styll good so far.

I have been taking Welbutrin for nearly 3 weeks and feel like I am seriously losing my mind. I feel like a walking zombie, numb to everything and my mind feels foggy. I can't remember things and am having a hard time diffrentiating dreams from reality. No appetite, extreme feelings of up and down, inability to concentrate, no sex drive, no ambition, crying all the time uncontrolably. I don't think I felt remotely close to this before I started taking this medication. Does this get better at 4 weeks or stays the same? I can't even remember what I was like before this. Anyone else having same symptoms?

I cannot remember how long i have been on welbutrin,but it has been awhile.My symptom are nausea and dry mouth.is this from welbutrin?

I have been nauseated and have terrible dry mouth.Is this a sidde effect from welbutrin?

I have two side effects that are very disconcerting. Constipation and gas seem to be much worse since I started the Welbutrin about a month and a half ago. I started on 150 then went up to 300. I've never had this problem before, so I know it's the medication.

Another thing that has really bothered me is dryness in my eyes. I had Lasik surgery in January and had some trouble with dryness that was corrected by punctal plugs. Since starting on this medication, I've been back to the eye doctor several times. Because I work on the computer all day, my eyes are killing me by the end of the day, no matter how many drops I instill. Restasis doesn't seem to help either. If this goes on for much longer, I may have to rethink the whole Welbutrin thing and go back on the Zoloft.

never taken wellbutrin xl 300 mg...my plastic surgeron gave it to me to quit smoking......Just by reading this site and all the side effects are scaring me...and yes i drink,,,Should i even consider trying this.?? or just go by the patch..???
theres more neg than pos on this site...

Have been on Lexapro 20 mg and Elavil 50 mg since January 2005 and Clonopin .5 mg for about 5 or more years. Have been on Welbutrin for only 5 days now and I can't get to sleep at night even though I'm clearly exhausted. Since I've been on Welbutrin, I've had 2 incidences of rage and wonder if the combination of Lexapro/Elavil/Clonopin and Welbutrin are contributing factors. Anybody out there know anything about this?
Thanks,
Mary

i have been on wellbutrin for 10 mounths now and i have sleeplessness, dizziness, headache , nausea, disorientation, confusion and forgetful all most all the time but i am not depressed . dose some one know if i was to go to 150 mg would this help

Wellbutrin worked well for 1.5 years. I upped my dose to 300 but then I realized I was getting more foregetful and had hair loss. This could also be attributed to ADD and menopause but I had also developed a terrible smell. Even other people noticed it, I cannot describe how foul it was. Part of it was I had become constipated but it didn't smell like you-know-what. I became isolated becase of it -- what good is it to be not depressed if you are alone? Was taking metamucil but finally quit the Welbutrin. I think I have other health problems, but avoiding welbutrin and also a number of foods now I smell good again. That was the most miserable health problem of my life!!!! Am moderately depressed, but trying healthy living style etc. I think my hair is getting fuller. Oh, and I wasn't exactly dizzy but sometimes I felt "unbalanced" on the Wellbutrin.

Great site, it has been helpful to see others comments. I have been on Wellbutrin SR 150mg 2x a day for almost 5 years. I hate to say but I have had no side effects up until recently. I took a lower dosage while I was pregnant and had no problems and my child was not effected at all. It is quite possible that I did have some mild side effects over the 5 years, but because the positive effects were so helpful I probably would have not noticed. I had become non-functional prior to going on Wellbutrin. I have refused any suggestions to go on to Wellbutrin XL, and frankly after reading many of the comments I know I will not switch.

I have now found myself with blurred vision. It is serious at times and it comes and goes. I am working with my doctor, but wondered if there are any long term users of Welbutrin who have experienced the same. I also have found myself getting depressed again. Wondering if at a certain point the Welbutrin just stops working. Is it possible for my body to just start to reject the medication.

Any long term users please respond.

This drug is making me crazy, but for the first time in years I have energy. I was weaned off of Lexapro (only because we thought it may be the cause of my chronic fatigue)and onto 150 a day of Welbutrin. Supposed to go to 300 mg of Welbutrin there is no way I can increase. I have never had more anxieity in my life. I almost strangled my bird yesterday because he wouldn't shut up. I have heart palpitations and shortness of breath. Can't drink ANY caffeine or I spin out of control. It sure keeps my weight down, and the energy is great, but I was thinking of combining it with the Lexapro to see if the anxiety wanes. Anybody taking both Lexapro & Welbutrin?

Great site. I've been off Wellbutrin for 6 weeks about but was thinking about taking it again as my new job is very stressful. But this site reminded me of the reasons I quit Wellbutrin: hair loss, confusion (I thought Wellbutrin was supposed to HELP ADD, fer crying out loud), constipation, feeling out of balance, and having a strange, often terrible smell. The weight loss was great at first, but now I weigh less than I have for 30 years and am concerned. Since quitting Welbutrin I feel better and more alive how, but I have also been on vacation, so it's hard to sort out. Also, doctor has run tests for intestinal problems which may not have been associated with the Wellbutrin. Who knows. Good site. Thanks.

