Do these side effects go away? Wellbutrin veterans out there?

[hollywood]

I am on nothing but focalin xr. I think that I like the release of concerta better, its a bit smoother. I get muscle tension at times. thats why I consider taking propranol, my doc says its the closest thing to corn flakes he rx's ... and that ssri's are better for anxiety and muscle tension. He's probably right. I spend way too much time in self analysis when I'm bored. I'm a productive person but when I get bored it's a mapless road that I travel. Propranol if I took it would be for muscle tension. Not sure where the tension is from , could be from working out or anxiety... who knows?

[Sit-n-Spin]

I've had both a headache specialist/neurologist and pain specialist recommend magnesium to me. In fact, the headache specialist prescribed it for me. It's supposed to really help with muscle tension.

[lk44]

here is a list of all the side effects from wellbutrin that a popular health site could find - hope that doesn't scare you too much! =)

[hollywood]

side effects don't occur in all people. they are just sides . Why post a list of side effects.

[lk44]

argh, was not paying attention, misunderstood this thread - sorry! =)

[JenSMP]

Originally Posted by hollywood

I spend way too much time in self analysis when I'm bored. I'm a productive person but when I get bored it's a mapless road that I travel. Propranol if I took it would be for muscle tension. Not sure where the tension is from , could be from working out or anxiety... who knows?

I can so relate to this! Downtime is not my friend either! I think that Wellbutrin has helped me feel more positive and not dwell on more and more ways to improve my life. I'm able to realize I have a pretty great life already.

Also, I'm still taking the name brand WB, and my headaches went away. I simply do not get them anymore. I'd love a med that helps with tension. I have muscle relaxers and Xanax as needed, but I do not like to take them. They make me sleepy for two days straight. My neck is killing me right now, and it's definitely work related. I've been in 8 hour training sessions for this entire week and have one more day to go. It's torture for me to sit for that long, and I am forcing myself not to tune out b/c I need to know this info! If it weren't for the WB, I'm not sure I'd be able to stay focused. I'd like to find something that will help with muscle tension that isn't so sedating.

[hollywood]

Me too. Thank god I will be a business owner soon.

[drumn4state]

The propranolol that I take definitely helps with my tremors. I know that it has been prescribed as an anti-anxiety med, but I haven't heard of it being used to relieve muscle tension. I wished it worked on tense muscles for me. I have back and neck issues and my neck muscles are hard as rocks all the time. I get mega tension headaches everyday. I have taken every muscle relaxer/anti-inflammatory/pain med on the planet and nothing works for me. I have finally returned to the chiropractor to get my bones back in line. So that is why it doesn't work on tension for me, its a bone thing, not a med thing.

Jen- I agree with you, I avoid Xanax at all cost too. It gives me a cloudy, spacey feeling for at least the following day. That is why I was so receptive to try the propranolol. It has worked well so far, and no spacey feeling. Xanax would definitely work better at calming the tremors, but Xanax has way too many negatives for me. I used to be prescribed up to 12 mg of Xanax a day for almost seven years for anxiety. The Xanax really wasn't helping because ADD was my major disorder, not anxiety, but nobody knew that then. The doc just kept upping my dose instead of getting to the root of the real problem. I didn't know anything about what I was taking back then, I didn't know that the Xanax was addictive or that it was being prescribed way out of normal limits. I had to change doctors eventually due to insurance coverage and my new doc would not prescribe no where near that dosage. I had become seriously dependent on Xanax and burnt through a months worth of the new dose in a couple of weeks. I went through the worse withdrawal, and am lucky I didn't have seizures and die!!! If I take Xanax now I am very careful of dosages, etc. To be honest I am a little scared of it. I was very happy to have my pdoc prescribe propranolol because it is non-addictive.

Anyway, I am very hopeful that these tremors will go away with the brand name WB and they won't be an issue anymore. I am very glad that the headaches from the WB have gone away since I began taking it at bedtime.

[Sit-n-Spin]

drumn4state, Have you been to a pain specialist? I've had so much muscle tension in my neck and headaches, too. I was referred to one who found I have osteoarthritis in my neck. I had no idea! I think when you have other problems people just chalk it all up to stress forgetting that sometimes there can be something wrong that has nothing to do with your stress. She gave me shots in between the vertebra, which lasts about six months. Next time we might do some sore of radio frequency thing. So, while I still have muscle pain and other types of headaches, a lot of the pain in my neck is gone, which certainly helps.

[drumn4state]

