Hello! I've been searching high and low for this answer, but no one seems to know for sure. (I'm going to ask my Dr. at my next appointment, but its not anytime soon.) I've been taking Adderall (generic) for 7 or 8 years. The last 4 years I've been taking 10mg IR 2x's/day. It's been working very well and has significantly improved my life. :)

A week and a half ago, I started taking Wellbutrin (generic) XL 150mg in the morning for mild depression. It's the third antidepressant I've tried and so far the side effects are MUCH more tolerable than the other two. My biggest problem right now is I feel like my Adderall isn't working at all. I have zero focus and concentration. I have insane trouble finishing tasks and (though I am not feeling "speedy" like some new Wellbutrin users say) and find myself getting lost in my thought and somewhat spacey. I also have signifiant memory problems, likely due to my inablility to focus.

Wellbutrin is supposed to help ADD, so I don't understand why I am having these problems. I am thinking about asking my Dr. to either up my twice a day dossage or add another 10mg later in the day (thus making it 10mg 3x's/day), as my ADDness seems noticibly worse as the day goes on.

Does anyone knowledgable on if Wellbutrin courtacts Adderall? In the Wellbutrin thread, they seemed to think it mainly help the Adderall. So confused... :(

Thank!!

I understand trust me , it's the reason I stopped taking wellbutrin and trust me wellbutrin will shut down a depression it works awesomely, but generally takes a few months. Bottom line is that your not going to know how this med really acts until your body adjusts and you get past the side effects your having. Give it 6-12 weeks minimum for an antidepressant. Your still having sides, thats why you feel unfocused, and actually I bet your not having as many negative thoughts right now are ya. I'm mildly depressed and can think well but I don't do anything about it and although I'm not scattered I'm not doing jack for my depression, and if your talking about a possible depression existing trust me your depressed, because one thing happy people don't do is debate on whether or not they may be depressed.

Too much NE can cause significant drowsiness. If thats the case you may notice other effects like lightheadedness, dry mouth, dizziness, or constipation.

Since both adderall and wellbutrin increase NE levels you may actually find more energy/focus from a reduction in the adderall dosage. These effects should improve as your body gets used to the wellbutrin.

BobC

bob,

do you think ritalin increases NE as well. I've heard that it doesn't really increase NE all that much. I've heard about adderall increasing ne levels and with wellbutrin it may add to the punch. What are your thoughts about concerta and wellbutrin regarding ne increases, and do you feel wellbutrin significantly reduces ones potential tolerance with stims over time.

Hey K, I just got off wellbutrin for the same reason. My doc had me on 200mg for depression but I took them both in the AM and all I did was space out and sweat. I was too much stimulation and once I stopped everything went back to normal. If you need to take an antidepressant she gave me a script of permular or pemular..something like that. I was in a forum posting what you are describing a month ago. It could be overstimulation to the med as well. I couldn't handle it either. I was extremely edgy and irritable and just stared at my work and didnt do it at all. Hope this helps...you aren't alone.

Thanks everyone for your answers! I'm glad to see I am not the only one who finds this combination a bit off.

Several of you mentioned being edgy and overstimulated, which I hear is quite common with Wellbutrin and/or Adderall. The odd thing that I feel now is not what I would describe as overstimulation. I feel like I can't focus/concentrate not because my mind is racing, but more like it is just floating around, much like it did before I started taking Adderall. I know what overstimulation feels like (Adderall + coffee= disaster), and I would not describe my feelings like that at all.

I'm going to give it at least a month and see if this all sorts itself out. I'm taking a year off b/t college and law school. This inability to concentrate is hurting my job performance, and I worry it would destory my ability to study in law school this fall. I made HORRIBLE grades before I started taking Adderall, so I'm worried that if I continue to feel like I do now I'll either have to stop Wellbutrin or fail out of law school. Boo

There's a long thread on here about this subject, and how timing and dosing can change the effects. How Wellbutrin could actually enhance Adderall, or detract from it, depending on which you take first. I'd look it up.

scarletta,

do you feel wellbutrin enhances adderall ( stims) ? I know all about the timing issue , just didn't know if you were still on the combo-

There's a long thread on here about this subject, and how timing and dosing can change the effects. How Wellbutrin could actually enhance Adderall, or detract from it, depending on which you take first. I'd look it up.

I think the one you are talking about is in the Wellbutrin thread. I read it the day before I started this combo and was happy to see the mix worked well for people. I tried doing what people recommended (Adderall, wait an hour or two, eat, and take Wellbutrin) but this didn't work. I'm fiddling with the timing now and haven't found one that works the best yet.

Thanks for your advice though!

your acessing too much early on....as you get accustomed to taking stims....looking for effectiveness.... Wait 5 weeks to get adjusted and out of the side effect range before making any qualified judgements. First off wellbutrin takes time to build and maintain in the blood ( or maintain consistent blood levels) and secondly it takes your body time to adjust past side effect ( 7-15 days usually) From that point it even takes 2 months to get the antidepressant effect

Ive been on Wellbutrin 300mg a day and was just prescribed Adderall this past December. Im currently on 40mg of Adderall IR a day along with the Wellbutrin. I find that this combo works GREAT for my depression and ADD. Since You just started on Wellbutrin, you def need to give it at least 2 months. If you then feel as though its still not working, you can either go up to 300mg of Wellbutrin or try something else.

on 40mgs of Adderall and 300mgs on wellbutrin. I am supposed to take the Wellbutrin twice a day, but i am lazy and take it all in the AM. I haven't noticed the wellbutrin effecting the adderall. They work well for my anxiety and Add

Wellbutrin is an odd bird in the medication world in general. It's sort of a hybrid between a stimulant and antidepressant, and can be used for either. One of the problems is that Wellbutrin targets the signaling agent serotonin (although in an indirect manner through norepinephrine), which is uncommon for most ADHD meds. A hard stimulant for ADHD such as Adderall, can actually lower the balance of serotonin in key brain regions, so there is a sort of pharmacological "tug-of-war" between the two medications, especially if dosing levels are a bit off. I agree with some of the other posters, combining a sort of "wild card" medication of Wellbutrin with a hard-core stimulant like Adderall seems a bit odd and unpredictable. Did your physician give any clarification as to why this specific combo?

Early-On, I had felt that WB was blunting my effect with Adderall, so I stopped it for several weeks - and the Adderall still didn't feel like it did when I started, so I restarted the WB300 and took a week's holiday from Adderall, when I restarted - the med was as good as when I first took it, and the WB likely gave it a boost. Turned out that I had built tolerence.

Wellbutrin is an odd bird in the medication world in general. It's sort of a hybrid between a stimulant and antidepressant, and can be used for either. One of the problems is that Wellbutrin targets the signaling agent serotonin (although in an indirect manner through norepinephrine), which is uncommon for most ADHD meds. A hard stimulant for ADHD such as Adderall, can actually lower the balance of serotonin in key brain regions, so there is a sort of pharmacological "tug-of-war" between the two medications, especially if dosing levels are a bit off. I agree with some of the other posters, combining a sort of "wild card" medication of Wellbutrin with a hard-core stimulant like Adderall seems a bit odd and unpredictable. Did your physician give any clarification as to why this specific combo?

Over the past few month, I've tried several SSRI and SNRI antidepressants to treat my depression. The side effects were awful and I couldn't stand taking them long enough to know if they'd work for me. My doctor proscribed this to treat the depression, and so far it has worked the best by far. I've been on it for almost three weeks and the side effects have been minimal compared to the others. It takes 6-8 weeks to fully treat depression, but I'm starting to feel a little better each day, so I am hopeful this will work.