Wellbutrin and wellbutrin

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.

would anyone who has experienced sleep apnea since being on wellbutrin, please let me know?

pitbull lover2

I have been taking a generic version of Wellbutrin SR 150mg for almost 2 months now. I also take Zoloft 50mg. Before I started the wellbutrin, I had been taking zoloft for over a year to help with depression. The zoloft was working very well for my depression, but it completely killed my libido and as a newlywed, I felt something had to be done as it was beginning to affect my relationship with my husband.
So my doctor prescribed the wellbutrin. For the first couple of weeks I experienced a lot of nervous energy, a shortness of breath, a bit of nausea, forgetfulness and confusion. I almost stopped taking it because I didn't feel it was helping my libido either. But I stuck with it and after 3 weeks, it felt like it was definitely having a positive effect on my sex life. My husband noticed it too. He mentioned how much more responsive I had become when we were intimate. After 2 months, I am absolutely convinced that it has changed our lives and our relationship.
It is not, by any means a miracle drug though. I have a few complaints about it, the main one being the CONFUSION that I experience for hours after I take it. I was taking it in the morning before I went to work and everyday I noticed that I was not as sharp and efficient as I usually am. I figured this was a temporary side effect so I kept taking it as usual, but it never went away! I kept forgetting everything, lost focus easily, had dull headaches, and generally felt as if I could not connect to what I was doing.
SO...about a week ago, I thought I would try to take it at night...when it's not as important to be sharp and focused (and more important to be turned on). And it has turned out great! I'm so glad I started to do it. It doesn't affect my sleep...in fact I think I sleep better. And when I wake up in the morning, my dull headache is gone and I feel less foggy. At work, I feel normal again. My short term memory has recovered and I don't get confused as easily.
If you suffer from a lot of memory loss and confusion from this medication, I definitely suggest taking it at night. It has really helped me! Thanks and good luck!

I've been on Wellbutrin for 3 years. My hair has been falling out more and more every month. My scalp itches horribly! It feels almost as though bugs are crawling all over it. I am irritable and have dramatic mood swings. The final straw, though, was recently when I had a blood test to find that my white and red blood cell counts had become dangerously low, and my red blood cells were swollen (macrocytic anemia).

I'm now training myself off of Wellbutrin. I tried dropping to a quarter dose and felt flu-like symptoms (chills, extreme tiredness, dizziness) and extraordinary appetite (gaining 10 lbs in week 1). I also became unable to handle simple tasks at work, and excessively negative in demeanor.

I'm now back up to 1 pill and the chills have stopped. I am hoping that I can go back down to 1/2 pill gradually.

Will my hair grow back? Is the liver/blood damage reversible? Has anyone kicked the Wellbutrin habit and recovered fully? Please help.

Thank you in advance.

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 started taking wellbutrin sr 150 mg about a week ago. I did okay on it, but my depression wasn't better. My doctor increased my dosage to 300 mg a day (150 mg in am, 150 mg in pm). Since then, I have had 1 panic attack, and I feel like I can't stop moving around. My heart also started to "flutter" a little bit last night. I'm also taking xanax for anxiety, and I admit I've taken more of it the last few days to deal with the anxiety. I think I'm going to go back down to the 150 mg once a day for a while, because this anxiety is killing me.

I am taking Wellbutrin and it has helped my depression and desire for drugs every day. I have bad ringing in my ears all the time but I can deal with that compared to the good it has done.. The problem is I'm a engineer which requires a lot of concentration that I have lost since I've been on Wellbutrin. I also have memory loss. I can't remember peoples names 2 minutes after they told me. I am a support engineer so I have to tallk to many people every day as well as typing cause and solution. I find myself having to read everything I type over again because I leave out words and sometimes what I type makes no sense at all. Wellbutrin has helped me so much but I think I will have to stop or lose my job. What a choice. Before I started taking Wellbutrin I never felt like I was in tune with the world. Smoking pot worked for me but we all know what the long term effect of that is. Codine also made me feel like I fit in. So Wellbutrin has fixed all those needs and feelings but I just hate the loss of memory, concentration, and ringing in my ears.

