Was originally prescribed Zoloft, Took it for a month, Felt like I was walking around in a Fog and was unable to have intercourse with my wife. Went to Doctor, Doc. switched me over to Welbutrin XL. Have been on it for almost a couple of weeks now, Am able to have intercourse but now I am feeling extreme anxiety, overworrying about things that may not happen, and constantly needing reassurance from my wife, I feel like I'm almost becoming paranoid. Needless to say, this is causing problems. I'm also noticing I'm getting more irritated over little things and have been getting impatient/frustrated with my kids. Also have been snappy with my wife. This has caused arguments (obviously) as it's hard to explain to her whats happening to me. I will be honest, I like the fact that I can have sex again (was never able to while on zoloft or paxil) and really don't want to give that up. I get my meds through the state mental heath program, so viagra is out of the question. Has anyone else experienced these symptoms, is this a normal part of the drug entering my system? Is there another med I can take for anxiety? I have noticed the actual "Depressed" state seems to have lifted, for the most part (I still have days) but it just seems like a moot point if I'm a needy, nervous, wussy...

Wellbutrin is known to up anxiety.

Paranoia or Anxiety problems on a med is a reason to phone your Doctor.

Adding more drugs to combat side effects can lead people into dangerous territory. (This is called Polypharmacy.)

Viagra has side effects too, some of them serious. (I guess you may have heard of the visual risks; the other day I saw a ED meds being linked now to hearing issues.)

You do not mention that you have primary erectile problems, so taking Viagra just to counteract ANOTHER med's side effect is not really making sense.

Polypharmacy is bad practice.

Phone your Doctor. (And mention you are having "extreme anxiety" and "Paranoia", as you say.)

There are also issues with just _prescribing Viagra_ out of the blue.

When a person has Circulation issue to their groin region (ED), they also likely have Circulation issues to their Brain (stroke risk) and Heart (heart attack risk) and Limbs (DVT or clot risk), etc.

It would be silly to just "give a pill" for ED, when a person really needs to be checked for High Blood Pressure and have other Circulation signs checked (jugular venous distention; whatever else they check for, etc).

e.g. if this ED thing was 'primary ED', it could be caused by a person's arteries being clogged, etc etc.

People need Investigation and Physical Exams, not just "a pill for this and that", as a band-aid.

This is why buying stuff on the INternet is so scary. ED can be a sign of WAY WAY bigger problems that need looking into.

(Although YOUR issue's ONSET *sounds* SSRI-related.)

Please beware of playing Doctor with yourself.

Thanks for the advice...I agree that taking one med to counteract the side effects another is not a good thing.....I'm not seriously considering Viagra or anything...it was more of a vent. I did a little digging, and realized I'm on the generic Welbutrin (Bupropion XL) and the generic version is even more known for anxiety/irritability than the name brand, I have also read that most ppl seem to have a relapse of there depression while taking it...I will be calling my doc. tomorrow and seeing what they say. Thanks again.

When I first started WB I had massive anxiety. The doc put me on a very low dose of Alprazolam (generic of something) that I took as needed. The longer I was on WB the less I needed to take any anti-anxiety med. I started on 150mg/day of WB and now take 350mg/day.

Of course, some people get ED from taking certain anti-anxiety meds too.

You might want to look for other ways to manage they anxiety. Therapy is great as well as exercise.
I've also made a radical change in my diet to Gluten-Casein-Free with mainly fruits, vegetables, lean protein as the food I eat. And I try to make sure my diet has enough fiber in it.

Treating depression often involves more than just 'taking a pill'.

Depression often needs whole-life interventions such as interpersonal communication and skills development, self-awareness work, as well as social and environmental changes in the person's life.

Pills can only do part of it.

Wellbutrin is well known for causing anxiety. You could try reducing the dose to 150 mg/day ... don't cut the tablets, talk to your doctor and get a prescription for 150 mg wellbutrin Xl.


I take 150 mg wellbutrin xl and can only stay at 300 mg for 2-3 days and I can stay at 450 mg for about a day before I end up with tons of anxiety and anger. Your results are likely to be different but you can see what I mean...

I ended up taking an add-on medication (risperdal) to reduce anxiety a bit. It seems to work well with few side effects.

Me :D

Call your doctor and let him/her know about the anxiety. It is a side effect of the Welburtin but will go away in most, but not all. Maybe he/she can prescribe an anti-anxiety med PRN in the meantime. The Welburin did the same thing to me but I couldn't take it that long because it caused heart palpultations for me.

I never had any sort of side effects or problems when I went onto the 300 mg of Wellbutrin XL, anxeity is a side-efffect for most medicines like that. WXL has a buttload of side-effects, I never got a single one :confused:

I got the same deal from my ADHD medicine when I first started, I felt great the first day I took it but for a few days after I was madder then hell and snapped at everything that just slightly irritated me. School was madness, I had to uber focus badly in order to keep my cool, it was so hard...

You should contact your doctor about this if this hasn't gone away.

I had the same response to wellbutrin. I unfortunately can't really recommend anything that has given any benefit without significant drawbacks.