Wellbutrin XL 150 not effective

Posted by cyberkitty @cyberkitty, Jan 16 5:29am

Hello,
Brand new here. Currently on Wellbutrin XL 150 daily for over a year. I do not find that it is helping with my anxiety. Does anyone have experience with switching to a more effective medication for anxiety.
My anxiety is increasing despite the medication & weekly therapy.
Quick back story: I went into organ failure a couple of years ago & had my stomach removed. Went from 145 to 85lbs. Eating is a battle everyday but I am working incredibly hard to avoid a feeding tube.

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Laurie, Volunteer Mentor | @roch | Jan 16 6:21am

cyberkitty @cyberkitty

Have you talked to your provider about?

I have taken Wellbutrin for years and when went through a family crisis last year, my provider added another med for anxiety in addition to Wellbutrin. It helped.

I am glad you're seeing a therapist; I think a combination of meds and therapy is best treatment plan for depression and anxiety.

Laurie

celia16 | @celia16 | Jan 16 7:03am

Sending well wishes your way, cyberkitty. I haven’t taken that med, but have discussed meds with my therapist. He said it’s a process of finding the right one, right dose and right combination, as Laurie mentioned above. I’d ask your doctor about options to bring you relief. Hope you can get to feeling better soon. 🧸

mikekennedy759 | @mikekennedy759 | Jan 16 7:46am

As @roch mentioned, medication and therapy are the best things (at least as far as I know). Wellbutrin does have a 300 mg dose. I started on 150mg, but was moved to 300mg...made a huge difference. Not sure that is an option, but your physician should be able to help you with you that.

Welcome to this site.

Helen, Volunteer Mentor | @naturegirl5 | Jan 16 8:27am

@cyberkitty In my experience and from talking with my doctor Wellbutrin isn't a good medication for anxiety. It works well for depression. I suggest that you talk with both your therapist and your doctor about how you are feeling. Are you taking another antidepressant with the Wellbutrin? That's how Wellbutrin was prescribed to me when I took it. Other antidepressants such as Lexapro or Cymbalta, in combination with Wellbutrin, will target the anxiety. Like I suggested, that's a good conversation to have with your prescribing medical provider.

cyberkitty | @cyberkitty | Jan 16 2:33pm

Thank-you everyone for your input.
My surgical team is on top of all the meds I need to take due to my stomach removal (before it happened to me I didn’t even know you could live without a stomach) They are pushing very hard to get me back on a feeding tube which I am completely opposed to….18 hrs a day being plugged in to an IV pole was not for me. I am making progress working with a nutritionist for now.
The surgeons are very dismissive of any of my concerns about anxiety, but my family doctor is not. I will ask about increasing the amount. Because medication hits my blood stream immediately without the chance to dissolve in my stomach all new meds are trial and error. For example, cough medicine & pepto have put me in the ER.
For some reason I can handle the challenges & pain of my physical condition, but the anxiety has me frozen in place.