My husband takes Wellbutrin as an aid to quit smoking and he struggles with alcohol as well. I hadn't heard about the issue on giving it to alcoholics, but doesn't sound good. Maybe you could talk to your doctor on if you should continue to take it.

Maybe you need to be on an SSRI which is what my doctor put me on when I first quit drinking. It worked great for me as it got rid of those feelings of loss and isolation.

Wellbutrin increases dopamine in the brain and an ssri increases seratonin. Both play an important role in brain function. Both are feel good chemicals. Years ago I was on wellbutrin and I did not think it helped me much although I seemed to be able to stay more focused on the the things I was doing at work. I had to go on the highest dose for it to have any affect but the higher dose gave me trouble sleeping at night so I stopped taking it cold turkey.

What helped me was Pristiq which is an ssri antidepressant medication. It actually made me feel normal again and got rid of those feelings of despair.

I had been studying spirituality for the past few years which started with the 12 steps. I branched off into some other things and one day about 6 months ago, I heard a little voice in my head telling me I no longer needed antidepressant medication so I stopped taking it and I haven't had any since and no problems whatsoever.

I think you should tell your doctor what you just told us and maybe ask to try pristiq, just to see if it helps. It may help you stay sober by elliminating one of your triggers (depression)

God Bless

I remember wellbutrin, didnt fix me. I also remember antabuse, and all sorts of other anti depressants and anti anxiety and on and on. I really wanted to believe i could just take the magic pill and be cured. it basically was a dream.

The problem is centered in my mind. I need the disconnect that booze offered. I found that only by working thru the issues in my head and getting a better perspective on life did I find a happy sober.

I did have a dr that prescribed a mild anti depressant and I took it for like the first year of sobriety. It just sort of kept me in the middle.
Ask your dr. That was my problem, I never asked for help.

1is2many

If you've been drinking for a long time, then getting off alcohol can be an emotional roller coaster for everyone. Until you stabilize and figure out the "real you without alcohol", I think it's difficult to know whether you truly have a need for anti-depressant medications. I can't make a blanket statement about that, because I know that people with bi-polar disorder, etc, need the medications in many cases. But I would hesitate to start without having at least 30 days of sobriety under your belt.

Well but in worked for me for a long time. Now I have found that it makes me irritable. Everyone is differen, it worked well for me for until it stopped working about 5 years later.

I lost a post to airplane mode...damn it...but I take this antidepressant and it keeps me balanced....I like it have been taking it over 5yrs I think....still is effective to me....no idea about studies on it...the doctor is the one who knows more about medication than anyone else here....so talk to your doctor about the meds....I would never tell my doctor what I want to take...I let them tell me what they think will help me then I check to see if that was truthful or not helpful.....

Thank You All! This is a great deal of information and insight. I very much appreciate everyone's support. And I can tell you all that this does help. I stated earlier that I have never been involved in something like this group and already I can feel a sense of calm that wasn't present before about this fight to stay sober. So thanks again and I of course will be discussing with the doctor but remember it was a doctor that put me on it and I was just questioning if the alcohol interaction would do further harm to me. Thank you guys so much for the support.