Wellbutrin and zoloft

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.

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 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 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

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

I've been on a lower dose of Wellbutrin XL in combination with Zoloft. Stopped taking Zoloft and upped my dose of WB to 300mg and then to 450mg. I felt good w/no side effects on the 300mg. I'm not sure if it was the WB, but after a couple weeks at 450mg, my head started to feel really weird. Not dizzy, not a headache, just feeling like I need to shake my head to clear it. I dropped back to 300mg and it's been a few days, but I've still got the weird feeling. Can't really focus. Anyone else have this feeling?? I don't know how to describe it other than maybe a head full of cotton balls.

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 have been on generic Wellbutrin SR 150mg twice per day for a total of four days now.
I am tapering off of 100mg of generic Zoloft daily by cutting it to 50mg daily for four days.
My mood, outlook, attitude, and performance at work has improved 100%.
The only side effect I am having trouble with is a very difficult time falling asleep. I can't be still and it gets to the point where I must get out of bed and walk around or lay on the couch and move constantly four 3 to 4 hours before finally falling asleep.
I'm hoping this goes away after a few more days.
I take my first pill at breakfast and initially took the second one at dinner. I am gradually moving the time up that I take the second pill. I'm up to 2:30 pm now.

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 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 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!

Ok, the facts seem to be out and I am convinced of the cause.Hair loss, I was taking zoloft and was prescribed wellbutrin in addition to pick up my energy level.The wellbutrin seemed to be effective for increased energy, however my hair has been falling out so quickly I am afraid to brush or wash it.I am convinced after reading this an other posts the wellbutrin is to blame.For me the the bit of added energy isn't worth losing my hair over.I will be flushing the rest down the big white!

I've been on Wellbutrin with a lot of success for almost 8 years now. It took several weeks of experimenting to find the right dose. Too much or too little had similar effects increasing my anxiety. Missed does constantly exaserbated the problem until I started XL. Shortly after starting I noticed a change in my sexual response --it just took a lot more to "get me going." That subsided somewhat after awhile, but I've also used Viagra about half the time. My mood improved but continued to fluctuate. My Dr. added a small dose of Zoloft a few years ago and I noticed a significant improvement in mood. Finally, a small dose of Ritiln had a major effect on a root ADD problem. I have felt more stable, confident and productive ever since. However, my sexual responses has decreased again in recent months. Viagra has even become unrreliable. I am going to ask the Dr about going off Zoloft, but talk of permanent effects are worrisome. PS; regarding hair--not a big problem, though it is thinner now since 1999. Never mind that i'm 52 now!

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!

Hello.

I am 26 years old with no health issues at all. Wanted to quit smoking, Dr. prescribed me bupropion/Wellbutron SR 150 mg.
I was instructed to take 1 pill a day for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks I set my quit date and then take 2 pills a day. (300mg)
For the first 2 weeks...I really didnt feel like myself. Felt like I can snap at one moment and then calm the next moment. ok, not such a big deal.

During week 3 I quit smoking and increased the dosage to 2 pills a day as instructed. I quit on Saturday, July 16th 2006. On Tuesday i started off with my regionals itching like crazy! I wasnt sure why this was happeneing so i put some anti itch cream and helped some what. I would just keep breaking out with the same bad itch anyway. Then...Wednesday, July 19th I woke up 2:00 AM with real bad chest pains and I was itching all over the place. From my head, neck, arms to my back and front of my body and basically had rashes all over the place.
They would disappear from one spot and appear in a different spot. I then started researching all over the internet about te side effects and I did find a ton of people expereincing the same things. From 2 AM i couldnt go back to sleep because of the pain in my chest and the HORRIBLE ITCHING and rashes.
I went ot the ER around 10:00 AM and stood there till about 5:30 PM. When I was in the ER i started breaking out even worse. My right eye was closing shut and my right hand became so itchy and swollen it looked like i broke my hand.
They quickly gave me a shot of Benadryl and some steroid with it and after about 30-60 minutes... the swelling started going away. They didnt find any realtionship from the Wellbutrin and my chest pain and the itchingness which i didnt understand.

Anyway, i still have some rashes breaking out...I have been using Benadryl which will control it a little bit but then I switched over to Claritin because i couldnt stand feeling like a walking Zombie from the Benadryl.

I am still researching and waiting for my Dr to come back to figure out how I can get rid of the itchy rash breakouts. I also feel just mild pain in my chest about once or twice a day for about 10 minutes.

If anyone knows anything that can help me...I would appreciate it.

thanks.

I am severly depressed (no exaggeration) and my depression hasn't responded to Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa, Effexor or Buspar which is really very irritating. After being on so many meds I was close to giving up hope than I found Wellbutrin. I don't want to sound like an advertiser for it, but I have never been helped so incredibly much by a medication. My self confidence has returned, I am twice as productive as I used to be, I actually get out of bed and sex has been great. I am on 400 mg. , I take 200mg. SR twice a day. When it wears off I do notice I get tired, but thats not too bad I sleep well! When it kicks in it's great too, because I have trouble getting up and getting going in the morning and it really does help me get going. Ive cut way down on caffeine because my sensitivity to it has more than doubled. I've also cut down on cigarettes which is great. I do have a few negative side effects but I am willing to deal with them for the amount this med has helped depression. I have a racing pule and heartbeat, pretty bad headahches and nausea. Sometimes I feel almost too speedy, but it ok. I find that OTC sleep aid helps out when I need to calm down. I recommend this to anyone who has a depression marked by fatigue, overeating, cigarette problems etc.

I've been on bupropion for about a week. Switched from Zoloft because of a 20 lb weight gain in 3 month. I feel dizzy, nausia constantly, no problem sleeping, and I have noticed more energy. I was not weened off of Zoloft, just switched. Will the nausia and dizziness end?? ******

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.

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.

I've been on Wellbutrin XL for about 9 weeks now and I originally started out on 150mg a day and now my dose has been upped to 300mg a day. I was put on wellbutrin to see if it would help me quit smoking and also for depression. Previously I was on Zoloft and Buspar together. (I won't even get into the side effects with those two)

1. After about a week on 150 mg I experienced sharp and short headache pains in different places but that has since gone away.

2. I am on a computer at work for 8 hours a day and sometimes it seems to take me a few seconds to catch up with the words/numbers I'm typing and at times It seems like I'm re-arranging letters or numbers around backwards without really noticing it unless I check it as I type. Hopefully this will go away it seems to be slowly disappearing.

3. I've also noticed an increased sensitivity to light.

4. I've also felt very energetic, pulse racing and keep thinking my heart is going to jump out of my chest and sometimes there is some slight discomfort.

5. The oddest thing to happen and this only started happening 4 days ago is that I've started having heart burn symptoms and I've never really even had heartburn before maybe once or twice in my life. I think it has to be the wellbutrin but I'm not sure if thats a HUGE side effect or happens to most people but I did see a couple of people mention that in the previous posts. It's really starting to make me nervous and I've been taking tums etc. like crazy and I hope this side effect goes away as soon as possible.

6. An additional note to line 5 I've also experienced constipation.

7. I did experience a decrease in appetite for a couple of weeks but that seems to have stopped. I haven't noticed any weight loss or weight gain at all. My weight has stayed the same for the most part give or take a couple of pounds.

8. Sex Drive: orgasms are more intense

9. Dry mouth: that has stopped completely

10. I do drink alcohol and smoke regularly and due to the risks I was told not to suddenly stop drinking etc. due to reverse side effects of the wellbutrin and what could happen and I'm still drinking here and there so maybe thats causing the heart burn along with the wellbutrin; I'm not completely sure.

I have not experienced any joint pain, loss of hearing or ringing in the ears, hives, increase in acne or seizures since I've been on wellbutrin. The only side effect I'm having trouble dealing with is the Heart Burn and it has to be the Wellbutrin since I've never experienced it really before or I could just be getting older. (27) Either way it is has been almost intolerable at times.

All in all it's not a bad drug so far and hopefully as time goes on the side effects will lesson.

If you have experienced heart burn as a side effect feel free to respond I'm very curious to see how common it is.

This site has really given me some insight about this medication.

Best Regards

Took wellbutrin for about 1 year w/no side effects at all. Had
mild depression. Dr. took me off to see how I was. Symptoms
returned so he put me back on 150mg 2 times a day. Today
I had an allergic reaction with hives on my arms, hands, and
stomach. Also had some swelling of the lips. My husband took
me to the ER. Dr. said stop the wellbutrin and put me on
prednisone and benadryl for 5 days. Won't take it again. Had good luck with it, but must have became hypersensitive to it.
Hope to return to zoloft. It worked fine

I took 50 mg of Zoloft every day for years but I began to experience bladder weakness and discontinued it for this reason. I "crashed" into a pretty bad depression after about 4 months off of Zoloft. I began taking it again but added Wellbutrin on advice from my doctor. At first, I was very energetic and felt better than I have in years. But after a month or so, I began to have pain in my hip, elbow and knee joints. I used to have this pain somewhat but it is worse and continual, now. I was taking 350 mg of Wellbutrin SL, one pill in the morning and another at noon. Now I am sleepy, especially in the afrernoon and forgetful. I am taking the dose down to 150 a day, to see if that helps. I also noticed more acne than usual. But my bladder is not as weak as it was on Zoloft alone and I now sleep through the night although I don't always wake feeling rested.

Been on Wellbutrin for a week. 150 mg just increased to 300 mg. I switched to Wellbutrin from Zoloft because of the sexual side effects. I'm not sure if I can stay on it though.
I have experienced sleeplessness (it's 4:00 in the morning), sore throat, my emothions are up and down, swollen legs. I'm trying to give it a chance and hoping that the side effects will subside.

After 3 weeks on Wellbutrin, I've experienced hives with swelling and joint pain. It took a while to actually start working. Prior to starting Wellbutrin I was on zoloft(50mgs) for a year. I experienced many side effects in the beginning with zoloft but most weared off. The most troublesome effect I got from zoloft was the sexual side effects. This is why I chose Wellbutrin. Can't really say that's it's made a difference as far as that effect is concerned. However I can say that I do feel that it's maintaining my depression from flaring up.

I can't think of any side effects that occured other than vivid dreams, more energy and a much happier person. After beening on the drug for over a year, I find it to have no adverse sides. I started taking 150 mg for 6 mths, now I take 200 mgs daily along with 50 mg Zoloft, which only gave me minor side effectsf or the first few days- tingling, aniexty.
I take the Wellbutrin in the morning and the Zoloft at night.
My doctor refered to it as Well-oft.
I didnt lose weight on Wellbutrin, like some have reported.