Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

Can anyone share experience of being on this drug? Thanks.

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

it gave me panic attacks (couldn't play cards at all) i'm currently on lexapro, working much better for me

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

i'll do the heavy lifting:

http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&am...rin+experiences

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

No idea about the drug (google is a great resource), but the side effects of most of these drugs are similar. They screw with your head and your body to varying degrees.

Have you considered something like cognitive behavioral therapy? That's proven to be as effective as drugs. At least explore the option first before taking stuff that will change your personality and do strange [censored] to your body, including your sexual function.

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

Sounds awesome: http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=40080

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

I assume your taking it for anxeity/depression.

Wellbutrin is kind of outdated..There are new/better drugs to relieve such symptoms. I took it and it wasnt bad. Made me want to smoke alot though. But drugs effect people differently. It may work better for you.

Ask your doctor about EFFEXOR. Its used for treating the same thing and ive been on it now for 6 months. Its been working great and havent had any side effects.

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

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Made me want to smoke alot though.

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Odd, I thought it was prescribed to quit smoking.

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

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Have you considered something like cognitive behavioral therapy? That's proven to be as effective as drugs. At least explore the option first before taking stuff that will change your personality and do strange [censored] to your body, including your sexual function.

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in some circumstances CBT is as effective as some anti-depressants. it depends on the population, the specific disorder, whether physiological symptoms are present, etc. in general i agree that this type of drug is over-prescribed, but in situations where a person has major physical symptoms (fatigue, serious weight change, etc) it is fairly common to combine CBT or other treatments with drugs. you can't just say 'CBT works as well as drugs' because the research isn't nearly that broad and conclusive.

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

I agree that the evidence is not widespread and conclusive - mainly because it hasn't been studied that much. But I disagree with your implications that it is less effective than drugs.

For example, from wikipedia:

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Through a Freedom of Information Act request, two psychologists obtained 47 studies used by the FDA for approval of the six antidepressants prescribed most widely between 1987-99. Overall, antidepressant pills worked 18% better than placebos, a statistically significant difference, "but not meaningful for people in clinical settings", says University of Connecticut psychologist Irving Kirsch. He and co-author Thomas Moore released their findings in "Prevention and Treatment", an e-journal of the American Psychological Association.[21]

More than half of the 47 studies found that patients on antidepressants improved no more than those on placebos, Kirsch says. "They should have told the American public about this. The drugs have been touted as much more effective than they are." He says studies finding no benefit have been mentioned only on labeling for Celexa, the most recently approved drug. The others included in his evaluation: Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor and Serzone.[citation needed]

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Efficacy limitations and strategies

Between 30% and 50% of individuals treated with a given antidepressant do not show a response.[60][61] Even where there has been a robust response, significant continuing depression and dysfunction is common, with relapse rates 3 to 6 times higher in such cases.[62] In addition, antidepressant drugs tend to lose efficacy over the course of treatment

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidep...eutic_efficacy

There are also studies doubting the effectiveness of more modern drugs - at the least they don't seem to do any better than their older counterparts.

As for CBT, there are indications it is quite effective, and no indication that it is less effective than drugs. See below, for example, for the referenced studies. Apparently, the drug-CBT combo is a lot more effective than either drugs or CBT. But most doctors just push pills without the other, when drugs are both problematic and of questionable long term efficacy. IMO it'd be worth trying CBT and lifestyle changes before starting the long journey of getting a drug that works for you. Of course I know nothing about OP's situation, but I'm sure you'd agree he'd be well advised to research this stuff for himself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_b..._for_depression

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

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Made me want to smoke alot though.

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Odd, I thought it was prescribed to quit smoking.

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It is--in smaller doses.

OP, ask your psychiatrist why he's chosen Welbutrin rather than Celexa or another SSRI which are generally the preferred class of anti-depressants these days.

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

Wellbutrin works by inhibiting the uptake of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. Most other anti-depressants work on serotonin. Classic SSRI's tend to have some sexual side effects like an inability to have an orgasm(yeah that sucks).

Wellbutrin does not have this side effect (thank goodness). Everyone's pharmacology is a bit different so your psych probably has a reason for using it.

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

I had a very poor experience on Wellbutrin that was prescribed to me for ADD/depression 4-5 years ago. Many of my friends reported I seemed slower, and it made it very hard to multitask. It didn't alleviate my depression to any significant degree.

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

I currently take a relatively massive dose (600 mg a day) but have decided the risks of seizure are outweighed by the benefits which admittedly still fall short of what one could expect from taking a SSRI anti-depressant. Unlike SSRIs it affects dopamine to a lesser degree and primarily norepinephrine. I can't take SSRIs due to having taken 2500 hits of X in a three year period. It is very speedy (as compared to anything other than adderall, ritalin or desoxyn) and makes you sweat a bit. I think it is a pretty rare case to be a first choice over SSRIs. I wish I could take SSRIs but my seratonin system is too damaged from all the drug abuse in the early 2000s.

If you have good reason not to take an SSRI, I think it a good first line drug for depression; otherwise I think better choices exist in most cases.

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

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Made me want to smoke alot though.

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Odd, I thought it was prescribed to quit smoking.

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Yah, that was weird. It actually has the opposite effect on me.

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

I have been on it for about 18 months. Previously I've taken Paxil and Zoloft, and I wouldn't go back to them for anything.

It is NOT prescribed for anxiety. It is formulated to give you an energy boost, which is great if you have depression but not anxiety...it makes anxiety worse.

One thing, it's an appetite suppressant. When they were messing around with my dosage, sometimes I'd forget to eat. It also gives me a nervous stomach for a few days when they change the dosage, but then again, I'm someone that pretty much always has a sensitive stomach anyway.

In terms of mood, this is far more effective for me with fewer side effects than anything else has been. And yes, I also use other forms of treatment. The difference is that thanks to the assistance of the meds, I am able to function enough to GO TO THE THERAPIST, and also do the other things to manage my illness: exercise, eat healthfully, get enough sleep.

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

I took Effexor XR for about a year and found that I had become very demotivated and wasn't interested in doing too much. I really wanted to start getting to the gym, but I was having trouble finding the motivation to go. I basically wanted to start turning my life around.

My psychiatrist recommended that I add Wellbutrin to the mix. It was for that energy boost. I don't really remember too much about what it did to me, but it did help me to start thinking more clearly and logical. I slowly started to want to do more things, although I never did start going to the gym.

Finally, one day about 3 months after starting Wellbutrin I decided I was going to snap out of it and move on with my life and end my depression. I got off of Wellbutrin first without any side effects. Coming off of Effexor XR was a different story.

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

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it gave me panic attacks (couldn't play cards at all) i'm currently on lexapro, working much better for me

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I tried it to quit smoking. I ended up w/ a nice ambulance ride to the ER w/ the hugest panic attack imaginable. Right in the middle of a winning session at CAZ.

I'm going to ask my doc for that new quit smoking drug Chantix.

Re: Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin
 

I was on a Wellbutrin/Selexa cocktail for two years due to a previous extended period of deep depression. It made me somewhat numb emotionally, which gave me an opportunity to re-assess my life and make some needed adjustments. I've been off for four months now, with no return of symptoms. It was easily the best experience I've had with medication.