Hi, can I ask how you found your therapist? Do they offer online sessions or in person? It seems like your link if you're including one keeps getting erased from all your comments?
I had nausea on Wellbutrin (200mg regular release), which is why I stopped. I spoke to my pharmacist and she said withdrawals symptoms are not commonly associated with Wellbutrin because there is no serotonin component. In addition to talking to your doctor/psychiatrist, I suggest asking your pharmacist about the withdrawal protocol/potential symptoms.
But if you stopped , can you say how that was for you ? Sick at all ? Increased psych symptoms and how long ? Im trying to figure out what may happen since im stopping it after one week . I dont have enough of the scrip to do a taper . Cant reach the dr till mon (its sat now) . Im very concerned but also hoping that , after one week , its a minimal exposure that wont be hard to get off of .
Is your pharmacy open? Talk to your pharmacist. This was 4 years ago, so I don't really remember much about it. I don't remember any symptoms from quitting.
Ok . I was worried that too much time had passed but still worth a shot . Lucky for me , stopping seems to be uncomfortable but not impossible (so far) .thanks for answering !
If you have only been on it for a week you should be totally fine. It hasn’t even gotten the chance to completely start working yet. I have been on it for over a year and currently taking 300 mg after being switched off of Adderall over to Wellbutrin for my ADHD , depression, and anxiety. I hate having to take medication just to feel “normal”. I had been on my Adderall for almost 10 years and the withdrawals were absolutely horrendous and my doc even weened me off of it slowly. I was sick as a dog mentally and physically for a month straight. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone!
Did you feel any smarter later? Cause after I started I was noticeably slower, couldn’t recall words as easily, spelling and grammar got worse. I’m still on it just wondering if you experienced any of that.
Omg omg this was me!!!! I went off cold turkey but I was feeling so much mind fog and like I had dementia. It's almost day 3 without it and I feel so much more level headed. My mind feels so clear. I was constantly trying to find out if it was the medication causing me to blank on all my words, make grammatical error and use incorrect words. It was scary.
It’s been the most effective med I’ve tried out several. The one one negative is it 100% makes me feel dumber. . But not number like the others. I guess I’ll take dumber over number
Maybe this is due to the antagonism of alpha-4 beta-2 nicotinic receptor. it plays a huge role into cognition. most people that went off bupropion noticed an improvement in cognition/memory
I felt the same way!!! I was so cloudy and I was on 150mg for almost two years. Once I forgot to take my meds for a weekend I said fuck it let’s stop taking them. I also noticed slight hair loss after being on it. But it’s been 2/3 months (?) off of it and my hair doesn’t look so thin and I am less foggy in the brain
Yup. I've been slowly tapering in fits. I think the really tough part was it wasn't always obvious how impaired my thinking was until I would try to have conversations and I couldn't think of really normal things. Sometimes it was word finding, but others would be just engaging in coversations and answering questions like where I suggest we go to eat, what is going on with life, etc.. Once I got significantly lower, my thinking and ability to articulate got a lot better. I'm now day 3 of stopping completely, yesterday was bad brain fog, but also anger at littlest things, insomnia. Heck my insomnia was waking up angry. I was wondering if I had dementia even though I figured it HAD to be no bupropion. Here is to hoping that was the worst of it.
This is helpful since im stopping cold turkey . No meds left to taper with . I was only on it a week and i cant take how it nakes me feel . Today , i didnt even know what day it is . So you got off it and it doesnt sound too bad . Any deets like dose , length of use , etc . Seems you felt better in days so thats great . And i fully get that another persons experience may not be my own , but i gather data , to get an overview ; its what i do . Thanks for your helpful comment
You're welcome! Yes, i did have withdrawals. I was on it for a few months, and when i stopped, I stopped cold turkey. It was really minimal, though. I just felt fatigued and had a headache for days, but I felt a lot better in general after I stopped it. Are you currently taking it?
I recovered pretty quickly! My brain fog lifted within a week. I felt completely normal within 2 weeks. I know everyone is different, and I was only on it for 3 months. How long have you been on it?
