Psych wants to prescribe Wellbutrin

[2218]

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

[kkcountry]

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

[asofel]

i'll do the heavy lifting:

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

[Phil153]

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.

[Jamougha]

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

[ackid]

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Wellbutrin is kind of outdated..There are new/better drugs to relieve such symptoms.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.

[KOTLP]

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Made me want to smoke alot though.

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Odd, I thought it was prescribed to quit smoking.

[NT!]

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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.

[Phil153]

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

[Tom Ames]

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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.