Immediate effect of taking Wellbutrin?

[blueyemass1979]

I just took my Wellbutrin and I find I'm concentrating better. Is that just a coincidence, or can the pill have an immediate effect upon taking it in addition to the longer-term effect?

[KMiller]

What do you mean an "immediate effect?" Is it the first time you've ever taken the medication? After about 5-8 days of taking it, it should be at a steady state in your body, and after 1-3 weeks, it should have an onset of antidepressant action. As far as increasing attentional abilities, it's effect as a Selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor should increase those as soon as it achieves a concentration in the synapse. The effect may be relatively "immediate," not as immediate as, say, Ritalin, but relatively quick, as in within a few hours there _may_ be a noticable effect.

Notice I say may, because the drug doesn't always (or even usually) work that way, but it could, in theory.

[osustudent]

I have taken wellbutrin off and on for the last 5 years and I definitely notice a change as soon as I start taking it again. On the first day I concentrate better and get a lot of cleaning done. For me that goes away completely within a couple of weeks, but as an antidepressant it works very well long term.

[paulbf]

I felt slightly calmed in the first hour of my first pill. After a week or so I felt the stimulating effects.

[apm825]

For the first few weeks, I have felt no stimulating effects.

The first day I took it, however, I started doing I had been putting off for months!!

[blueyemass1979]

Let me rephrase this:

Is there any reason you should take the pill in the morning in hopes of it helping you through the day? Or does it really make no difference, since it's accumulating in the synapse?

I'm also wondering: if you are only trying to accumulate it in your synapse over weeks like a normal antidepressant, why is it time-released or three times daily? With Zoloft, it's just one a day, and you feel no different an hour after taking it than you just did 23 hours since last taking it.

[blueyemass1979]

Originally Posted by apm825

For the first few weeks, I have felt no stimulating effects.

The first day I took it, however, I started doing I had been putting off for months!!

Are you saying that the stimulating effects went away after the first day?

For me, I felt nothing for the first couple weeks. After second week, I felt I could concentrate better and some help with not getting stuck in negative thinking. All mild, but good. I really hope none of it goes away.

[aforceforgood]

My Doctor told me it would take 6 weeks for wellbutrin to have ANY effect, I wonder about that, I also felt like I could concentrate better, I take cocktail of 20mg ritalin and 75mg wellbutrin.

I suspect the better concentration may be due to placebo effect, which usually disappears after 6 weeks, so I will have to wait to see if that fades...

It's kind of hard to quantify, since "concentration" and putting a % number on it's effectiveness is not easy in day-to-day life.

I have noticed myself being happier in general and able to deal with frustrations (and frustrating people) better.

[exeter]

I felt effects from Wellbutrin after 3 days.

[brews]

I'm feeling the effects pretty quickly as well. I'm also taking prozac which had the same fast working effect on me. My brain must just crave this kind of stuff.

I can actually concentrate enough to read entire forum threads.

[chainsmoker]

Drugs do affect everyone differently. It took me about 3 weeks before I felt any improvement, and that was mainly in my attitude.
Reading up on Wellbutrin I've learned that at least for the SR(slow-release) and XL(extra-slow-release ?) pills it takes about 6 hours for the drug to reach maximum levels in the bloodstream and has a half-life of approx. 20 hours.
So you could be feeling it's effects quite quickly.

[allegro]

I felt the effects within hours of taking my first dose...HOURS. The first few weeks, I noticed it kicking in the morning after I took it. I am in the fifth week and it is more consistent now. I feel like I took it before bed and I am waking up more easily.

[sweetheartsok]

I have to say that the first day it took the edge off, the second day I felt like I was high in the morning and slowly came down throughout the day, day 3 I felt normal, more focused, the noise in my head was gone and overall feeling of contentment. Yeah!!! Day 4 Wasn't as good as day 3 but tolerable. Day 5 was amazing! We celebrated both my girls birthdays today and had 10 girls running around, four of them under 4 years old. Normally I would be out of my mind doing all that I needed to do but not this time. I was up early and was able to do things calmly and at a good pace. Not once was I overwhelmed. I was a tiny bit overstimulated during the party but that was because I had to be everywhere at once. By the end of the day I was exhausted but I was thrilled to be able to do all that I did without feeling like I was going to go crazy. I am so happy!!!!! Today is day 6 and my husband commented that it was good to see me wake up looking unstressed. He says my face looks happy which it hasn't for a long time. He says normally the tension in my forehead area is so obvious. I also feel the muscles in my forehead have relaxed. Now I just have the lines from years of stress. Hopefully in time they will fade.

I pray this will last and only get better. I'm only on 150 mg SR and so far so good. I also am on Effexor 150 gm but I am hoping to wean myself off in a couple weeks. Ít's only made things worse for me.

[neuroangel]

Originally Posted by blueyemass1979

Let me rephrase this:

Is there any reason you should take the pill in the morning in hopes of it helping you through the day? Or does it really make no difference, since it's accumulating in the synapse?

I'm also wondering: if you are only trying to accumulate it in your synapse over weeks like a normal antidepressant, why is it time-released or three times daily? With Zoloft, it's just one a day, and you feel no different an hour after taking it than you just did 23 hours since last taking it.

I don't like taking the WBXL in the morning because I am tired for about an hour or so after I first take it. I also don't like taking it before bed, because even though it makes me tired at first, it makes it rather difficult to sleep. So, I take mine around 3 pm...after school and long before bedtime.

Cyndi

[speedo]

Wellbutrin is a different critter. It takes effect in about 1 hour with the first dose. The levels will not stabilize for a long time. It has a pretty long half life so it stays with you for a while after you stop taking it.

I've been on it, and I noticed that it took effect very quickly.

I take mine in the morning (XL time release version) because it keeps me from sleeping at night otherwise, and it works all day long.

Me