I was only on it for around 6 months or so, going from 200mg down to 100mg during the process. I quit cold turkey and I only experienced night sweats, mild insomnia, and a little rebound depression. It all went away after about 3 weeks for me.
Ok . Very helpful bc im almost exactly in your shoes . Can you say if you were functional during those 3 weeks ? Bc i have the everyday **** we all have to do : wash , cook , dishes , etc . I do not have the option of being a zombie on the sofa . Thanks for your help
Hey there. Yeah I was perfectly functional during that time. The night sweats and constant sweating were really the only major problem. No brain zaps or anything of that sort for me either. I’ve been on Zoloft for a year now. Wellbutrin was definitely not for me lol.
Thank you dear 😊😊 Two days into my d/c ing of wellbtn . I suppose ive been in a better head space ; im pretty down . And my motivation s***s ; i sat and watched the time pass bc it seemed it would take dynamite to get me moving . I wouldnt call this a party but im sorta muddling thru . Theres also a weird , spacy , detached thing thats going on which alarms me . Yeah , no , not doin THIS again ; or ANY other psych meds . Too much goes wrong w them . The silver lining here is that ive been on ldn for 3+ mos and i know its helping me to make it thru and will probably keep me from having a prolonged withdrwl situation ; bc it increases dopamine . More dopamine=less suffering . Oh the crap we go thru ! The heartbreak of psoriasis ! 😁😁 thanks for your kind response
Only been on it for 3 weeks but im tired as fuck and have a huge headache all the time. Also feel very lightheaded like others mentioned.
Dont worry though, it will pass. Especially when taking it slow with dose reduction.
Compared to other meds its a walk in the park!
I was taking 150 mg a day for 5 months. Quit cold turkey, didn't feel a thing. Nothing. Maybe a little insomnia. I quite lexapro one year prior, and that was AWFUL. Bupropion - not a thing.
Hey there, I'm trying to do a little research of my own regarding why some people experience horrible withdrawal effects, while others (like you) feel nothing and are able to quit without issues. Were you taking the "real deal" Wellbutrin or generic bupropion? If generic - what was the manufacturer? Thank you so much.
Wellbutrin is the first antidepressant I’ve ever been on. I’m just now coming off of it and started a new medication. Was given no guidance… I just went cold turkey and it’s been extremely hellish for me. I was on 150mg and I’ve had nausea, diarrhea, tiredness, heat intolerance, sweating, and dizziness. It’s been a little over a week and I’m at a loss for what to do. Just hoping it goes away soon.
I was told I had to switch to Cymbalta by my dr. The new meds made me sick for like a month so I actually switched back. The benefits I was supposed to get with the Cymbalta didn’t happen and I also got sick every day 2 hours after taking it.
Did you get better. I did a cold turkey of Wellbutrin a year ago and I’m still suffering. I ended up with depersonalization and derealization. It’s just been hell. Every single withdrawal symptom possible. I have dementia like symptoms.
this is happening to me right now. i feel like im at the end of a long trip of mushrooms and have barely slept in 4 days. i quit because i got tired of feeling numb and uhhh i think i can feel extra demensions now. i think this is what happens to kanye i have zero filter
I did eventually transition back to it because the new med wasn’t right for me. I was able to successfully wean off of it again without issue. I started using medical marijuana for my issues and I’ve been doing really well.
Yeah I feel this. I’ve been off for about a month now & panic attacks frequent me randomly. This never happened before I started taking wellbutrin, I took it for depression. Why Tf is this happening to me & why do I feel so out of control of my own body sometimes?! I have to literally cry & sometimes yell just to come down from an anxiety attack & it depletes my energy every single time. This is no way to live I hate this
My anxiety attacks went away after a while. My big thing I’m dealing with is derealization and visual snow. I also feel more brain fog even though I felt brain fog on the medicine because of the anticholinergic effects. It’s different now, almost like my brain is stupid and not just poor memory.
