Could anyone please share their experiences with mixing Strattera and Wellbutrin?

I have been on 80 mg Strattera (for depression) for a few months with great results. (40 mg twice daily.)

Two weeks ago I added Wellbutrin for Seasonal Affective Disorder. I started off with 200 mg "generic" (100 mg twice daily) for 1.5 weeks and since then I've been on 300 mg (100 mg three times daily).

I was weary to add the Wellbutrin for two reasons. First of all, a few of my friends and family members have had bad experiences on this drug (many tried it for smoking cessation.) They experienced short term memory loss and anxiety. My mom especially was very hard to get along with, and I could hardly carry out an intelligent conversation with her. In short, she seemed as if she was "losing it". Secondly, I read that you really shouldn't mix it with Strattera because "they both want to grab the same precursors to activate the reuptake inhibition of norepinephrine." (<http://www.crazymeds.org/wellbutrin.html>)
However, documentation on this seems to be very hard to find on the internet! In fact, I've found more forums with people saying that they are on a Wellbutrin/Strattera combination than anything!

None the less, I decided to try it because I know that "everyone is different" and if there is a possibility that this combination could work for me, I think it's worth trying. However, I got scared and stopped taking BOTH drugs a couple of days ago because the second I boarded a 51 minute plane ride, I started to get anxious and I felt as if my body was tingling everywhere but my head, hands and feet. I have no anxieties when it comes to planes--I've been flying since I was a baby! These sensations continued for the rest of the night, but stopped the next day after I went off of both meds.

Should I try taking JUST the Wellbutrin for a few weeks and see how that goes? Should I keep taking BOTH drugs for a few more weeks?

Honestly, the tingling and anxiety are things I can get over if they are only thought to last for a short amount of time (I mean, if these side affects "go away" after some amount of weeks). The main reason I freaked out and stopped both drugs was because I was worried that the side affects would get worse.

I would really appreciate any comments or suggestions from anyone!

Two other questions I have are:
1) Since I'm taking the generic brand, I have no idea if it's the sustained release or the immediate release. Any ideas? I'm guessing that it's immediate release because it comes in 100 mg tablets. Does anyone have an opinion as to which kind is "better"? Does anyone have reason to believe that the brand-name version of this drug is "better"?
2) Has anyone had any bad experiences mixing any of these drugs with antibiotics? I'm starting a "Z-Pack" tonight for Bronchitis.

Thanks again! <3 <3

Ya have to ask your Dr & Pharmacist, you can call annonymously, most hospitals have a pharmacy 24/7.

Forum members can definitely share their experiences with you and there are many knowledgeable folks here, but I"m pretty sure I've read over and over again you should never stop/start meds without your docs knowledge.


I really have no right to answer your post since I don't take ADD meds but...

Searched Wellbutrin and Strattera on forums and found eight pages of posts

http://www.addforums.com/forums/search.php?searchid=61491&pp=25&page=1

<HTTP: search.php?searchid="61491&pp=25&page=1" forums www.addforums.com>

Welcome to the forums!

I'd like to direct your attention to the wonderful search function on the upper right of each page. My favorite is to go to advanced search and click on the show posts button.

Quick notes that took me a while to find; calendar link above shows chat times and the bottom of each page as you scroll past the quick reply field are topics of similar interests that you might be interested in.

Read, search any words, topics, or questions that may interest you, and please POST!

Ack you really really need to ask your doctor but the simple answer is to stay with the stratterra & dump the wellbutrin 'cause there is some time to build up to it & you may have to go through that again if you stop. Or keep the strattera and try a reduced dose of wellbutrin. But stopping means having to start again & that can involve waiting out side effects. But if you feel bad and can't tolerate it, dump the new med. But ask your doc!

Switching will probably just confuse things and take a longer time to sort out.

Well, I see you've already gotten the standard "talk to your doc/pharmacist" response I usually give (because it's the best thing to do), so I'll just add that I am doing well on Strattera 80 mg q.d. and 150 mg Wellbutrin XL q.d. (q.d. = latin abbreviation for "each day". You'll see this a lot in med forums)

Also, I think Wellbutrin is only available in the generic in the immediate release form, so that's probably what you've got. You might be able to cut down the dose a bit, either by going with a different size pill (I think it's available in 75 mg, and you can start with 75 mg q.d. and work up), or by using a pill splitter if it's the immediate release.

Thanks guys!
I cut back to 200 mg a day and I feel great! I'm going to tough it out and see how I feel after a few weeks.

About the antibiotic thing... I just took 2000 mg of amoxicillin for a dental appointment recently, and had no bad effects. There aren't any interactions listed for either Strattera or Wellbutrin with antibiotics, so ya should be ok with that.

I take Wellbutrin (150mg) and Strattera (120mg) combo for a month now. The Strattera seems to help my impulsiveness and racing mind, the jury is out on Welbutrin which I am hoping addresses my Depression and double s to help with ADHD. There are seom mild side affects (hesitation urinating - but I drink a lot of water in the day to help this., and as of late a bit less motivated sexually, if you know what I mean, but not to the extent that I am freaking out yet.)