For about eight months or so I have been experiencing pretty intense anxiety. Thus, I was prescribed the generic Clonopin (Clonozepam). After building a tolerance to the increasing dosages I was prescribed, I found myself needing to take up to 10 mg daily. I became as many people told me, "a zombie". I developed extreme depression and constant bad thoughts. After talking to my doctor i was prescribed Paxil. I did not like this whatsoever so about two months ago I stopped taking the Clonopin abruptly. I experienced pretty severe withdrawals, or what i thought to be withdrawals (shaking, sweating, very irritable, constant pain, and anxiety). It was absolute torture. After talking to my doctor i was then prescribed Xanax, which i am currently on. My depression seems to have stayed constant. It was suggested to me to take Wellbutrin rather than Paxil, which of course i would have to wean off from my 100mg a day. Two weeks ago, or so, i started taking the Wellbutrin at 150mg once a day in the morning. After the first week or so i felt "up" more or less, in comparison to how i had been feeling. I began to research about possible side effects. I didn't really find many except mildy vivid dreams and anxiety, which threw me for a loop since i was trying to fight that, right? Well, after the first week i had been lowered on the Paxil to 50mg daily and raised to 300mg of Wellbutrin, once a day in the morning around 7am. I am now on my second week of the anti-depressant, but ironically i feel as if i am more depressed, just in other ways. I feel very lethargic, and i feel as if i am to be very "spacey". I'm not quite sure if it is the mixture of the medications or one in particular. But the most noticeable side effects of the Wellbutrin have been IRRITABILITY!!, veryyyyy indecisive, and ridiculously vivid dreams with little to no meaning. They seem to last for weeks on end at times, and i often find it hard to differentiate what is a dream and what is reality. By no means am i trying to say that this medication will not work for you. Anything to make someone feel better. Whatever works for you is great and you should persue it! Any suggestions or comments to this would be great. And is anyone feeling the same side effects??

Cameron

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 have been taking the generic form of Wellbutrin (social anxiety with a touch of ADHD) for just over six months and as much as I hate to admit it, I believe that the bad is finally, convincingly, outweighing the good.
The good things that came along with 150mg of the SR every morning at 11:00: Weight loss (but only after an initial one month period of eating every form or carbohydrate I could find), it seems to brighten the whites of my otherwise cloudy eyes, helped me maintain conversations with people that I would have normally cut off early, and possibly--but only possibly--helps me focus (although the hyper focus that I used to get via the ADHD is gone. Completely. Non-existent.)
Which brings me to the bad: This goes against most of what I've read other people experience on Wellbutrin but lethargy has set in. And it feels like it's here to stay. It's not really a sedated lethargy but more of a false contentment that everything is just fine the way it is. No progression, no improvement, and looking to the future is almost impossible through the fog. I too, during the first two or three weeks, had the speedy, productive reaction to the medication. But that has subsided. Next, hair loss has become a concern. I'm in my thirties and it could be just how it goes but I truly doubt it. Mild constipation may seem bearable but I miss regularity more than I have time to describe. Ringing in the ears. Impaired memory. Confusion. Forgetfulness to a fault. Mild hives on the back. Irritability. A marked shortness of breath. After one month on Wellbutrin, I could barely run a mile on the treadmill when I've been accustomed to flying through three to five with ease. I feel weak, vulnerable even. Working out has therefore fallen to the wayside. And last, but probably the worst, this medication has seemed to cultivate a serious craving for other drugs. I can't explain it but I can't take it anymore either.
Like most people on a medication, I have read numerous posts and some people share some of my concerns but mostly, it seems that the people who report in are the speedy folks on day two or week two. That is, in my opinion, only a bit helpful, since these effects are usually short-lived. Wellbutrin started out with promise but while parts of me look into the mirror and see an improvement, underneath it all, I know that it is purely a nicely dressed form of prescribed avoidance.
I haven't posted this to discourage anyone. If it works for you--great. Really. But I also haven't read anyone's experience that matched my own so I figured it might help someone who is going through any of the same. Good luck.

