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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by olysi79 on March 2, 2005, at 10:02:23
Any answers on this? Does it have anything to do with the NE re-uptake or the Dopamine re-uptake or neither? It's ironic that I can handle takign a stimulant like adderall but not wellbutrin. Also, I think it might have caused soem urinary hesitation issues with my Paxil and Trazodone. Wierd.
Posted by med_empowered on March 2, 2005, at 10:09:51
In reply to why does wellbutrin cause anxiety?, posted by olysi79 on March 2, 2005, at 10:02:23
hey! wellbutrin is kind of known for inducing anxiety...everything I've read about it either theorizes or implies that this is due to its unique mode of action...note that Straterra, which works in a somewhat comparable, though not similar, fashion also has a bad rep when it comes to anxiety. This would ignore the amount of anxiety some people experience on SSRIs and TCAs, though. Weirdly enough, although one would think stimulants like adderall/ritalin/dexedrine would be worse in terms of anxiety, this may not always be the case. If you look at clinical trials with different drugs for the ADD crowd, Wellbutrin often causes more anxiety than well-adjusted doses of stimulants.
Posted by bart on March 2, 2005, at 12:58:50
In reply to why does wellbutrin cause anxiety?, posted by olysi79 on March 2, 2005, at 10:02:23
Yeah, I take wellbutrin and feel the exact same way.
Posted by Phillipa on March 2, 2005, at 16:57:58
In reply to Re: why does wellbutrin cause anxiety?, posted by bart on March 2, 2005, at 12:58:50
I had to stop wellbutrin because of the anxiety. I still don't understand how the Hospital where I used to work, had a stop smoking class. All the participants were required to take zyban. Wouldn't this have caused some of the staff to become anxious, or did they think they would just have more energy. I don't understand. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by olysi79 on March 2, 2005, at 19:04:43
In reply to why does wellbutrin cause anxiety?, posted by olysi79 on March 2, 2005, at 10:02:23
Scott, you have always had good info, do you have any insight on this?
> Any answers on this? Does it have anything to do with the NE re-uptake or the Dopamine re-uptake or neither? It's ironic that I can handle takign a stimulant like adderall but not wellbutrin. Also, I think it might have caused soem urinary hesitation issues with my Paxil and Trazodone. Wierd.
Posted by SLS on March 3, 2005, at 12:46:20
In reply to Paging SLS, posted by olysi79 on March 2, 2005, at 19:04:43
> Scott, you have always had good info, do you have any insight on this?
>
> > Any answers on this? Does it have anything to do with the NE re-uptake or the Dopamine re-uptake or neither?I have not really researched Wellbutrin in quite awhile.
Wellbutrin is probably the least understood of all antidepressants - not that any of them are really understood. There have been entire symposia dedicated to Wellbutrin without very much agreed upon. I am very dubious that its DA reuptake inhibition is significant enough to be relevant. The same would be true of its active metabolites. I am also dubious that any NE reuptake is going on, despite more recent literature indicating otherwise. However, there seems to be at least some consensus that bupropion does increase activity in noradrenergic pathways.
> It's ironic that I can handle takign a stimulant like adderall but not wellbutrin.
This is where I have problems with the NE and DA reuptake stuff regarding Wellbutrin. Adderall works by blocking the DA and NE transporters and causes the release of those neurotransmitters as well. I believe Wellbutrin treats you differently because it acts differently. The "old" way of thinking of Wellbutin is that it only weakly inhibits the reuptake of DA, and that this is not likely to account for its antidepressant effect. It does not inhibit the reptake of NE. Nonetheless, it exerts a noradrenergic effect by unknown mechanisms. It could therefore be anxiogenic without being stimulating.
> Also, I think it might have caused soem urinary hesitation issues with my Paxil and Trazodone. Wierd.
Both of these drugs have significant anticholinergic properties. That probably accounts for the side effect you experience.
I guess I should do more research on Wellbutrin. My information is way out of date!
- Scott
Posted by MM on March 3, 2005, at 17:03:23
In reply to Re: Paging SLS » olysi79, posted by SLS on March 3, 2005, at 12:46:20
I came on today to ask this exact question because I read an article that stated that increasing norepinephrine increases anxiety, or at least is not good for panic sufferers. I was wondering if maybe the reason Wellbutrin is helpful yet causes anxiety is because it increases Dopamine (helpful) but also Norepinephrine (anxiety)... Nicotine/smoking increases dopamine too, er I think?, so that might be why Wellbutrin can be helpful for quitting smoking? And why so many people smoke when anxious?
Posted by SLS on March 3, 2005, at 20:08:38
In reply to Re: Paging SLS, posted by MM on March 3, 2005, at 17:03:23
> I came on today to ask this exact question because I read an article that stated that increasing norepinephrine increases anxiety, or at least is not good for panic sufferers. I was wondering if maybe the reason Wellbutrin is helpful yet causes anxiety is because it increases Dopamine (helpful) but also Norepinephrine (anxiety)... Nicotine/smoking increases dopamine too, er I think?, so that might be why Wellbutrin can be helpful for quitting smoking? And why so many people smoke when anxious?
Sounds pretty good to me.:-)
- Scott
Posted by olysi79 on March 3, 2005, at 23:02:28
In reply to Re: Paging SLS, posted by MM on March 3, 2005, at 17:03:23
I think you're right on this. Now if they could just come up with a stop smoking/ depression med that increases dopamine but doesn't raise NE levels, we'll all be set!
> I came on today to ask this exact question because I read an article that stated that increasing norepinephrine increases anxiety, or at least is not good for panic sufferers. I was wondering if maybe the reason Wellbutrin is helpful yet causes anxiety is because it increases Dopamine (helpful) but also Norepinephrine (anxiety)... Nicotine/smoking increases dopamine too, er I think?, so that might be why Wellbutrin can be helpful for quitting smoking? And why so many people smoke when anxious?
Posted by MM on March 3, 2005, at 23:06:23
In reply to Re: Paging SLS, posted by olysi79 on March 3, 2005, at 23:02:28
Exactly olysi. Wonder if there's any way to do that now, or to counteract the raising of norepinephrine somehow.
This is the end of the thread.
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