Has anyone with comorbid anxiety had luck with Wellbutrin? Also, Buspar?

I've been going through new meds lately and decided to try Wellbutrin, which I'd tried years ago but only for a few days. I've been dealing with a pretty bad depressive spell and fatigue for months, and thought Wellbutrin could help perk and pull me up. It actually hasn't had the initial energizing effect it had the first time I tried it (though obviously I'm giving it more time), but it has increased my anxiety some after the 6 days so far.

I'm worried it'll end up being for nothing and I'll have to go off of it because of anxiety. I feel like I need something a bit stimulating and motivating, but my anxiety can be a huge issue, too. I'm trying to work on a lot of stuff right now and really need motivation and energy so I'm willing to sacrifice with some anxiety, but not if it'll be too much to bear. I'm also worried about the effect it could have on depersonalization/derealization, which sometimes improves with increased wakefulness but also sometimes worsens with anxiety.

Has anyone who has significant anxiety issues had success with Wellbutrin for depression, either with or without augmentation for anxiety? Also, does anyone have any recommendations for meds to add for anxiety that aren't benzos or likely to cause weight gain? I'm considering Buspar, even though I've heard mixed things over the years with some saying it's like a sugar pill. I'm thinking maybe the bit of serotonin could be helpful, too. Has anyone found Buspar to be helpful, or does anyone have any advice about that?

And one final question, ha. I know it sounds weird when I'm worried about anxiety, but I was prescribed dexedrine for depression a bit ago. Though I don't take it consistently, I use it some days to get going when I just can't get motivated. I've been worried to take it with the Wellbutrin because of the whole norepinephrine thing and for other reasons. I'm willing to try it out to see if it'll work and if the anxiety's too bad, but is the worst case scenario basically that I'd have lots of anxiety for a while and then it'd just be over? Or is this risky for any other, possibly lasting, reason? I'm possibly bipolar 2, not sure, but hypomania isn't the biggest issue for me and I could monitor that. I read about Wellbutrin inducing basically amphetamine psychosis in someone and now I'm worried about that, because even though there were a ton of factors involved I have experience psychosis once. I haven't had any problems with the dexedrine, but worry it could be too much.

Thanks!

I have had great success with the wellbutrin and buspar combo!

Wellbutrin did raise my anxiety a bit, but I was already going on buspar anyway, and buspar has been a lifesaver! My pdoc has mentioned taking me off it, but I say no every time because it really does keep my anxiety in check. I used to take 4-6mg of klonopin every single day, now I just take 1mg (well, pdoc just upped it to 2mg) at night for sleep.

I take Welbutrin and buspar (and nortriptylene and cyclobenzprine at night). They work ok together for me. I also take Nuvigil as needed-for energy and focus. I think you would be ok with dex and welbutrin

I take Wellbutrin as well as some other meds, and I have GAD, and I haven't had a problem with it. I think I've been on it maybe two years now?
I tried Buspar about 8 years ago and had no luck at all with it.

I never had any luck with Wellbutrin.

Thank you guys so much! The positive Buspar experience especially help, since I'd had it in my head from years ago that it was useless, haha.

I've been feeling pretty sick and just bleh from adjusting to the Wellbutrin, and weirdly...flat or apathetic almost (I don't know how to explain it), which surprised me. I've had a few short positive spells, though, and I know I haven't been on it long but I figure that can't be a bad sign at least, haha. I might ask my psych for Buspar next week if I can make it, the anxious chest pain Wellbutrin's given me has been the worst part. Hoping for the best, though.

Wellbutrin was always great for my depression but it aggravated my anxiety- it's really not great for already anxious people. And no, I never found an add on to help with anxiety.

Brintellix is similar to Wellbutrin- it gives you energy but it helps with anxiety too.

Wellbutrin actually increased my anxiety, though I was on it at the same time as Cymbalta then Zoloft. So not sure how it would be alone. It might work great for you--just be aware that it could possibly increase it.