I am a 34 year old female and have been on wellbutrin for 3 yrs. taking 300mg a day. I have lost a bunch of hair. Half of my hair is gone and that is no exaggeration!!!!!! But the worst part of it is that I had no clue that my medication could be causing it. My mom is a hairdresser and she has been really concerned about my hair loss. We thought maybe we were just frying it with all of the chemicals we put on it---BUT after talking about it we ruled that out because we have ALWAYS done it. It wasn't until after LUCK of stumbling across this info on the net that we put 2 and 2 together. UUHHGG!!! I am sooo mad at my Dr. I even discussed my hair loss with her a YEAR AGO. She had bloodwork done for my thyroid and it came back normal. I have a check-up today concerning my meds. I'm going off it ASAP. Dont want to just stop completely because i heard it can be dangerous. But i recommend to anyone taking wellbutrin that likes having a full head of hair to stop taking it!!! The Dr.'s will tell you that it is not a side effect but believe me---IT IS!!! I can only hope now that mine will grow back.!!!!!

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

I have been on Wellbutrin 300mg for about 5 months now along with Cymbalta 90 mg for postpartum depression. I have had VERY VERY bad memory loss (mostly short term), constant overheating (sweating for no reason), headaches, muscle spasms, trouble urinating, dry mouth, also I have been told by my practitioner that the generic form of Wellbutrin for some reason DOES NOT work as well as the name brand even though they are supposed to be the same thing.

i have been taking wellbutrin to help me deal with anxiety for a little more than a week. i thought it would take more time to have an effect, but i feel very calm. i even stopped smoking right off, which i didn't intend to do. The side effects are worse that i thought they would be. i have lost the ability to spell, my short-term memory is noticeably impaired, and i have trouble paying attention in class/at work. i feel very foggy and disconnected. i've also been having headaches, night sweats, and stomach pains, but they are mild.

I took bupropion sr 150 from EON Labs for 10 days before breaking out in hives. Other then that it made me feel wonderful. I really miss how I was feeling on it and am trying to pinpoint if it was the drug itself or the brand or dye used in the tablet. If anyone got hives while taking Wellbutrin, please let me know which one you were taking and the color of the tablet. I hope to get to the bottom of this soon and maybe others will benefit.

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?

Can we CUT the ER blue hard shell pill into quarters??? Dr says I CAN..Pharmacists say "don't do it". I feel put in the middle of this. I did break it into quarters and took it (2nd day now) and have symptoms..exhausted, feel out of it, dry mouth, flat emotionless, staring, forgetful, confusion... Anyone? can you email me and let me know if you have had this? I'm on the 1/4 of the 100 ER.

I stopped taking wellbutrin xl 150 mg and lamictal 200 mg 3 days ago cold turkey because there is no way to cut thewelbutrin tablet in half and take it safely. The first day wasn't bad at all. I felt better than I have felt in years and years. Then yesterday I felt okay, but not as good as I did on the first day. Today I woke up feeling like I have the flu. Every single bone, joint and muscle in my body aches. I feel fine one minute and the next minute the room feels like it's spinning and the body aches return. My psychiatrist started me on all of this poison,,, oops, I mean, medications 2 years ago. I had lost a child and had gone into a deep depression which led to severe anorrhexia. He started me out on Lamictal and Lexapro and after a year of awful side effects from the lexapro(especially sexual side effects=no desire at all) he finally switched me to the wellbutrin xl and told me that it would help better than the lexapro. At my last appointment, 1 week ago, I asked him when and if I would ever be able to go off of these meds. And he told me that I am probably a "lifer". He refused to hear anything about my stopping or weaning off of these meds. So, after my 3 minute office visit and prescription refills written out I left the office. I did not take the prescription to the pharmacy because I decided then and there that the only reason he and a lot of other psychs put people on these outrageously priced prescriptions(the lamictal is $140 a month and the wellbutrin xl is $170 and that is for the generic per moth) is because they get HUGE incentives from the pharmaceutical companies to keep us on them. I will not go back on the meds ever again. I am tired of living in a drugged up state. I want to feel alive again like I felt before I ever started taking this crap.

I AM SO RELIEVED TO HEAR ALL OF THIS. MY LIFE HAS BEEN TURNED UPSIDE DOWN AND SHAKEN UP SO BAD FROM THESE HORRIBLE HIVES. TOOK WELLBUTRIN XL 150MG FOR 2 WEEKS AND THEN WENT UP TO 300MG ABOUT 1 WEEK LATER NOW THIS! I AM SO MISERABLE. MY ARMS HURT, MY HEAD FEELS LIKE I HAVE BUGS ALL OVER IT, AND THE HIVES ARE EVERYWHERE. THINGS THAT ARE HELPING ME COPE- AVEENO OATMEAL BATH IN LUKE WARM WATER (NOT HOT!) BENADRYL CAPSULES, AND BENADRYL CREME. I HAVE BEEN TO THE DOCTOR TWICE AND WAS AT THE ER LAST NIGHT DUE TO TIGHT CHEST AND THROAT. WAS TOLD I HAD HIVES INSIDE ON MY ASSOPHAGIS (spelling? lol) ALSO. SO SCARY. I AM PRAYING THEY GO AWAY SOON.

