[Moonshadowfey]

I started Wellbutrin on the 8th and have felt worse since taking it. I called doc office and the person I spoke w suggested cutting it in half to see if that helps. Has anyone ever heard of this before? It seems really dumb and pointless to me. If 75mg is making me feel worse...more depressed then how is simply lowering the dose supposed to help?

[UpDownAround]

It takes a while before you start feeling the antidepressant effects; usually 2-3 weeks. 75 mg is a small dose. They titrated me up from that just to make sure it didn't trigger hypomania (I am type 2).

[still_crazy]

sorry about this. i don't know why, but with antidepressants, lots of times doctors tell people to stick it out for 4ish weeks.

maybe wellbutrin just isn't for you?

75 mg is a very small dose and it is usually what is prescribed for smoking cessation. I have read that some people actually feel better when their dose is raised, not lowered. Typically the dose will be raised after the first 2-6 weeks. Hang in there. I take it and I like it.

[Victoria'smom]

My husband is on 75 mg and my son is suppose to be on 150 mg. I don't think it's helping. I'm surprised he lowered it instead of upping it.

[Guiness187055]

I didn't start getting max effect until I went up to 300mg.

[Wild Coyote]

Originally Posted by Moonshadowfey

I started Wellbutrin on the 8th and have felt worse since taking it. I called doc office and the person I spoke w suggested cutting it in half to see if that helps. Has anyone ever heard of this before? It seems really dumb and pointless to me. If 75mg is making me feel worse...more depressed then how is simply lowering the dose supposed to help?

I think it's important to ask: How do you feel worse?
Is your depression worse? Are you feeling agitated? Are you feeling anxious? Are you feeling mixed?

Certain symptoms might indicate stopping the Wellbutrin.
Who is "the person you spoke with?" What are their credentials?

I hope you feel better soon!


WC

[Wonderfalls]

I tried Wellbutrin twice and though I know it's not supposed to work until a month or so I got really depressed right away. Both times I quit and felt better. The third time I tried it I waited a month or so and it really helped when I got to 300mg.

At first I was very irritable when it kicked in but I dropped back down to 150mg. When I got back up that had gone away. I love it; I think it really does help (even prevent) depression. I'm on 450mg which is the highest safe dose (any higher and the seizure threshold is just too low). I don't know that 450mg is really that much better than 300mg.

[tecomsin]

I've been on wellbutrin XL 150 mg for almost two weeks. So far I haven't noticed any difference in energy or mood but perhaps it is too early or the dose isn't high enough. In any case, I'll probably step up to 300 after talking with pdoc today.

[Moonshadowfey]

I moved up my psychiatrist appointment to tomorrow. They may tell me to stay on it but at least they will know what's going on. Before starting it I was depressed but stable. Now that I've started I'm mostly depressed and unstable. On a 1-10 mood chart w 1 being suicidal I've been bouncing around from a 2 to a 6. It's mostly been between 2-5 w a few moments where I felt happy.

[bioChE]

Years ago I took 450mg of WB and it helped a lot. I don’t remember why I stopped, but it was for at least five years. Last year I tried to go back on to treat some mild depression. Started at 150mg XL,
and almost immediately entered a mixed episode (without realizing it in the moment). Tried to stick it out, talked with my doc a few times. After a couple weeks we moved to 100mg SR. After about a week of that I was seriously contemplating hanging myself in the back shed. I quit taking it and after about four days it left my system and I was fine.

No idea why it worked before at a high dose, then turned on me years later.....but I’ll never swallow the stuff again. Ranks right up there with the worst three weeks of my life.

It’s not for everyone.

[Unrigged64072835]

Sometimes there is the side effect of feeling worse instead of better. There is a FDA warning to notify your doctor if your moods become worse.

I took Wellbutrin a long time ago. It helped my depression but amped up my anxiety, so I had to stop.

[tecomsin]

I just stepped up from 150 mg XL to 300. I read that Wellbutrin can increase energy in the first week or two but typically takes longer to increase mood.

Like some other people at pc, I've been stuck in a low energy state for a long time and haven't seen a way out of it. If this medication can give me an energy boost without shooting anxiety through the roof then it will be worth it to me.

I've always been an avid coffee drinker. But in my normal (depressive) low energy state, made significantly worse by after effects of chemotherapy, well it seems coffee doesn't start my brain going in the morning. I just seem to never wake up. But I still drink it. However I can only have two cups before lunch. The third cup will ramp up my anxiety and then I have to take a small dose of olanzapine to settle back down.

I think it is entirely possible that the effects of wellbutrin might also depend on what other medications you are taking so it can effect a person differently if the other meds change.

Anyway this morning I have incrementally more energy and don't feel quite so stiff. It's depressing to feel exhausted, unable to wake up and stiff 24/7 for months if not years and not see a way out.

Well my way out has been psychosis and the risky behavior that is typically associated with bipolar mania. At least then I feel that my brain is firing on more than 1 cylinder.

I think my depression is primarily metabolic.

[pirilin]

Makes me jittery.
.