Wellbutrin (SR, XL and Lexipro) sent me into a mixed state. Buspar was a sugar pill. Lithium kept me too low. Tegretol has me pretty free. Maybe a little too free. I would probably do well with a higher dose of antianxiety, but I can't say I would recommend Topamax if you you couldn't drop out of life for the entire time of titration.

Thanks, guys! It's still really up and down, my least favorite part right now is the unreal type feeling/increased derealization and depersonalization I think it seems to be giving me.

And Dontspeak, so you do like the Tegretol? By "too free" do you mean it's not stabilizing enough, or is it having odd effects? I've actually been looking into other mood stabilizing options, too. It sucks because since I'm not 100% sure I'm bipolar, I don't want to be on stabilizers if I don't have to, and lamictal was good in that it had the antidepressant effect along with possible mood stabilization to make it worth it either way. I really want to get off of it, though, with the biggest reason being the skin problems (not SJS) it's been giving me.

Hi, yeah, I struggle with not feeling entitled to having a big personality. But on Tegretol, I feel like the old me. I don't cry at the drop of a hat, but I am deeply affected by things that... like I'm vegan, so I'm gonna be moved by animal sanctuary videos. And I'm political, so one side really bugs me. That didn't happen on lithium, I was a blob. I feel a little more like me. Functional, but with emotions. Now on Geodon mono rx, I know for a fact I wouldn't have made it this week. Too many stressors. I mean it failed me before. But then again Wellbutrin led to my diagnosis. Almost killed me! Everyone is different, I see so many BP on AD but they also often take benzos and I wonder if they need them to counteract the AD! That's how it would go down for me. Snake swallowing it's tail. But I literally switched to Tegretol from a support group suggestion. And my pdoc said sure. 3 years later!

Ps, totes had cystic acne on lamictal. Great mood, except reasonably depressed over painful ugly face. No scars!

If anyone reads this, has anyone experienced increased emotional sensitivity with Wellbutrin, and/or possibly Buspar? I noticed at the beginning that Wellbutrin brought this weird sadness and (unpleasant) increase in emotions, and that makes my anxiety worse and things harder to deal with. I did start Buspar about a week ago, and I think that actually did more of the same thing, but I'm not even sure at this point.

I think Buspar's worsening my depression, because it's just had me sedated, nauseous half the time and feeling blah. Wellbutrin's still got me feeling pretty crappy too, and I'm just hoping and waiting for this all to pass.
I worried about increased sweating on Wellbutrin and seemed to have escaped it, but now Buspar seems to be causing increased sweating. And it's got me disconnected. My mind's not working well and it feels like there's a wall between me and the world a lot of the time (I deal with derealization often, but this is a whole new kind definitely from the Buspar), and the dizziness and vision problems it's giving me aren't helping with this. Also having increased irritability/anger sometimes, and since it's only been the past couple of days I'm thinking it's from the Buspar but can't be sure, baaah.

I'm having other side effects too, but those are most of the ones worrying me the most right now, haha. Has anyone ever experienced those, and have they passed?

Oh! One more question. Would eye twitching caused by buspar be a cause for concern? For about 9 hours now, I've had this visible twitching under my left eye. I've never had a problem with this before, and I'm 90% sure it's the buspar. I looked it up and read that it could be possible buspar causes antipsychotic-like side effects because of some similar action on dopamine. I can deal with it if it's no big deal and will pass, but if it's likely to develop into some worse tardive dyskinesia thing I'd definitely wanna stop.

Buspar is a weird med. It is a total hit and miss. Many meds work soso for many but Buspar does not work AT ALL for most people, but for the people it helps, it seems to help a lot. So it is a med worth trying in case you're one of the lucky ones.

I tried Wellbutrin for low energy levels but it just made me shaky and my anxiety got worse and got lot of rumination from it. Ritalin gives me a kind of controlled energy boost but then I am also ADD. I take a really minimal dosage.

I take wellbutrin with Paxil and I love it.