Sit-n-Spin -

I haven't been to a pain specialist, but I recently had new x-rays, and was checked for arthritis and the doc said I had good bones, with no signs of osteoarthritis, the problem is my bones are going the wrong way. I was in an atv accident where I went off the side of a short cliff and landed with the atv on top of me. I landed on my neck and back and I clearly remember hearing pops when I landed. I broke both arms and my left collar bone and attributed the pops and snaps to that. Years later I went to the chiropractor and had x-rays. The x-rays showed that several vertebrae in my neck and back are twisted one twists to the left, the next twists to the right etc. These twisted vertebrae pinch nerves and blood vessels in my back and neck. Also, my neck curves opposite the way that it is supposed to, all of this was probably a result of absorbing the impact from that accident, I'm told. With the wrong cervical curve in my neck it pulls on the muscles on the back of my neck and back and that causes them to tense up and become rock hard. When I go to the chiropractor it helps, they can realign my bones, but if I don't keep going then it goes back to the way it was. Everyone that I have talked to say that there is nothing that be done, surgically or otherwise to fix the problems, it will just take on going chiropractic adjustments to keep the bones in line and keep the muscles from tensing up. The problem is that I don't have chiro coverage with my insurance and those charges add up fast. I always have to go twice a week for a couple of months to get it straightened out, but by then I don't have the money to keep going for the maintenance adjustments. So I wait until the tension gets unbearable and I start going again. I just started going back last week and he has me going twice a week just like the other docs had me doing. I have some money saved this time so I am hopeful I will be able to keep going past the realignment adjustments. I am definitely going to ask about injections. Maybe those could help as well. I have a lot of inflammation and swelling in the discs between the vertebrae, which in turn pinch nerves when I twist, etc. I am glad you mentioned injections, I will check on those.

[JenSMP]

drumn4state,
That's terrible! I'm sorry to hear you had such a tragic accident. That's really scary. Have you tried physical therapy? It really might help. It may or may not help long term, but insurance should cover it for a while. If nothing else, PTs can give great massages and do ultrasound for pain management.

[Sit-n-Spin]

Wow, that's a lot to deal with! I know what you mean about waiting until the pain is unbearable. I was diagnosed with (not sure I have) Fibromyalgia years ago, and whatever that pain is a good massage really helps. But, not covered by insurance and expensive. So, I'd wait until it was really horrible then have to go the first time for a 90 minute session because it took me the first 30 minutes to relax enough to enjoy the next hour and probably for it to work. Then I'd go back for an hour session the next time. Two would usually do it, but very expensive. For Christmas at a family gift exchange we were asked to give a list of three things we'd like. Mine were: 30 minute massage or 60 minute massage or 90 minute massage! I did get the 60 minute one, which I still have to use.

So, do you have a good pillow for your neck and a good chair and all that? I have a Tempur-Pedic pillow that is pricey (about $100 at Bed, Bath and Beyond), but there are others. Still, if it helps then it saves money in the long run. What I did not realize until I bought that one was that you should measure the length from your neck to shoulder (I think it was) to be sure to get the right one. And one side is a shorter roll that you use when you lie on your back and the other is higher for when you lie on your side. (By side I mean turning it around not flipping it over.) I had not done that correctly with the cheaper version I'd had years ago. I also have a inclined pillow that someone gave me for my reflux, but I do not sleep on it since I tend to turn to my side. Still, to use in bed or on the sofa while watching TV or reading it helps. And it can help to put a pillow between your legs while on your side; that helps align your hips, I think. Someone makes one for that purpose, but I bought a couple of really small (like baby version) pillows for about $5 each. I'm always changing around what pillow I'm using.

Have you tried any natural remedies for inflammation like turmeric? (Be sure to take with pepper for absorption; I just found a supplemental one with the pepper already in it.) And magnesium? I think this magnesium (400mg a day) I've been taking for about a week or so now is really helping me.

And JenSMP is correct that at PT (which I've done three times now over a decade) they can give you massage and moist heat treatments. And... I totally forgot about this, a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator) unit, which delivers electrical pulses to the muscles. I had that done at therapy years ago and now have a portable one. The fact that it slipped my mind and that I haven't been doing it lately is a sign of my improvement, I think. My insurance covered it. It's small and I can wear it on my belt/pants if I want. I also use one of those body bead massager, which is one of those things with wooden balls you roll all over your back by pulling on handles on each side like you'd dry off with a towel. I think it works by bringing blood to the surface, but I'm not sure. You can find those at bed/bath supply store, and they are inexpensive.

That's about all I can think of right now. I hope you get some relief. Keep us posted!

[sekaijuu]

Originally Posted by bomborwhack

Maybe you just need to hold out longer? I know how frustrating it is to wait. But I've taken 300 for long periods of time, and I felt like it was a bit much even for me. I remember last year when I was on it and I was lying in bed drifting asleep, i'd get these body "zaps" or whatever, where my limbs might just alll of a sudden spasm for a second (it wasn't scary though).

I do understand the general importance of holding out with meds of this kind of nature, but with my recent attempts again with Wellbutrin (this time with stimulants vs prior attempts when not on stimulants), I dunno if it was the combo or what but I couldn't hold out. Although primary reasons for Wellbutrin were smoking cessation and for easing stimulant comedowns due to them not wanting to give me Xanax... well, aside from the point, does work great for the comedown easing. But even with folic acid supplements which seem to help wonders with side effects... i couldn't take it. I was becoming an emotional wreck. wellbutrin has always affected me emotionally, but until this point it hadn't on this level.

Now I'm trying just one 150mg SR a day, instead of two, just for the stimulant comedown benefits.

Anyway, re your comment on body zaps.. recently, I noticed [amazed I never noticed before] that if I tried to take benadryl for sleep, I would get either mild vertigo when I close my eyes or random spasms, occasionally a full body one that felt like a seizure, I guess. Guess never noticed before, because I usually take Ambien [waiting on refill from doc--only gives them at appts, blah].

I was like, "nuh uh".