Experience with Wellbutrin/Bupropion?

C

clareMc

Cathlete
If you have ever taken Wellbutrin/Bupropion did it cause you sleep trouble/insomnia?

If so, please tell me: did it go away after a few weeks or not?

It is causing me terrible insomnia now, at the end of my second week of taking it. I see my doctor this Wednesday, but I don't know whether I should stay on this drug or not.

Any experiences you have would be helpful. If you want to send them to me privately, please do so: [email protected]

Thanks!

Clare
 
Make sure you are taking it in the morning and not at night. If you are already doing so then discuss with your doctor on Wednesday. (Do not stop taking prior to seeing your doctor.) Good luck.
 
I have to take 2 per day. One around 7am, the next at about 2pm. Not much I can do to improve these times.

Clare
 
I've been on Wellbutrin for over a year. I've had difficulty sleeping from the beginning and still do. I don't have trouble getting to sleep. I just have trouble staying asleep. I wake up most mornings about 3:00 or so really wound up tight! Seriously, I'm ready to take on the day. Unfortunately, it isn't TIME to take on the day. Most days, I can consciously relax my body one bit at a time and get back to sleep within a half hour or so. If that doesn't work, I'm up for the day. Now that school's about to start, though, it isn't a problem for me as I'm up by 3:30 or 4:00 anyway.

Shari
 
I've been on it well over a year too. I take 3 in the morning when I get up. In the beginning I remember not sleeping but it did wear off.
I too sometimes wake up during the night and feel like I'm ready to start the day.
I recently went off Lexapro and had about 3 weeks of AWFUL withdrawal symptoms. It takes time for our bodies do need to adjust to these meds. Hope you're on track soon. They do work well.

Kali

www.PictureTrail.com/kkali
 
Does Welbutrin NOT cause withdrawals when you come off? Seems like I have never heard anyone mention having a hard time coming off Welbutrin vs the other choices (paxil, lexapro, etc.) Just curious if Welbutrin doesn't cause the discontinuatin problem?
Lisa
 
Hi Lisa. I tried to wean off of it about a year ago. I felt terrible and suicidal. So my doctor had me go back on it. So I don't know much about the withdrawal symptoms of Wellbutrin or if there are any. We took the way I was feeling as an indicator that I do need the meds. But after getting thru the horror of the lexapro withdrawal, I have to wonder if maybe you just have to work thru those feelings till the med wears off completely. I didn't stay off them long enough to see.
I think they all have some type of withdrawal symptoms.

Kali

www.PictureTrail.com/kkali
 
THanks ladies. It's hard to know whether this will wear off, lessen or what. I will stick with it for a while and see. The 4-6 weeks marker is a time for assessment. But it is reassuring to know that others wake up after just a few hours sleep ready to begin the day and have difficulty going back to sleep once woken.

I have read so many stories online from people's experience trying to get off a whole variety of antidepressants. It seems to be common to them all, though some receive more damning comments (Effexor, Cymbalta, Paxil) than others. Some degree of symptoms can be expected, though they can be just mild. You just take it easy for a few days until your energy levels rise again and you feel more yourself. I don't think this necessarily means that you need the drug still. You can't really determine that until all traces of the drug have left your body and you have had a fair chance at tackling your life again.

Clare
 
I took Welbutrin for about 18 months. In the beginning especially I had a lot of difficulty sleeping. I also lost about 15 pounds without even trying; my doctor later told me that many people go on it just for the weight loss effect. Thus, I think it must act as a stimulant of some sort. I do recall the sleep problem lessened over time, particularly when I moved to the SR version (slow release) which required only one tablet a day, which I took in the morning.

I had some side effects coming off, but they were mostly mild in nature, unlike when I stopped Zoloft a couple of years before that, which was a VERY disconcerting experience.

The good news is, I have been med free and mostly depression free for the last couple of years, so it CAN be done. For me it involved combining meds with therapy to work through my issues, and also learning how to stop my negative thought patterns. I couldn't do that until the physiological balance was restored, though.

Good luck & hang in there!
Marie
 
I've been on Wellbutrin for several years, and occasionally have trouble with insomnia - but I seem to alternate between insomnia and hypersomnia. I'm also on prozac - the wellbutrin is to counter any sedative effects the prozac has, but I stil feel sleepy a LOT!

I also cannot lose weight no matter what I do - unless I cut calories to around 800/day -- which is downright silly. I'm beginning to think it's a long-term effect of prozac, so I plan to try going off prozac in a few weeks (after vacation). Hopefully I'll do okay on wellbutrin alone - but we'll see come PMS time when I'm prozac-free. My hope is that exercise and making an effort to realize that it's hormones making me feel insane (alternately homicidal or suicidal - exaggeration, yes -- but only slightly;) )

Clare - I'd say stick with it a few weeks and see what happens. You can always get a prescription for ambien, which is what I use for insomnia. It works really well and leaves no grogginess.

