roadie58

Omigosh, been Googling Wellbutrin and came up with this. It's under this 'salon' website, I think it's against the rules to post links here or I would do that. But here's an important quote about sexual side effects.

At the same time Burroughs-Wellcome was hip-deep in damage control over the seizure report, the company also contracted with the Crenshaw Clinic in San Diego to study Wellbutrin's sexual side effects. The Crenshaw Clinic (now closed) was operated by Theresa Crenshaw, M.D. (now retired), one of the nation's most prominent sex and drug researchers and coauthor of the medical text "Sexual Pharmacology." Crenshaw and her colleagues gave 60 men and women suffering from low libido and difficulty with orgasm either a placebo or Wellbutrin. Crenshaw knew that the SSRIs and most other antidepressants cause sex problems. She expected the placebo group's sex problems to improve a little, and the Wellbutrin group's to get worse. But a strange thing happened: In the placebo group, 3 percent reported improved sexual functioning, but in the Wellbutrin group, the figure was an astonishing 63 percent. "To our knowledge," Crenshaw concluded in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy (1987), "these results represent the first demonstration in a well-controlled clinical trial of an improvement in sexual dysfunction due to drug treatment."

roadie58

Here's more

Bupropion hydrochloride SR is approved for the treatment of depression and is marketed as Wellbutrin SR® by GlaxoSmithKline. Bupropion hydrochloride SR is not associated with sexual side effects which are common to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) antidepressant treatment, and has been shown to reverse or minimize sexual dysfunction when patients either switch to bupropion SR or use it as an add-on to SSRIs. This is likely attributable to its enhancement of certain neurotransmitters - norepinephrine and dopamine - that affect sexual desire.

roadie58

okay, this is very cool. remedyfind website has individual experiences and ranking scales for many different medications. You can sign in and tell whether a particular post was useful to you. You can also make that poster you 'mentor' so you can recall that thread later.

Lots of the folks have been keeping a Wellbutrin JOURNAL so you can see what the effects were with time, how they changed their dosage, and/or mixed Wellbutrin with other Anti-D medications.

Great website, check it out!

historyteach

What is the website? You can post a link.
As for the sexual enhancing factors, I mentioned that on your other post. It does go away with time. Welbutrin XL is advertised on TV for that enhancment in an anti-depressant.
Shalom!

roadie58

Here's the link to first site

http://archive.salon.com/sex/feature...26/wellbutrin/

The last one is www.remedyfind.com

EDIT I just posted a review on the remedyfind website, it's under my same name.

roadie58

shameless bump for my Wellies thread (love that nickname, much easier to type)

does anyone have experience with this anti-depressant?

rock_me_back

I was on Prozac for 3 years with moderate results. I went to a new doctor who added the Wellbutrin Sr to my Prozac dose. I can not believe the change in my mood. I used to have difficulty even getting out of bed and now I can work full-time. Ijump out of bed in the AM ready to face the day. It has been a wonder drug form me!

Diana

roadie58

Thanks Rock Me, I'm thinking this is a really super medication.

Anybody else care to SHARE their experiences? Lots of folks viewing this, I have to think that some of you have some experience or you wouldn't read the posts.

Bozo

I tried Welbutrin, small dosage and I had severe side effects. I was dead tired but mind was racing from the meds, definitely did not like that.

The dry mouth was horrendous. If you have never had it, trust me you will know when you get it.

And then the fact that I became out of control irritable. I mean I was snapping at everyone and not realizing it.

I am currently trying to wean myself off of Zoloft 50mg. a day.

I ordered the book "The Diet Cure" by Julia Ross. I am going to pursue my mental health via diet and amino acid supplements.

michski

Very interesting stuff... thanks Michael

I am in the planning stages of quitting smoking. My brother (clean for 8 years) stopped with acupuncture and wellbutrin. I will most likely try it when I get back to California.... I hesitate only because I have poured so may chemicals into this body already that reading about the side effects made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. ( Re reading that last sentence signals to me that it's my disease talking!)

Thanks Shutterbug for the heads up about using it in connection with smoking cessation.... I can do it.

Michele

Wolfstarr

Wellbutrin XL helped me quit smoking 6 yrs ago.
I take it in combo with Prozac 20. Its been a great mix for me, and the libido is
back after adding the Wellbutrin. (I also have to add it's not just the Wellbutrin but the testosterone surge due to lack of estrogen...but that's another thread completely)
Bozo I've often thought of doing what you are, but more than a little apprehensive...
Great informative thread, thanks Roadie

Time4Change

I've been on Effexor XR for seven months now, and about four months into my treatment I noticed a huge drop in my libido, so my addiction therapist added Wellbutrin to the mix, and it definitely has helped. I don't notice many negative side effects, although I am annoyed by the nonstop crazy dreams I have every single night after night. I feel like I'm running around all night, ya know? It's weird. But, at least my head isn't so screwed up as it was. It's definitely helping my life, the combo of Effexor and Wellbutrin.

