New to Wellbutrin

[lkdbtg]

Hello - I was recently prescribed Wellbutrin XL 300 mg.(I got generic but I'm not concerned about that)   I haven't started taking it yet because the pharmacist seemed concerned about me starting at that level. All the web research also indicates that 150 mg is the starting dosage.  I was on Paxil for 1 year about 10 years ago so I have some experience...  Just wondering if 300 mg is too high for a non-suicidal person.

Thanks -

[ken478]

Hey Guys,
Need to know if anyone had or experienced any sexual side effects being on wellbutrin for a while ?

[birdie0907]

Guess I better not tell you about the new dark chocolate cocoa mix sold in Safeway that is irresistible in a shake with a banana and real vanilla? I limit myself to 2 per day because it has 500 calories.

[LeftCoastChick]

Just remember the med itself doesn't cause weight gain, you get more cravings. I'm on two meds that supposed can do that, but I haven't as a result of them. I do have a terrible sweet tooth, that just reared it's head again, but I'm controlling it as much as possible.

[notable_resident]

i started on 300, then went up to 450 within a week.  my side effects included: sweating, weight loss, headaches, and dizziness.  

after a few months at 450, i abruptly went down to 150.  i started having brain zaps and headaches.  the sweating stopped, and i started gaining weight again.  :(

[LeftCoastChick]

I know many folks who have started @ 300mgs/day - especially those using it as stand-alone therapy. It's one of the better drugs out there, very little sexual side effects and food cravings.  You could always call your dr. and ask if this is the correct dose, or you could ask your pharmacist to confirm with the dr., you might get a faster answer if s/he did that.  I wouldn't always take the monograph as the gospel for the drug, but it's good to ask and question dosing.

[lkdbtg]

Hi all -

Thanks for the replies.  It's reassuring!  :-)  

lkdbtg

[birdie0907]

I still suggest you call another pharmacist or see your doc, because on this board we can not give out medical advice.
Ken478's account of being prescribed 300 mg makes it seem the right thing to do, but you need to get a med professional to agree, to verify the pharmacist is wrong. I hope you get as much out of it as he did. Good luck all.

[ken478]

Hi,
I started taking Wellbutrin 100mg thrice a day about a year and a half ago. I started directly at 300mg. I believe its not a high dose for a non- suicidal person.
I liked this drug when I moved from Lexapro. Lexapro made me feel sleepy etc.. and  lot more agitated...the transition to Wellbutrin was very smooth. I did not observe any sexual side effects with wellbutrin.
for a period of time I took  150 mg thrice a day i.e. 450mg a day. It was great. In comparison to other meds I have taken before.
I currently take 1 tab of 300mg XL in the morning have been on this dose for a year..its working for me.
I would recommend that you try it a few days. It takes about 6-8 weeks to see results. Hence, initially should you have some side effects unless they are very grave in nature I would let them pass and wait for at least 3-5 weeks to see some results..I sure it will work - good results :) ..it worked for me.

[birdie0907]

Also, get another doc if they are inept enough to make this mistake.

[birdie0907]

Your pharmacist is a good source of info, so you should talk to whoever prescribed it. You could try another pharmacist first just to see who is messing up, but it sounds to me it is the prescriber since the pharmacist has the resources to check this out and must be confident they are right.

Who did the prescribing, doc or psychiatrist? Good for you or your pharmacist, double checking the script, because if you are on antidepressants you want as many sources of info as possible.