I'm a perfectly healthy and previously fit 32 year old female, blissfully married with three kids. About 12 weeks ago I went to see my doctor re: headaches, insomnia and stomach aches (in the morning only, I wake with pain under my left ribs). He suggested my symptoms may be related to depression. I objected, I do not feel that I was depressed. He suggested 300mg Wellbutrin daily to see if it helped my symptoms and in an effort to help me kick my half a pack a day smoking habit.
About two weeks later my forearms began to feel very heavy and painful. I started getting strong shocking sensations to my hands. Over the course of the next four weeks the heaviness slowly moved into my legs, and shocking sensations into my feet. I began having wet hot/cold and crawling sensations in various, random places of my body. The pain in my arms, hands and feet became so severe that I could no longer work. I started to feel disoriented, dizzy, confused. Garbling language and slurring. Then muscles all over my body began twitching and spasming. Sometimes muscles will spasm for a long time, creating odd looking swellings that are really painful. I jerk and convulse so badly I look like I have parkinsons. There are alot of floaters in my vision and my ears ring or sounds seem "tinny" alot. Also, I started sweating profusely.
My doctor sent me to get tons of bloodwork, which all came back normal. He then sent me to see a neurologist who suggested that my symptoms were "benign" and that I might have carpal tunnel. And a rheumatologist who said my bloodwork was normal. Nobody ordered further testing, prescribed any type of treatment or asked me to return.
I went back to my doctor who said he thought it could be the Wellbutrin. I was so relieved! I immediately stopped taking the drug.
Now it has been 3 weeks since I stopped taking Wellbutrin. I only took it for 6 weeks total, and yet I now feel worse, not better. Now I also have weakness in my facial muscles. It's hard to eat and talk. The electrical shocks and wet hot/cold sensations concentrate mostly in my elbows but still affect my hands, arms, legs, feet. My arms are very weak and I drop things often. I can't ride in a car without getting ill- I'm so dizzy and disoriented. I'm about to lose my business which I have worked so hard on for years because I can't work. I shake and spasm and look like Frankenstein when I walk. (Stiff legged, or watery.) My face looks slightly unsymmetrical now, with strange puffiness/or maybe drooping on one side. I dribble water when I drink and have trouble swallowing sometimes. I have diarrhea every day. I'm losing weight. I have trouble reading, and I'm an avid reader. I used to love to hike and garden and sew and knit and read and I can no longer do any of these things. I've been without income for a month and we're about to lose everything.
Yet, I've been back to my doctor and he seems completely unconcerned. I have received no treatment whatsoever. I have no diagnosis. No prognosis. And I'm terrified.
Could it still be that I'm experiencing adverse reaction to Wellbutrin, 3 weeks since I've stopped taking it? Or is something else going on? Could depression cause all of this stuff as my doctor suggests? I don't feel that I've been depressed, but I'm open to it. Although 6 weeks of Wellbutrin did nothing to change my mood, which was fantastic before all this happened. (And is quickly NOT fantastic.)
In case it matters - I have had a few health issues in the past but they were all quickly remedied including: pleomorphic adenoma (when I was 16), molar pregnancy (when I was 20), and placental abruption (when I was 22).
I really appreciate your thoughts!
Help!
Phaedra