Has anyone had long term side effects after taking Wellbutrin. I was on ot for two years it helped with my anxiety and energy levels a lot. When the doctor put my dose to 300 mg I had severe muscle pain and swelling in hands, feet, ankles, legs it went down after I went back to 150mg. I tried to up my dose but the same thing happened. After two years of wellbutrin I developed severe headaches feels more like head pressure so I went off wellbutrin. would still have muscle pain and swelling from time to time. started developing severe pain in legs and now everywhere along with muscle twitches and muscle loss. I now am 32 and have severe memory problems and no doctor knows what is going on with me. Has anyone had anything like this or heard of anyone with these problems.

I have been on Wellbutrin for a couple of years & it has been a life saver. But it is very possible my hair loss is due to it. I have always had a full head of hair & no hair loss in my family at all. I'm also experiencing hearing loss but don't know if this is due to the Wellbutrin as my Father & sister have had hearing loss. My doctor intends to lower my dosage next month & I am going to ask him if air loss is a side effect.

I am also experience hair thinning while on Wellbutrin. I have had blood tests and there is no other detectable cause. The dermatologist said that she was only able to diagnose as possibly hereditary. However, I began noticing it shortly after starting 300mg of Well XL and then noticed increased thinning when I went up to 450mg. I don't take any other medications at all.

I searched the Wellbutrin prescribing information (a pdf on the official Wellbutrin website) and this is all I can find:

Other Events Observed During the Clinical Development and Postmarketing Experience of Buproprion

Adverse events for which frequencies are not provided occurred in clincial trials or postmarketing experience with bupropion. Only those adverse events not previously listed for sustained-release bupropion are included. The extent to which these events may be associated with Wellbutrin XL is unknown.

Skin: Rare was maculopauplar rash. Also observed were alopecia, angioedeme, exfoliative dermatitis and hirsutism.

----------------

Alopecia is hair loss. All that means is it was reported and they didn't do a study that would have produced data with which they could measure the likelihood that it is a Wellbutrin side effect. In other words, people said they were experiencing it but they can't confirm it.

I just dropped down to 300 mg and I'm contacting my shrink about tapering off completely - I feel like dealing with scalp showing through and feeling horribly self-conscious and unattractive because of it is not going to help my depression and self-esteem issues any.

I'm a woman by the way - the number of reports of hair thinning in women seems significant to me. I have no family history of thin hair on the female side that I know of.

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'm glad I thought to check to see if Wellbutrin might be causing my hair loss. I had some natural thinning at my temples before and started using Rogaine for women with great success. Then after my mastectomy and breaking up with a guy I went on Wellbutrin. I am currently taking the 150mg three times a day. I am losing so much hair it's scaring me. It comes off my head all day long. Like others have said I also have a handful in the hour, another handful in my comb and then it just continues to jump ship all day long. I have lost at least half of my hair.

Started 9 days ago. 150 once a day.
Haven't smoked. Insomnia teh last 2 days were AWFUL!
Horrendous nightmares when i did fall asleep for 20 minutes.
Anxiety last 2 nights were painfully scary.
Is it really worth it to take this stuff?
Tylenol pm doesn't seem to work well for me when I am on Wellbutrin.
I have had more energy and the eating goes back an forth. One day I will eat anything I can get my hands on. Next day i hardly eat at all.
Email me. ******
Thank you.
Kat

My husband was prescribed 600 mg of Wellbutrin xl. He went into a psychosis. He lost touch with reality, was very agitated, had mixed episodes of mania and depression at the same time, couldn't sleep, he was having hallucinations- thought people were there that were not, heard a womans voice, thought we were penniless, thought I was talking to other men- usually he is very secure, not a jealous person. His head was shaking like he had Parkinson's disease, he had no motor skills. His Dr. told me to call if he went into Mania. I did not know that mania could go into psychosis. This all happened to him during the Christmas holidays and | could not reach the Dr. My husband lost touch w/ reality and broke the law and is now in jail. Please if you take this med, educate your loved ones of these possible side affects and about bipolar. I wish I knew then, what I know now. I also know now that 600mg is twice what the normal dosage and 450mg is the max anyone should take.

