Drinking, Sobriety, & Wellbutrin (Bupropion)
Greetings everyone.
I don't know if this topic has been raised before, but I have a stern word of caution to anyone taking Wellbutrin and drinking, OR quitting drinking.
I've been taking Wellbutrin SR for years without incident. Never experienced any noticeable side effects, even while drinking heavily, or remaining sober for extended periods. However that all changed last saturday night.
I was out shopping and I felt okay, more or less. It's true I was exhausted, emotionally and physically, and under enormous stress. But that's really nothing new to me, and as I said, I felt reasonably well and alert. Not dizzy or delirious or anything like that.
Well, one second I was placing groceries in my cart and the next I was waking up in a daze on the store floor, with paramedics hunched over me. I had no idea what had happened, but apparently I'd collapsed and gone into a seizure. I was rushed to the ER, where they tested my blood sugar, gave me an ECG etc. etc, but could find no obvious cause for the blackout and seizure.
At the time, I was stone cold sober. No booze or illicit drugs whatsoever in my system. In fact, I hadn't had so much as 1 beer in the previous 5 or 6 days. Really the only 2 substances in my bloodstream were caffeine and Wellbutrin... which I suspect is precisely why I collapsed and had a seizure.
I've read warnings about how quitting drinking abruptly while taking Wellbutrin substantially increases ones risk of seizure, but I didn't think too much about it, since it's never before caused any problems for me, and I've never had a seizure for any reason.
I have no definitive medical proof to back up my suspicions, and for all I know at this point, I have a serious undiagnosed heart condition. But the more info I gather online, the more inclined I am to believe it was primarily the combination of Wellbutrin and sudden sobriety which incurred the blackout and seizure. Sure, it might have been a combination of that plus my lack of sleep and nutrition, plus caffeine, plus extreme stress... but I'll wager if we took Wellbutrin out the the equation completely, this never would have happened.
So I'm writing this warning in the hope it will help others avoid such a frightening and potentially life threatening experience. Just imagine how much worse this might have been had I been driving, or climbing stairs at the time!
If you're in my position, consult your physician(s) immediately and be completely honest about your alcohol intake and/or abstinence. If you've been a regular or heavy drinker (like me) for some time, quitting cold turkey while taking Wellbutrin might indeed put you at a very high risk for seizure, which will subsequently expose you and others to whatever dangers may accompany a sudden loss of consciousness.
Stay safe and best wishes to all.