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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by femlite on September 13, 2003, at 19:38:52
Ive been taking WB S.R. 100mg. at breakfast and afternoon, (usually 1:00 - 2:oopm) (per pdocs orders) for 12 days. The following symptoms seem to be getting worse rather than better;
Im having visual distubances, can't focus, need more light than usual to read, intermittant extreme dizzines, loss of balance and coordination, headaches, fatigue, motivation is moderatly improved, but have no interest in my amoure.
My ability to recall words is diminished, my spelling memory is worse.Even though I take my second pill late in the afternoon, by 5:00pm (three hours later) I feel absolutely drained and exhausted.
I stand in front a cabinet doors or closets spaced out, and have difficulty remembering what Im there for.
There is moderate improvement in my motivation, but certainly not enough to live with these side effects.Has anybody else had similar side effects and how long did they take to resolve?
Posted by Sebastian on September 13, 2003, at 22:40:14
In reply to WELLBUTRIN;... Is This Common ???, posted by femlite on September 13, 2003, at 19:38:52
That whole dizzy thing is my problem too. You stand up quick and sometimes almost pass-out. It can be prity scary sometimes. But I'm used to it, never actual fainted or anything. Just pause untill you get a grip on the situation. Hold something or stand slow, untill your blood pressure catches up.
12 days is not enough time. It took longer befor I started appreciating WBsr. I was honistly ready to stop it in the first week or so called my doctor and he said just give it a chance. The side-effects get easyer. And the energy kicks in.
3 months and I loved it. 1.5 and I was used to it where I could put up with it.
Posted by redscarlet on September 13, 2003, at 23:19:38
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN;... Is This Common ??? » femlite, posted by Sebastian on September 13, 2003, at 22:40:14
How many mg's of Wellbutrin do you take a day ? I just recently started this and I'm hoping to get the same good effect as you.
Thank You.
Posted by Sebastian on September 14, 2003, at 10:04:04
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN;... Is This Common ???}} Sebastian, posted by redscarlet on September 13, 2003, at 23:19:38
I took 100mg*3times day for 4 months. This was to counter motivation problems with 10mg zyprexa. Recently 100mg*2times day for last 1.5 months. To counter 5mg zyprexa.
Sebastian
Posted by marip on September 14, 2003, at 11:50:58
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN;... Is This Common ???}} Sebastian » redscarlet, posted by Sebastian on September 14, 2003, at 10:04:04
Hi all--Ive been on 200mgs of Wellbutrin XR (in the morning) for 8 months and just recently added 100mgs at midday--
I find that when I increase my Wellbutrin (I started at 100mgs once a day, then up to 200 mgs once a day, and now Im on 200mgs in the morning and 100 mgs midday)I need to REALLY gradually increase it in order to minimize side effects.
If I increase it by increments of 1/4 of a tab and stay on that amount for 3-4 days before taking more, I have found that I have minimal side effects. So day 1-4 I take 1/4 tab more. Day 5-8 or 9 I take 1/2 tab more, day 10-13 I take 3/4 tab and then take the full tab. If I feel nothing before then I will increase a little faster.
If I try to go up too fast, I feel nauseous, dizzy, major headache bordering on migraine, agitated, a buzzing heat in my head when I stand up, etc. Its almost unbearable if I dont go slow. My Pdoc said its fine to just cut up the tabs with a knife (Ive found its pretty easy to do evenly)although I had to figure out about going up slow on my own.
I hope this helps and my directions are easy to follow. The basic idea is to go up slower than the Pdocs usually recommend. I also find that it helps if I have some food in my stomach when I take the med.
Good luck!
Marip
Posted by Sebastian on September 14, 2003, at 13:17:14
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN;... Is This Common ???}} Sebastian, posted by marip on September 14, 2003, at 11:50:58
Good advice, but I've never heard of a Wellbutrin XR? I've also been told not to cut Wellbutrin SR's. Also I've tried cutting one once, and it hit my system much too fast, almost made me sick and jittery.
Posted by Viridis on September 14, 2003, at 13:37:30
In reply to WELLBUTRIN;... Is This Common ???, posted by femlite on September 13, 2003, at 19:38:52
I tried WB for depression a couple of years ago. I started with 150 mg/day of the SR form (my GP wanted me to start with 450 mg!) and after several weeks of severe side effects including anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, hand tremors, bouts of anger, and extreme dizziness, I cut back to 75 mg. That reduced the side effects to about half, but they were still intolerable, so I finally stopped it after about 2 months. The side effects disappeared within a day and I had no withdrawal problems.
