Quote:
Originally Posted by tecomsin
I wouldn't take wellbutrin without a mood stabilizer or antipsychotic at the same time. Were you on it by itself or as part of a combo?
My first manic episode was set off by high dose celexa for what my psychiatrist at the time said was 'somataform disorder' and depression. I had a chronic pain condition for which I never got a consistent diagnosis but Lyrica finally treated and I'm much better now and only take low dose Lyrica prn for anxiety. It's cold where I live now and that can trigger some pain.
Day after my first dose of wellbutrin I wake up with a giant headache and pray it gives me some energy. I am so low in energy that I've even thought about stimulants.
Mania is a risk and important to be aware of. i'm hoping the medication will speed me up toward a normal range. I'm also sticking with a lower dose for now to be on the safe side and not take anymore of this than necessary.
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I don’t remember what dose of Wellbutrin I was on, but during the time I was prescribed it, I was also taking Lithium, Lamictal, Seroquel, and Klonopin. No way a pdoc would think I could be treated with just one med. 😊.
I just remembered after I’d been on Wellbutrin for several months, I got back the genetic testing that had been done with regards to my tolerance to all different types of drugs. It was the most fascinating thing I had ever seen. Drugs were divided into three groups I’ll loosely call 1) safe to take, 2) not advisable to take, and 3) absolutely do not take. It was fascinating because with regards to psychotropic drugs, every single antidepressant I have ever taken, primarily SSRIs but a couple that were not, was in the second category, not advisable to take. Except one drug that was in the absolutely do not take category - Wellbutrin!
I asked my pdoc about that, since I was taking Wellbutrin at the time, and he still didn’t take me off Wellbutrin - absolutely ridiculous!
At some point I got into my manic stage when I was started to realize I was manic, and it depressed me, so that’s when I took myself off the Wellbutrin. What’s the point of doing genetic testing if you’re not going to use it to drive treatment? But my pdoc was so insistent Wellbutrin has nothing to do with influencing mania. He had been so trained to believe that, he completely ignored the genetic testing, even though I was clearly manic. Once I got into a better state of mind, that really pissed me off.
But the genetic testing was still fascinating by the fact that NONE of the ADs, not a single one, not even the non-SSRIs, was listed in the “safe to take” category for me. I think it helped solidify what my original pdoc had said, that I have likely always had bipolar disorder. That when I was treated with ADs for supposed unipolar depression, they likely induced hypomanic episodes, that eventually caused me to crash into more depression, then I was either given dosage changes or given another AD, and the whole cycle happened over and over again, for ten years...this was a classic characteristic of bipolar disorder. The fact that not a single AD was in my “safe to take” category was very telling. A little disheartening, but good to know. If you have never had genetic testing done, possibly look into it. I think it only cost me $25, and I believed that was waived due to my income.
So yeah, no ADs for me, EVER. I just forgot I have the scientific evidence to back it up.
