Wellbutrin xl 300 mg makes me edgy in the am

[JGF25]

I was prescribed wellbutrin xl 300 mg (after taking xl150 for quite a while) when my anxiety suddenly flared up due to stress. The 150 was prescribed because I was waking up with my heart feeling like it was going to beat out of my chest in the middle of the night over different things.  Right now  I feel good at night but when the morning comes I am so edgy.  I feel like jumping out of my skin and I can't stand that feeling.  I spend a lot of time breathing.  Why does it happen and does it matter if I take the dose at a different time...say in the morning versus at night?  Would I then be "edgy" when I was sleeping and not notice it?  I have klonopin to take but even on a half of klonopin...you feel like a zombie looking for a place to lay down so I kind of try to fight that and usually give in after a few hours and take a quarter of a mg.  Helps a little.  Then the other quarter about 3 hours later!  

[JGF25]

Oh, I did not know Klonopin was something you can reach a steady state on.  I am prescribed 2 mg a day.  Maybe I will take 1/2 mg in the am for a while, give the Wellbutrin 4 weeks to see if I am better, and still keep the 1 mg at night.  I cannot take 1 mg at work...it would be too dangerous for me as it does make me quite spacy and I don't want to get hurt on the job.  If I am not better after 4 weeks, then I will seek to be put on Prozac which I think I can take with Wellbutrin...get my prozac up and then start weaning off the wellbutrin.  My doctor prescribed wellbutrin because it had less side affects.  I could not take celexa...it disagreed with me.  But since my problem is really OCD and anxiety and not depression per se then perhaps I should be on a different SSRI.  Thanks for commenting...it makes me feel not so alone in the battle.  

[lynn57]

First of all Klonopin would be more beneficial for your sleep and anxiety if you were taking it in two doses a day.  Once a day doesn't doesn't give it a chance to reach steady state.  It may help you to fall asleep, but as you can see it doesn't stay with you.  I would think about an SSRI instead of the wellbutrin.

[JGF25]

Thanks for answer Lynn.  It will be three weeks this coming Tuesday the 10th.  I have a lot of stress right now and sometimes I have "breakthroughs" of anxiety.  My mind is still going a million miles a minute when I am not busy.  I have been taking Klonopin to sleep for about a year.  Now I find that on Wellbutrin I cannot sleep past 2:00 am even when I take 1 mg of Klonopin.  Do you think I have waited long enough?  Thanks.  I successfully took Prozac many years ago and I had no problems.  

[lynn57]

Sounds like you are perhaps adjusting to the change in doses.  If it's been more than a couple of weeks, I would seek a med change.  Before adding long-term Klonopin to the mix I would try a different med like one of the SSRI's.  Wellbutrin can be a bit stimulating and many people have that edgy feeling while taking it.  I personally do take  Klonopin with my Celexa.  It's a great combo for me and it doesn't make me sleepy.