anything else I need to know about Wellbutrin?

Would my 900 mg Li be enough to safeguard against flipping into mania?

What were your side effects?

For what it's worth, it is the only drug that ever flipped me into hypomania. I wasn't on a mood stabilizer at the time (just Paxil before getting the proper diagnosis). However, I was only on a small dose...100-125? It was a while ago though, so I don't remember the exact dose. I also have more than one friend/family member who didn't like it due to increased anxiety.

On the other hand, I have read reports online of people who like it for increased energy when they are depressed.

Best,
EJ

It's all a balancing act, HP. My combo. is Wellbutrin, Zoloft, Lamictal, and Klonopin. I forget the mg's off the top of my head, but I am looking at a change because currently I can't stay awake beyond my workday.
My other meds are for hypothyroidism, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. With all of these meds, I never know which doctor to go to when I have side effects. I asked my pdoc to consider some changes because of the sleeping problem, but she wants to wait for the bloodwork on the latest increase on the thyroid meds from my primary doc.
It's all driving me crazy! I have a pretty stable mind right now, but these sleeping problems are awful. I thought that I should stop the klonopin. I did, but then I didn't sleep at night, only during the day. My nighttime problems without klonopin are a constantly active mind going from thought to thought.
I didn't mean to hijack your thread with my rant, Hammie. I just get so tired of the drug game.
I wish you quick success with the wellbutrin. Make sure you give it a couple of weeks to get the true effects, though.
Bluemountains

Thank you. I will slow down and wait. I will say to my p-doc that I do not want it now - it would be reasonable to wait with trying ANYTHING new remembering the horrible experience I had trying Topamax for a month - but I want his honest opinion.

Ah, Wellbutrin.......the only thing that has ever caused the word "psychosis" to be inscribed in my medical history for all posterity. It works fantastic for a lot of people, fairly well for a significant number of others, and either does nothing or creates a little hypomania for pretty much everyone else.

Me, it literally made crazy. I turned into this THING, this raging, monstrous creature from the ninth circle of Hell. Didn't have any idea why, but luckily one of my co-workers was also taking it, and she happened to tell me one day that she really hated the side effects she was having---she was pissed off ALL the time, short-tempered with her family, snippy at work, etc. etc. Well, she wasn't as bad off as I was, but I had noticed some similarities in the way we handled things, and the light bulb came on.......I stopped the WB immediately.

A few months later, I was a slobbering, weepy hot mess, and I figured I needed to go back on the antidepressant. BAD idea. This time, it was even worse, and it all ended when I threw a screaming conniption fit at work and then asked my PCP for a different AD. He refused at first, then relented when I said something along the lines of "well, don't be shocked if you see my name in the paper because I've killed something". I was joking, but he took it as a veiled threat, told me he thought I had a more serious problem than he could treat, and referred me for a psych eval. Thus, the bipolar diagnosis and the addition of WB to my allergies list. LOL

I found that I started with 150 mg daily and by the afternoon I got quite anxious. I found that I could take much coffee and I stopped smoking my 4,5 cigs a day. Hater a week on 150 mg I thought that was all I needed, but the above side effect occurred. I had to eventually get to 150 mg Wellbutrin once in early morning and once before 3 pm. That for about 16 days, then I got increased depressive episodes in the AM 1hour after taking morning dose. I just had to suffer the depressive hopelessness until I took the afternoon dose by 2 PM. So I am still trying to get the right doses. If I didn't t watch what I eat, I can gain weight from Wellbutrin. This because my appetite increases to as much as breakfast and lunch portions.

I hope this info helps anyone interested in Wellbutrin.

I can ill afford to take that kind of risk, BipolaRNurse. All eyes are on my coworker and me at work. Our supervisor has been promoted and been given new responsibilities, and we, two temp contractors, are assuming her old responsibilities. That means more work. More meetings. More contacts with higher-ups in the company, more visibility, and ultimately more opportunity to get converted into a permanent employee with benefits after my contract expires in June. I just cannot go manic. I would rather live with extra weight. I am glad I asked and thanks for a detailed account of your experience.

You're welcome, friend. While I'm the rare example of Wellbutrin gone bad, it does happen and in your situation it's probably best not to rock the boat with your meds at this time. I know how it is to fight off mania while holding a high-profile job....gets pretty gritty sometimes. Good luck!

One of three people who interviewed me for the job is way fatter than I am. And he has received a serious promotion and it is his responsibilities that my former supervisor is assuming. So at least I can rest assured that the company does not engage in size based discrimination!

