No need to reply. I'm just logging this event so I can remember when I started taking the stuff. I might even track my progress daily. It depends on how well the meds work whether I rememember or not! :D

I just started at 150mg today. My doctor says she wants me to increase to 300mg after 2 weeks if I don't have any bad side effects.

Do you smoke? Wellbutrin helped me stop smoking :)

I don't smoke.

But 2 days into it and I feel a little more focused and the FOG feeling is lessened. I was able to stay focused on my deliverables nearly ALL day today and I noticed that several times I wanted to do something else and was able to quickly return my attention to the immediate priority work.

OK, for the past 2 days I have felt ZERO motivation to do anything that requires mental effort, especially work. I just feel like laying around all day and watching movies...or even going out and riding a bike aorund the neighborhood...which I've done both days hoping that it will help me feel more motivated mentally.

I even thought forcing myself to work might get me through to a point where I feel more motivated...and it's not working.

I guess this would be week 2 on WellButrin.... does this sound like a normal phase of ramping up on this med?

I started on the 300mg tabs today.
I haven't noticed any real benefit to taking WB yet....but it's only been 10 days.

I develop anger after several days at 300 mg. I can handle 300 mg for a few days and 450 for a single day, but once the blood levels of welbutrin gets too high , I become one grumpy rascal.

Your experience may be different, but you might want to keep an eye on it, so you (and others around you) don't get an unhappy surprise...


Me :D



I started on the 300mg tabs today.
I haven't noticed any real benefit to taking WB yet....but it's only been 10 days.

I develop anger after several days at 300 mg. I can handle 300 mg for a few days and 450 for a single day, but once the blood levels of welbutrin gets too high , I become one grumpy rascal.

Your experience may be different, but you might want to keep an eye on it, so you (and others around you) don't get an unhappy surprise...


Me :D
I am new to wellbutrin too and heard about the anger problem some people develop. An interesting thing happened with me when I started taking WB. Instead of feeling angry I became more assertive in a good way. In all honesty I needed to have a little anger since I often just hold it inside. I noticed I was not a pushover with my kids like I had been becoming. I did not get angry but stated what I wanted, stuck to it and followed it thru til completion. Before this they were getting away with things I would normally not of allowed but just could not keep up with. What a relief to me to be able to parent, be involved and stay consistent with what I was asking from them. I had things running so smoothly at home it was a real relief.

I hope things go well for you too.

I've noticed a little anger but not really toward anyone. It's more a feeling of anger that I have about being alive at all.
It's weird. It's not that I want to die. It's just that I feel like I don't enjoy much of anything and it doesn't matter what meds I'm on or what's happening.

Maybe I need to go on a vacation or something.....

I still think my focus is better on WB but I'm not really any more motivated to do anything than before. I feel like ..."what's the point?" I just keep getting older and gotta pay the bills and every day seems like a cycle that keeps repeating itself even when the scenery changes it's still the same old crap...just a different day.

I don't feel depressed and hopeless...I've been there. This is more like my brain goes through a logical calculation and sums up that 80% of life is just a waste of time.

Feel free to post or not post a response. I started this thread just to track my progress on WB. I'm not looking for an answer...just sick of asking questions! :D

Well, I'm at 3 weeks and have been on 300mg for 12 days now. I feel more cynical and lethargic than ever.
My paranoia has increased.
My feeling of "who gives a hoot" has increased.
I feel tense and unmotivated.
I go to bed earlier than usual from emotional exhaustion and wake up earlier than usual feeling freaked out about things that I can't put my finger on.

I think I'm going to continue the WB for another month.

If it doesn't get better pretty soon I'll be throwing a pity party....and you're all invited!

Get with your doctor. You could just be having some short term depression, but some of these meds can cause psycosis , so you have to be on your guard against any odd happeneings with yourself. This can be a serious thing, so DO get in touch with your doctor ASAP.

