[joevsthelolcano]

Hi everyone,

I'm a sufferer of OCD, GAD, BED, and lately my counselor thinks perhaps mild bipolar, as well (I have some tendencies, and a family history of it).

Years ago, when I first finally sought help, I was prescribed Abilify, which did ****-all. Following this, I took a large dose of Fluoxetine which helped greatly with my dread, panic, paranoia, and my general depression and anhedonia. However, it left me greatly zombified and blank and sleepy to the point of catatonia, so i discontinued. I recently started counseling after relapsing pretty bad into delusions, paranoia, depression, panic, etc., and I was referred to a doctor who prescribed Sertraline. Sertraline was a huge mistake - I immediately was deeply depressed and suicidal. So next was Bupropion.

At 150MG, I began to feel great and stable right away. I was so happy I found something that seemed to help (I've had Xanax prescribed off and on over the years, too, and it has pretty much no effect on me). The doctor seemed encouraged by how well I was doing, and so did the customary (i'm told) raise in dosage to 300MG (in single 'XL' pill form).

Boom. Crash.

Right away I was flooded with some of the worst anxiety, unrealistic paranoia, and delusions I've ever felt. Its been a waking nightmare. I haven't been able to get back in to see the doctor yet. I stopped taking the Bupropion, that didn't help. I went back, thinking maybe my body would adjust. That didn't help. You can't break these huge pills in half, either.

Does anyone have any suggestions when I finally get in to see the doctor again on the 12th? Should I just roll back to the 150MG? I'm so afraid it won't work now, and I was so happy to find something that helped. I'm sick of the drug carousel, but should I be trying something new, and if so, what?

Thanks so much in advance for any advice.

[Vossie42]

What form of Wellbutrin was the 150 mg dose in? Wellbutrin comes in 3 forms:
Wellbutrin - immediate release pills taken three times daily for the treatment of major depressive disorder.
Wellbutrin SR - sustained-release pills taken twice daily for the treatment of major depressive disorder.
Wellbutrin XL - extended-release pills taken once daily for the treatment of major depressive disorder and seasonal affective disorder.

Wellbutrin SR and XL have induced manic episodes in me very quickly. I was driving 70 mph in 35 mph zones. The anxiety was off the scale. I didn't sleep. It was a very unpleasant time. I had not expected that reaction since regular Wellbutrin has worked well for me in the past as a temporary add-on.

Go back to the 150 mg if you can.

[AnxietyMaster]

I suggest going back to 150 mg. I believe that his/her dosage is in the XL format, Vossie. If it does not work as you noticed before, you could always try something else. It is customary to raise too 300 mg. Maybe try escitalopram? The reason you might be feeling this way, is because buporopion is extremely activating. At a higher dose, it might send you into a frenzy.

[Fresia]

I suffer from BP with more depressive tendencies and have been on various forms of Wellbutrin over the decades. You don't know until you try the different forms which works better but if the 150 was working for you, there is no reason to increase now that you know what your reaction is that is not helping. More is not always better.

For example in my case, I am on Wellbutrin XL taken in the AM and I find that it stays more level throughout the day than the Wellbutrin or the SR and I can maintain a dose of 150 mg most of the year. I also suffer from SAD so in the winter months it gets increased to 300 mg taken once a day in the AM but most of the year I cannot take this dose for the reasons you described in your post above. The 150 works just fine.

Talk to your doctor and let him/her know what happened. We are different in how we react, you never know until we try. Something to consider too, there can be significant and dangerous side effects by stopping a med cold turkey; it is recommended to slowly decrease the dose, even when there are unwanted side effects from the med itself. It is still safer to decrease them slowly. Talk to you doc about this. Please stay safe and I hope you find the right med or combination that works for you soon. Hope you get in touch with your doc soon too, even if it is before the appointment, give them a call. You should not have to wait, that is what they are there for.

[LonesomeTonight]

I had increased anxiety on Wellbutrin, too, and I was only on 150 mg (with first Cymbalta, then Zoloft instead of Cymbalta). When I was on Wellbutrin and Zoloft, I had some really awful panic attacks, one leading me to pull over on the side of a major highway because I was freaking out so bad. They improved greatly once I stopped the Wellbutrin, so I'm pretty sure that was contributing (just on Zoloft now). I took the sustained release (SR) kind and only took it in the morning since I already have sleeping issues.

[joevsthelolcano]

Wanted to give an update here. The GP I've been seeing dropped my dose of Welbutrin down to 150MG again, swapped Xanax for Klonopin, and (at my counselor's suggestion) added a mood stabilizer, Lamotrigine. 50MG to start.

The feeling now between them seems to be that this anxiety might be resulting from Bipolar II rather than an anxiety disorder. Probably still have OCD. This is three years I've spent believing I had an anxiety disorder, to now be told it might not be the case, and their whole approach to trying to help me may have been in error. Bipolar runs in my family, I was hoping this wasn't the case. But it doesn't even matter now. I just need these obsessive thoughts and paranoia and anxiety to go away so I can function again.

Just started these new meds today, hope they'll help, because right now I'm feeling quite awful and not very optimistic. Finally seeing a real psychiatrist for the first time (thanks Obamacare!) in late November. So we'll see.

It isn't even the medication carousel that's so upsetting, as bad as that is. It's not being able to pinpoint exactly what my problems are.