Does anyone here know if Wellbutrin...

[dolo amber]

is one of those anti-depressants that are inclined to make you lose weight? Here's what I'm thinking...

It's already been established it helps you stop smoking (which I really really want to do...shortbus stopped this past week! :o:D) and now there's evidence it also helps some people with ADD. Which since Ritalin stopped working, mine is OUT OF CONTROL. :( And of course, it helps with depression which can only be a bonus in my case, so if it is in fact one of the ones that also tends to help with the weight loss thing...That would be like, a magic bullet! :D

Yes, before the *you should really be asking your doctor* posts begin, I realize that...I'm just looking for any personal anecdotes that might shed some light. ;)

Thanks! :hi:

[HFishbine]

1. All the things you mention

can be affected by regular vigorous exercise. Might want to give nature's way a try first.

[Chicago Democrat]

2. Wellbutren Sucks

It is the worst. Gave me siezures. Makes you feel totally bizaare and not in a good way. Avoid.

Quit smoking tobacco by picking up another vice instead smoke pot.

Instead do Effexor or Zoloft for depression and weight loss as they are rather speedy you really need therapy too with these drugs, please don't just "try" them; you need to be on them everyday to be effective and going off early can actually make you suicidal or dangerous.

I used the patch to quit smoking.

I used atkins to loose weight.

[Susang]

32. If you smoked pot while on Wellbutrin

That's why you had seizures. There's warnings all over the damn package not to smoke pot while on that drug, as it may cause you to have a seizure.

For people with ADD, Wellbutrin can be a very effective drug. It is not an SSRI, it affects dopamine, that's why it's more effective for ADD than other anti-depressants. Many studies have shown people with ADD to be deficient in dopamine production, that's why so many self-medicate.

[BiggJawn]

3. Donn't know about weight loss.

Don't have ADD, but it sure HELPED me stop smoking.
It will be one year on the 17th. I've not "relapsed", have had NO cravings, nothing.

[Deja Q]

4. DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!!!!

It can cause weight loss.

But not in everybody.

It does help people with ADD...

DANGER: If you're prone to seizures, any doctor prescribing this medicine to you is an outright quack. If you develop seizues and they don't listen, their licenses should be revoked. Period. I developed seizures. I got off the medicine after making enough of a snit. (F%$#ing doctors, they think that just because you need mental help, that you're a total idiot and they are gods who can miraculously cure you... x( ) Sadly, I redeveloped the seizure side-effect 2 years later, without the need of the wellbutrin.

(on edit: Before Wellbutrin, I had no condition involving or revolving around seizures... nothing. Zilch.)

I had been on a consistently high dose as well.

Be utterly careful with the stuff and don't take more than you have to.

Life as people created it for us is absolutely shitty. Instead of changing life to be more tolerable, they make people pop pills - which in turn fucks with their brain and body chemistries, while singing "We cherish life, yeah yeah yeah", please pardon my language...

BTW: Zoloft is Wellbutrin. Be wary of that name and use it nary.


Edit 2: homophones :crazy:

[Chicago Democrat]

9. Zoloft isnt Wellbutren

Wellbutren is that other one... the anti cigarette one.

Zoloft is different.

[Kat45]

10. Wellbutren is Zyban--that's the anti-cigarette one.

[Deja Q]

12. I checked on the internet:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=wellbutrin+zyban

And you're right. :-) Thanks for the clarification!

[GaYellaDawgDem]

20. Wellbutrin is Zyban...

or is that the other way around?? I took Zyban to stop smoking and it worked for a while. For the past several years I've taken Wellbutrin SR (exact same pill with longer name) to curb migraines and panic/anxiety attacks. Insurance would only cover the latter if my doctor swore I was crazy and was NOT trying to quit smoking (which as Wellbutrin didn't help with that at all).

Several years ago, pre-Zyban, I took Zoloft and it had some bad sexual side effects (like there was none). (My partner will leave me if I ever go back on that again...and after 10 years he's a keeper!)

HypnoToad, I'm glad you were finally able to get off of the meds and I hope you're doing much better now!

[proud patriot]

5. Wellbutrin is what I used for post pardem Depression

It worked really well .

[southerngirlwriter]

6. Personal anecdote...

Wellbutrin, back in the days when I had insurance, was a miracle drug for me. It helped me lose weight, controlled my insane OCD symptoms, and took the edge off my depression, even in the wintertime.

[darkstar]

7. Friend who tried getting on it

didn't hardly sleep a wink for nearly 4 days straight. Don't know if that is a typical side effect, but I would take it as an indicator of an increased metabolic rate. Still, agree w/ above, exercise is best. If you can get over the hump workout-wise, cigs begin to loose their appeal.