Bozo

I'll start a thread and share all my findings. Still waiting for the library to call about the book, should be in tomorrow. Mike

roadie58

I'm getting a basic understanding of these SSRI's and associated drugs. Correct me if I'm wrong, but looks like there are three neurotransmitters, Seratonin, Dopamine, and Nonepinephrine. Each class of drugs seems to work on only two of those receptors.

This might explain why it takes some experimentation to find the right drug for each person, or if you need all three receptors worked on, it would take a combination of two of the drugs.

Does this make sense?

roadie58

I don't know if it's the lack of sleep from my AA men's retreat or the Wellies, but I've been very happy lately, but still get snappy or irritable when something does not go my way. Like I got home and the TV was on the fritz and couldn't watch the football cames. Then my dear cats were happy to have me hope but I just didn't want to put up with them climbing on me and pestering me.

So that might be an adverse effect of the Wellies, I don't know. Lots of folks on the Remedyfinder forum said that this was intolerable.

roadie58

I don't know if it's the lack of sleep from my AA men's retreat or the Wellies, but I've been very happy lately, but still get snappy or irritable when something does not go my way. Like I got home and the TV was on the fritz and couldn't watch the football cames. Then my dear cats were happy to have me hope but I just didn't want to put up with them climbing on me and pestering me.

So that might be an adverse effect of the Wellies, I don't know. Lots of folks on the Remedyfinder forum said that this was intolerable.

roadie58

The jitters have just about gone away. I'm still on 2x 150mg per day as Dr. ordered. Speedy effects have slowed down, but sleep still a bit distrubed. Have had a few instances of nausea, tossed a bit of lunch one day, but not bad. The tinnitus has decreased significantly.

I think that I can get along with this drug. I might have gotten lucky and found the one for me on the first go. I read that only 30% of people get it right the first time. It's not the action that's in doubt, it's the side effects that cause so many people to give up on their anti-depressants. I've heard that having a spouse or attending therapy can really increase your ability to stay on these for a long enough term to have some significant effects.

Time4Change

Hey Roadie! Thanks for updating this thread regularly, cuz I'm really interested in how you're doing on the Wellbutrin. I'm halfway through my fourth month on them and I'm finally really feeling the return of my libido. I was getting discouraged a few months ago, but my doctor assured me to give them more time to take effect. He was right!

It's interesting that you mentioned the tinnitus. I get that, too. Never thought it was the Wellbutrin, though. Hmmm, I'll bet you're right. I used to get screamin' tinnitus when I was deep in my opiate addiction, too.

Do you have crazy dreams at night? Are you still having trouble sleeping?

Kelly

roadie58

Kelly,

Funny you should mention the sleep thing. Here it is 1:45 in the am and I'm typing like mad! The crazy dreams have subsided, in fact I've been sleeping completely through the night, which was rare for me. I did have a tough work day today and was bored and tired, so read Big Book and crawled to bed at 9. Just woke up with TV still on, so I really collapsed. But I have no doubt I can get right back to sleep until 6 or so.

The tinnitus is really bad. I'm a audiophile (massive very expensive stereo) and love music, so it is especially bothersome. It's mostly annoying though when it's very quiet in the house (I live alone). I usually just put some soft muzak on the bedroom stereo to mask the ringing in my ears.

I see that you're taking a SSRI that killed your libido. Glad the mix is helping you in that regard. I'm 47 and mine's always been strong (not good when you're single), and the Wellbutrin BOOSTED that! Uggghhhh.

Did you have any other side effects? I occasionally get the nausea, but the speediness and shakes are pretty much gone. I'm starting to feel the irritability though. What's the point of the Wellies if I'm happy but MEAN?~?~ I've been screaming at my kitties lately and that's not like me at all. I don't want to kill myself anymore, but am feeling mad at everyone and everything. Maybe this will also pass? Seems like I'm going through every side effect in the book for a few days.... Is this normal?

I go back to Dr. for return checkup visit on Jan 20. Will be interested to see what he says. Perhaps I can print out this thread to show him.

bushleaguer

Yes, it does make sense. It is very common for people to "ride the med-go-round" looking for the right one. Everyone's different in terms of biological make-up and therefore it can be a trial-and-error process to find the right medication.

Just to clarify, the "SSRI's" inhibit the reputake of serotonin. These would include Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft and Lexapro.

Wellbutrin is in the class called "SNRI's," as these target multiple receptors. Wellbutrin targets Norepinephrine and Dopamine.
There are meds that target all three neurotransmitters - Effexor and Cymbalta, for example. On lower doses, Effexor hits the norepinephrine and Dopamine. You have to reach a higher dose for it to kick in on serotonin (I don't know why).

I have been on most of these meds for Panic Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder. I struck out entirely on the SSRIs. I did give Wellbutrin a try (while not indicated for anxiety, my doctor thought it might be worth a shot as my options were then very limited) and the Wellbutrin didn't help. I did notice a great improvement in mood, so it worked very well as an anti-depressant. Problem I had with it was I couldn't sleep and I had too much nervous energy on it.

Good luck - sounds like this will be something that will work for you.