What's the deal with Wellbutrin? Does it really have no sexual effects?

Question

Im taking Cymbalta for depression and OCD treatement
and it has murdered my libido for the most part. I have heard Wellbutrin is alot better for keeping it in tow and actually even enhancing it (even though that's not a use for it).

Answer 1

Among the SSRI-class drugs like Cymbalta, Celexa/Lexapro (citalopram) have been found to have the fewest sexual side effects. Might be worth discussing with your dr about making a change.

Also, there has been success in combining Wellbutrin (bupropion) with SSRI antidepressants to offset the sexual side effects. If you are doing well on Cymbalta, and your dr doesn't think you should switch meds, maybe you can add Wellbutrin to the mix. Or try a combination of Celexa/Wellbutrin. Since Wellbutrin is an entirely different class of drug from the SSRIs and works on a different brain pathway, taking both simultaneously doesn't create an overdose danger.

One last thought: Wellbutrin is a stimulant-type antidepressant that resembles amphetamine's action in the body, and it can increase anxiety in some people, especially in the beginning, so with OCD I'd start off at a low dose and see how you handle it.

Answer 2

I was on Wellbutrin for about two days at the most and had to stop taking it because of severe dizziness as a side effect. (I should also note that Wellbutrin made me pretty quick to anger most likely due to it working on noradrenaline as well as serotonin.) I had started to take it due to adhd while I also take the ssri antidepressant, Prozac, for ocd. The prozac does seem to affect one's libido. I don't think that Wellbutrin is typically used for the treatment of ocd as someone else suggested, but I'm not too sure. For me, it was agony and I couldn't function due to the dizziness side effect though people have different brain chemistry.

Just a side note, I received cognitive-behavioral therapy (cbt) for ocd many years ago, and it really did help me. (I also take seroquel, an antipsychotic, at nite and it helps me to sleep while researchers also believe that seroquel can help ocd by regulating the neurotransmitter, dopamine, in the brain.) The medication(s) are an adjunct to what I learned in cbt. Please do consider going to a clinical psychologist who specializes in anxiety disorders if you don't already. Hoping that you find a medication and treatment that helps you :)

Answer 3

Although Wellbutrin may benefit certain compulsive behaviors, I do not believe it has ever been shown to help obsessive-compulsive disorder. So your question may be moot.

But yes, Wellbutrin does not share the sexual side effects of other antidepressants like Cymbalta; and there are some studies suggesting that it may actually improve sex drive.

Answer 4

For MOST people, Wellbutrin doesn't have any sexual side effects, other than possibly increasing libido. I've taken 4 different antidepressants and couldn't have orgasms while on any of them except Wellbutrin. It was a WONDERFUL drug for me.