ADHD issue: Can Bupropion cause anxiety and stimulants do not?

I've taken adderall and ritalin in the past, and at a low dosage, say about 10 mg a pill, it has a very calming effect on me. Sometimes I want to take a nap, especially on ritalin. I decided to stop taking these medications because I just want to be natural. I developed better habits, and I thought that would be good enough to go without. I still take much longer to finish things but that's okay.

I've been having problems lately with getting things done. To be honest, my whole life feels like it is spiraling out of control. I have much more responsibility now than before, and I think that's what's tilted the scale. I only had myself to be responsible for but now I have others.

I went to the doctor to see if I could get back on one of those medications, but the doctor is very reluctant to prescribe one of those medications. Very reluctant. Instead, she put me on bupropion. I have taken this before, but the pills look different. I think this is generic. Anyway, this is day two, and my anxiety is terrible. I am really stressed out, and it's that bupropion. I don't remember this happening last time.

Has anyone else had this experience where bupropion caused anxiety but adderall and ritalin cause calming? (BTW: adderall and ritalin have a calming effect as long as I stay at 15 to 20 mg in the day. After that, I don't seem to benefit from it that much. Less is more.)

Hello, Demakula, and welcome to Psych Central! I'm wondering if the generic version of Wellbutrin is the problem. But I take Bupropion myself without those effects.

Perhaps a pharmacist can answer your question, but we'll see if someone here will respond before too long.

Demakula, Hello and welcome to PsychCentral.

If you feel like the medicine is not helping, go back to your doctor and tell her so. She can prescribe something more effective or refer you to another doctor who can help you.

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Thank you for the great replies. Maybe it is the generic version that makes it different. It's having a dysphoric effect on me. I stopped taking it today, and I have immediately had several comments to the effect that I physically look much better today. It seems that there is an immediate effect with this. I am hoping that by tomorrow, most of it will be out of my system.

And I will definitely check out the links. Thank you again!

Demakula, I'm currently on Bupropion, which as I'm sure you know is a generic for Wellbutrin.

What you're experiencing is essentially a caffeine versus alcohol kind of effect. Bupropion is an "upper" in the sense that it's designed to keep you alert and focused, whereas Adderall is a "downer" in the sense that it's designed to keep you level and take that overactive "edge" off of your general thoughts.

A big thing that I'd like to stress is to not take two medications like this simultaneously without a doctor's consultation first, as the two opposite effects can have an extremely negative, dangerous impact on your health as a whole - sort of like those weird vodka and Red Bull mixed drinks that were all the rage for a while a couple years ago.

Your best bet is to contact your physician, talk with them about exactly how Bupropion is making you feel (just say "knots in the stomach all day" and I'm sure they'll understand what you mean) and I'm sure they'll help you find a new, better suited medication for you.

Good luck!

stay off ADHD medication it will destroy your soul and put out the fire inside, your lust for like also known as your jua de vivre. there isn't a magic pill for anything. work on the root cause of your issues, introspection is required, maybe perhaps you could join a Yoga class to help calm the mind?

I have recently been prescribed Buspirone HCL 100 mg x2 daily. It makes me dizzy and exhausted. I should also mention that I take Adderall IR 20 mg x3 daily. I've taked adderall for well over 2 years now and immediately felt like a new person but overtime my body has developed tolerance and as the dosage increase, so does my anxiety and agitation. I truly wish I were hyper on the Buspar so I could stop the adderall. Good luck to you.

I don't want to start a fight, but this is downright untrue. I'm sorry if your opinion stems from a negative experience from medication, but if this statement is coming from just general ignorance or fear then shame on you.

I was prescribed medication for my symptoms roughly six months ago, after more than a year straight of not being able to hold a job, dropping out of college (twice), causing an immense strain on the relationship between myself and my lovely girlfriend of five years, and just being generally miserable - not to mention all of this was precluded by years of schooling where i constantly tested in the 99th percentile for all subjects, yet barely graduated high school.

What's happened since I started taking my medication regularly? My productivity and general thought process has increased a hundred-fold, I've lost thirty pounds in six months, I've moved in with my girlfriend, and I've honestly been happier than I have been in a long, long time.

With all of that being said, I'm absolutely aware that medications are not a catch-all solution to problems, but it's absolutely a resource to be using when other methods (such as psychotherapy or general lifestyle changes) haven't garnered significant results.

Most professionals agree that progress and improvement comes from a combination of three things: physical activity, therapy, and/or medication. Often times results will come after the second or third unaltered method is added to your treatment. For me, I started with therapy, then went to medication and therapy, and now I'm significantly taking advantage of all three.

Basically what I'm trying to say is medication isn't some scary tranquilizer. If something has had that effect on you, it's obviously not the right fit, and you should continue working with your physician to find something that does fit.

Hope this clears things up.

Me I'm sensitive and I often notice a different between different med brands.

Also yea, I can take Ritalin and not get anxiety, Wellbutrin on the other hand gives me bad anxiety. Not my funnest med trial.

That is quite a lot of Buspirone to take in one day. Sounds to me like your dose needs to be lowered.

I took bupropion for a while for depression. I remember that I got extremely agitated on it and had to stop it. I was on a mix of other meds but I do remember the sense that I could not relax on it.
I was given a short trial of Ritalin IR recently with the pdoc I saw 3 times and it also calmed me quite a bit. She seemed so uncomfortable in the whole ADHD treatment and when my pulse rate went up she stopped it too soon, I think. The IR Ritalin was dropping me quickly (rebound) and it was only prescribed 2 x a day. She switched to Strattera too soon, my insurance would not pay for it without step therapy (in other words, they wanted her to try the stims first before going to Strattera) So I am on nothing. So yes, I was calm on the stim but agitated on buproprion.

you are not alone, hope this helps

I agree, that sounds like an awful lot! I think my psychiatrist said the max dosage for Buspirone is 60 mg/day. I remember being worried when she told me that, because that's how much I'm taking, & I'm worried I'll have to change medications if I can't get my anxiety under control. Anyway, I hope that it's not going to cause any bad side effects for you. I think that would make me sick.

Forgot to address your OP. I take bupropion as well, the generic. My psychiatrist said it should help a little with my anxiety. I'm taking it because my focus & concentration had gone to hell because of my anxiety. I think in general it helps, but to be honest, I've been on it so long that I don't really remember anymore what it felt like to not be on it. My memory has been getting worse & worse, & sometimes I wonder if it's because of the bupropion.