My GP said that all of my side effects were "imaginary" (since WB "can't" cause side effects!), but the pdoc I saw subsequently wasn't at all surprised. He told me that WB is great for some people, but he avoids it for patients with anxiety problems (like me), and some patients just have strange reactions to it (like dizziness).
I do have a friend who responds very well to it, and another who had a reaction very similar to mine. So, like all of these meds, response is highly individual.
Interestingly, I find some other "stimulating" meds helpful for anxiety and depression. Currently I'm taking Adderall (for ADD, but it also improves my mood and motivation) and Strattera, as well as Klonopin for anxiety.
Strattera might be one to consider if the WB doesn't work out. Like WB, it's a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, but is supposed to be more selective -- WB apparently affects a variety of neurotransmitters and has secondary metabolites that may produce unwanted effects. Currently, Strattera is marketed for ADD, but it's showing promise for depression and motivation, and seems helpful for me in these respects. I did have to increase the dose slowly due to some side effects (mostly mild nausea and muscle aches), but these resolved within a week or so of each dosage increase.
Good luck!
Posted by femlite on September 15, 2003, at 7:17:50
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN;... Is This Common ???}} Sebastian, posted by redscarlet on September 13, 2003, at 23:19:38
> How many mg's of Wellbutrin do you take a day ? I just recently started this and I'm hoping to get the same good effect as you.
> Thank You.
Im taking WB SR(sustained release) 100mg A.M., 100mg after lunch.My pdoc said I can not cut these in half, because breaking the coating would destroys the sustained release effect.
Posted by femlite on September 15, 2003, at 9:27:28
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN;... Is This Common ??? » femlite, posted by Sebastian on September 13, 2003, at 22:40:14
> That whole dizzy thing is my problem too. You stand up quick and sometimes almost pass-out. It can be prity scary sometimes. But I'm used to it, never actual fainted or anything. Just pause untill you get a grip on the situation. Hold something or stand slow, untill your blood pressure catches up.
Do you think this side effect may be a result of to high a dose?
It is very scary to me. I have almost hit the floor, but caught something to prevent the fall.
I really dislike this side effect. My blood preasure is on the low side of normal. Maybe it is hitting me harder?
Have you had any visual disurbances? I have to study and this is making it quite a bit harder.
>
> 12 days is not enough time. It took longer befor I started appreciating WBsr. I was honistly ready to stop it in the first week or so called my doctor and he said just give it a chance. The side-effects get easyer. And the energy kicks in.Im sure that 12 days is not long enough to make an accurate assesment. I appreciate the feed back. It will help me to find a balanced picture.
>
> 3 months and I loved it. 1.5 and I was used to it where I could put up with it.Can you elaborate on what you are puting up with, after three months?
Thanks
Posted by KimberlyDi on September 15, 2003, at 10:37:12
In reply to WELLBUTRIN;... Is This Common ???, posted by femlite on September 13, 2003, at 19:38:52
My weird side effects were limited to an annoying tendancy to "zone out" and also, hearing loss. The hearing loss could be unrelated. Also, falling into dream state before actually asleep.
KDi in Texas
> Ive been taking WB S.R. 100mg. at breakfast and afternoon, (usually 1:00 - 2:oopm) (per pdocs orders) for 12 days. The following symptoms seem to be getting worse rather than better;
>
> Im having visual distubances, can't focus, need more light than usual to read, intermittant extreme dizzines, loss of balance and coordination, headaches, fatigue, motivation is moderatly improved, but have no interest in my amoure.
> My ability to recall words is diminished, my spelling memory is worse.
>
> Even though I take my second pill late in the afternoon, by 5:00pm (three hours later) I feel absolutely drained and exhausted.
>
> I stand in front a cabinet doors or closets spaced out, and have difficulty remembering what Im there for.
> There is moderate improvement in my motivation, but certainly not enough to live with these side effects.
>
> Has anybody else had similar side effects and how long did they take to resolve?
>
>
>
Posted by femlite on September 15, 2003, at 12:32:43
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN;... Is This Common ???, posted by KimberlyDi on September 15, 2003, at 10:37:12
Do you still have these side effects and if not how long b4 they disapeared?
> My weird side effects were limited to an annoying tendancy to "zone out" and also, hearing loss. The hearing loss could be unrelated. Also, falling into dream state before actually asleep.
>
> KDi in Texas
>
>
> > Ive been taking WB S.R. 100mg. at breakfast and afternoon, (usually 1:00 - 2:oopm) (per pdocs orders) for 12 days. The following symptoms seem to be getting worse rather than better;
> >
> > Im having visual distubances, can't focus, need more light than usual to read, intermittant extreme dizzines, loss of balance and coordination, headaches, fatigue, motivation is moderatly improved, but have no interest in my amoure.