[Dogmudgeon]

8. The Original "Magic Bullet"

Dinitrophenol (DNP)

It works by making the mitochondria work a lot harder. It's the mitochondria that produce the body's energy and use up the calories. This process of speeding up the chemical reaction is called "proton de-coupling".

DNP was very popular during the Roaring 20s. A person could lose up to 10 pounds in a week without dieting. There was only one problem -- intense hunger, fever, anxiety, liver damage and death.

DNP is still manufactured, since it has a legitimate use as an insecticide. Amazingly enough, a lot of athletes are now using DNP to "make weight".

Usnic Acid and Flax Seed Oil have similar proton decoupling properties, and are safer, but not nearly as fast. They are currently the subjects of study.

--bkl

[Wickerman]

11. Wellbutrin acts a little "speedy"

for some folks. Hard to get used to. Your Dr should start you with a smaller dose and work you up. Being speedy, you may be inclined not to eat as much.

Good luck on the stopping smoking. Now would be the time if you are going to be on WB.

[dolo amber]

15. The *speedy*

is probably why it helps with ADD...;)

That wouldn't be so bad for me, fortunately. I am a bit concerned with the *seizure* thing some posters have mentioned...I've never had one but that's just...unpleasant to think about. x(

As for exercise, that's another step in the grand scheme. The way the head is working (or not, as the case may be) these days, I think it'd be better to see to some more immediate concerns first. Of course, I'd prefer to do the natural thing and not pop pills...and maybe I'm just weak-willed or something. But I feel like I really, really need to get a handle on the effects the rampant ADD is having on my life before I make any drastic changes, otherwise I'm jsut setting myself up for failure. :(

Baby steps. :)

[Chicago Democrat]

18. Please trust me on this one...

There are better ones than Wellbutren.

Zoloft is a nice one... Makes you like Spock, sexual side effects not all bad (more romantic, less potent) Huge side effect with alcohol.

Effexor is more recent, a Seratonin, Dopamine -and- Norepinephrin re-uptake inhibitor ( Most affect only seratonin and dopamine) expensive, and you can never stop taking it. I like it tho little effects,

[dolo amber]

23. I tried Zoloft

I've been on Ritalin (off and on) since age 4. Back *in tha day* when ADD was still just called "childhood hyperactivity". Around the time I hit 30, it'd stopped working completely, and I was a mess. Mood swings, depression etc. So the doctor I was seeing started prescribing anti-depressants, not realizing it was because the Ritalin was no longer working and it was a *circumstantial* depression, rather than a clinical one. This battle has been going on for years; I explain to the Drs that I need treatment for the ADD, they say "Well, we need to get your depression under control first" not understanding it's the ROOT CAUSE of the depression. It's unbelievably hard to be a normal, functional adult when your mind is spinning at warp speed 24/7. It's enough to depress anyone.

And....I've rambled. :D

Anyway, so yeah, tried Zoloft, made me feel like I was watching my life go by from outside my body. Prozac...made me so happy I wanted to stab out my eyeballs (like Ren with the happy helmet :D)... And now, again, the issue is the ADD, the fact I've been unemployed for almost a year...circumstances. A mild anti-depressant effect wouldn't hurt a bit, but I really dislike the *numbing* effect so many of them have...:(

I just want to be able to think straight in longer than 30 second increments.

[Beaker]

26. you ought to try pot...

it works for me.

[Beaker]

25. I have to disagree immensly

(but respectively...)I have been on both zoloft and wellbutrin, and was MUCH more satisfied with Wellbutren.
Zoloft has huge sexual side effects- you can get an erection just fine, but try having an orgasm...not. after trying for an hour or two you usually just give up in frustration- and I've talked to other guys who had the same experience with the medication.

the wellbutren didn't give me any seizure side-effects, I've never been a tobacco smoker- i was taking it for depression, and after a year and a half or so, i got to a point where it was no longer necessary, and have been pretty stable for a while now.

[Susang]

33. Effexor does NOT work on dopamine

I was taking it for almost a year, and yes, I did manage to stop taking it. Withdrawals are a bitch, but I have been Effexor free for four months now and feel much better without.

You seem to have an interesting take on anti-depressants, but I think you might want to do a little more research before giving out incorrect information.

[Wickerman]

19. there are some mild sleeping pills that a doc

can prescribe to get you to sleep. The name escapes me, but there is one that at about 10 mg takes the edge right of the WB. Wish I coudl think what its called - it started off in life as an anti-depressant, but in trials they found out everyone was sleeping...

