Thyroid?? Wellbutrin??

W

Winter

Cathlete
Hi All,

I went to the doc the other day because I seem to always be tired and I have tried to lose weight for 5 years now and have gained 7. The doc is going to check my thyroid - I have a feeling it will be low but not low enought for medication. She asked me about depression. I said yes I really think I suffer a little from depression. She said if my thyroid checks out I may want to try an anti-depressant (Wellbutrin). She said I will not gain weight I may lose weight. A few questions
1. Does anyone out there have a low thyroid that is not low enough for medication. Are you doomed?
2. Anyone taken Wellbutrin? Any side effects. I drink alcohol. I know several people on anti-depressants that drink. I know you are not supposed to. Anyone drink while taking Wellbutrin?
3. Did you lose weight on the drug and did it make you tired?

My history with dieting - WW - very slow, maybe 4lbs in 9 weeks and it came right back on. Atkins - did nothing for me. I walk or aerobics 40-75 minutes, 5 days, weight lift some.

Thanks in advance for your response.
Winter
 
Just wanted to let you know that there are new parameters for low thyroid and many doctors are not yet aware of the changes. You can go to About.com/thyroid to find out more.

Shari
 
Hi Winter,

I used to take Wellbutrin for hot flashes as HRT is totally off limits for me. It had no effect on my weight, neither gaining or loosing, at all. I don't know if it made me tired or not as I was going through chemo while I was on it. If I had to take a guess, I'd have to say it really didn't make me tired. It helped with mood swings related to periomenopause also. Unfortunately, once my cycle came back Wellbutrin wasn't strong enough to help with the mood swings so my Dr. switched me to Prozac, which has helped tremendously. I hope you find what works for you!!!

Blessings,

Denise
 
What can I tell you about Wellbutrin? Well first of all, I am a pharmacist...so I may be able to give you some insight. Historically, antidepressants have been known to cause weight gain. Wellbutrin is in a class of antidepressants all by itself. It tends to cause a little weight loss, especially in the beginning. It is least likely of all antidepressants to cause weight gain. Wellbutrin is also marketed under the tradename of Zyban, for smoking cessation. Smokers really like this method of cessation, b/c it decreases the likelihood that they will gain weight. A long, long time ago, researches noticed that depressed patients that took Wellbutrin not only had elevated moods, but also voluntarily gave up their cigarettes!!!

Side effects: the most common side effects are insomnia and dry mouth. Your doctor will probably start you off with one tablet in the morning for 3 days to get your body used to the medicine. Then it will be taper up to one tablet twice daily.

I actually used this drug to help me quit smoking over 5 years ago. I really liked the drug. I had lots of energy & was able to get a lot done (b/c I didn't sleep as much). Over the years I've often wondered if I should go back on it b/c I felt so great on it. I know, it sounds goofy!

I'm sure this is much, much more than you wanted to know. Good luck to you & let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.


Melanie
Due 1/25/04

" Take care of your body like it will last a lifetime. Take care of your soul like it will last for eternity"
 
Thanks for your responses. I love to post here because I feel I get so much support.

Melanie - Is drinking while taking Wellbutrin a huge no no? I read something about seizures.
When you had insomnia was it hard to sleep at night then hard to get out of bed in the morning?

I am mostly tired and the doc said if you are depressed this can help you have more energy. It sounds true.

Thank you,
Winter
 
Winter: It is recommended with all psychotherapeutics not to drink alcohol. Usually it is b/c you can have increased drowsiness. Since this drug usually does not cause drowsiness, you should be okay to have a drink every once in a while. You probably will not get the 100% approval from any medical professional to drink while on this class of medicines. If you drink excessively, that may be the cause of your lack of energy & fatigue. I"m not saying this is the case. A drink or 2 every week will be fine, as will getting drunk every once in a while.

Wellbutrin DOES increase the risk of seizures. Have you ever had a seizure? IF you have...this medicine will be contraindicated in you and you should tell you doctor BEFORE he prescribes it to you.

When I took 'Zyban' I didn't sleep as much. I wasn't drowsy or fatiqued. I just didn't sleep as much.

Have a great day!




Melanie
Due 1/25/04

" Take care of your body like it will last a lifetime. Take care of your soul like it will last for eternity"
 
Hi,
I took Zyban to quit smoking, and it did not cause me to gain weight. Like Melanie, I felt great when I was on it (especially because it helped me to quit that nasty habit!), but I did not take it for long because after a while I kept forgetting to take it. I did not take it more than a month.
However, I did gain weight after I stopped with the wellbutrin-- yup, my thyroid was screwy. (Very high TSH-- around 100) If you are having such difficulty losing weight I suspect it may be your thyroid, but of course, I'm not a doctor.
 
