Restless leg syndrome and welbutrin

[Brittny27]

I was prescribed Welbutrin for my PTSD and was on it for about 3 months I no longer take it.  When I started taking it I had a lot of energy I noticed that I would shake my leg uncontrollably.  I still do this!!!

It makes it very hard to sleep at night when your leg is shaking and you can't stop it for more than a few minutes.  

I have been having panic attacks and depression again. I suffered a miscarriage in april and now am considering going back on Welbutrin for the depression.


My question is has anyone else suffered restless leg syndrome after taking welbutrin??  Welbutrin was the only med that didn't cause severe headaches and make me want to sleep all the time.  

[duanecas]

I suffer from PTSD and have the usual issues with anxiety and depression. I also suffer from sleep apnea, a very common issue related to PTSD. Approximately 70% of military members suffering from PTSD also have sleep apnea. I also have a moderate case of RLS which tends to bother me from late afternoon until early in the morning. I have never taken any medication for my PTSD other than Xanex for the anxiety issues. While there is no proof that I have read, I believe the RLS is another PTSD-related issue.

[gma2]

Sorry if I goofed by putting a website on here. I didn't know (didn't pay attention?). I maybe did another one or maybe 2 others so...very sorry.

[gma2]

I took Wellbutrin in ‘98 for depression, anxiety and smoking cessation, and went off it after 6 months – it didn’t help me. Since my restless leg started a few years later, I can’t imagine a connection to the Welbutrin (at least not for me).

I waited so long before going to the doc for my legs because I thought it would just go away.

My RLS was so severe (by the time I finally went to the doc's) that I was up and in the hottest bath I could take every single night, sometimes up to 4x's a night. (It seemed to help a lot "while" I was in the tub and for a short time after). I was crying, walking the floors, crying, doing leg exercises, crying, rubbing pain creams on...well, you get the picture! I was so darned tired and frustrated and so........miserable.

During the day I have the 'worm crawls & thumps' (my terms for the movement going on) under the skin, when I'm just sitting – like now; they are not as bothersome as anything that keeps you awake at night. Dishspicabull! Spit. (No one is going to get that probably, but I'm leaving it- LOL).

I take Mirapex for RLS and I won't even think about trying to go without it because I can't go back to that. I won't.

There is great info on ****.com about RLS. That might help.

[Heather3418]

Restless Leg Syndrome is the "feeling" of creepy, crawling sensations in your legs, that make you feel like you HAVE to move your legs.  It's a twitching that you feel inside your legs that seems to happen at rest or when you try to sleep.  It does not cause purposeful shaking of the leg.

I have had RLS for over 15 years.  From what you are describing, this sounds like something else.  I also do not think Wellbutrin would have caused this sensation, but it's worth a call to your doctor, to tell him what you are experiencing.  That's the only way you can be sure.

I hope for the best,
Heather