Recently started Bupropion (Wellbutrin)

Hi, @lalyfa -- glad to hear the buproprion (Wellbutrin) XL 150 has been helpful, at least till lately. I am not a medical professional, but we have had other members talk about challenging situations that have come up in their lives while on antidepressants and that they did not feel completely "covered" symptom-wise anymore at that point.

I'd like to tag some of our members who have talked about buproprion to see if they may have some thoughts on your situation, like @toomanycats @mollymiller @tonysdca @cathy615 @robbinr and @jeannegordon4. @gailb and @gman007 also may have some thoughts for you, as well as @jimhd.

@lalyfa -- what was your doctor's input on what you've experienced?

Hello. I am new to this chat. I have reached out to people I know and nobody really understands. My dad passed away in May last year, and I could not get over the grief. I became depressed and developed anxiety. My pcp put me on cymbalta in January. It worked for the most part. I was neutral. I was not happy or sad. I gained weight and in turn became more sad. My dr switched me to Wellbutrin last week. Coming off cymbalta and starting Wellbutrin for the most part has been “okay” but lately my anxiety is always present. I can’t shake it. It’s a weird feeling. Like a calm anxiety. Has anyone had experience with starting Wellbutrin? How long does it take to notice change or feel better? Has anyone had Wellbutrin success? And if so can you tell me your timeline. First week, second week, month etc? Please someone tell me it gets better.

Hi, @jodiev35 - Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your dad. I have not lost my dad, but I can imagine that grieving such a big loss would be a long journey. That is hard not having anyone around whom you feel can really understand.

This discussion might also be one you'd like to check out sometime https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/loss-grief.

The effects you mentioned when you talked about taking duloxetine (Cymbalta), being neutral - not happy or sad - and then gaining weight and in turn becoming more sad - happened to me when I was on citalopram (Celexa) maybe 8-9 years ago. I did lose the weight that citalopram (Celexa) put on over the months that followed, thankfully, after starting on bupropion (Wellbutrin). I did feel anxiety at the start of bupropion (Wellbutrin), and I know another friend who also mentioned this. When I was dealing with the anxiety I felt the medication brought on, I got concerned, as I didn't want heightened anxiety and I didn't want to snap at my family members, which I was a little prone to do in the first couple months of the medication. I just had to work super hard to hold my tongue.

I was concerned about this, and I talked to the pharmacist about it a bit. He told me that I really needed to hang in there about 3-4 months to see the full effects of the bupropion (Wellbutrin). That surprised me - seemed like a long time. He did tell me a lot of patients give up on this med too quickly. So, I rode it out, and my doctor even gradually increased it over a number of months, and it's been helping me ever since. So, in my experience, it absolutely gets better, and it was well worth it for me.

I'd also like to introduce you to some other members who have talked about bupropion (Wellbutrin) and see what their experiences were with anxiety or any other side effects at the start of taking this medication. They may also have information on how long it took them to notice change or feel better, if that applies, or success with this medication, and if so, what that timeline looked like. Please meet @jadillow @susan2018 @julie1976 @suecreader @jbp26 @merpreb.

How are you managing the anxiety you are feeling so far with starting this medicine? Anything you've found helpful?

Thank you @lisalucier for inviting me into this conversation. Welcome to Connect @jodiev35 I don't know if any doctor really knows how to switch a patient from one anti-depressant to another without shaking things up. I personally think that your increased anxiety maybe the result of being taken off of Cymbalta. I was on Zoloft when my doctor put me on Wellbutrin because I experienced Serotonin Syndrome when she tried me on a higher dose of Zoloft. For me Wellbutrin worked immediately. I have experienced this before when I believe what the doctor says that it should help me. So it might have been a placebo effect to start with but in the long run it really has helped me.
I lost my dad many years ago but I miss him a lot. I'm not sure that grieving a special parent ever really goes away and I'm sure that you are feeling this. Have you had counseling to help with your grief? I wish that I had.
Connect also has a wonderful group for people who have lost dear ones. And there are many wonderful discussions within the group. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/loss-grief/
I'm not sure that anyone can pinpoint week by week how they felt when taking on a new drug. Since the brain is involved changes can be subtle and you might not even realize changes.
When I feel that I am becoming edgy or more depressed it's mostly because I'm not taking good care of myself: Rest, exercise and clean eating are the prime things that need to be taken care of. They might not make you feel completely well but they will give you a fighting chance.
I am very sorry that you lost your dad. Sometimes what I think is depression is really overwhelming sadness. There is something called a trigger that can set-off anxiety or depression. See if you can figure out what happens before you feel lousy. If you can do this then make a list of all the things that you do not have control over. Tuck those away because you don't need them. Then try and figure out what you can control and how you might do just that.
I hope that you can be patient and give Wellbutrin a chance. I hope that it does work for you so you don't have to try another.
Do you think that you will give counseling a chance? Do you feel better today?

