is anyone here on wellbutrin, or has ever been on it? i have an appointment with my doctor on thursday, and one of the things i want to discuss is possibly getting on an antidepressant....i've been depressed for years, but have never had the guts to own up to it...sad, i know...i've always somehow felt that admitting it was a weakness, a failing..among other things. it has been a vicious cycle.
i was just wondering if anyone who is on this, or has been on it has had any side effects? i've heard that this it doesn't cause weight gain, unlike a lot of other antidepressants. i am really hoping that perhaps this will help me feel much less apathetic and tired...even with the low carb lifestyle, i still feel blah about a lot of things. thanks in advance for any advice!

I've never been on it myself but my husband was. It was definitely not the right drug for him but he refused to try any other kind and it became quite a nightmare for me and the kids. I know that the antidepressants can really improve the quality of life for some - especially if you have the long term depression - so I'm certainly not against anyone using them, that's for sure. I guess my advice to you would be; get evaluated by a professional that specializes in Depression, and if drugs are recommended, give 'em a good 4-6 weeks to see if it is indeed helping, and ask the people around you(that you trust) if they are noticing any improvement or anything that has gotten worse. If the meds prescribed aren't helping, please don't be afraid to try something else. Keep pushing until you can get the relief you need! My husband refused to listen to our feedback and when he finally did get off the meds, he was so angry and said, "I know that those drugs weren't right for me!" And I just looked at him and said, "Yep. That's what we've all been telling you for the last year and a half..." He isn't on anything right now and the depression just hangs over him - not always overwhelming but certainly looming....

Good for you for taking some action though! I really admire people that are proactive about their own health. You are giving your loved ones an incredible gift by trying to improve your life!! I think you are very smart and courageous!!!

I took it for about 6 months with the only side effect being a decrease in appetite.

DEVIL DRUG!!!!!! ACK!!!!!

I became a total bitch on this drug. It released me from any filters I would normally have. OMG, run far away from it.

Effexor... much better!


Paxil... ANOTHER DEVIL'S drug. Gained 80 pounds in a few months and couldn't care less about anything.

Zoloft, the best one I've seen for friends and family.


Just saying. YMMV

What Didy said about a specialist -- fabulous advice.

I just posted on a thread yesterday about being diagnosed bipolar and given drugs for it that caused massive problems, when my *real* problem was anemia. I went to a psychiatrist who got me off the drugs and ordered the lab tests that showed I was anemic.

Medications to treat brain biochemistry are best prescribed and monitored by people trained to do it.

This is probably different from person to person, like so many things, but for me the opposite is true from this.

Effexor, Paxil & Zoloft all made me gain weight.
I became complacent, inactive, basically a zombie on them (they are all basically the same drug, mostly same active ingredients).
Granted, I wasn't as depressed as before (although the depression did not completely go away), I was just inactive to the point of not functioning.

After 10 years of trying different meds & being off them because they really didn't help, I was finally put on Wellbutrin last November. It has done wonders for me. It is by far the best anti-depressant I have tried. No side effects whatsoever, except for about the first week when I lost my appetite & couldn't sleep. That also happened when I increased the doseage (twice, first I took 100 mg, then 200, then 300 which is what I'm on now). All three times it lasted about a week (maybe 5-7 days).

From my experience I would say try it. Make a commitment for at least 6 weeks. You can't really judge if it's working for you in much less time. If after 6 weeks you don't like it, you can always quit taking it. What have you got to lose?

P.S. I'm a little curious if you're seeing a GP or a Psychiatrist. I did this in co-operation with my psychiatrist. He was really good & wanted me to lead the way & decide if I like the drug or not & wheather I wanted to increase the dosage.

And I had been struggling to get back on some sort of eating plan and couldn't do it, but after starting the Wellbutrin (in Nov.) I started CAD in Dec. & 6 weeks ago switched to Atkins. It's the first time that it's easy for me!
I think because the Wellbutrin does decrease appetite somewhat (although mostly in the beginning), I'm having such an easy time doing Atkins because it must be the drug that's keeping almost all of my carb cravings away from me. It's the only thing that's different from the other times I've tried Atkins. Then I really struggled most all of the time and always eventually gave up. Now it's easy, breezy (Well, I know I'm only 6 weeks in, but... )

It has of course also worked on my depression. I'm not saying I'm super happy all the time, but I never get these bad spells anymore & it's easier for me to do all sorts of stuff.

So, for me it has worked wonders & I would urge you to try it. As I said, if you don't like it you can always quit.

