Wellbutrin (bupropion) for motivation and energy experiences?

Posted by silmil93 @silmil93, Feb 19 2:20am

Hello everyone,
I just thought I would share my experience with this medication.
I've been on Wellbutrin 150mg XL for 3 days and on Escitalopram 10 mg for 2 weeks and Quetiapine 100mg for 4 weeks.

Day 2: morning I woke up feeling a bit more energised. Depression took away all the energy, motivation and desire of doing the things that I like to do. However yesterday morning I woke up feeling a little bit more hopeful.
I even managed to go to the gym for 2 hours and actually enjoyed it. I didn't have to force myself. I was looking forward to it.
The only side effect I had waswith my vision. If I move my head too quickly, it feels like things are spinning, but it's not bad at all.

Day 3: I woke up feeling motivated, I didn't have to force myself out of bed. I went on a long walk with my dog and ran some errands. HOWEVER, in addition to the side effects I had yesterday, now I have quite bad anxiety, palpitations and shortness of breath. I can take Clonazepam to keep the anxiety under control.

How was your experience with this medication? Did it help you? How long did it take before you could feel the benefits? What side effects did you have and what dose was most effective for you? It would be really helpful for me to hear other people's stories as it encourages me to push through the inizial phase when sides effects can be a nightmare.

Thank you! 🙏🏻

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aethos | @aethos | Feb 19 6:38am

I am also taking Wellbutrin but had to add another antidepressant, Viibryd, due to anxiety from Wellbutrin.

ashleyharris728 | @ashleyharris728 | Feb 19 12:21pm

I have taken Wellbutrin on and off for quite awhile now.
I’m super sensitive to med changes so I always need to slowly ramp up or taper down. You could ask your doctor about taking it every other day for a week or two and see if that helps your body adjust.

However I know quite a few people who just couldn’t take Wellbutrin due to the side effects you describe. They never subsided enough to make it worth their while, and switched to a different antidepressant.

You can also try Wellbutrin SR which may help. I’ve tried both XL and SR and personally I prefer SR for better sleep.

Good luck and hope your meds bring you relief from depression and anxiety!

silmil93 | @silmil93 | Feb 20 11:07am

In reply to @aethos "I am also taking Wellbutrin but had to add another antidepressant, Viibryd, due to anxiety from..." + (show)

@aethos yes I am also taking it in combinazione with Escitalopram. Has Wellbutrin helped?

silmil93 | @silmil93 | Feb 20 11:11am

In reply to @ashleyharris728 "I have taken Wellbutrin on and off for quite awhile now. I’m super sensitive to med..." + (show)

@ashleyharris728 unfortunately the SR is not available where I live there is only the XL. The vision side effect has got a bit better already. Hopefully the other ones will pass too!
At the moment I still feel a little bit of anxiety especially in the evening, but it's not unberable. Let's see how it goes in the next few week. I wouldn't want to stop it as my motivation has come back and I've managed to go to the gym twice since I started, I also met with a friend which I kept posting due to the lack of motive, so overall it's working for me even if it's still early days

ashleyharris728 | @ashleyharris728 | Feb 20 8:02pm

In reply to @silmil93 "@ashleyharris728 unfortunately the SR is not available where I live there is only the XL. The..." + (show)

@silmil93 that is wonderful to hear the side effects are lessening and you are continuing to benefit. I hope things keep going in the right direction for you!

aethos | @aethos | Feb 20 9:05pm

In reply to @silmil93 "@aethos yes I am also taking it in combinazione with Escitalopram. Has Wellbutrin helped?" + (show)

@silmil93 I think it gives me more energy which I llike.

silmil93 | @silmil93 | Feb 21 5:25am

In reply to @ashleyharris728 "@silmil93 that is wonderful to hear the side effects are lessening and you are continuing to..." + (show)

@ashleyharris728 thank you! 😊

silmil93 | @silmil93 | Feb 21 5:25am

In reply to @aethos "@silmil93 I think it gives me more energy which I llike." + (show)

@aethos yeah, same here. Energy and motivation which I used to lack before starting

markstyles | @markstyles | Feb 21 6:38am

A lot of the psych meds need to be ramped up to start (small dose for 1-2 weeks, then stronger, and possible a 3 rd increase to achieve the desired effect. You also have to ramp down to go off them. Ask your psych or nurse practitioner and/or google it for yourself.

Also the psych drugs that you need to ramp up/down can also take up to a month to reach desired effect.

I took wellbutin for a couple o years. For me most psych drugs effects change over time wih me. It might take up to a couple of years, and it seems to lose it's effect. Others my body had trouble with immediately - seraqual was one. it exaggerated my anxiety to a bad level. It's different for each person, how they respond to drugs, meds, even foods.

If you feel uncomfortable with certain meds (not just psych meds) get a 2nd Dr's opinion. My nurse practitioner put me on Rexulti. It is like some cleaned of my eyeglasses, I could see much clearer. I have much more insight into things now. Quicker to realize when I'm going off-track. lUnfortunatly it's making me gain weight = bad for the diabetes. I'm going to have to make a much more concentrated effort to exercise more/harder to offset the weight gain. The emotional and psychological clarity of this med is worth it for me.

Also work and spend time doing things that feel emotionally rewarding to you. The more positive happy experiences/thoughts will occupy your mind, and you won't get so anxious. Good luck