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Mental Health  (Expert Forum)
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Wellbutrin and ANXIETY
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
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MedHelp Member's Question

Wellbutrin and ANXIETY

by Kat765, Oct 29, 2002 12:00AM
I'm a 32y old woman and I'm trying to quit smoking so my husband and I can try to have a baby.  I've been taking 300mg Wellbutrin for 6 wks and have been quit for 29 days.  Before I quit I was quite happy with life, family, marriage, job.  I am now a complete trainwreck!  I went the first week with one hour sleep.  I then started taking 1 mg of Lorazepam, a friends scrip, out of desperation.  I try not to do this, but usually succumb after lying in bed till 3am, my mind going a million miles a minute, worrying about things that aren't even rational. I can't stand even my best friends, my husband, my daughter.  They talk and it drives me insane.  I am rude and nasty and mean.

I don't feel hungry.  I'm constipated.  I feel like I'm being chased by something.  I can't stand being in my own skin.  I can't even care about wanting a baby anymore- something my husband and I have wanted for so long.  I'm so sorry for being so terrible at everything.  I'm so sorry for the people that love me.  I bought a pack of cigs and smoked a couple thinking this would help me, maybe I quit too soon?  But now I'm disgusted with myself and my heart is still pounding and I still can't concentrate.  I'm sorry for rambling, you should hear me talk- if you could stand to be around my horrible nastiness long enough.  I didn't take the Wellbutrin last night or this morning.  Can I just stop, or is that dangerous?  I just want to be myself again.
Doctor's Answer

by Roger Gould, M.D., Oct 29, 2002 12:00AM
There are a couple of things to keep in mind.  Usually Wellbutrin is started at 150mg/ day ten days before smoking cessation, and then continued for 7-10 weeks.  did you start this way?  If not, the drug effect and the smoking cessation effect may be compounding and confusing the situation.



You might ask your doctor about decreasing the dose, and giving you something for sleep on a temporary basis and then see what happens. If it is still a problem, you should gradually diminish the dose over a two week period in order to be perfectly safe.



This medication can definetly may you feel "wired" but so can smoking cessation.
Member Comments (1)

by r_c_stephens, Nov 02, 2002 12:00AM
Not much help probably, but here's my 2 cents worth:

I smoked for 30 years and "quit" about a thousand times. A few years ago I tried to quit because I was diagnosed bipolar and was put on wellbutrin. I thought, "kill 2 birds with 1 stone"...WRONG! seemed like I wasn't even taking it. A couple of years ago, I went through the patch deal. Didn't work either although I did cut down from 2 packs a day to 1 pack. Both times I tried quitting, I was the picture of a S.O.B. It wasn't till last year when my daughter announced she was pregnant that I finally quit...stopped 1 day and never looked back. I'ts been a year now and I'm happy to say I'm hanging in. I still have a lot of anger and explode a lot, but not near like I used to. I firmly believe that if there's something wrong that a pill will fix, then take it!

Hope this doesn't just confuse you

by Michelle31, Nov 07, 2002 12:00AM
I have been on Effexor for depression for a couple of years now.  I quit smoking 3 months ago.  I began taking Wellbutrin 2 weeks before my quit.  I was having some serious mood swings a few weeks into it, so the dr. increased my dosage of Wellbutrin to 400 mg/day.  



Even with the increase of the Wellbutrin, I have been a complete emotional wreck for the past 3 months....completely miserable.  I have been anxious, irritable, depressed, nearly suicidal, having crying/sobbing fits over anything.  This is the first time that I've tried to quit smoking, so I'm not sure how much to attribute to the not smoking and/or how much is the effects of the Wellbutrin.  



Just saw my dr. again last week.  I am weaning off the Wellbutrin and he may start me on a mood stabilizer (possibly Lithium).  



