Can you tell me if Wellbutrin can be changing my mood to where I am unrationally irritable & really hateful?

Question

I was just switched to Wellbuttrin SR (150 mg/twice daily). Had been on Paxil & it worked pretty well, but maybe hit a plataue & new doc wanted me to try this.

I've been staying up all night and I think I'm much more irritable & easily upset. One of my close friends said we would hang out this weekend and when we didn't & he hadn't called in a couple days I stayed up all night, typed a really harsh letter that dredged up all of these slights and perceived wrongs from the last 2 years just out of nowhere and sent it to him & have pretty much wrecked a valued relationship. I started wondering about the Wellbutrin because I just ran across another really hateful letter i sent to the bank over things I should have been upset about, but I wouldn't normally write an obnoxious letter like that.
Then I thought how a drawer got me so upset being messed up I just slammed it over & over until I broke the sides off it since it wasn't "cooperating" with me. Can this med be causing this?

Answer 1

i think wellbutrin hits people different, my sister in law was on it and she loves it,,,my hubby was on it and he wanted to kill him self and everyone around him the doctor changed it, and i was on it,,it made me feel like i was doing speed most of the time and i was so hateful ,, and i smoke 3 times the amount i usually do and its supposed to help you quit smoking...i had to go off of it...so watch for bad side affects on it ok...IM BEING SERIOUS....

Answer 2

I used to take Wellbutrin also, and it pretty much did the same thing to me. I would argue with my husband over anything I could possibly think of. Then I would feel real guilty about the things that I had said.
Same thing with other family members and friends. ( I'm luck I still HAVE my friends ! )
I'm not a doctor, so I can't say whether it's the drug or not. But I have switched to Cymbalta, and it seems to be working well for me.
You may want to give it a while since you just started taking it.
I know that different drugs will affect people differently.
As far as your friend goes, write another letter and explain what you think caused your outburst. I know that my friends were all very understanding. And being one your closest friends, I'm sure that he will understand.
Ask your doctor about something else too, for anxiety. It really sounds like you need something.
Like I said, I'm not a doctor, I'm just telling you about my own experiences.
Oh, by the way, on top of the Cymbalta, I also take Valium for anxiety. The only other thing I can say, is take all your meds exactly the way your doctor says to. Just be careful.
And I know this may sound silly, but I find that taking a nice warm bubble bath, with only candles lit really soothes the savage beast within. Give it a try. It certainly won't hurt anything.
Good luck with everything ! I hope you start feeling better soon.

Answer 3

Yes, it can. That is a side affect of Wellbutrin, plus when you use antidepressant they affects your moods, and sometime you feel even worst on some of them. It may not be the right one for you, especially if your actions are out of character. Also just some advice if you are not seeing a therapist, you probably should, because depression is anger turned inwards. You might need to find out the cause of your anger and try dealing with it. The thing is medication is great and it helps a lot, but it doesn't deal with the underline problems that has led you down this road. Even though doctors say you have a chemical imbalance it is usually brought on by something, so find out what it is and deal with it. I just want to be helpful so hopefully I did not annoy you by giving you more information than you requested. good luck.

Answer 4

I was prescribed Wellbutrin and for the first 3 weeks it was OK, but after that I began flying into extreme outbursts of rage at the slightest provocation. I would yell cruelties to my family, break anything within my reach, get in the car and drive too fast for hours, and even had the local police called to my home 4 times. I kept telling my doctor this just wasn't normal behavior for me but he'd insist that I needed to give it more time until after almost a year of it, I checked myself into a highly reputable facility with very reputable physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, etc. and they immediately discontinued it. It simply was not the right medication for my illness and I wish now that I had gone with my instincts about thinking it was doing me more harm than good in the beginning and sought a second opinion sooner. Each person reacts differently to the same medication and there are plenty of people who have had excellent results with Wellbutrin and your doctor obviously prescribes it to his other patients with good results. However, that doesn't mean that you can't be the exception and he should be willing to consider that. There are many other drugs in the same category as Wellbutrin that do just as good a job or even better. I would definitely call my doctor's office and tell him you are experiencing unusual symptoms of irritation, anger and frustration since you began taking the Wellbutrin and would like to see him as soon as possible to discuss this situation. It's very important to be aware of your body and mind's reactions to any new medication and unless you tell your doctor exactly what's going on, he'll assume you're all right. I went through 8 years of exploring various medications until my physician and I finally found the right medicine for my body's chemistry and I'm so grateful that I always watched out for unusual reactions and kept reporting them. I think you're doing very well in trying to see "the whole picture" and questioning the role of your medication in your out of character behavior. Good luck to you. :)

Answer 5

and here i thought i was the only one. i have suffered from depression for years. i was prescribed lexapro for a while, and when i felt like it wasnt helping, my doctor added wellbutrin (same mg as you). im the beginning i felt like my depression had gotten better, but like you, i was having the same reaction. i was incredibly irritable, easily frustrated, short tempered, and just plain ol' mean. when my mom made me aware of how i had been acting, i told her that i realized that i was feeling this way, but couldnt help it. i went to barnes n noble and picked up a book on prescription medications and read up on wellbutrin. i was blown away by how many of the symptoms i had were listed in the book! apparently it is quite common to feel the reactions youre feeling due to the medication. i told my doctor about it, and we told me to just completely stop taking the wellbutrin, and to gradually lower the dose of the lexapro. after i was done with th meds, i switched over to prozac. i can even beging to tell you what a world of difference it made! i feel 100% "normal" now, and couldnt be happier with the results. ive been on prozac now for about a year or so, and cant imagine being without it. i strongly suggest you do some reading on any drugs you are taking, and see if there are any precautions you should take, esprcially if youre taking more than one kind. its helped me tons, so i hope that it will help you! if you need to talk about anything at all, PLEASE feel free to keep in touch. there is another part of this mile long stpry that i didnt write about, so if you wanna know, id be more than happy to share with you :) hope i helped!

Answer 6

Wellbutrin can make someone raging mad if they are having an adverse reaction to it. I know someone who was trying it out and although she was normally a very sweet person the medicine made her like Dr. Jekyl and Ms. Hyde.
Talk to your dr about trying something else but DONT quit it on your own.

Answer 7

In my opinion, you need to try the medication for at least 3 months to give it a fair chance unless you experience one of the side effects listed on the warnings brochure that comes with the medication. You may be worrying yourself into believing that every day experiences might be changed by what medication you take, but your doctor will probably tell you that it is very unlikely. The disruption in your sleep patterns may account for the changes you perceive since changing medications.

Answer 8

Why would you go off of Paxil?

I tried Welbutrin and had the same symptoms...then i was on Prozac. They both were horrible for me and did nothing to help my depression or anxiety.

I've been on Paxil 30mg for 9 years now and it's saved my life without a doubt.

Welbutrin doesn't work for a lot of people. Get back on Paxil.

Answer 9

My best friend is having similar symptoms. We went and talked to the pharmacist the other day and he recommended trying something different. He said that all drugs affect people differently.

Answer 10

I know it can make people irritable