> > My ability to recall words is diminished, my spelling memory is worse.
> >
> > Even though I take my second pill late in the afternoon, by 5:00pm (three hours later) I feel absolutely drained and exhausted.
> >
> > I stand in front a cabinet doors or closets spaced out, and have difficulty remembering what Im there for.
> > There is moderate improvement in my motivation, but certainly not enough to live with these side effects.
> >
> > Has anybody else had similar side effects and how long did they take to resolve?
> >
> >
> >
>
>
Posted by Sebastian on September 15, 2003, at 13:16:13
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN;... Is This Common ??? » Sebastian, posted by femlite on September 15, 2003, at 9:27:28
Yes, the higher the dose the worse it can be, I take 2/100 s a day now. It also helps a lot if you space them out through the day; one at breakfast, lunch, supper.
After 3 months: A lot of the dizzyness is gone, it only becomes bothersome when doing an intense workout in a lying position and you jump up too quick.
Posted by femlite on September 15, 2003, at 17:42:21
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN;... Is This Common ??? » femlite, posted by Sebastian on September 15, 2003, at 13:16:13
Posted by Viridis on September 16, 2003, at 3:12:53
In reply to WELLBUTRIN;...Breaking SR pills, Watch out... » redscarlet, posted by femlite on September 15, 2003, at 7:17:50
I've mentioned this here before, but the coating on WB SR pills has nothing whatsoever to do with the sustained-release effect.
When I was on 150 mg SR and couldn't tolerate it, I called the company and spoke to one of the people who actually developed the SR version. He explained that the drug is imbedded in a slowly-dissolving wax, and the coating disappears almost immediately in your stomach. I was told that there was no danger in cutting the pills (they researched this), but they discourage this because:
1) It's hard to get exact dosing.
2) Once cut, the med can absorb moisture from the atmosphere and lose potency.
His advice was to go ahead and cut the pills, just do only a few at a time to avoid water-absorption problems. He then faxed me graphs of uptake rates of cut vs. uncut pills, which showed a very slight increase in absorption rate in the first 15 minutes, then almost identical rates. My pdoc said this all made sense, and to try the lower dose with divided pills. It had about half the side effects, still intolerable for me.
I have no idea whether this applies to other slow-release meds, but these are the facts (from the manufacturer/developer) for Wellbutrin SR.
Posted by femlite on September 16, 2003, at 8:44:33
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN;...Breaking SR pills, Watch out... » femlite, posted by Viridis on September 16, 2003, at 3:12:53
Thanks for the info Viridis,
Can you elaborate on the side effects you had?
> I've mentioned this here before, but the coating on WB SR pills has nothing whatsoever to do with the sustained-release effect.
>
> When I was on 150 mg SR and couldn't tolerate it, I called the company and spoke to one of the people who actually developed the SR version. He explained that the drug is imbedded in a slowly-dissolving wax, and the coating disappears almost immediately in your stomach. I was told that there was no danger in cutting the pills (they researched this), but they discourage this because:
>
> 1) It's hard to get exact dosing.
>
> 2) Once cut, the med can absorb moisture from the atmosphere and lose potency.
>
> His advice was to go ahead and cut the pills, just do only a few at a time to avoid water-absorption problems. He then faxed me graphs of uptake rates of cut vs. uncut pills, which showed a very slight increase in absorption rate in the first 15 minutes, then almost identical rates. My pdoc said this all made sense, and to try the lower dose with divided pills. It had about half the side effects, still intolerable for me.
>
> I have no idea whether this applies to other slow-release meds, but these are the facts (from the manufacturer/developer) for Wellbutrin SR.
Posted by Sebastian on September 16, 2003, at 12:34:23
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN;...Breaking SR pills, Watch out... » Viridis, posted by femlite on September 16, 2003, at 8:44:33
The wax is mixed with the medicin? So as long as you have a solid pice it slow releses like an uncut one? That may have been my problem. When I cut one once I also eat the crumbs and dust.
Seb
Posted by matthhhh on September 16, 2003, at 13:29:25
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN;... Is This Common ??? » femlite, posted by Sebastian on September 13, 2003, at 22:40:14
After trying all ssris which made me extremely sedated my doc prescribes me wellbutrin for anxiety / ocd. From what ive heard wellbutrin is not a good med for either of these problems, so why in the world would my doc prescribe me wellbutrin.
What do u think?
Posted by KimberlyDi on September 16, 2003, at 16:09:26
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN for anxiety and ocd?, posted by matthhhh on September 16, 2003, at 13:29:25
If you had problems with the sedating qualities of SSRI's, he may have tried Wellbutrin because it is more stimulating, than sedating. I haven't heard of it being prescribed for anxiety and OCD. Is the doc a GP or Pdoc?
