Opinions on Welbutrin?

[JH376]

I take ritalin for adhd and Lexapro for two purposes: 1) to "smooth" out the bumpy effects of ritalin (If you take ritalin, you know what I mean), and 2), for anxiety. For me, the anxiety control is very important, and Lexapro seems to work pretty well for that.

I think I'd like to try Welbutrin instead of Lexapro, however, because it has a more energizing effect than Lexapro, and because its side effect profile is smaller.

Here's a brief history of me and some of my pills: I used to take only ritalin, and then a Doc also gave me Effexor for anxiety. I was on Eff. for several years, but I gained weight on it, and was also very lazy as a result of it. My next doctor told me he thought that Effexor was wrong for me, so he switched me over to both Lexapro and Welbutrin. I was on both for a few months, but didn't like being on so many prescriptions, so I asked him if I could go off one of them. He said to go off of the Welbutrin, but keep the Lexapro. That was almost a year ago.

So my question is, do people like Welbutrin for anxiety and for smoothing out ritalin? If enough people do, I might take it up with my doctor to switch switch me over to welbutrin, and lose the Lexapro.

[Gregster]

Wellbutrin has a somewhat stimulant effect and I dont think it's particularly good for anxiety. Lexapro, Paxil & Remeron (and I'm sure a few more drugs) are better for anxiety, as far as I know. As far as the energized feeling goes, if Ritalin isn't making you "energised" then I don't think the Wellbutrin will either - did it make you feel energized before?
Talk to your Dr, of course, he should always be your best source of medical information.
Regards,
Greg

[Mary]

It depends on the person and the med.. on Paxil all I wanted to do was cry. I am now taking Wellbutrin XL and am doing a lot better. I am more easy going and the kids don't make me feel like the walls are closing in now like they did before.

[Tara]

Do you take the Lexapro at the same time as the Ritalin?

[Tara]

When I tool Wellbutrin by itself it make my anxiety worse. I could only imagine what I would have been like if I took it combined with a stimulant.

I take Ritalin LA in the am in the Lexapro before bed and so far so good...

[neuroangel]

I take Lexapro and Wellbutrin at the same time in the a.m. It doesn't make me hyper or anything, it just helps me feel slightly more awake (body-wise). I've noticed that I startle easier or more often after the third week of Wellbutrin.

Cyndi (neuroangel)

[Stranger]

I'm taking Wellbutrin XL and something called Provigil, which I understand is sort of an anti-sleeping pill. Guess what? I'm still sleepy, have no energy, and no concentration. It's been only a couple of weeks, but shouldn't there be some kind of noticeable improvement by now?

[kimo]

I take Wellbutrin XL 300 mg, Lexapro 10 mg and Adderall XR 10 mg all in the am. I just started the Adderall a couple weeks ago and was on the Lexapro since January and started the Wellbutrin a couple months ago. I would say it took a good month at least to start feeling any effects of the Wellbutrin. Six weeks into the Wellbutrin I'm still seeing further improvement. I heard somewhere it can take 6 to 8 weeks to reach full effect. So give it time. And believe me . . . I completely understand your impatience!

[robmhill]

i found ritalin not quite right either have you asked about adderall
it works better for me and does not interfier with sleep as much as for me
it takes less of it as well as it is more effective.

but ask your doctor

[Penultimate]

In my humble opinion Welbutrin great but that’s just me. It is diagnosed primarily for depression and sometimes ADD symptoms. My understanding is that it can make anxiety and bipolar worse.

Stranger, I am not sure why they started you on XL rather than building up to it slowly. I have taken the stuff for almost seven years on and off and I had a hard time on XL. Anyhow, it takes a month to six weeks before you see results from Welbutrin in my experience. Don’t give up on it too soon.

[Stranger]

I started on the 150 mg/day pill, and then went up to 300/day, so I guess you could say they did ramp me up. But the depression is still there, and I have not noticed any significant difference in the ADD symptoms. I hear stories of overnight changes with various medicines, and I wish I could have one of those, but ain't gonna happen, apparently. The bummer is that the pshrink won't even consider stimulants, so many of my options are kaput. It seems to be wellbutrin, strattera, or nada.

[joanrdtobe]

The Wellbutrin has been working for me too....BUT increases irritability too and anxiety too....so am on klonopin as well......So for you JH, the Wellbutrin may actually worsen your anxiety -- not smooth it out....but best to try and see....You started this thread in March.....How has it been going JH?????

[MissyMe]

I ramped up on Wellbutrin ~ 150mg in am for 5 days then 150 in am & pm. I noticed no benefits. My ADD symptoms did not improve at all. I had eye twitching at the beginning and got horrible migraine headaches after about 2 weeks of 300mg/day. I stopped taking it on my 2nd day of a 3 day migraine and I stayed off for 2 days after the migraine. I took 150 in am for 2 days and woke up with a headache and eye twitching again. So, I stopped taking it all together and i have been headache/migraine free. Since I hadn't noticed any changes in the 2+ weeks I was taking it, there was no harm in stopping.

I cancelled my appt. with my doc after this as Wellbutrin was my 2nd med, after terrible results on Ritalin. I'm just not motivated to keep experimenting with meds. In trying to get my ADD better, I'm going through hell on the meds. I just need a med time-out.

Anbody else have these side-effects from Wellbutrin?

[mctavish23]

The combination of Wellbutrin & metylphenidate + nortriptyline works well for me.

[MJM]

Wellbutrin taken for smoking cessation was actually my first experience with any form of anti-depressent and was a god-sent, not only did I quit smoking (sadly only temporarily) but it also made me aware that there was something more amiss with me. I felt really good...got stuff done etc. I am sure it helps with some ADHD symptoms even if only treating the co-morbid depression. However, after the intial euphoria I had some serious dizzyness (increased blood pressure?) on this meds. Had to cease using it, actually got diagnosed ADHD partially because of the good effects of Wellbutrin.