Joni
 
I have taken wellbutrin. I used to take it in the morning ONLY, the slow release. It didn't cause insomnia because I was taking a combo of meds, and at night I took Risperdal, which made me sleep. I can understand your insomia, though, because wellbutrin is very "thrilling". Tell your doctor about the insomnia and he or she should make an adjustment.
 
Thank you all responders. I have more ideas and info to take to my doctor on Weds, and encouragement to carry on and see what happens over time. I woke up this morning at 8.30 after just 4 hours sleep, and decided to stay up and see if this makes me feel sleepy tonight. I desperatley want to sleep like a log as I used to do! So I am resisting the afternoon nap with all my might.....

Clare
 
Yes...if you suddenly stop you will feel like you've been hit by a ten ton truck. I was stupid and didn't realize this would be the effect. Even weaning like my doc suggested gave me this effect the first few days. I had to wean more slowly under the advice of my homeopath.

Also, if you were one that Wellbutrin caused a weight loss or even just leaning (that's what happened to me) then be prepared for weight gain. Even with slow withdrawal...it messes with the metabolism. I'm still battling seven lbs.

HTH
Sue <><
 
You know, everyone is saying Wellbutrin is "thrilling" but funny thing is, I didn't feel an iota different while on it. My mood improved slightly after a while, but as far as feeling stimulated...no. I ended up having to go off of it because I developed an allergy (made me itch)

Now I am on Lexapro, which was quite brutal in the beginning, I felt like I could never keep my eyes open. It was horrible. But now, after about a month, it is getting better, but I still think I will ask my doc about subbing with Wellbutrin. She was very against that for me though. She apparantly feels I am "keyed up" enough as it is. Go figure.:D

Oh hey........for those of you who have taken Lexapro........does it make you fat/gain weight??
 
I took it before. I took Wellbutrin SR 100mg in the morning. If I took it at night or later in the day, I definitely had trouble sleeping and that never went away. If I forgot my dose, I'd have to just skip it if I wanted to sleep that night.

I would call and speak with your doctor if you are having side effects. If you are taking it for depression, know that people with chronic insomnia have a 50% chance of depression. If you feel you are getting revved up on it (lots of energy, speeding, difficulty sitting still, racing thoughts), it may be a sign that something else is going on. If you are taking immediate release twice daily, you may want to see if you can take SR (sustended release in the morning only) though once you get above a certain dose, you do have to split it. Good luck! This was a very helpful medication for me when I took it!
 
I was on 300mg of Wellbutrin and still felt anxiety so my Dr. put me on 10mg. of Lexapro too.
I am now completely off the Lexapro and feel much better. Now I'm wondering if I can get off the Wellbutrin too. Getting thru the withdrawal is awful when you go off one of these, but I don't want to take it anymore if I don't have to. I won't know tho until I wean off them completely and wait for the withdrawal symptoms to diminish which is a horrible process for me anyway.


Kali

Just got vacation pics added!
www.PictureTrail.com/kkali
 
Janice:

since bupropion is a brain stimulant and it didn't have the typical effect in your system, I think your doctor may be right in staying away from it for you.

Lexapro is a compound of Celexa, that's where they derive it. I know that Celexa, which I am also taking, does indeed make you drowsy as hell in the beginning. But it does wear off and then suddenly one day you realize that you have your old energy back. Stick with it ans see it through to the 6 week mark before giving it the old heave-ho.

Anxiety: no, not more anxiety. My depression is greater than my panic disorder. I definitely feel all thr typical side effects listed for Wellbutrin. It makes me feel jittery inside after I take it. But since I know this is a temporary effect, I am not worried about it. I'm just waiting for my sleep patterns to get back to something near normal for me.

I am glad to see you back and that the studies are going well so far. I wish you all the best in the world with them and with finding a medication regime that WORKS!!!!!

Let me know how it goes with you, keep in touch!

Clare
 
No, I don't feel revved up on it. I wish I had more energy!!!

I saw my doctor during the week and she recommended taking both 150 mg SR pills together in the morning because they are extended release. Me, I hadn't risked doing that before because I was following the chemist's precribing label and cautionary remarks about avoiding seizures! So, we'll see how this goes.

THanks for your advice,

Clare
 
Kali:

great holiday pictures! You have a good looking family and very healthy looking boys. Bet they have no trouble with their energy levels!!

I like the one of you in the kitchen because we can see your pretty face!

Good luck weaning off Wellbutrin. Take it slow and easy, you know that, right?

Clare
 
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