[DoubleJ]

Has anyone had success with this med for attention deficit purposes? I have never been diagnosed with ADD but after I started taking Paxil my motivation, energy level, ability to focus, and attention span went WAY down. Any suggestions?

[sunrise]

DoubleJ, yes, I take Wellbutrin for ADHD. Wellbutrin can help ADHD because it works on the dopamine system. ADHD is at least in part caused by a deficit of dopamine, a neurotransmitter. It is thought that is why people with ADHD are frequently impulsive, and self stimulate (do rash acts, etc.)--this is like self-medicating, it helps them get more dopamine in the parts of their brain that lack it. Wellbutrin inhibits the reuptake of dopamine into the dopamine-releasing neurons, resulting in more dopamine in the synapses between neurons. (Reuptake essentially removes dopamine from play.) Wellbutrin also inhibits reuptake of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. The classic treatment for ADHD is stimulants, which also work on the dopamine system. For example, methylphenidate (Ritalin) is also an inhibitor of dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake. So you can see why both of these drugs could be helpful for ADHD. (Although they both block reuptake, they are totally unrelated chemically.) Stimulants like Ritalin also amplify the magnitude of dopamine release, which is something I understand less well, but I do not believe this is an effect shared by Wellbutrin.

Wellbutrin has definitely helped me, although I have recently added a low dose of the stimulant Vyvanse too. Together, Wellbutrin and Vyvanse are helping me get the dopamine I need to function better. I used to take 2 Wellbutrin SR 150 mg a day, but have decreased to 1 now that I have added the stimulant.

Paxil works on another neurotransmitter, serotonin, so will not help with the dopamine deficits that people with ADHD are thought to have. Why were you prescribed Paxil? For anxiety? If so, you might be forewarned that Wellbutrin, because it is so activating, can increase anxiety in some people. (Ditto stimulants.)

Good luck! Just keep trying. It can take some experimentation to find the drug(s) that work for you.

[bittman]

wellbutrin is helpful for depression and ADHD so sometimes the giving this medicine to treat both but someone who has really ADHD need to add a stimulate medicine

[Heimish]

hello. I think if you didn't have till now, problems with concentrating why should you think that you have ADHD its maybe a side affect from the paxsil . but ask your doctor about this suggestion. good luck.