Troubles with bupropion

Hey guys!

I'm on a fairly low dose of bupropion (200 mg/day) to manage atypical depression and anxiety. I was upped to this dose in February or March. During that time I started to have more frequent panic attacks, irritability, and general tense, "keyed up" feelings. I gave it a good three month run to see if it would calm down and start managing my symptoms again but it didn't. I'm going to start back on 150 soon.

The trouble is the tension and anxiety symptoms seem to have resolved, but a lot of the depressive symptoms are starting to come back. I'm losing energy again, feel achy, and lack all motivation. I'm worried this is going to get even worse when dropping the dose, but I don't want to up it again because I don't need to feel so damn wired all the time.

It used to make me feel a lot better (started in September 2014) but now it mostly just helps with my energy level. So I can get out of bed and I have the energy to bathe regularly and eat (hooray!) but it's no longer doing much else.

Anyone else have any advice or similar difficulties managing this drug? I'm trying to stay on the lowest effective dose and avoid polypharmacy if at all possible, but I'm practical and will consider other options if I find it's absolutely necessary.

Haven't been on this one, to give advice other than stay in contact with your doctor and follow the prescription directions.
http://forums.psychcentral.com/meds/wellbutrin.html

Im very familiar with this drug. It worked great for my depression but didnt really have any affect on my anxiety. Didnt make it worse or better. The bad thing about it is that it keep's making my hair fall out and lose it's thickness. It's very depressing because I really do feel so much better but the hair loss is screwing with my self esteem.

Thanks for the responses guys!

I'm not being totally fair; overall it has helped me a lot.

I know I should keep in touch with my Dr but I have a lot of hang ups I'm working thru. I'm terrible at asking for help to begin with and I know it's counterproductive. I know it's important to be open about these things to get the best treatment possible, so I really do need to work on that.

Also I'm worried about being put on something new. I like the bupropion bc it helps keep me from falling asleep all the time. I'm going to try and be straightforward about that if I have to swap over to something else, because I really, really do not need anything that has fatigue as a known side effect.

Also, I hadn't thought about hair loss, but I've been shedding a lot more as well. Didn't even think of it being associated.. interesting.

Im in the same boat as you. I don't really keep in touch with my DR unless I have to make an appointment for a consultation. Which is once every three months because I take a controlled substance (Adderall). I don't like asking for help either and I am also very worried about being put on something new because I don't want to take the risk of it not working for me.
The Wellbutrin has helped me in the most incredible way but there is no way I can tolerate the hair loss. It's not a side effect that happens to everyone who takes it but, with a quick Google search, I found that LOTS of people experienced it.

What im going to ATTEMPT to try is only taking the WB once a week. I was thinking that maybe it won't be potent enough in my body to continue causing my hair to shed but still be effective enough to keep my depression lifted.

Wellbutrin (Bupropion) has a stimulant effect on the brain so that's why it gives us energy. It's also an atypical antidepressant which means that it's not like any of the other one's out there. Maybe you could ask your dr about taking a low dose of Adderall? They prescribe it mostly for ADHD and narcolepsy. I bet you would like it. It goes well with Bupropion and gives me an extreme amount of mental and physical energy. And it will most definitely help you stay awake! lol