Does Wellbutrin mess with the serotinin level

[MillenniumMan]

Yes, or No...

Which one is the best for a person, which anti-depressants
don't mess with the serotonin level. Wellbutrin doesn't mess
with serotonin does it??? if not then good.

[relvinnian]

No. Wellbutrin nor its active metabolites influence the serotonin system.

[MillenniumMan]

question, Wellbutrin used to be called something else right???
it started with a Buprohin??? it was pulled from the market cause
of it's side effects. Was Wellbutrin revised???
c'mon people we don't need side effects in our medicine.

[Imnapl]

The generic name is Bupropion.

[MillenniumMan]

yes that's it Bupropion...I heard that one was taken off the market...

[Imnapl]

There seem to be a lot of people on this forum who are currently filling prescriptions for Bupropion. Was it perhaps one form of the med. or one country who decided to pull Bupropion off the market?

[relvinnian]

Bupropion is marketed in the U.S. as SR tablets taken BID (Zyban, Wellbutrin SR), as immediate release (Wellbutrin), and as a once daily extended release (Wellbutrin XL). All but the XL have generics. Additionally, Glaxo is developing an active metabolite of bupropion named radafaxine, for the treatment of obesity and depression. It's currently in Phase 3 trials.

So unless something crazy happens, bupropion in its various forms, is probably here to stay

[wolfie860]

Yes, Wellbutrin was pulled of the market in late eighties because of its increased risk of seizure. After further testing, they found that this occured primarily in people who were actively Bulimic. To this day,the med is contraindicated for this population.
This medication targets dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain not serotonin.
That is one of the reasons why people who don't respond to the SSRI's(paxil, prozac, lexapro etc.) may do better on Wellbutrin. This was the case with me and I can say that after 13 yrs of being on the med I've tolerated extremely well and never had any adverse side effects. It's the only anti-depressant that worked for me. It also has a stimulating effect so if your on SR don't take last dose much later then 6PM or may have trouble sleeping. Some other benefits were that I lost weight and my appetite was diminished but this was just in the beginning.

[QueensU_girl]

Yes and No.

During my Nursing Degree, we had a Mental Health program of training.

We had Pharmacology courses. During one of these courses, we had a PhD in Pharmacology come in and talk about brain pathways, such as the nigrostriatal dopamine tract.

He told us that no neurotransmitter affecting drugs work in isolation.

Dopamine stimulating drugs affect serotonin pathways, and vice versa.

There is also discussion about _pharmacokinetics_ versus _pharmacodynamics_ of drugs, but we just won't go there...

-Emma

[STYLe4MotiOn]

Originally Posted by QueensU_girl

Yes and No.

During my Nursing Degree, we had a Mental Health program of training.

We had Pharmacology courses. During one of these courses, we had a PhD in Pharmacology come in and talk about brain pathways, such as the nigrostriatal dopamine tract.

He told us that no neurotransmitter affecting drugs work in isolation.

Dopamine stimulating drugs affect serotonin pathways, and vice versa.

There is also discussion about _pharmacokinetics_ versus _pharmacodynamics_ of drugs, but we just won't go there...

-Emma

So is there certainty about how dexedrine or similar meds affect the serotonin level? I know it beats down optimism for me.

[Mary]

well... the reason I was prescribed wellbutrin besides it helping me with my depression..was it was supposed to help increase my brains output of serotonin... which lack of, also causes fibromyalgia. AT least that is what the doctor told me. He also said that he wanted to keep me relaxed enough that my back spasms were kept to a minimum. Using it for a dual purpose, so to speak.