Wellbutrin or something else?

Hi,

I have a question regarding Wellbutrin. I took Paxil CR 12.5 for a year about a year and was able to successfully wean off without too many withdrawal symptoms. But, I gained a lot of weight on Paxil and I was kind of zombie like.

Well, my depression is coming back due to a bunch of circumstances and I'm considering getting back on some kind of medication. I've recently quit smoking (16 days ago....yay for me!) and the threat of gaining weight is even bigger now. I've heard that Wellbutrin can sometimes cause you to lose weight but that there are serious side affects...like seizures. I have GAD and Depression...do I really want to take something that makes me anxious and hyper?

Any suggestions?

Rebekkah Littman

Becki - The hyperness and anxiety associated with taking Wellbutrin SR™ (bupropion) are what I call a couple of the drug's "start-up" side effects. These annoying effects do fade as your brain, through the effects of the antidepressant, tries to re-adjust it's levels of neurotransmitters and their receptors toward more "normal" (ie. pre-depression) levels.

The majority of the hyperness is gone by the third to sixth week of therapy (and believe me, you'll miss that extra energy, thereafter), depending upon your body's response to the Wellbutrin. The anxiety is usually even shorter-lived (2 to 4 weeks).

Seizures from Wellbutrin is slightly overhyped, but is still a very valid concern. Really, the people who are most at risk are those with epilepsy or others who have a past history of seizures. Some medications lower a person's seizure threshold (eg. Mellaril™ [thioridazine], Largactil™ chlorpromazine], and some others that slip my mind at the moment) and these people should avoid Wellbutrin. And since people who have experienced head injuries are at a greater risk of seizuring, they should not take this drug either.

A person who has never personally experienced convulsions and has no family history of seizures is unlikely to do so by taking Wellbutrin.

I hope that this is of some help. - Cam
BTW - Wellbutrin contains exactly the same ingredients as is in the stop smoking drug, Zyban™. In Canada, there is absolutely no difference in the appearance of the two drugs (except for the name stamped on the purple pill). Therefore, these two products shoul not be taken together.

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