Oh, I forgot that I also take Lamictal, which is a prescription medication for epilepsy, but is also sometimes used to treat bipolar disorder (which I don't have) and severe depression. I take 50mg 2x a day.

My doc says it's supposed to help with the depression, in the way that your "lows" won't be as low and they'll be further between. This has been the case for me.

thank you everyone for your advice...
i know that different drugs affect everyone differently, but this is a first time thing for me, and i've heard good things about wellbutrin. my main concern as far as side effects go is the weight gain thing...i already have a weight problem, no need to add to it!
pearlwhite, i'm seeing my GP on thursday....i may or may not be refered to a psych doctor, not sure. i just wanted to get some info on what everyone thought before i went in. before i started working in the medical field, i would have been one of those patients that took everything the doctor said as gospel truth..now i know better..lol....you have to do what's best for you.
anyway, thank you again for everyone's comments! every little bit of advice helps!

I know what you're saying about just doing everything the Dr. says.

After about 6 years of taking what they prescribed (changing meds, fiddling & tweaking) & gaining a ton of weight (maybe not ALL from the meds, but def. a (big) part), I was done with those darn docs.

Went off anti-depressants cold turkey & stayed off them for about 3 1/2 years. Funny thing is, I felt about the same for those years as I had previously.

Then I started seeing my shrink again & after a while he suggested Wellbutrin, said it was better than the older drugs & I gave it a go. Don't regret it!

Listening to Prozac was his first, and now he has Against Depression, and I think they're both great. In summary: We used to think the same way about tuberculosis--that it was somehow a moral failing, that only a certain type of person got it. Now we know pretty much anyone can get it, under the right conditions. What if you knew for sure that depression was the result of a virus you'd picked up somewhere?

Wellbutrin works on dopamine, and the SSRIs work on the seratonin side, so it's entirely possible that people with different brain chemistries may react differently to the meds.

Depression is a disease condition that has its own complications, apart from the ones you'd expect simply because you're depressed. It needs to be treated.

Good luck.

lol..cs_carver..guess what? i test positive for TB too! i may have a weird sense of humor, but i find that funny. i got exposed to TB right out of high school..had to take a year's worth of preventative antibiotics..now i work in the medical field and am exposed to it almost on a daily basis..go figure.
i have always understood that depression wasn't a moral failing...i knew this in my head, but my stupid heart still didn't want to admit it...i somehow felt that i would be letting my family *ie, my parents* down if i let it be known that i was unhappy..i know it's crazy, but that was how i felt...the sad thing is that my parents would have and still will be 100% supportive. i read so many stories on this board about how horrible people's parents/families have been to them, and i have to thank God that i wasn't exposed to that sort of thing...anyway...again, thank you everyone for your advice and well wishes

Hello,

I was diagnosed bipolar ten years ago and struggle with it every day. I have been on almost every drug out there. Wellbrutrin worked find for me at first, suppressed my appetite and I started to lose some of the weight I have gained from all the other drugs. However, it then caused me to have seizures which I still have today. I take Lamictal for my seizures. Drugs work differently based on your chemistry, but thought I would add my experience.

Wish you luck

Hey xray_girl! I was just wondering how your doctors visit went.

You do of course not have to tell us anything personal if you don't feel like it, I was just curious to see if you decided on anything

well, i cried like a baby..lol...no suprise there, not only am i sad, but i'm pre-menstral too!
my gp prescribed the welbutrin, and also suggested i get a referal to a councilor...i plan on doing that, i'm just not sure i can handle it right now...anytime i try to discuss my problems/hangups, i end up bawling...i'm hoping maybe after a week or two of the welbutrin i may be able to get into things withough being so emotional. if not, then i guess i'll go and cry
the only hangup is that the doctor prescribed 60 pills,..i'm supposed to take 1 a day for the first 3 days, and then two in the morning...well, my insurance only covers a 30 day supply *30 pills*...not sure how i'm going to get around that one. i wonder if they make a 300mg pill?? he prescribed two 150 mg pills.

Yes they do make a 300mg pill. Name brand, generic, extended release.

For the first month or so if possible take name brand THEN make the switch over to generic if you have to. Do not be surprised that if you do begin taking generic that your symptoms will slowly reappear. After much research as to why the generic does not work as well for some individuals as the name brand--although the name brand and generic have the same medication, the name brand has a propriatery (sp) release matrix that is patented that the generic does not have. Hence the release of the drug can be faster, slower, minimal amount, bolus amount. I tried to find the website that documented this but I couldn't find it in my favs. I'll see if I can rustle it up. Good luck to you.

Lisa