150 ==> 300. how long until the positive effects kick in?

[Picky eater]

I have been on 150 mg of Wellbutrin XR for 7 weeks with some Concerta on the side.

The Concerta gives me noticeable energy spikes after taking it (most noticable the first days after starting / upping my dose)

I am now 2 weeks in with the increased dosage of 300 mg Wellbutrin XR (that makes for a total of 9 weeks of at least 150 mg) and I have yet to experience any positive effects concerning my depleted motivation (which is the main reason I take Wellbutrin)
I have noticed some annoying increased side effects like worsened memory and moodswings (after starting on 150mg the moodswings were gone after 2 weeks)

yesterday (12 days after upping from 150 to 300) my doc proposed to slowly stop taking Wellbutrin and to keep taking Concerta since the positive effects from Wellbutrin aren't noticeable yet. I told him that I wanted to try it for at least 3 more weeks before deciding on that.

I would like to know about other people's experience on the increase of 150 to 300 mg Wellbutrin XL (or XR), and how long that it took them for any positive effects to occur.



TLDR: how long did it take for the Wellbutrin to work for you after switching from 150 to 300

[Haakenlid]

I got hives on my hands and feet the first week after going to 300mg. The hives were not too bad in the daytime, but made it hard to fall asleep because of itching.
I lost some weight and had noticeable less cravings for cigarettes and chocolate. But I noticed no effect on mood or concentration, so I stopped taking it after four months.

[425runner]

I got horrendous headaches and felt "stupified" while on 300mg of XL so I didn't last long. Even the 150mg makes me spaced out and it never really helped with my depression/lack of motivation to do anything so I don't know about this one. I've been taking in on/off for 2 years now.

[hollywood]

I too concur, i dont really know why i have taken it. Every time i do i get spaced out and lose track of things

[purpleToes]

Wellbutrin did not help my energy, focus or motivation, but it did make me feel less irritable than usual, more easygoing. I got that effect within about a week of reaching the 300mg dose.

[hollywood]

Yeah wonder if its worh that effect. Probably

[purpleToes]

Originally Posted by hollywood

Yeah wonder if its worh that effect. Probably

For me, it seemed was a real benefit and it made me happier. I felt it was easier - almost easy -to let go of small and medium sized annoyances that I would ordinarily perseverate on and get worked up about. Experiencing this difference helped me become aware that I had this tendency, something I will continue to work on as I enjoyed the feeling of freedom it gave me. So much less stress.

I forgot to mention, I used it for only about 5 weeks, but long enough at a high enough dose to feel it wasn't helping with memory or attention. To be fair, I was also having some other health issues that were interfering with the effectiveness of amphetamines as well; it's possible that my underlying energy was so low overall that these medications could not help me. My energy is improving and I want to try Wellbutrin again once I'm getting a consistent improvement from Dexedrine.

I also took Wellbutrin for an extended period years ago for treatment of depression (which I don't think I truly had) and don't recall it having any noticeable effect on my cognition. I think I would remember if it had, because my main complaint was feeling foggy and fatigued all the time. Looking back, I likely had the same health issues and they could have been responsible for my symptoms, at least in part.

I think medications might have a different effect on cognition depending on the underlying cause of the cognitive problems. If there's a medical cause such as anemia or sleep apnea, which deprive the brain of essential things it needs to function well, then I think stimulants or stimulant-like medications might be limited in how much they can do to compensate for that.

[AnneM]

I had my Wellbutrin increased about a week ago, from 300 mg to 450 mg. Already I notice I am not thinking as much (I mean that in a good way) and my mood overall seems a bit better. I also feel a bit calmer. I'm a little baffled that I feel calmer.

However, there is no change in my motivation. I'm not dragging my a** but I also don't feel like doing things I know I should do. I was glad to see you were taking it to increase your motivation, that makes me hopeful that the increase may help with that.

PS I asked my doc when I would notice the effects of the increase in Wellbutrin and she stated 3 to 4 weeks. Hope that helps!

[hollywood]

Honestly, i really dont feel like i remember half as much on wellbutrin, its a stupid drug.

[purpleToes]

Originally Posted by hollywood

Honestly, i really dont feel like i remember half as much on wellbutrin, its a stupid drug.

I probably wasn't on it long enough to notice this type of effect this last time around, but if I go back on it, I will keep an eye out for it. I've seen other comments on ADDF reporting a similar experience of feeling mentally slower on Wellbutrin, so it's not just you. Thanks for sharing it.

[Picky eater]

First of all: thank you all for your insightful replies! It's been 4 weeks since I last posted here, so I thought I'd give an update on how things are going for me.
Approximately 18 days after upping my 150 to 300 the effects subtly became kicking in! And they were quite frankly everything I could ever hope for (Ok, maybe not everything, but it's close).

2.5 weeks after going to 300 mg, I started to do something I had been telling myself to do for over a year: clean my room.
Keep in mind that my room at the time consisted of piles of stuff, garbage, and filth.
It took me 3 full days (approx 30 hours) to get most of it done. and about 5 more hours to sort out all my paperwork the next week.
It felt like I had a clear goal in mind, and I was capable of putting all the side tracks on a to-do list, while keeping at my goal.
I even cleaned the floor, microwave and some other areas that were very filthy (something I have always told myself since I started living on my own that it wasn't that necessary).

Usually after working so hard towards something, I crash for an extended period of time (not capable of doing anything again). The crash happened this time too, but instead of lasting weeks or months, it just lasted a few days, after which I was very productive again.
I started actually preparing for the first semester which started the third. (I showed up for the first day in time, and every day after) I started sorting out all my unread emails, organised my calendar for the upcoming months, and generally started believing in myself again. I even spent 30 hours in 2 days doing a project of mine that was really really long overdue, due to putting it off all the time.
The day after completing this project (After about 2 weeks of being extremely active), I crashed again. I felt extremely exhausted all day. Today is the day after that, and I'm feeling motivated and energetic again, ready to work on my long to-do list again.