Me :D


Well, I'm at 3 weeks and have been on 300mg for 12 days now. I feel more cynical and lethargic than ever.
My paranoia has increased.
My feeling of "who gives a hoot" has increased.
I feel tense and unmotivated.
I go to bed earlier than usual from emotional exhaustion and wake up earlier than usual feeling freaked out about things that I can't put my finger on.

I think I'm going to continue the WB for another month.

If it doesn't get better pretty soon I'll be throwing a pity party....and you're all invited!

FlyAway,

I agree with Speedo. Go see your doctor. I went on Wellbutrin to stop smoking and noticed some side effects the first week, but not what you're describing.

By the way, it worked for me. :) :) :)

I'm betting thta 300 mG is too much, and backing off to 150 mg might be the thing to do, but talk to your doctor. It sounds like you are getting a stimulating effect from the welbutrin.
I bet your insomnia has increased lately too...


Me :D

I stayed on the 300mg dose because I'm SO sick of trying new meds and having them NOT work.

I've stopped or changed my dose of half a dozen new meds before the time that I would expect to see any positive effect due to side effects.

So, long monologue short: I noticed today that the pity party feeling is gone. I am feeling like stepping up and make changes for the better. It's a feeling I've missed for some time!

It's odd and great at the same time to FEEL like I can get rid of my fear by telling it to go away, don't bother me!

Will it last? Obi-Wan...we can only hope.....

I've been on this medication for 13 yrs, after being a virtual guinea pig agreeing to so many med trials all which proved ineffective.(e.g the SSRI's and 1 tricyclic). It changed my whole outlook on life; going from feelings of hopelessness to motivating me to make necessary changes. I had been maintained on the 300 mg's for 10 yrs then it started too lose its efficacy. I panicked knowing the crashes that occur when I attempt to take drug holidays. I had a tremendous doc (back in MI)who instead of changing my meds all around raised my dose to 200mgSR twice daily. That was all I needed to improve. Sure there is minute risk of seizure.. but what meds don't have risks? It's was primarily Bulimics who had the seizures anyway.
In regards to helping me stop smoking, that never occured. Probably because I had been smoking all the while and didn't really want to quit.

Side effects will always occur with any med, due to changes in our brain chemistry. The S/E should wear off in about a week(give or take), then hopefully you'll start noticing an improvement in your mood. But for your benefit give it 3 weeks before stopping as you'll know by then if the med is truly helping.(of course this should be discussed w/ your doctor)
As my previous Doc would say, antidepressants/ mood stabilizers only work for those who need it. If you don't need any psychotropic meds then all you'd experience were the side effects and never the benefits.
Find the lowest dose that works for you; if 150 mg does the trick then great. Good luck, I hope you find the right med and start feeling better soon.

Wolfie860, Thanks for the input and support.

Since my last post I'm still seeing a positive effect from the WB at 300mg. I don't feel any better in the areas of motivation or improved mood.

OK, here is some objective feedback about me being on WellButrin.
Yesterday I asked my wife how I've been the last few weeks. She said I "seem happier than usual".
Now, I know what you're thinking...she was just saying that to make me feel better....but here's the catch: she didn't know I started taking WB.
I hid it from her on purpose so that I could check in with her after about a month and see if she noticed any difference. She knows that I am on it now but it's good news to me that my behavior is noticeable outside of my head.

One other point: every year one of the self centered neighbors puts on a sligthly illegal firewords disply just before the 4th of July. It's always on a different day, I guess so we can't make a pre-emptive strike :D, and it usually angers the holy crap out of me.

This year, I was in bed trying to sleep at about 9:30 PM and the show started without warning. Instead of getting up and wishing I had a rocket launcher of my own...I just laid there with my eyes closed and smiled. In my head I just saw the flashes as lightning and heard the booms as thunder. I just laid there and smiled. and the more I listened the more it sounded like a thunderstorm to me.
I like thunderstorms! So, this was great!
After how many years? Like, my whole life, I was able to react in a positive way to something that previously pushed me nearly into uncontrollable rage.

Congratulations, FB. It sounds like Bupropropion is working for you.
Day 13 without a cigarette and I feel guilty because this has been so easy.

Well, I don't know if I hit a wall on the 5th and 6th of this month....but I feel like it. I've been irritable and easily enraged.
I guess I have to talk to my doctor. 300mg might be too much. I've read that sometimes people on 300mg of WB get to a point where they feel irritated all the time.
That's me for the past day and a half or so.

Maybe it was just bc of my first paid holiday weekend in almost 3 years....I've been running full steam for so long I either didn't know how to unwind or some of my "demons" caught up with me.......

Then there is also the possibility that even a non-ADD'er would have a couple of ticked off days every now and then and wouldn't think twice about it as being anything but normal.........

normal, HA! Forget that! I don't want to be "normal"....maybe sedated....not norm...al!! :cool:

Then there is also the possibility that even a non-ADD'er would have a couple of ticked off days every now and then and wouldn't think twice about it as being anything but normal.........
Easy to forget that, isn't it? :cool:

I can go about 3 days at 300 mg before I get pretty grumpy. I can go for one day at 450 mg.

I'm a pretty mellow guy, and I hate being grumpy and I don't want the guilt of having snapped at the people around me, so I keep an eye on my meds.


Me :D


Well, I don't know if I hit a wall on the 5th and 6th of this month....but I feel like it. I've been irritable and easily enraged.
I guess I have to talk to my doctor. 300mg might be too much. I've read that sometimes people on 300mg of WB get to a point where they feel irritated all the time.
That's me for the past day and a half or so.

Maybe it was just bc of my first paid holiday weekend in almost 3 years....I've been running full steam for so long I either didn't know how to unwind or some of my "demons" caught up with me.......

Then there is also the possibility that even a non-ADD'er would have a couple of ticked off days every now and then and wouldn't think twice about it as being anything but normal.........

normal, HA! Forget that! I don't want to be "normal"....maybe sedated....not norm...al!! :cool:

And I'm almost finished my fifteenth day, smoke free and I'm in a good mood. Heck, my family might even go as far as to say I'm in a better mood than usual. Do you think it could be the Ritalin / Wellbutrin combo? :confused:

And I'm almost finished my fifteenth day, smoke free and I'm in a good mood. Heck, my family might even go as far as to say I'm in a better mood than usual. Do you think it could be the Ritalin / Wellbutrin combo? :confused:

Hey congrats on 15 days! That is something!

I will be going on the Wellbutrin/Ritalin combo soon. What is your dose for each?

Regards,

Brad

Thanks, but Wellbutrin gets all of the credit. :soapbox:

I have smoked for thirty plus years and failed miserably each time I attempted to quit. It was in these forums that I discovered that some ADDers respond well to Bupropion and I figured the odds were in my favour. As Wellbutrin has a 36% success rate, I am curious how many ADDers are in that total. :cool:

For nine plus years, I have been taking 10mg doses of Ritalin 3 or 4 times a day on work days. I don't do drug holidays, but often take less on weekends, depending on my schedule.

As I am an old lady, :D and even though my blood pressure is great, my doctor started me on 100mg of Wellbutrin, 2 times a day for two weeks to see what my BP (please note the P :D) would do. Then I started 150mg., twice a day.

I'm not sure if I need to stay on the Wellbutrin after the recommended time as once I adjusted to the med., I'm not sure I notice much difference in my mood or ? On the other hand, no one would guess I was in the process of kicking a long term, very addictive habit. Nick Fit is definitely not part of my vocabulary.

Did I mention there are still cigarettes in my house and other members of my family smoke outside the house and I'm not even tempted? The true test was when my best friend, who smokes "my brand", came over for coffee for the first time since I quit. I was quite happy to join her on my front porch and I had no desire to smoke.

How can you tell this is a life-changing event? :D

If there are any spies from the manufacturers of Wellbutrin checking out this site, take this back to your employers: bless you.

my doctor started me on 100mg of Wellbutrin, 2 times a day for two weeks to see what my BP (please note the P :D) would do. Then I started 150mg., twice a day.

I need to clarify this. As far as I know, standard Wellbutrin dosing starts with one pill per day for three days before increasing the dose / day.

I can go about 3 days at 300 mg before I get pretty grumpy. I can go for one day at 450 mg.

I'm a pretty mellow guy, and I hate being grumpy and I don't want the guilt of having snapped at the people around me, so I keep an eye on my meds.


Me :D
I'm pretty mellow too....usually. But the last few days I've been really on edge.

I think it started when I watched the movie "The Assassination of Richard nixon". It IS a weird freakin' movie about a guy who, unfortunately, I can relate to that is "down on his luck" during the Nixon era. Don't watch the movie unless you want to get really irritated.

In my quest to figure out when things started going downhill this seems to be the trigger point.
But that was 3 days ago!

I'm more mellow today than I have been so maybe it was just a blip on the "normal" radar.... only time will tell.

That's awesome to hear! As for your other posts regarding motivation, I think it helps a bit. I certainly am unmotivated WITHOUT it, anyway.

Just FYI, when I was seriously in the throes of manic depression, most of the time I needed two mood stabilizers and two anti-depressants. If you're taking it for depression, it's not unheard of to tweak it a little with a bit of another med. Maybe you could ask your doctor about that.

Back to your previous question on dosage--I was on as much as 450 to 600 mg of Wellbutrin at one point (plus four other meds, so I have no idea if that's a lot of Wellbutrin), but I was pretty much barking-at-the-moon nuts at that point. It's been between 150 and 300mg for a while now. Also, I've never had any bad side effects with WB. Good luck with all that.

OK, for the past week or so I've been on this downward spiral.
My energy level stinks, I am bored with my work, I have all of the signs of work burnout and very well may have it....my only difficulty believing that is I've had more intensely stressful work related times for even longer durations without feeling like this.

So, do any of you other WB eaters run into the same thing?

I mean I get more tired, mentally tired, from resting. I just took a nap for my lunch time. When I woke up I felt worse than I was before.

I just feel drained.

I was on pain killers and muscle relaxers for about 3 weeks at the beginning of August. I wonder if that messed up how my meds are working....maybe I'm just dying of old age before I'm 50?

This is not depression. I know depression.

Maybe I'm just burned out and need a week on a tropical island to recouperate.

this is day 5 for me on wb sr 100mg... i seem to be a bit better with moods and staying focused. i don't feel irate. i do feel a little drained, but there is not one day when i don't feel like laying with my GF and sleeping. every morning it is always out of bed at the last sec. it is soooo comfy.

i don't smoke, so no problem there. but i have been told that you can lose weight. and i am not a big person and can't afford to lose anything. that would be great to gain a little.

i hope that this med works. i don't want the add no more.:mad:

I am having the exact opposite effects. My doc put me on wb becuase he "doesn't believe" in adhd and due to the similarities it has with depression, he diagnosed me as slightly depressed instead. He gave me some samples of WB to try. The first day I started out with 150mg and didn't see any changes in my focus, attention span, forgetfulness, or concentration. I did feel a little happier, but that was about it. It all went downhill from there. For the past four days I have not been able to sleep, my mind has been like one big cloud, I can't concentrate on anything, and my leg muscles have become very sore. I searched the site and have seen the soreness as a possible side effect. Also, the meds really increased my anxiety and irritability. I have an appointment with the doc on Thurs and hopefully he will give me something else to try. Do all drugs which effect dopamine levels have these side effects? If I reacted bad to WB, does that mean there is a good possibility that I will react bad to all ADHD or depression drugs?