KDi in Texas
> After trying all ssris which made me extremely sedated my doc prescribes me wellbutrin for anxiety / ocd. From what ive heard wellbutrin is not a good med for either of these problems, so why in the world would my doc prescribe me wellbutrin.
> What do u think?
Posted by matthhhh on September 16, 2003, at 16:29:10
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN for anxiety and ocd?, posted by KimberlyDi on September 16, 2003, at 16:09:26
thanks for the reply, he is a psychiatrist, but im suprised that he said that wellbutrin has helped some of his patients with anxiety- ive never heard of that before, and have done quite a bit of research on it.
Posted by theo on September 16, 2003, at 19:42:20
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN for anxiety and ocd?, posted by matthhhh on September 16, 2003, at 16:29:10
I'll be curious to try this because I'm taking 150mg a day of SR and as we all know the SR version was made to take twice a day and there are no 75mg SR and twice a day is a hassle anyway. I hope this new release system works well with this med. Anyone else tried the XL once a day yet??
Posted by theo on September 16, 2003, at 19:54:22
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN for anxiety and ocd?, posted by KimberlyDi on September 16, 2003, at 16:09:26
I take 150mg a day of Wellbutrin SR and at first for about 3 days I felt strange and fearful. That went away and now it's been about 5 weeks and I feel great. Lots of energy and quick on my feet. Went from making 5 sales calls a day to making about twenty per day without any fear or anxiety at all. There are a lot of new studies showing Wellbutrin to be good for social phobia and anxiety even though stimulating. That is why a lot of docs will give you about a months supply of benzos to ride out the initial anxiety brought on be Wellbutrin and many of the SSRI's in general.
Posted by Viridis on September 17, 2003, at 4:11:40
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN;...Breaking SR pills, Watch out... » Viridis, posted by femlite on September 16, 2003, at 8:44:33
Hi Femlite,
Well, it's a long list. My GP said that I must be "imagining" the side effects, but since many are things I haven't even experienced before, I doubt this. Plus, the pdoc I started seeing around this time said my reaction wasn't especially unusual.
The most prominent side effects were insomnia, extreme dizziness, bizarre outbursts of anger over trivial things (it takes a lot to make me angry under normal circumstances), trembling hands and shaking in general, sensitivity to light, constant anxiety, and full-blown panic attacks. I do have anxiety problems, but WB made them much worse. The weirdest of all was an inability to make eye contact with people -- that triggered severe panic. This is not at all normal for me.
Many of these symptoms are consistent with the classic "fight-or-flight" reaction induced by elevated norepinephrine (adrenalin) levels in response to stress. WB is supposed to be a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (increasing the amounts of NE in synapses), so there is some logic to it. However, I now take Strattera (another NE reuptake inhibitor) and actually find that it has a calming effect, so go figure.
I gave WB a decent try (2 months), but the side effects never went away, although they were reduced with the 75 mg dose. They did stop almost immediately, though, once I discontinued it. I even tried it again at 75 mg once I was stabilized with benzos (Klonopin and Xanax), and although the anxiety wasn't as bad, I was still very uncomfortable and had many of the same side effects.
This definitely isn't the drug for me. But it's great for some people, including a friend of mine who's done very well on it.
Posted by Marginal on September 17, 2003, at 5:30:08
In reply to Start Wellbutrin XL tomorrow instead of SR!, posted by theo on September 16, 2003, at 19:42:20
I'd love to try the XL, and am supposed to, but can't find a pharmacy that has it! Any word on this? I take it yours' had it in stock. Mine tells me manufacturer hasn't even released it yet.
M
Posted by theo on September 17, 2003, at 22:19:27
In reply to Re: Start Wellbutrin XL tomorrow instead of SR!, posted by Marginal on September 17, 2003, at 5:30:08
Got it today, little white milky colored pill that says Wellbutrin 150, kinda looks like Paxil CR. Anyway starting the 150mg in the morning.
Posted by susan b. anthony on October 5, 2003, at 12:34:37
In reply to Start Wellbutrin XL tomorrow instead of SR!, posted by theo on September 16, 2003, at 19:42:20
> I'll be curious to try this because I'm taking 150mg a day of SR and as we all know the SR version was made to take twice a day and there are no 75mg SR and twice a day is a hassle anyway. I hope this new release system works well with this med. Anyone else tried the XL once a day yet??
yes, i started it 2 weeks ago had to have the pharmacy special order it and they did. I have noticed any side effects except some foods taste abit strange.
Susan
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