Many people find Wellbutrin to be quite stimulating, so it is not surprising that you are feeling some anxiety. If it lasts more than a week or two, its probably not a good fit for you. I also agree with @merpreb in that switching medications can have unpredictable results, including increased anxiety.

These medications effect everyone differently so its difficult to generalize. If after a week or two you're still not happy on Wellbutrin, you could try Lexapro, which is quite different than either of the two you have tried. Buspirone is also a mild anti-anxiety that you could try, or add to Wellbutrin.

If you feel that your depression is mainly due to the loss of your father, then you should also seek counseling- medication alone won't fix the problem.

Everyone is different in how they react to medicine. Wellbutrin is different from other antidepressants as it is not an ssri. It is for mild to moderate depression. Since it is different from the ssri antidepressants, it is sometimes used to avoid the side effects of the ssri antidepressants. I had severe depression so the Wellbutrin did not work fully for me. Antidepressants can take a while to take effect. Some feel better after a week while others can take up to 6 weeks. If it does not work after 6 weeks, you certainly should talk to you pcp, if not sooner.

I concur with the comments made by others, and as @johnhans commented, it is different from other antidepressants. I learned from my Sleep Center doctor that it is the only one that does not exacerbate my ongoing and increasingly intense issues with restless legs. I still have the restless legs, but the Wellbutrin has been working for me with my depression for about six years now. Prior to that I was taking Celexa, and it was helpful, but I still had some days that felt pretty gray to the point I thought I was on the edge of becoming depressed again. (I later learned that it could increase the intensity of RLS - and for me, it did). I was nervous about trying yet another anti-depressant, but Wellbutrin keeps me from sliding down the rabbit hole to isolation and a feeling of helplessness/hopelessness. I don't remember exactly how long it took to start being effective, but I believe that it was about ten days when I noticed that I was gradually starting to feel better. I hope this helps!

@suecreader- I also have restless leg syndrome- Don't you hate them? I use ropinirole (Requip). l for it and it really helps. I also use CBD oil and the helps also. Do ypoou take anything else for it?

YES! I hate them since they are so limiting in terms of what I can and can't do . . . . .. I am using Gabapentin and Neupro patches right now since after 9 years, Requip stopped working. It did a great job until suddenly I was increasing dosage every two weeks and getting nauseous, dizzy, and fainting with each increase. The Neupro patches (which are quite expensive) stopped being effective in just the past ten days, and I'm up all night walking and dealing with that horrible jittery feeling again. It sounds like an exaggeration, but for the past ten days, I've had only three hours of sleep per night. For some reason, even with the patches, the symptoms have started manifesting again at around 11:00 p.m. and last until 3:00-4:00 a.m. They abate somewhat until 6:00 or 7:00 when I wake up and can't go back to sleep. I'm thinking of asking my doctor about trying Requip again since the Neupro makes my thinking feel a bit jumbled. CBD oil isn't considered legal in SD, but I've been wondering about using it. Do you mind if I ask how you use it and where you get it? I know it is legal and a greater percentage of states all the time, and in nearby Colorado, it has been legal for some time. I hate to sound melodramatic, but I become almost frantic for sleep since it feels like so many things are awry when I don't have sufficient sleep. Thanks for your comment on my post.

@suecreader I read your post about restless leg syndrome with some interest. I, too, have RLS and I’m just wondering if there’s any new research. I’m on the lowest dose of requip because anything higher gives me brain fog. I’m sure part of the problem is that I’m still on prednisone because of my autoimmune disease. Any news or information would be so helpful! Also, what type of doctor do you see to treat the restless leg syndrome? Thanks, Becky