Depression Support Group
Depression is a real and debilitating condition that is often misunderstood by family and friends. Its meaning can range from a prolonged period of sadness to an actual mental illness with specific symptoms. Find and share experiences with others who are going through the same struggles.
My body seems to hate Wellbutrin. I never get bad side effects from meds, but I always get them from Wellbutrin.
On just 75mg/day (not even the therapeutic dose), I had eye strain, flu-like symptoms, a dull headache that wouldn't go away (even with tylenol) and--worst of all--difficulty reading and writing complex material.
It would take me 3 times as long to understand anything I read, if I did at all. When it came to write, I could not do it. Could not elaborate any thoughts in my mind.
I'm off of it today and already feel better. I'm posting it in case someone else experiences this, they'll consider it might be the wellbutrin.
These are very uncommon side effects. Most people experience temporary nausea, insomnia, anxiety/feeling jittery, headache,....these symptoms that I had are a lot less common, but they happen.
Best of luck with Wellbutrin or anything you're trying,
On just 75mg/day (not even the therapeutic dose), I had eye strain, flu-like symptoms, a dull headache that wouldn't go away (even with tylenol) and--worst of all--difficulty reading and writing complex material.
It would take me 3 times as long to understand anything I read, if I did at all. When it came to write, I could not do it. Could not elaborate any thoughts in my mind.
I'm off of it today and already feel better. I'm posting it in case someone else experiences this, they'll consider it might be the wellbutrin.
These are very uncommon side effects. Most people experience temporary nausea, insomnia, anxiety/feeling jittery, headache,....these symptoms that I had are a lot less common, but they happen.
Best of luck with Wellbutrin or anything you're trying,
Was not good for me. I have heard from my Doctor that it will not help with anxiety either.
It does a good job for other patients, but ...................
Wellbutrin acts on Dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in movement. It is not surprising that it can cause those side effects.
This time around I was on a much lower dose, yet I did get occasional joint pain.
Too bad it didn't work cause I could have used the extra energy, alertness and reduced appetite.
On the other hand, I was not too happy to be on the maximum dose of Zoloft and a high dose of Wellbutrin for the long run. I am weary of artificially altering 3 chemicals in my brain for years. It just doesn't seem reasonable to me. What is the difference between that and doing street drugs?
I do take a Ginsing combo for alertness...and a bit of caffeine, but only first thing in the am....otherwise I have sleep problems. The Ginsing does not seem to increase anxiety, so it works well with my anxiety disorder. Go figure.
Just one thing....Zoloft, like other SSRIs, can lose its effectiveness over time in some people. It did with me, although I thought it was a great drug. Stopped my obsessive thinking and panic.
I was switched to Lexapro. However when Lexapro started to do the same thing, the Doctor dropped my dosage, then raised it again, to jumpstart its effectiveness.
Wish they tried that with Zoloft, because I felt it was more effective than Lexapro.
I talked with PCP just the other day about being on an SSRI for so long. He said studies show its a fairly benign line of drugs. So, that relaxed me a bit. And for now, I choose to believe him !!!!! LOL.
I hate being on medication long term too. But I hate depression more. I hate being on blood pressure medicine. And so it goes.
One day, maybe .............
I stopped the Wellbutrin 2 days ago and I still feel drained and tired. I was feeling like that before the Wellbutrin but it got worse after it. At least today I can think better so I can try and focus on my midterm. "Try" being the key word :) . My thinking is still not good.
What brand of Ginseng are you using? I've tried the shots (the little vials) but had no results. One cup of coffee in the morning helps me wake up, but I still struggle with energy/focus/alertness/clear thinking for most of the day...
SSRIs can lose effectiveness. My dr. told me it was very common. Never considered lowering then increasing the dose. I should consider that.
I actually think the maximum dose of Zoloft might be detrimental for me at this point. When I had more severe depression with a lot of anxiety, it helped me calm down. I wonder if now that I'm not anxious but tired, it is actually contributing to the drowsiness/tiredness. I want to try decreasing the dose--as you wisely suggested.
The tricky thing about these meds is that some of the side effects are so subtle and so similar to the symptoms of depression itself that it is hard to detect them. After years of being on and off SSRIs, I suspect they contributed to weigh gain, slower thinking, mild deterioration in memory, tiredness, increased need for sleep/strong reactions to sleep deprivation.
I always assumed it was the depression, but looking back it could be the Zoloft too. It is always good to consider whether some of the on-going symptoms might actually be side effects of the meds, especially when taking them long term.
If Zoloft worked better, can you switch back from Lexapro?