WELLBUTRIM

[701]

WHICH MEDICATION IS MORE EFFECTIVE BETWEEN PAXIL AND WELLBUTRIM

[HoneyNut]

I actually just had a related converasation with my Psychiatrist about Wellbutrin and Paxil.  We were just talking about anti-depressants, and he mentioned that Paxil (and other similar ADs) are more likely to send someone manic than Wellbutrin.  Those weren't his exact words, but rather my take on what he said to me about the comparison.

Good luck.

HoᴖeyNᴗt

[heyjude1]

I did okay on Paxil as far as mania but when the doctor tried to combine Effexor and celexa I had a episode and once dosage was decreased and over a few weeks I was able to handle it, Thank God!    I did take Wellbutrin  and  was so angry, mean and aggressive...bad stuff for me..

[bpchrisb]

It all depends on the nature of your particular 'brand' of BP. For me, Wellbutrin drove me up a wall; it made me very, very manic and paranoid. But, then again, any medication that directly or indirectly affects dopamine will do that to me. I don't know if they make me cycle harder and faster or if it's the akathesia side effect from them that causes me problems. But, any of the anti-psychotics will affect me adversely and even Lithium did so.

IMO, if someone is first diagnosed as BP, I don't know why they don't start them on Lamictal, Lithium, Seroquel (etc) and work from there. I am seriously treatment-resistant and Lamictal is the one that works well for me. The psychiatric community knows that ADs can cause poblems; Lamictal is approved for BP depression. So is Seroquel. They might as well go down that route, instead of putting people on ADs straight off of the bat. I go with my shrink's advice until she talks about messing with the Lamictal and then I put my foot down.

But, you also have to be careful with the medical professional you are seeing... If you don't have a shrink, get one; don't go to a personal physician when dealing with mental health issues. I have never found one that has enough knowledge in the field to discern between BP and depression/GAD. Many want to go down the depression/GAD route and it can cause problems.

[adel_ezz]

I never tried wellbutrin though they say very suitable for bp. i tried on the other hand paxil/seoxat and it sent me over the roof right away. in fact it says in the brochure that seroxat is bad for bipolars driving them manic. of course all AD's do that except that it's underlined in its pamphlet.

I tell you something i tried cipralex/lexapro is better than paxil for me. I read that wellbutrin can drive people manic though some asserted that it's the least which does that. Since i didn't try it then you may give it a try.

However six months ago i surfed the web until i stumbled across a correspondence from switzerland, she said her pdoc an old veteran ascertained that the only AD which doesn't drive you manic is stablon/coaxil a french one generic tianeptine which reduces the seratonine rather than pumping it like the SSRI. I tried it and since that date i can say that my mania lessened tremendously. Sometimes i have mixed states but due to stresses not the AD i suppose.

that is my experience with the AD's, however i am using risperidone and seroquel so perhaps they hold me tight from getting manic, but still i was using them in the past with paxil but with no improvement. So except the natural and normal fluctuation of bp i can say i am almost stable since then

[bpchrisb]

It depends on how you're reacting to them and what other medication that you're on.

For me, any of the ADs agitate me and cause me to cycle. It took a long time for the docs to figure that one out. 5mgs of Celexa was enough to send me over the top.

[heyjude1]

I didn't have much success with either of them but if I had to choose, I believe Paxil helped me more...you are just going to have to try one and see if it helps and if it doesn't try something else...sometimes it takes several meds before you find the one that works for you....hang in there.