Wellbutrin XL - How long does it take to start working and what can I expect in the meantime?

Question

I started taking Wellbutrin XL a little over two weeks ago. I started on 150mg and 4 days ago increased that dosage to 300mg. I felt better quickly after starting the medication and had 2 low days before I increased the dosage. The past two days I have been really depressed. Is this normal? Will it get better or should I talk to my doctor about another medication?

Also, I have had insomnia for 2 months - I guess a result of anxiety and depression. I have read that Wellbutrin XL can cause insomnia. Will that side effect go away? (I don't know if it's causing it in me since I had it before.)

Thanks!

Answer 1

Wait for another few days and take the 300mg. and if it persists see a doctor, Wellbutrin might not be the right antidepressant for you.
Some people will respond better to Paxil or Prozac or other drugs.
Sometimes the doctor might have to experiment with different pills and see what works best for you.

Answer 2

Wellbutrin Xl Insomnia

Answer 3

I think you should consider taking it for a few more weeks at least, before you ask your doctor for something different. That isn't something that kicks in right away.

I take the same thing, same dosesage too. I've been on it for over one year, and lately noticed times of feeling depressed.... I know that just because you take the pill doesn't mean your never gonna feel "down" again.

You certainly don't want to miss doses. And again, it's not something where you will notice drastic changes, it will be more subtle. After some time I think you will notice how you deal with things how you handle them, that the pills are helping you on a daily bases.

If not talk to your doctor, because I saw commercial on tv about antidepressents, and many people can still experience the symptoms while on the meds...... and there is actually another pill for that! Go figure.

Answer 4

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 5

You are still working up to the 6 weeks it can take to reach it's full potential. When an antidepressant works, the improvement is usually kind of gradual. Even when one works well for you, it doesn't always work to completely get rid of your symptoms. What you will notice though is a drastic decrease in the intensity, duration and severity of the depression. They aren't magic, they aren't "happy pills", they just help you to balance out.

My advice is keep taking it as prescribed by your doctor and bring any concerns you have to him or her. Since you did notice some improvement early on, it's worth sticking it out for another month or so to see how well it works, unless you notice your depression steadily worsening.

Insomnia is a symptom of depression, so if this med helps relieve the depression, you might find it easier to sleep normally. It's true Wellbutrin can cause insomnia, but just because it can doesn't mean it will. One thing you can do to help avoid that problem is take it early in the morning. Both my son and I are on this medication and it hasn't worsened our preexisting insomnia.

Good luck!

Answer 6

It might take a few weeks after starting the higher dose. Insomnia can be a problem for some people. Some doctors also prescribe a small dose (10mg daily) of prozac (fluoxetine) to offset the insomnia and also provide an additional boost to the anti depressant effect. You could ask your doc if you could try out this combo. A common side effect of prozac is sleepiness.

Answer 7

Don't ever take the sleeping pills route!!

1. They will damage your liver big time and you can get into serious health problems.

2. You will get hooked up on them and you won't be able to have a normal life any more if you don't take your pills everyday.

The sleeping pills industry is damaging our health by capitalizing on our ignorance, and by distracting people from effective and natural ways to deal with this problem. I had been taking prescription sleep medications [Ambien] for over 5 years. It stopped working and I simply took more. Still did not work. Nights were very difficult - medication put me to sleep but I would wake up after 2–3 hours with a strong sympathetic response (fast pulse, pounding heartbeat, wide awake alert). It was a very difficult cycle to break. I was really in bad shape due to lack of sleep.

After years of struggling I was able to cure my insomnia naturally and pretty fast. I followed the Sleep Tracks sleep optimization program, here is their official web -site if you want to take a look: http://www.insomniacure.net

Ohhh..and Good Luck!

Answer 8

Give the new dosage a little more time. I'm sure the doctor would say the same thing. Remember, antidepressants are only meant to help you out while you are in therapy/counseling. Antidepressants WON'T fix your depression. Only counseling will. As far as the insomnia, ask your doctor about Trazadone. It's and antidepressant that in very low doses (50-100 mgs.) is used for sleep. It's non-addictive. Take it when you need it; stop when you don't.

Answer 9

3 Steps to Cure Insomnia Forever!

Answer 10

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