I got it and tried to respond but the email wouldn't go through. Thanks for your response. I really appreciate it.
Winter
 
Hi Winter. I have not taken Wellbutrin, but have taken Paxil. I did not gain weight..in fact, I lost about 10 pounds on it. I went off of it about 6 months ago and have to tell you that the withdrawal from this stuff was worse than why I went on it. I felt just terrible. If you go on Wellbutrin...keep that in mind that the withdrawal from that stuff maybe just awful. I weened down very slowly.....it took almost 4 months for me to get off, so I know it wasn't because I cut back too fast. I have heard great things about wellbutrin. I decided a few months ago that I still needed to be on something...for anxiety and depression.....and looked into something new. It is an herbal remedy called Relora. I have heard great things about this stuff and also that you can loose weight on it...which I gainned all back after getting off of Paxil. I went onto their website...Relora.com....and checked it out and it seemed very promising. I asked the guy at Vitamin World...where I got mine...about it and he said that 2 psychologist in my area were seeing such great results from it that they started recommending their patients use it. I have been on it for about 2 months now and have noticed a difference. Not as much as when I was on the Paxil, but it has helped me. I will have to be very desperate to get on any synthetic drug again after experiencing the withdrawal. with Relora....you don't have withdrawal because it is all natural. The VW brand was 17.99 for 78 tablets and you take 3 tablets a day. I figured I would give it a try for 2 months to see any results and I have, even with the weight thing also. good luck....it may take a while, but you will feel better after you get things straight.

I hope I helped....

Kim
 
Wellbutrin does not have to be tapered off (or weaned) as Paxil does. They are in different classes of medicine. For some reason, Paxil is one of the worse for tapering off. Paxil, is also more likely to have side effects, such as weight gain. Everyone is different though. We only know what the pills are suppose to do, as they sit on the shelf. Once they enter a body, there are so many variables. When is your next dr appt Winter?

Melanie
Due 1/25/04

" Take care of your body like it will last a lifetime. Take care of your soul like it will last for eternity"
 
RE: Melanie --- Thyroid?? Wellbutrin??

Melanie,

What's your opinion on Wellbutrin versus Bupropian? I was told Wellbutrin is time released, Bupropian is not. Was also told Bupropian comes on 100mg, Wellbutrin is 150mg, and Wellbutrin 150mg does not have a generic.
I'm taking 2 Wellbutrin pills a day(1-twice a day). Prior to this I was taking 3 Bupropian(1-three x a day). I don't know why the dr changed since the mg daily total is the same for either.
I'd like to go to 3 Bupropian pills so I can get it for the generic price.
What's your opinion on this?

thank you.
 
Melanie...are you saying that Wellbutrin can be taken indefinately? I am considering going on it, but if I can only take it for a year or two...forget it. I don't want to go through the withdrawal again. I only want to take it if I can stay on it indefinately.

Thanks,

Kim
 
I will try to answer your questions. First of all, yes, Wellbutrin/Zyban can be taken indefinately. You do not have to taper off of it & there should be no withdrawal symptoms. Many people have taken it & feel wonderful on it. Another anti-depressant that is in a class of it's own is Effexor. It is similiar in that it is easily tolerated & does not have to be tapered off.

I will try to answer the bupropion question. First of all bupropion is the generic name for both Zyban & Wellbutrin. As mentioned earlier in this thread, Zyban is indicated for smoking cessation and Wellbutrin is classified as an antidepressant. Both drugs are the exact same drug enity, just marketed differently. Zyban is available in a 150-mg sustained released tablet. Wellbutrin is available in 75,100 mg (immediate released)tablets & 100, 150, 200 mg sustained released tablets. As far as I know, there are no generics available for either Wellbutrin or Zyban.

When a generic becomes available, Wellbutrin will be available first, because it was on the market first. Drug companies have sole patents on their products for around 7 years. Zyban came out about 5 years ago... so it's generic won't be out for a while yet.

Although the Wellbutrin & Zyban contain the exact same drug (bupropion) many insurance companies will only cover Wellbutrin. Prescribers get around this by writing prescriptions for "bupropion". Pharmacists can then fill with Wellbutrin, which is covered by almost all insurance plans.

I hope this helps.

Melanie
Due 1/25/04

" Take care of your body like it will last a lifetime. Take care of your soul like it will last for eternity"
 
Melanie, thank you so much for responding to me. That makes me feel a whole lot better. I do have one more question though, I'm sorry if we are being redundant with this topic. Everything I have read about Wellbutrin is for depression. I have more anxiety than depression. Can I still take Wellbutrin if it is not for depression rather than Anxiety? Has it helped people with anxiety problems? Thanks again...

Kim
 
Kim: Wellbutrin does not have an indication for anxiety, as far as I know; however, it may work for this condition. Often times, depression & anxiety go hand-in-hand and can be similiarly treated. You should talk to your doctor about this. There are other medicines that are used to treat anxiety that do not have to be tapered.

Have a great day!
 
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