Alternatives for Lamictal and Wellbutrin

[rogelio63]

I've been on lamictal for a long time, 300mg a day and Wellbutrin 300mg a day.  I have had some severe scary mood swings that I can trace to the Wellbutrin it seems.  I think I did better on Zoloft but I hated the weight gain.  I'd be resistant to go back on it, especially since I've started to lose weight.
Anyway, if my psych decides to throw out everything, what do you think may be tried next?  I need to take something that will allow me to function at my job as an RN.

[darlenedaisy]

Hi,

Wellbutrin did not work for me, had major side effects.

I am currently on Lamictal, ciprilex and trazodone.  Weight gain was a major concern, but on these meds, my weight has stayed normal.

This med plan has been working well for me.

With ciprilex, a person must be extremely careful about dosage, because it can cause mania.

I also did research, and decided on what med to try and talked to my psych, she agreed to put me on my choice of med...after we had a long discussion about the benefits and risks.    

[psyvamp]

be aware-- BOTH lithium and depakote can build up in the blood and become toxic. depakote can also cause sever aggressive issues in alot of people. my son had to stop taking it because he would become so violent and aggressive...

[littlebit667]

Lexapro is going generic next year!  I know it is not now, but might be an option then if you find no other good choice.

[lindahand]

Wellbutrin really screwed me up. I started rapid cycling every day, suicidal, just a mess. Went off the Wellubutrin and it helped a lot.

The other meds they may try are lithium of depakote. I do believe though that both of these can cause weight gain, but not like Ziprexa or anything like that.

Good luck. Hope they find something that works well for you.

[rogelio63]

I took Lexapro for a while a few years ago but now my insurance won't cover it.  At the time, there were sexual side effects too.  Now my insurance covers Celexa.  I tried Celexa and it was definitely not a good thing, threw me hypomanic/manic.  If I could, I would take the Lexapro again and just take the medicine for the side effects (which are covered by my insurance!).  I don't remember any weight gain on Lexapro either.
The real thing I'm wondering, is if I should be taking an anti-depressant at all or if I need to be on another mood stabilizer.  I dread being on a different mood stabilizer.

[littlebit667]

I did a little research on Lamictal.  Some say that it can cause weight gain and some muscle problems.  I take lexapro and it helped a lot for depression.  Do your own research, but apparently you can take both together.  I have taken Wellbutrin and my husband does for bipolar (him) and we did not  gain wt. on it.  It just did not work for me, so I switched to Lexapro.  It helped me in less than a week.  I have been on it for several years and actually lost wt. while on it.  I was actively trying to lose wt. and had no problems doing it while taking the Lexapro.