Just switched to WB (3 wks) after 4 years on Lexapro. I'm 44 yr. old mom of 10 & 13 yr old and had my tubes tied 9 years ago. My period is now late but two at home pregnancy tests have been negative. Any ladies out there suffering from menstruation issues like this?

thekel

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 have been on Bupropion SR 300mg. since May 2007. Within the last 4-6 weeks may hair has been coming out by the hand full when I wash it. Alot of it is in my hair brush, vacuum cleaner, and on my clothes. I have used special shampoos and vitamins with no luck. I called the pharmacy and was told this was not a side effect of the medication. Funny they haven't heard, according to all the post I have read on the internet. My question is has anyone else experienced this type of loss after being on the medication for 6 months or longer? And if you stayed on it, or any other antidepressant, did the hair loss stop and grow back. I was also told that if it were to be a side effect of the medication it would have happened before now, and maybe I should have other test performed. I have already had blood work for thyroid and it came back normal. Love the medication!
Helps with more energy! Hate the hair loss! HELP!!!

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 have been on Wellbutrin for about a month. I am 31 and have never dealt with depression in the past. After a year and a half of one stressful event after another I started to feel life was just not turning out the way that I thought, but really thought that this was my life. After having some serious issues with my two kids, I am a single mother, I new that I needed to see a doctor. I couldn't get out of bed, felt detached from my family and pets. I had pushed the people who were most important to me away. After doing a lot of research on the internet I decided to discuss this med with my doc. At first it was pretty rough. Sleeping schedule was crazy, I was only sleeping a couple of hours a day but when I woke up I was not tired. I was extremely emotional. Crying for six hours straight one day. These are the only side effect that I had, but I felt much worse than I did dealing with my depression, which was pretty bad. HOWEVER, I continued to tell myself that these are side effects and I was willing to stay the coarse in order to get the benefit from treatment. During this time, I did have some good days or parts of good days which really gave me hope that eventually it would work. After about 3 weeks I felt better, the long bouts of crying had stopped and my sleep schedule returned to normal. Everyday after that I have felt more and more like myself. I didn't fully understand how depression had really affected all aspect of my life even in small ways. I think that I can't feel any better and then another day goes by and I realize that I can. The greatest thing is I can still feel things, can still get upset and have a good cry without it ruining my whole day. I think that is important as I am dealing with some very serious personal issues, thus the reason I need meds, but I know the importance of learning to cope with these issues as the are never going to go away. I feel like I have been saved and didn't even know that I needed this much saving.
I say all this because in my extensive research I have read a lot of these comments on many different sights and really didn't see myself or my experience. I have only read things that are scary and would make me think that depression is better than trying this drug. Everyone is different and the way they react to drugs is different, I completely understand that, but this drug has had an amazing affect on my life and the lives of my loved ones. If you have just started taking this and you think it is making you worse I beg you, stick with it, let the drug stabilize in your body and then decided if this drug is for you. I know that it is hard but there was a light at the end of my tunnel and there could be for you. Do not let a couple weeks of side effect put you off, or others negative experiences, if I had done that I would not be where I am. I know that I am getting better everyday. Remember this is a serious disease and it can not be fixed over night, if you had been prescribed an antibiotic for an illness you would expect for it to take some time to take affect. This drug is no different.

I've been on Wellbutrin XL 300mg for 3 days and I've had a splitting headache for 3 days. The evening of the second day came the nausea and crying and disorientation. Maybe the crying is not a side effect as I was doing that before I started the meds. All I want to know is can I take something for the headaches while taking the Wellbutrin. Does anyone know of anything. I guess I should call my doctor.

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 just woke up from the scariest nightmare I have ever had. I repeated the same horrible dream over and over again all night, till I just finally woke up and decided to google if Wellbutrin XL causes nightmares. I just started taking it 7 days ago... wonderful.

I have memory loss and I'm a teacher. I'm just hoping that the memory loss will not be long term. Does this stuff cause brain damage? It's possible. I will probably get off of this drug soon.