Wellbutrin was the first AD I was put on when I started having depression/bipolar issues about 2 years ago. I was diagnosed just depression at the time. I insisted on the wellbutrin for its purported decreased likelihood to cause weight gain because when I was placed on Lexapro when I was 15 (during my first depressive episode) I gained 40 pounds in a matter of months.

I was on solely wellbutrin for quite a few months. Of course, I never gained any weight on wellbutrin. I felt over caffeinated on the drug and that's not great for someone who is already frustratingly restless. I have never became noticeably manic in my life, just depressed and anxious, but now I realize that I had a decent amount of manic symptoms at the time -- couldn't sleep more than 3 hours, restless, anxious/physical anxiety symptoms, etc.

The benefit of the drug was increased focus, likely because if its benefits towards ADHD. That was very nice and at least made me functional enough to keep up in class despite my difficulties. That's the number one reason I continued to take it paired up with everything else I have tried in the past could of years.

I finally quit WB after sometime I was perscribed Lamictal and I realized how much more stable I was (finally) feeling. I was on four different meds on that time and I was convinced finally that ADs were probably making me worse (they never helped). I quit cold turkey without consulting my Psychiatrist and I did mostly fine. I'm now on 200 Lamotrigine.

Last time at my psychiatrist she told me that if we were to add an AD to the mood stabilizer that she would add Wellbutrin because she believes it has helped me the most, and I agree. I think next time I might talk about a low dose addition of bupropion but I also think I will ask for an increase in the Lamictal first.

However, at one point I was on Wellbutrin 300mg and started Buspar. After 3 days on the Buspar, I believe that I may have accidentally double dosed on that day but I began to hallucinate colorful images all over the walls. I tend to see colorful spots in the dark but I believe while being on Wellbutrin it makes these spots brighter and happen in less dark rooms more often. I guess the pairing with Buspar had too much of a boosting effect on WB and left me panicking and hallucinating for a day.

Also: At the time I felt as though Wellbutrin SR (twice a day) was far more potent and interfered far less with sleep than XL (once a day.) XL felt like being on a lower dose and I assumed it was because it was more evenly spread throughout the day....and night....interfering with sleep.

I tried 150mg of Wellbutrin. It really lifted the veil of tiredness that I was struggling with... but it made me too grouchy. So I started breaking the tablets in half, for 75mg daily. The grouchiness went away--yet the smaller dose was still very helpful with the fatigue, which surprised me, as I thought 150mg was considered a rather low, starter dose. I plan to ask my doc whether WB is available in a 75mg size. (Disclaimer: Changing a dosage without your doc's advice isn't recommended...)

I've been on Wellbutrin (100 SR in the morning and 100 SR before bed) for several months now, with nothing else. No mood stabilizer.

I've been blah this whole time.

I really miss the hypomania and NEED it to get my creativity back.

Now that I no longer have insurance, it's not so easy to pop in to see my therapist or psychiatrist for just a $25 co-pay. Now it will be about $100 for a visit. Plus the full cash price of the meds instead of the cheap co-pays.

I'm not really sure why my psychiatrist took me off of a mood stabilizer and left me on Wellbutrin by itself, especially considering the fact that being on another anti-depressant by itself (Celexa prescribed by my PCP) is what threw me into a BIG spell of hypomania and started me down this whole roller coaster again and put me back into treatment.

Lack of appetite and desire to eat. I'm not someone who enjoys food to begin with and if I must medicate prefer drugs that give munchies and weight gain, it's a chore and just fuel but damn Wellbutrin made it so much more difficult to remember to eat and actually do it.

Good to see you. I think it was weird of your p-doc to put someone so thin on WB. Plus. You already have trouble falling asleep.

I took welbutrin for a month, and had headaches the whole time. Then I ended up in the hospital and they took me off it.

I am on 300 Wellbutrin, 20 mg Lexapro, and 400 of lamictal. I tried we'll brut in for more eagerly because I was sleeping all the time. It has definitely helped.

I am on 300 Wellbutrin, 20 mg Lexapro, and 400 of lamictal. I tried wellbrutin for more energy because I was sleeping all the time. It has definitely helped.

I was on welbutrin alone (75 mg) and did well on it. My "new" pdoc refuses welbutrin because of the history of ED. ED and welbutrin can cause seizures.

I see. I have a bit of that history as well.

But just because of the risk of turning manic which I cannot afford to take, I won't ask for WB.