I don't have anything to say that will be of much help, although I know exactly how you're feeling.  I have a strong feeling that the Wellbutrin was just not for me.

by GooseNC, Dec 07, 2002 12:00AM
I am a 36 year old male, married to a 33 year old woman who is taking wellbutrin, I know how hard it can be for someone to stop taking this medication cold turkey, but my situation doesn't fall under normal circumstances. When my wife heard that wellbutrin may help her cut back on her smoking, she asked her doctor to prescribe them to her, and for a while (that one perscription) they seemed to help her greatly. We relocated back to our hometown and instead of going to our local doctor for a followup, she began getting the drug through her sister, who would give her the free samples, (50mg- 150mg), that was at the doctors office where she worked. Before long my wife was taking them as an anxiety intervention for her self diagnosed potluck of symptoms from anxiety, depression, smoking etc. My wife began to change moods on a daily basis, a rollercoaster of ups and downs, loss of sleep, and small marital problems and challenges would quickly grow into hysterical arguments that often became violent. I have addressed the issue of the drug possibly being the culprit in this to no avail. At this time she is still getting the drug where she can along with Effexor, Zoloft, vallium and Xanex, and the cycle of ups and downs gets worse.

She currently lives with her mother and father with our kids and claims that I am crazy, mean abusive etc. to anyone that will listen, and no one will help or listen to me from her family.

I love my wife and will stand by her and through this as I vowed, and curse the industry that lets free samples of drugs be set upon undiagnosed or needy people.

Maybe I need to be on an addiction forum, but I was researching the effects of misuse of antidepressants and fell upon this interesting forum.

Thank You,

GooseNC

by Ladybiblio, May 15, 2003 12:00AM
I too am on Wellbutrin after switching from Lexapro.  Overall the Lex was Ok I was starting to spiral down into a pit as well as the sexual side effects.  My doctor thought the Wellbutrin might be the ticket, but I don't know.  I feel just like you: wired, edgy, irritable, can't stand ANYONE, cring, crying, crying, depressed, suicidal, no self-worth.  My husband just told me to get help or basically he was getting out.  I don't know what to do.  I feel like such a failure.

by adhack, May 21, 2003 12:00AM
I'm a 32 year old male.  I've been suffering from clinical depression for most of my life.  A few month ago, for the first time, I asked my family doctor for help with some meds.  Started me on Lexapro, 10mg/day.  It was wonderful.  Honestly, it had been so long since I could look into the mirror without wanting to just kill myself...well, I just felt great.  However, after a few months I started to get some side effects.  I had gained about 15 pounds, lost my motivation to do anything, including my job, short term memory seemed to be going, and awful night sweats.  I stopped taking Lexapro cold turkey.  DON'T DO THAT.  I was so dizzy and nausious after two weeks I went back to my doctor thinking I had an ear infection.  He drew some blood and I was apparently now hypoglycemic.  Came back to re-test after a week and my blood was fine, but I was still so dizzy I couldn't function.  Then I started noticing my attitude going back to hell and having fits of rage and then depression.  Called my doctor who started me on Wellbutrin.



I've been on Wellbutrin for 10 days and just increased to 300mg/day and it's not good.  Initially it's like speed.  Losing weight, getting things done, but didn't help my depression at all.  After three days on the higher dose it seemed to start working on my depression, but nowhere near as well as Lexapro.  However the next day I started feeling dizzy again, then nausia again, and my chest is pounding and I'm sweating.  Basically really, really bad.



My family doctor has moved me back to 150mg/day and we'll see what happens there.  



Sadly, I've been trying to get into a psychiatrist for over a week to have someone monitor these meds a little closer before my head turns to jello.  I can't get into a single psychiatrists office.  None.  The soonest one will see me is July 25th!  Tremendous help.  Let me tell you, that's not helping the rage thing too much.



But try to remember this.  We're all trying to get help and help ourselves. I've spent the better part of 32 years fighting this by myself and feeling like an unworthy piece of dirt.  I took something that made me feel better if only for a while.  At least I know that it's a problem with my brain chemistry and I'm not going to give up.  It took me a long time to get to the road to recovery and I'm not going to give up because of a few setbacks.  



I'm certainly no doctor, but give yourselves a break for trying to get better.  My mother turned out to be a manic bi-polar and let me tell you what a fun childhood that was.  She never tried to get help and still can't admit she needs it.  We're trying.  It may take a while, but who ever thought playing with our brains would be easy.
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