I started Wellbutrin XL three days ago?...?

Question

I am on 150mg and will be increased to 300mg in a week. Has anyone out there had a good experience with this drug? How long does it take to kick in? I am depressed to the point of not wanting to do anything right now. Will things gradually get better?

Answer 1

Since they are moving you up in dosage next week, it will probably be about three weeks before you notice a marked difference--that's one week on the lower dosage, and then two weeks on what you doctor has decided is your optimal dosage. You may start feeling a bit better before that, but once you hit the 300 mg/day, that's when your blood levels will stabilize, and the drug will begin acting on your brain most effectively.

I started taking Wellbutrin the month it went on the market here in the US, and I took it for a very long time. I have taken just about every drug out there for depression, and Wellbutrin is, in my opinion, one of the best. I no longer take it, because my symptoms have changed, and something else works better for me now, but all in all, I was on Wellbutrin alone for about five years, and then I took it in combination with something else for another two, and it worked very well.

If you are supposed to take it in the morning, be sure to take it then, as it can cause excitability once it reaches therapeutic dosage in your blood and brain. (That's why I cannot take it anymore.) I have really bad insomnia, and can only sleep with the aid of medication, and I know from experience that if I took my Wellbutrin any later than about 11:00 a.m., I could kiss sleeping goodbye, even with the drugs I take to make me sleep.

Please believe me when I say that things will get better. Just as the decline into depression is usually a gradual one, the process of getting back to normal is gradual, as well. Back when I started taking it the very first time, since it was a brand spanking new drug, the company that manufactures it asked that patients keep a daily mood journal so they could help track the effectiveness in a controlled setting. I had to record when I took it, and also had to record my mood at three times during the day, which was basically every six hours, starting an hour after taking it. About a year ago, I found that journal, and the thing that jumped out immediately was that by the time I had been on it a couple of months, I was feeling really, really good and stable.

As a bonus, I stopped smoking back then, the first time I took it. Doctors and researchers didn't know back then that it could be used to help people stop smoking, but I remember talking to the pharmacist about it, and he told me there was a lot of anecdotal information going around suggesting it was making people simply not care to smoke. If you currently smoke, but would like to stop, take advantage of the drug to help you out. It is believed that it somehow either blocks or occupies the receptors in the brain which respond to nicotine, making it unnecessary to smoke. I have smoked on and off for the last 20 years, and the longest period in there that I didn't smoke was 4 years, and that was while I was on the Wellbutrin.

Wellbutrin is also good because your libido generally doesn't take the massive hit it does from other drugs. When I started taking it, the medicine I had been on previously had caused my libido to disappear, and as the Wellbutrin built up in my system, my libido came back from wherever it had been while on vacation.

I am sorry to hear that you are really down right now--believe me when I say that I can relate. I hope you start feeling the effects of the medication soon, and that you start feeling better and more interested in life.

Be well.

Answer 2

Hi Art, wellbutrin takes a couple of weeks to kick in, you'll feel peppy in know time. If I take it and then have coffee I'm so talkative my family says look out here she goes. I can't stop talking.lol . I know how you feel I've learned depression is a real illness and I been there for quite a while. Why are you depressed? If you don't mine me asking, it's OK if you don't want to talk about it. maybe another time. Have you ever taken any other antidepressant. I also take paxil for panic and anxiety It works pretty well for me but sometimes. I have attacks that can't be helped. I do not cry for anything I always felt it was a sign of weakness and I still do.
so I try not to associate myself with anything that will make me feel like crying. I lost my nephew about a year ago at 34 yrs old, he left a wife and 3 kids, I was in a state of depression that I was on zanax for 3 months. I am much better now and I am a believer of destiny. Any thing that happens in your life was meant to be and can not be prevented. Here I go again I just had coffee lol sorry for getting you caught up in my misery when I should be helping you. For give me? Let me know how it's going, I'm here if you need a crazy person to talk to. lol god bless

Answer 3

I was started on Wellbutrin XL 300mg and im doing very well now. I want to say it only took about 2 to 3 weeks to feel better (remember these medications take time to be effective). I did a complete turn around I finally felt happy and wanted to live, the little things that would bring me down no longer existed. I’m very grateful for this med. Speaking to a counselor once a week helped a lot; talking out loud to someone made me aware of what was really bothering me and often times I would answer my own questions. It really helped. Good luck to you.

Answer 4

Wellbutrin is the only anti-depressant that has helped me at all. I've been on it for a few years now and it works great for me. It can take a month or two to fully start to work, but you may start to feel a difference after a few weeks, and it will be a gradual change.

Answer 5

most antidepressants take about 2 weeks to fully kick in but it's possible to feel the effects sooner. i've heard good things about welbutrin. it's causes a lot less sexual side effects than the others. i take something else but like i said, i've heard good things. try to relax and give it some more time. stay active and eat right too. it really helps. good luck

Answer 6

Plan on it taking 2 weeks after you get to 300 mg. I have taken this drug in the past and found it one of the better ones.
With some people it does start to help before the 2 weeks, but it is better not to count on it.

Answer 7

It will take 2-3 weeks. But please recongnize that medication is not the fix-all. Think of all the things you have let slip and force yourself to do one thing a day for about 5 days. Just one thing....then after 5 days, do 2 things. Force yoruself to call and friend and go to lunch. Nothing more..just lunch. Get out in the sunshine.

Answer 8

Unfortunately, it may take 3 weeks to "kick in".The good side is, it will take effect!That seems like a heck of a long time, especially when you feel awful. Hang in there!