I just started taking 10mg of Wellbutrin but am concerned about its side effects.?

Question

Specifically, how it - like other anxiety/ocd/depression meds - may make me depressed or have suicidal thoughts. How common is this side effect? When would I start to experience it?

Answer 1

SIDE EFFECTS: The most commonly noted side effects associated with bupropion are agitation, dry mouth, insomnia, headache, nausea, constipation, and tremor. In some people, the agitation or insomnia is most marked shortly after starting therapy. Some patients may experience weight loss. Uncommonly, patients may experience manic episodes or hallucinations. Four of every 1000 persons who receive bupropion in doses less than 450 mg/day experience seizures. When doses exceed 450 mg/day, the risk increases ten-fold. Other risk factors for seizures include past injury to the head and medications which can lower the threshold for seizures. (See drug interactions.)

"If antidepressants are discontinued abruptly, symptoms may occur such as dizziness, headache, nausea, changes in mood, or changes in the sense of smell, taste, etc. (Such symptoms even may occur when even a few doses of antidepressant are missed.) Therefore, it is recommended that the dose of antidepressant be reduced gradually when therapy is discontinued."

It has been suggested that bupropion and SSRIs may cause depression to worsen and even lead to suicide in a small number of patients. These potential side effects are difficult to evaluate in depressed patients because depression can progress with or without treatment, and suicide is itself a consequence of depression. Moreover, the evidence supporting these potential side effects is weak. Therefore, no conclusions can yet be drawn about the relationship between bupropion and SSRIs and worsening depression and suicide. Until better information is available, patients receiving bupropion or SSRIs should be monitored for worsening depression and suicidal tendencies.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Helllllooo, wellbutrin is NOT as SSRI, no matter what our drug rep here has to say.


IF you do not have suicidal thoughts it will NOT Make you have suicidal thoughts...if you do it will not MAKE you act upon them. The literature states that certain depressed people taking antidepressants attempted/committed suicide...they were depressed that is what some depressed people do. It IS an hallmark indication of depression. Statistically significant numbers of people diagnosed with depression in just therapy and those w/o therapy as well as those on drugs and in therapy attempt suicide...

The side effects that you may feel will be the "common" ones and you may not feel any of those...some people never do. Side effects are listed because in the trials someone at some point "felt" a certain way and it was written down and put into the literature. It HAS to be listed to help the drug companies with possible future lawsuits.

Answer 4

I currently take Wellbutrin- the only side effect that I noticed was difficulty sleeping at the beginning and dry mouth- the sleeping part got better once I was on it for a while

I think all side effects and wanted effects take about 2-3 weeks to fully show- and that suicidal though thing- I think that is pretty rare and more prominent in teenagers- but definately tell your doctor if you start to think like that

Hope this helps

Answer 5

I sold SSRI's and Wellbutrin was by far the SSRI with the least amount of side effects per conversations with the physicians I sold to. I sold a competitive SSRI. I think you may find that if you are taking it for mild anxiety that it will very quickly improve your mood. As far as depressing you or having suicidal thought, I would suggest that if this is really how you feel and not just a question for the sake of asking that question on Yahoo Answers that you may need much more than just Wellbutrin. You may need immediate counciling.

Answer 6

Wellbutrin is better than the first-generation Prozac. I think Prozac is about the worst antidepressant ever manufactured, especially with regard to anxiety, sleep disturbances, nightmares and feelings of suicide until several weeks go by. That's not good.

Other than the side effects listed here, I have heard that Wellbutrin makes people horny. Not such a bad side effect, in my opinion. LOL.

Answer 7

Stay away from Wellbutrin! Wellbutrin is dangerous in itself but is even worse when mixed with prozac. I was on 80mg of prozac and then given 150mg of Wellbutrin. The fifth day of being on Wellbutrin I had a Grand Mal Seizure. My doctor told me that taking the two together can lower your seizure threshold. I was then advised to eat more to counter act this with electrolytes. Not but two days later I had another Grand Mal Seizure that lasted 4 mins. I was taken to the ER had a head CT and everything to make sure I didn't have a tumor and they concluded it was the mixture of the two drugs that caused my seizure (surprise). I was advised by the doctor in the ER to never take Wellbutrin again because with my prozac it increased the toxicity of the two drugs causing very severe seizures. They even told me that it was good that I had this reaction early on when taking this med because there have been cases where long term users develop epilepsy even after they are taken off the drug. I am off the Wellbutrin for a week now and haven't had a seizure since but the doctors told me that that is no guarantee that I haven't developed epilepsy and that my next seizure could be days, weeks, or months from now even after being taken off the drug.

Answer 8

When you got your wellbutrin the pharmacist should have given you a paper that lists all the side effects. For a anxiety/ocd/depression medication you should start feeling side effects within a week, if you feel it at all.

Answer 9

Ive tried a lot of depression meds, including wellbutrin. It was good at first it gave me lotz of energy but like with the other i had very low self-confidence, then it made me feel really mad about everything, i was in a bad mood every day and i ended up in jail caused me to loose control, i hated it. The best i had taken and the one that i didnt have side effects was prosac. i stopped cause they are very addictive and when you dont take them it hurts!
I started exercising and taking vitamin D, i feel much better!! i really do!! and i never believed the people that told me exercise can really cure you!

Answer 10

Medicine net has side effect into

http://www.medicinenet.com/bupropion/article.htm

They discuss the suicide potential there but I've noticed drug companies are evasive on this topic. Make sure you are dealing with a medical professional that is open to the possibility of the problem and not in denial.