Wow! I'm so glad that I'm not thinking these things up in my head. I have been on Wellbutrin for about 2 1/2 months now and I have noticed hair loss but I thought it was just because of stress. However, reading this makes me very nervous about taking my 300 mg. a day. I also feel that I forget things a lot too; where I put my keys, my bag etc. I have also had ringing in my ears and sensitivity with both my eyes and ears. Has anyone else had all of these side effects? And if so, what did you and your doctor do?

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 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.

I miss me...WB has turned me into a zombie and I'm more depressed than before. I've only been on it for 5 days, but I don't think I want to see if it works out after reading these posts. One of my major complaints about WB are the constant hallucinations. While mild they make me anxious, agitated and a little paranoid. I don't have much in the way of visual hallucinations, mostly hearing sounds and perceiving them to be threats and smelling odd smells that don't exist. I'm also emotionally "flat", have no interest in anything and I'm shaky and feel very cold most of the time. And I've never had anger issues before, but now I don't trust myself around anyone. I just want to be alone. I was told this medication would work for Seasonal Depression and help me to quit smoking, but right now I miss how I normally feel. Has anyone else had hallucinations? Do they go away or should I quit taking WB right away? It doesn't make sense to suffer for a full month when my seasonal depression only lasts for 4 months anyway - does it make sense to hang in there and see what happens? After reading these postings, if WB doesn't work for me, I'll go back to being un-medicated. It doesn't seem so bad now.

I'm taking generic 100mg SR twice a day. After only 5 days, do I have to worry about withdrawals if I quit?

I am participating in a research study for Wellbutrin helping smokers to quit. I am 25 years old. The study is a double blind study so there is a possibility that I am on placebo...but judging from my feelings - I am not. I have been on wellbutrin for 8 days now. I went from 150mg to 300mg in the course of 3 days. My symptoms/side effects include feeling "blah", not having interest in conversation, coordination problems (I have had issues with walking up and down stairs; almost to the point of falling), small episodes of memory loss, and I am thinking possible hair loss. The hair loss is the most devastating to me and I am going to stop taking wellbutrin because of it. I will find another way to quit smoking - there is no sense in taking something that is going to make me feel horrible about myself. Has anyone quit taking it and have their hair grow back?

I have been on 150 mg of Wellbutrin XL for a little more than 3 weeks. I am also taking 100 mg of Lamictal a day just upped that dose yesterday from 50 mg both to treat bipolar disorder (which I am not thoroughly convinced I have!) I can't tell which drug is causing which side effect, they both cause a lot of the same things. I have experienced strange dreams and horrible nightmares, itchy skin, hair loss (which I believe is from the Lamictal), acne on my face, back and shoulders, extreme mood swings and irritability, extreme fatigue, difficulty with hand-eye coordination, difficulty with words (speaking and writing), generally fuzzy headed, dizziness, waking at night with a pounding heart, joint and muscle soreness, heavy period that has lasted a lot longer than normal, stuffy nose, hacking cough and that about does it.

Basically, it sucks and I want to go off at least the Lamictal and see if the Wellbutrin is kinder on it's own. I just don't think this is going to work for me. It's been pretty rough the last few weeks, I hope I can come up with something I can tolerate.

good luck all!
~A

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.

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.

Please Help! I can't sleep . I started generic wellbutrin sr 3 days ago and now I haven't slept in about 36 hours!

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 had been taking the brand name Wellbutrin SR (150mg) 2x per day. My doctor changed my dose to 200mg 2x a day, and the pharmacy filled it with the generic Bupropion SR. I have noticed my symptoms have been coming back (depression, etc.). I even have had lots of water retention, which makes me feel terrible. I would love to know if anyone has had the same problems with generic vs. the brand name. I know the pharmacy will tell us it is the SAME, but I wish now I would have requested the brand name, even if I had to wait until they shipped it in (they don't have it in stock).

Thanks!

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've been on WB (generic) for about 3 weeks to quit smoking which I have. I am taking it at night with Xanax. I didn't know I was having side effects until I started feeling strange. I was dizzy at first, but thought I was just sick. I was also a little headachy. Today I was in the grocery pushing a cart and kept getting shocks in my left hand. I took my hand off the cart and it went away. My major complaint right now is feeling very depressed and hopeless, want to cry but ccan't seem to. Also feeling like I could lose control. If I go off this drug will I start smoking again?