I believe that I'm currently in the "honeymoon period", and I'm trying to make the most out of it while it lasts (I expect it to last for about half a year, after which I hope to have made being productive a habit). The effect has been getting stronger (I believe that the positive reinforcement of completing goals also helps a lot) for the last 2 weeks. What I feel can best be described as being able to put my thoughts into actions, like the middle man between my mind and body who was constantly saying:"nah, he doesn't mean it, nvm", is gone. Usually when I said to myself things like: "when you're going out of the shower you're going to the store and get food for yourself and eat a decent meal" I ended up eating potato chips instead, or nothing at all...

I can even articulate my thoughts again! For over a year I have been having trouble maintaining insightful conversations because I noticed myself babbling incoherently, using the wrong words, hoping the other person wouldn't pick up on it. I wasn't able to maintain a thought long enough to complete a long sentence. Now I'm able to talk calmly and clearly make the point I'm trying to make.

I also rekindled some contacts with some friends which I have neglected for too long. Even the relationship with my parents improved, who were noticeably disappointed in me before.

The side effects after switching from 150 to 300 have declined since then. for a few weeks I quickly found certain words sound strangely, or feeling unfamiliar with predicates I said moments earlier. My moodswings/irritability/forgetfulness are still noticeable, but have been reduced a lot.

At the moment the limiting effects of my depression are gone, but the sadness over the wasted time remains...
If I had to do it all again, I would have gone to my doc sooner.
I'm sad to hear that this drug is so damaging to some people, but i'm glad it worked out for me. It took me 10 weeks of using Wellbutrin (3 of which were with the upped dosage of 300mg/day)to actually notice any positive effect. During this time I felt absolutely horrible for at least 2-3 weeks.

I also realize that part of the positive effect I am experiencing is thanks to the Concerta I'm taking (mainly the being overly energetic part). But the onset after about 3 weeks of taking 300 mg Wellbutrin convinces me it's the Wellbutrin working.

I hope that at least 1 person who reads this is more informed and will keep at it long enough to give this drug a chance to help them. I would love to hear about people who recognize some of the things I said, or the opposite.
I am also curious about how long I can expect this effect to last.
Like I said earlier I am counting on about half a year (mainly due to testimonies of other people on this forum).
All the things I've imagined for the last few years are happening now, but i know I have to be cautious not to let my guard down. because the thing I fear most is remission...




summary: (keep in mind that some of these are (partly) the effect of Concerta)

Positive effects: onset at 10 weeks after starting Wellbutrin, 3 of which were using 300 mg.
-Being very energetic all day while being able to focus (until 8 P.M that is)
-Being motivated
-Clarity of thought
-Ability to put my thoughts into actions.
-Increased libido (most noticeable after first starting with Wellbutrin, reduced by Concerta)
-Less need for sleep (average of 6 hours instead of 10 without being/feeling tired)
-Way more self esteem, to the point of becoming egocentric

Negative effects: (most of them were very noticeable after starting/upping dose, and were still present in reduced form afterwards, unless stated otherwise)
-Irritability
-Moodswings
-Overworking myself
-Memory problems (started after I upped to 300 mg)
-Extreme sensitivity to caffeine.
-Reduced appetite (probably caused by Concerta)
-Trouble getting to sleep (Caused by Concerta)
-Dry mouth (mainly the first weeks after starting on 150mg)
-Constipation (only the first weeks after starting on 150mg / upping my dose)

[AnneM]

Picky eater, So happy to read about your current success on Wellbutrin! I am 3 & 1/2 weeks into an increased dosage from 300mg to 450mg. So far my changes have been subtle. I'm calmer and not having as much obsessive unhappy thinking but I'm still not where I want to be.
Other benefits I noticed were needing less sleep and not being totally burnt tired at the end of the day. Other than that I'm still waiting & hoping for the full benefit to kick in. I still have alot of negative thinking going on although my life is pretty good and I'm not yet motivated to do things that have been on my 'to do' list for months.
I'm rambling....just very happy to hear a success story!

[hollywood]

All i can say is initially yeah, but over time = no good. Are you depressed?

[Picky eater]

I have been depressed for a long time to the point that I wouldn't even come out of bed for weeks. My depression is inversely proportional to my overall motivation. That is, the more I notice myself doing, the better I feel about myself. I have had periods of activity, but the crashes afterwards became longer and longer. This made it very hard for me to escape this spiral of numbness.
The difference I have noticed on Wellbutrin, is that it's way more easy to get out of that spiral when I am tempted to fall back in. I realize that this difference is subtle, and that I have had that motivation in me all along. But for the time being, I need that extra push to get me in a productive rhythm. Like I said in my previous post: I can't afford to let my guard down, because I fear remission. I now have the strength to choose whether I want to work towards getting better, or sulk about all the time I have wasted, and all the things I have lost due to my inactivity. In the end, I have to do it myself. But it's good to use training wheels for the time being.
Hollywood, I noticed you have posted a some negative replies about Wellbutrin lately. I was hoping that you could share a little bit about what has happened that made you so resentful towards the drug. Is there something I need to watch out for? A timeline of things that have happened would be useful.

[hollywood]

Yes. Initially yeah it helps, but I cannot recall anything during working memory and I feel not right on it. After time on this you need to come off and work on your own to get better. Wellbutrin is there but dont rely on it, I just cannot recall information on it. So, its not a solution for me anylonger