Question:
Anyone one else take Wellbutrin

Hi, I am 12 weeks post-op and have had severe mood swings, light depression, and lack of sex drive. I went to the doctor and he put me on Wellbutrin once a day for 7 days and after that twice a day. Is anyone else on this medicaion? I can not understand why I am mentally feeling like this when physically I feel GREAT. Anyone else had these feelings? Thanks for all input!    — Crystal D. (posted on June 27, 2002)


June 27, 2002
I've taken Wellbutren for years it's a great drug. Before my surgery I was taking a sustained release type but ask my Doc to change it to the regular type so I could cut it in half. DO NOT CUT/CRUSH SR pills. Melody
   — Melody T.

June 27, 2002
Hi Crystal, I was on Wellbutrin for about a year. It may take a little while for the medication to start to work. This is common with antidepressants so don't worry if you do not start to feel better right away. After 2-3 weeks, it should kick in pretty well. I have taken threee different antidepressants, and Well. was my favortite. Although drug reactions are different for everyone, I had the fewest side effects with Well. Actually, I didnt have any. I hope you also have a positive experience. hang in there. Things should start looking up soon. Tracey
   — Tracey L.

June 27, 2002
Crystal - how old are you?? My PCP explained to me that "fat women" store a lot of hormones in their fat...so when I went through this, I chalked it up to a hormonal "dump?" I don't know if that is right or not...but it helped me through it!! Good Luck, Karan
   — chance2lv

June 27, 2002
I am on my second day of it. The shrink told me to make sure to take it in the morning, because it tends to be "energizing". When you move up to two doses, she recommended taking one first thing in the morning, the other one around 11 am. I believe the pamphlet said it takes 1 to 4 weeks to recognize the benefits. Typically, anti-depressants have a 2 week period where your body adjusts to them and then the side effects should be gone. The side effects may include nausea, fatigue, anxiety. I also take Zoloft. I recognized all of your symptoms as indicators when I needed to go back on anti-depressants. After a few weeks, you will likely start feeling more like yourself than you have in months, if not longer. I started turning the radio on again, talking to neighbors, putting on make up -- all the things I used to do, but stopped and never noticed until I started feeling better. Post back -- let us know how you are doing!
   — Karen F.

June 27, 2002
I am 23 years old and should be wonderfully happy being that I have lost 60lbs. Thank you all for your input. God Bless each of you
   — Crystal D.

June 27, 2002
Hello Crystal. I've been taking Wellbutrin for a couple of years now. It never gave me any side effects. My son also takes it for ADHD. My doc told me when u move up to 2 take one in the am and the other in the pm. It's effects are supposed to last 12 hours. That's why he wanted me to spread it out. Also for my son in the am because of school. I hope u are lucky & don't have any effects from it. It could be that u will only have to take it for a short period of time. Your body is making a lot of drastic changes right now. Sometimes there are no "direct causes" of depression. It could be multiple things going on at one time. Work issues, raising kids, u name it. We all have stresses right? Just take one day at a time and see how things go. Hope this helps. Take care.
   — Diane C.

June 27, 2002
I too, have those psuedo blues. Everything is peachy keen, so why can I cry on demand and still keep a smile on my face? It's just your body adjusting to the constant change of substances (hormones etc.) in your body. For me, my doctor explained my brain has these charges in it that release natural sertitonin (or whatever makes you happy) and sometimes your 'charges' don't 'connect'. So when you are happy- you only get so-so happy; when you really should be HAPPY! My Prozac allows these 'charges' to actually connect. They are some kind of a Seritonin Re-uptake Blah blah blah- I forget, but the way he described it, it was 100% ME. As my life is fine, and for some reason I would get emotional over really odd things (like Headline News). It got really BAD during my weightloss period, but it has finally evened out. Nowadays I only get wierd, right around my period.
   — Karen R.

June 27, 2002
Hi Crystal. I tried Wellbutrin for a few weeks last year, and I was unable to take it. I had been taking Prozac for several years, and I started having more depression. I tried Trazodone and Buspar, which made me shaky, then the Wellbutrin. I have never been so emotional in my life. I would go from crying to laughing uncontrollably in an instant. One of the worst episodes I remember was on Halloween, because one of my coworkers dressed up as Howdy Doody. I started laughing so hard that I got all choked up, and next thing I knew, I was in the bathroom sobbing. It was awful! I know a lot of people who take it and it works great, but there must be something funky in my body that doesn't like it. I currently take Paxil, and it seems to work better than any others I have tried. Good luck and God Bless. Ginger
   — Ginger N.

June 28, 2002
I had been taking Celexa for depression for two years. As part of my weight loss tries, I switched to Wellbutrin last year (my mom lost quite a bit of weight on it). I didnt lose weight and it didn't help the depression so I switched back. My mom does terrific on it though. Depression is a normal part of life for many people. Even when everything was terrific in my life, I would still get sad, tired, etc. So if this medication doesn't work for you, try something else. I love my Celexa!
   — emilyfink

June 28, 2002
I take Wellbutrin and it helps me quite a bit. Pre-op I was on Zoloft, but it was really killing my sexual feelings. So post-op I went on Wellbutrin and have been on it for 4 months. I haven't had any bad side effects yet. I also take Buspar for anxiety and that helps too. Don't be afraid to try different meds if what you are on isn't working for you.
   — Jennifer G.

July 4, 2002
I have been taking Wellbutrin for about a year and it seems to work okay. Be careful though. If your loved ones start noticing a "flat" personality ask for a med switch. Celexa works great! Hang in there.
   — Lesa H.

July 5, 2002
I was reading all the previous answers to this question, and it seems there are all kinds of reasons for taking Wellbutrin. I have been taking Wellbutrin AND Zoloft for some years now (more than 2), because I was diagnosed with acute, severe, chronic clinical depression. It will take a few weeks for the anti-depressives to take effect while your body regulates itself. The doctor may want to increase your dosage to achieve the results you may need. It might help to know that Wellbutrin is also known as Zyban and is prescribed for people who are quitting smoking.... Margie B
   — Marjorie B.




Click Here to Return
×