Lexapro to Wellbutrin

[wstrusa]

I have mitral valve prolapse/dysautonomia and have a tendency to have panic attacks when under stress.  I have taken a low dose (10mg) of Lexapro for a little over a year and gained 15 lbs.  Even though I was working out at the gym like an animal.  I asked my doctor if I could switch to Wellbutrin and I started taking Wellbutrin XL (150mg) 9 days ago.  There was no weening off the Lexapro - I just quit taking it and started the other.  My question is - should I have weened off the Lexapro before starting the Wellbutrin.  I feel pretty bad.  Some of it I feel sure are side effects from the Wellbutrin but some of it feels like withdrawals as well (like the swimmy, tingly head feeling and focus issues).  I also feel sick at my stomach off and on, a bit sweaty at times and a bit irritable.  Are these just side effects that might go away if I give it a bit more time or are these withdrawals from the Lexapro?  Just don't know what to do really........  Hate to stop taking the Wellbutrin because just in the 9 days I have been taking it - it has gotten rid of the food compulsion I had gotten with the Lexapro.  I just don't feel good though.

[OneScaredBuckeye]

All I know is that Wellbutrin made my anxiety much, much worse.  I'd rather gain fifty pounds than feel the way I did on Wellbutrin.  I know many people who don't feel well on Wellbutrin.  I think the bad feelings are coming from the Wellbutrin rather than from stopping the Lexapro.

[RCA7591]

"I have mitral valve prolapse/dysautonomia and have a tendency to have panic attacks when under stress."

^quote

The most effective treatment for MVPD is a combination of a beta-blocker, and a Benzodiazepine. Inderal 40 mg, b.i.d, and Klonopin 1/2 mg, b.i.d is standard.
However, the drugs should be individualized for the particular patient.

The idea here is to block autonomic hyperactivity, this is what's causing your symptoms. The inappropriate release of Catecholamines (Adrenaline) gives rise to symptoms comparable, if not identical, to those of panic.

Homeostasis can be maintained with the combination of drugs as outlined above. Beta-blockers mask the effects of Catecholamines on the myocardium (heart), while the Benzodiazepine helps to prevent the release of Catecholamines while under stress. Thus, when the autonomic nervous system is hyperactive, the effects are masked, lessening the physical symptoms and promoting balance.

SSRI's are useful for autonomic failure in some instances, but are largely ineffective in the case of autonomic *hyperactivity*. The SSRI's tend to make the hyperactivity worse. Wellbutrin is extremely stimulating, and would no doubt worsen the condition.

Ryan