Getting ADD under control is important and if chemicals give you a better handle then I wouldn't let a stigma about not doing it natural hinder you. You don't have to do it forever, just until you get on track. Oh yeah, you'll need to ween off when you quit, too. Its hefty stuff.

[Beaker]

27. Ambien perhaps?

I love the name "Ambien", or AM-bien, or "Good Morning" ...because they don't leave you with groggy side effects when you wake up.

[kckc]

13. yes it can help

It did for me anyway. My doctor said he has seen it in numerous patients- something to do with the part of the brain that controls cravings, hence the reason it is used to quit smoking. Just the 2 cents of my doctor and I...

[RoadRunner]

14. I took it for about a year, lost some weight and a lot of sleep.

Don't really recommend it, but it probably works differently for different people. Takes a week or two to start working.

[havocmom]

16. Be careful. What works for one can be posion of another.

It made me sucidal within 4 days of starting it. I am very chemically sensitive and meds usually work faster on me than most. I noticed the profound change in my emmotional state, thank goodness, and called the doctor fast. He went into full alert. When a drug like that works, it is wonderful but when it is not the right one for a particular person, it can get real serious real fast.

If you start taking it or any other pycho-active meds, stay tuned in to yourself and use the buddy system. Make sure your sweety knows you are taking a new drug and have him watch for any subtle change in your mood or 'tude.

[seaglass]

21. I had the exact same experience as did a coworker.

I used it to quit smoking and the same thing, within 4 days I was suicidal, it was the worst feeling I ever had in my life - my Dr. told me to immediately STOP.

I've never taken any kind of anti-depressant and though I'd like to try one, after this experience I am just too damn scared to.

[Beaker]

28. Indomethacin had the same effect on me...

afterward, i could describe the feeling as 'the express de-elevator to the dark and scary place'...but for the short time i was on it, i was in ba-a-a-d shape.

[tibbir]

17. I've taken Wellbutrin for 10 years.

It's the only antidepressant that works for me - and I've tried just about all of them.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

22. My experience...

Wellbutrin had no effect on my weight, did not make me speedy or give me insomnia, or help my depression.

Desiprimine -- an old tricyclic -- made me amphed up as heck and lose 20 pounds in less than 2 months. Unfortunately, it was around ten more than I really needed. No boobs and no butt. :(

[The Lone Liberal]

24. I took it to stop smoking.

Hell, I might have just as well been sucking on lifesavers. Sigh, I guess all that pharmacology in the 60s and 70s has rendered me immune.

[Elidor]

29. I got stoned off Wellbutrin

Which was damned inconvenient, because it was deadline day at work and I had to put in 15 hours. I took that stuff and a little while later - WHAM! - I was high. I understand it doesn't have that effect on most people.

Wow, you're a Ritalin kid, eh? I was prescribed meth as a kid for hyperactivity. Wish I could get some of that good shit today, haha. (Kidding - I don't like speed.)

My girlfriend takes Wellbutrin, and thank god. It has saved our relationship. She has...issues. Wellbutrin keeps her on an even keel. It obviously has a lot of potential, but I don't know exactly what to make of it yet. I'm suspicious of it. Why did it make me so high?

[GaYellaDawgDem]

30. Not sure about the high...

I wonder if the reaction is related to taking meth when you were younger? I don't really know I've taken a dose but I do know if I've missed a few.

So I can totally relate to your girlfriend, it definitely helps. My partner calls it my "happy pill"...if I miss a dose or two, he ain't happy.

:7

[Bat Boy]

31. I sing the praises of Welbutrin...

I went from smoking a pack and a half a day to four or five cigarettes a day.

As far as ADD, yes! Absolutely.

Of course I'm still distracted by shiny objects, but now they have to be really shiny.

[dolo amber]

34. Kick

And THANK YOU to everyone who has replied thus far, there's a lot of great info here to be considered. My dr. appt. is tomorrow, and I'd like to get as many stories as possible. :hi:

[Wickerman]

35. If Wellbutrin doesn't work don't give up

the prescription of MH chemistry is imprecise. It often takes a few shots. It can be frustrating when one of the drugs doesn't work because with different body makeups folks have different reactions. A good doc can get close, but can estimate wrong. Give it some time and if you aren't feeling better or improved, then talk to your doc and make a switch. He/She will work with you to get it right. Expect to feel weird for a day or two. If you can't sleep at night let your doc know and get some help there.

Good luck! :thumbsup: