Confused by reaction to Wellbutrin...
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| Tue, 04-12-2005 - 1:49pm |
Hi, my computer wasn't letting me log onto ivillage for a bit. But I'm back and very confused, mood-wise. My mom and the research about ECT convinced me not to try it...I still haven't heard from the ECT doctor yet anyway. But my pdoc had put me on Wellbutrin XL (in addition to Prozac and Pamelor) in the meantime.
I started at 150 mg and had no side effects, except trouble sleeping one night...I still felt more alert than usual, though. But yesterday I went up to 300 mg...and craziness ensued! Visible shaking, heart racing, even seeing flashes of light and patterns in my vision...plus I became very talkative and generally hyper.
I even worked out at midnight last night, didn't get to bed until 4 AM, and woke up at 8! Feeling like that was so confusing to me, especially since I'd been so horribly, painfully depressed for so long (and required 12 or so hours of sleep a night!). I wasn't even sure if I was "happy" yesterday...probably not, since my brain couldn't wrap itself around how I was feeling.
I did call my pdoc (feel guilty for always doing that!), and she told me to reduce the dose. So I have, and today is much more "normal"...I'm even a little sleepy, finally! And the painful, suicidal thoughts and feelings seem to be creeping back...although mainly when I think about a few triggering subjects (OK, there are a lot of them...basically everything!).
But this experience confused me...is this the normal reaction (or side effect) of a depressed person to Wellbutrin? I was thinking maybe it was triggering some hypomanic state, but since I'm back to normal today, I guess not.
And this also has me re-evaluating the idea of ECT. Even though I say I've agreed not to have it, there was still a hope at the back of my mind that I could have it and it would help. But I guess if that kind of hyper state can be caused by meds alone, then I don't need ECT? Or I'm not depressed? Just generally confused, as you can tell!
Now I'm trying to figure out how to deal with the fact that everything, especially in med school, now seems to be a trigger for my depression. Do you ever feel like you're so sensitive to things that you can't bear the pain of even hearing about tragedy or illness? (This is probably just me, though!). And lots of other stuff, but I've been rambling long enough...thanks again for reading and caring,
Rose
Edit: apparently the med messed with my IBS as well...I've spent most of the afternoon in the bathroom...ugh, I'm seriously thinking about calling it quits on trying anything else!
Edited 4/12/2005 4:02 pm ET ET by rosa444

i can't take wellbutrin... it made me NUTSO!!!
Thanks for the reply, Beth...glad to know I'm not the only one! I'm back down to 150 mg today, but unfortunately (for my mood), I think it's one more med I'm going to have to stop. Maybe the side effects will get better with time...but I'm still shaking some (not as badly, but my handwriting shows it!), very anxious, and still sometimes seeing the moving patterns in my vision.
Unfortunately today I didn't think this through and drank a Coke too...so maybe cutting out caffeine totally will do the trick. I'm not quite sure what my mood is (peppy, anxious, mixed with strong bursts of sadness, maybe), but I do know that I'm much more productive on this med! Even getting my laundry done...although too anxious really to sit down and study for long...but I can understand why you loved it!
I just wish I could get something to work for my depression without making me crazy! Still wondering if I should ask my pdoc about trying another mood stabilizer instead of considering ECT...so we'll see...thanks again, and I hope you're doing OK,
Rose
P.S. I'm just wondering, for anyone who's reading this, when a med is giving you side effects like these, do you always call your pdoc before stopping it, or would you stop on your own? I did call mine about my symptoms when I was on 300 mg, and she told me just to go back to 150 and stay there. I don't want to be a pest with multiple phone calls...but I don't want her to think I'm not giving something a fair try or that I'm not following instructions.
Edited 4/13/2005 4:39 pm ET ET by rosa444
Hi, Rose. I know this post is a tad old, but I'm just getting caught back up from 3 weeks being MIA.
I started Wellbutrin about a year ago and had those same symptoms at 300 mg a day. I called my doc right away, too. He said he was glad I did!! Those are symptoms of overdose! I don't know if it'll work for you, but what's working for me is Wellbutrin SR 150 mg/twice a day and Risperdal .5mg/twice a day. The Risperdal keeps my mood level and the Wellbutrin keeps my level mood in the positive area. If I'm just on the Risperdal, I'm extremely depressed and withdrawn, and often raging. But with both, it has really helped. This is about the most normal I've been in a long time. I sometimes get manic, but it's not quite as bad, and the crash isn't quite as far with the Risperdal.
This is off the Webmd.com website regarding Wellbutrin SR:
Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: dizziness, fainting, chest pain, fast heartbeat, severe headache, tremor, unusual weight loss or gain, ringing in the ears, mental/mood changes (e.g., hallucinations, anxiety, nervousness, agitation, confusion, restlessness), decreased sex drive, difficulty urinating.
Wellbutrin SR does have a 100 mg tablet, which might do better for you. But Wellbutrin XL only has a 150 and a 300 mg tablet. (SR is Sustained Release; XL is Extended Release) I think I was on XL at first and it gave me those side effects. I was actually blacking out, couldn't even stand up because I was so dizzy, etc. Really bad! But now I'm on SR and it's great! 300 mg a day, no side effects.
Any way you decide to go, good luck with it!
...Days til we meet Zoe!