I HAVE BEEN ON WELBUTRIN ONLY 6 DAYS , I STARTED OUT WITH 300 MG OF THE SR KIND AND I FELT TOO DIZZY AND AGITATED AND WITH INSOMNIA AND BLURRED VISION , MY DOC THEN TOLD ME TO REDUCE IT TOO 15O A DAY, IM STILL FEELING THE SAME FELINGS , I FEEL CLUMSY I HAVE CHILLS AND SENSATION OF A DRUM ROLL IN MY EAR TIREDNESS UN FOCUSED I DO FEEL AS HTOUGH THEY CURB THE APPETITE FOR SMOKING BUT JUST A LITTLE AND IT COULD BE I HAVE BEEN ON AND OFF WITH SMOKING A LITTLE OVER A MONTH SO MAY BE EASIER FOR ME ,BUT WHO KNOWS THIS COULD BE A WONDER DRUG FOR MANY OF YOU BUT I DONT KNOW HOW LONG I WANT TO FEEL LIKE A PRISONER CAUSHGT BY THIS DRUG

my main side effect that i notice, and is also the most upsetting is my loss of creativity. I am an artist, and i have very little drive and
inspiration vor creating art. I use to have great mental images and detailed thoughts but now it is a lot harder for me. please email me if you have noticed the same effect that welbutrin has given you.

other side effects include-

light headedness on higher doses

a feeling of dissasosiation on higher doeses

lack of concentration on higher doeses

upset stomach on higher doses.

harder to fall asleep on higher doses, and combined with caffiene slight anxiety is present,

thats about all i can think of, but i am no longer depressed, which is great. I just wish i was my old self, and could be inspired to make art again.

that kinda sums it up

I started taking 150 mg Welbutrin for depression. I'm now up to 450 mg and am no longer depressed, but recently I've had some VERY SEVERE lapses in memory, forgetfulness and confusion. Some of the experiences were very funny, like packing my suitcase twice to make sure I didn't forget anything, then picking it up and having everything fall out because I forgot to close the suitcase. Or rolling up my jeans to polish my shoes and then leaving them rolled up all morning because I forgot about them. Boy did I look stupid.

At first I thought all of these incidents were coincidental and meant nothing. But when I started writing them all down, it became serious. I got lost while driving in my rented car, forgot to bring my map with me, forgot where my hotel was, forgot my hotel room key, forgot what room I was in, forgot what floor I was on, left my suitcase at the car rental counter, etc. etc. Not good at all. I've reduced the dose to 150 mg and already my mind is clear and my memory back. There is no question in my mind that the Welbutrin has caused the memory loss and it scares me because a lot of women my age, 56, just assume, like I did, that I was getting older and my mind just wasn't working like it used to.......NOT TRUE!!

Also, a good friend of mine, who is also on Welbutrin, had a 2-3 hour total memory loss. The only thing she could remember was my name and that she was safe with me. The doctors feared she was having a stroke, but that turned out to be wrong. All of the tests showed that she is completely healthy. My guess now is that it was the Welbutrin. This has happened to her twice. Fortunately her memory returned and she wasn't driving at the time.

I'm very curious to hear about any other people with memory loss.

I have been on Welbutrin about 150 mg/d but have seen my hair loss unreasonable. and now am going off because of my fear of being bald. The medicine has been very helpful but the hair panic too much. Anyone know if after taking it the hair begins to grow back.

I was taking 300 mg. of Welbutrin in early 2003, and had several episodes of severe dizziness, which caused me to fall a couple of times. Cut back to 150 mg. and was OK for a year. Went back to 300 mg. last week (on advice from a psychologist) and had another dizzy spell yesterday.

Has anyone else had these symptoms?

I just started taking Welbutrin a week ago. I was on 100mg for 1 wk than 300mg. Side effects not able to sleep headaches, nausea Is there something u can take for the side effects. Does anyone know?

I have just snorted welbutrin and it has made my nose and throat very numb..........Am i screwed now.....HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been on Welbutrin since May. Since then, I have had an aneurysm. I also have Psorisais. I am taking Lopresor and
Norsvac. My feet has a rash and my buttocks too.

I have gained weight and stay hungry all the time. I seldom
get a good night's sleep. I have memory loss and confustion
cannot focus on important things.

Don't know which drug is causing this.

none that i can think of. got rid of the depression and i take it with adderalxr which i moddified the dosing of so it is smoother.
I split the adderal capsels so i can take it over a couple of hours in three doses with a small dose later so i do not get agitated later.
This takes care of any palpitations or speed feeling during the day to as it does not go into my system all at once twice a day as the two sets of beads dissolve.

I know this is just welbutrin but i take both
add and depression