Wellbutrin for ADD?

[electric76]

Okay so first off, I do have a doctors appointment set for Friday. I'm not looking for medical advice, but that I have decent grounds to ask to be re-prescribed to Wellbutrin.

Summer 2010 I was facing an awful depression, and was in the doctor's office crying. He put me on Wellbutrin. My situation changed as the school year started and I was happier mainly for that. Wellbutrin helped me tremendously with setting schedules for myself, sticking to goals, paying attention in class, and I didn't need to use the caffeine I was using before for this purpose.

Rewind. Throughout middle school, high school and my first year of college, I had difficulty focusing. Awful grades in middle school. In high school I learned how to fake it, and/or to teach myself material. First year of college these techniques didn't work. THEN I discovered caffeine pills. They helped so extremely much with focusing. I started taking one every day. Sometimes one twice a day. Three years later, still taking them, sometimes 3 in a day. Wellbutrin helped me cut this down while still keeping my focus.

I went off Wellbutrin beginning of the summer, and my caffeine usage has had to increase. Now I am taking 17 units and working. Sometimes I can focus, but sometimes I really can't. I don't have the structure and self discipline I could maintain with Wellbutrin. I also get really really depressed. Not all the time, but in spurts and I can't do anything.

This caused me to start taking my Wellbutrin again, and almost instantly, everything has improved. I know I'm not supposed to take medicine without a doctor's approval, but that's why I made the appointment. Depression is still an issue here and there, but what helps me most is how it keeps me on track and focused.

I went online to see if anyone else felt this way and found out that Wellbutrin in fact is used for ADHD at times. This is what brought my attention to that possibility. I see that depression is a symptom. The brain fog is a huge problem of mine as well...you can see it in my journal writings describing this sensation, or like being a bubble floating with no direction.

I don't want to be one of those hypochondriacs checking off simple symptoms to say its some huge condition, but this backwards way of figuring the Wellbutrin may be helping me with ADHD tendencies is making me hope the doctor won't just shake her head at me for wanting study pills or something. I just want to be on Wellbutrin and cut my caffeine. I went months without caffeine, past the addiction, and it was not good! From what I'm reading, people with ADHD often times turn to caffeine.

I should also add that in middle school my psychiatrist gave me ritalin for my hyperactivity and inattentiveness, but I told my mom it didn't work so my mom stopped giving it to me. In high school I complained even more about not being able to focus not matter how hard I tried. I played with play-doh in class, forming miniature cubes to help me focus on the teacher's lecture.

Anyway, this is long enough. I don't want to go into all the symptoms that match very well, because that's not my initial reasoning. Do you think my doctor would take me seriously, and possibly agree to re-prescribe me Wellbutrin?

[CrushCrush]

Originally Posted by electric76

I should also add that in middle school my psychiatrist gave me ritalin for my hyperactivity and inattentiveness,

I personally feel with the problems and meds and your history, that Wellbutrin may be something to take for sure. I'm not sure I've ever read about an on again, off again, sort of thing like this.. so it's odd that a psyc would leave you dry like that.

[electric76]

Yeah...he didn't really diagnose me, he was basically just saying "Here, take these, and see how they make you feel" then the next session we reported that they didn't help. That was that.

[TheAddKidd]

Hey I'm glad to see wellbutrin is helping you, I have add inattentive type not hyper, and my doctor just prescribed me wellbutrin today for it since adderall was helping but the crashes were bad. Anyways my pharmacist told me it wakes you up and has little side effects and helps anxiety when i have read the complete opposite that it can increase anxiety and the side effects are worse, i have an anxiety about medications and social anxiety, anyways do you notice in mornings that you feel tired, after you take it you feel awake? and do you have any side effects? does it help with anxiety?does it start to work right away, the day you take it like stimulants do? ughh this really stresses me out as im supposed to take it tomorrow and for some reason my doc decided to start me off on 300 mgs when ive read you should start off at 150. Im a 17 year old male by the way.

Anyways sorry for asking you questions on your own post, but this is just really giving me anxiety, and also i just wanted to confirm that, yes doctors do give it for add/adhd. I would really appreciate if you could help me out.

Thanks

[425runner]

Hi there -

I take Wellbutrin XL 150 so here comes to your question: yes, you should start at 150mg. Did the doc prescribe SR or XL? Either way, the SR kicks in faster then the XL and sometimes it'd give me a rush...anxiety & agitation is very common, especially when starting out.

I recommend you buy some lemon balm (Nature's Way) it's cheap..$4.50 and take 1-2 capsules if you find yourself anxious.

It makes me more hyper and impulsive so not so great for ADHD but I take it for depression.

Good luck and just take the pill!

Originally Posted by TheAddKidd

Hey I'm glad to see wellbutrin is helping you, I have add inattentive type not hyper, and my doctor just prescribed me wellbutrin today for it since adderall was helping but the crashes were bad. Anyways my pharmacist told me it wakes you up and has little side effects and helps anxiety when i have read the complete opposite that it can increase anxiety and the side effects are worse, i have an anxiety about medications and social anxiety, anyways do you notice in mornings that you feel tired, after you take it you feel awake? and do you have any side effects? does it help with anxiety?does it start to work right away, the day you take it like stimulants do? ughh this really stresses me out as im supposed to take it tomorrow and for some reason my doc decided to start me off on 300 mgs when ive read you should start off at 150. Im a 17 year old male by the way.

Anyways sorry for asking you questions on your own post, but this is just really giving me anxiety, and also i just wanted to confirm that, yes doctors do give it for add/adhd. I would really appreciate if you could help me out.

Thanks

[Jmpaul111]

Personally, Wellbutrin never helped my ADD symptoms. Most depression medicine helps with some symptoms of ADD, with my experience being Celexa and Nortriptalyne. However, Wellbutrin wasn't much help when it came to my attention span.

[ars solus]

Originally Posted by TheAddKidd

Hey I'm glad to see wellbutrin is helping you, I have add inattentive type not hyper, and my doctor just prescribed me wellbutrin today for it since adderall was helping but the crashes were bad. Anyways my pharmacist told me it wakes you up and has little side effects and helps anxiety when i have read the complete opposite that it can increase anxiety and the side effects are worse, i have an anxiety about medications and social anxiety, anyways do you notice in mornings that you feel tired, after you take it you feel awake? and do you have any side effects? does it help with anxiety?does it start to work right away, the day you take it like stimulants do? ughh this really stresses me out as im supposed to take it tomorrow and for some reason my doc decided to start me off on 300 mgs when ive read you should start off at 150. Im a 17 year old male by the way.

Anyways sorry for asking you questions on your own post, but this is just really giving me anxiety, and also i just wanted to confirm that, yes doctors do give it for add/adhd. I would really appreciate if you could help me out.

Thanks

Many antidepressants slightly increase your energy directly after taking them and I'm pretty sure Wellbutrin is one of them. Ultimately, though, everyone reacts to drugs differently. Many people see benefits from Wellbutrin (I've noticed a lot of them on these forums, actually) and it's been proven as an antidepressant. As for dosage, again, I wouldn't worry about it. Recommended doses tend to be conservative to cover the a** of the company that makes the drug and 300mg is well below the maximum dosage regardless. Also, remember that if you're concerned you can always split the dose in half - you should call your doctor to see what he thinks about it.

Um... when I was taking Wellbutrin it started working pretty immediately, within the first few days definitely. When I took it it cranked up my anxiety pretty badly, but I don't do well with antidepressants straight up so I wouldn't take that as a sign you'll do poorly on it. The wikipedia article for Wellbutrin touches on its affect on anxiety, but the gist of it is Wellbutrin is comparatively more stimulating than most other antidepressants so it (like stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin) can increase agitation in some people.

Just to check, did you try Adderall XR or even a lower dose of Adderall? I'd recommend stimulants over anti-psychotics any day of the week, but your doctor may also want to treat your anxiety on top of your ADHD. Also, I was under the impression that Wellbutrin was usually prescribed with Ritalin if it was being used to treat ADHD?