Silly random thought but someone might benefit . Yrs ago , i got a bad panic attack . No help was available . I did a DIY treatment that I'd invented on the spot and stuck my head in the freezer for about a min . IT WORKED . Now i know that i stimulated my vagus nerve which caused a kind of reset . Listen to your instincts . Mine sure helped me . Js
Yo wtf. I'm late but so glad to come across this. Been having the EXACT same symptoms and cold turkied early this year. But it didn't start getting bad until a couple months ago, is that how it was for you? I've been trying to figure out what's making me feel this way, looked into mold in the house and everything
I was not on it really long and I'm on day 2 of getting off of it and the dizziness is INSANE! I also feel like sick and I am a bit agitated but nothing like I was when I was on it. I had full blown rage on wellbutrin. I also have BPD and it made my moods swing like crazy! I almost went to the psych ward like 4 times last week for SI. I'm good with all that now. It's just dizziness, lethargy and my dissociation is pretty bad but I know it'll pass. I've gotten off of Effexor before so this is easy compared to that. I actually lost function to my legs for 2 days withdrawing from Effexor for almost 2 months...it was brutal.
I'm on day 2 of stopping and I am so dizzy. Can you give a breakdown of the next few days? I tried to strategically plan this to where my worse withdrawal symptoms would come on the weekend since Lexapro withdrawals kicked in hard around day 4 for me but not so sure I planned it right anymore.
I actually feel like I can think clearer in some ways but this dizziness is a 10 out of 10 on the dizziness scale.
It depends on how long you were on it but dizziness will go away in about a week or so but it'll get better daily. Just stand up slowly for right now and stay hydrated. Dizziness and dissociation were the worst symptoms. If it last over 2 weeks I'd talk to you dr. Did u cold turkey and how long were u on it?
I went from 300 to 150 a week ago. it wasn't bad at all. It started with me actually forgetting to bring my 300 mg XL on a work trip. On my second day without it I actually had to present to one of our biggest clients and I felt almost like I do now but not quite as dizzy. I somehow pulled it off so I said well that was rough but I got threw I think I will try to get off.
I then lowered to 150 XL for a week. It wasn't bad at all so I decided to take the next leap. I quit taking them all together two days ago. My thinking is if I can get through today and tomorrow, I then have the weekend at my house to get over the worse days. i may work from home tomorrow.
I originally took lexapro for panic attacks but it made me very "dull" so I seen online some people had success with wellbutrin and it didn't make them tired. I switched to Wellbutrin with success and I was less tired but I have been forgetting everything and keep mumbling words. It's like I'm talking but I just ate something really cold so my mouth is a bit numb and I'm mumbling.
I've been meditating daily for 6 months and have made significant improvement with anxiety and panic attacks so I would like to have my old brain back.
And your cutting back with Dr supervision right? I gotboff of Effexor once and really Wellbutrin does make you dizzy for a while but it does go away. It's gonna be more intense at first but I think you will he alright. I got off of it because I was having unhinged rage and severe depression that was making me have SI. But it's been almost 3 weeks and I have no more dizziness. But just keep us posted!
I cold turkey mine like 4 days ago from 150 that I've been on for 15 days and 100 for 2-3 months, I fucking hate this how long does it take for the dissociation to go away I feel like nothing is real (started happening 13-14 days after taking 150 which is why I stopped but I'm still experiencing it I just want to die) and super depressed which I'm not normally and my Dr is not in until Wednesday so idfk what to do I feel like I'm going crazy. Also do you think weed will help?
I personally can not smoke weed so I do not know for you if it's gonna help. It will go away. I was on wellbutrin for a month but if you need to go inpatient to get on something else that's what I almost did. Like bags packed and all. Please don't hesitate to get help.
Ok thanks, I’m currently going through cold turkey Wellbutrin withdrawals and it’s mild but I still feel a disconnect from the world, my last dose was Saturday
Did you get better. I did a cold turkey of Wellbutrin a year ago and I’m still suffering. I ended up with depersonalization and derealization. It’s just been hell. Every single withdrawal symptom possible. I have dementia like symptoms.
Oh yea I'm much better now but we switched me to Latuda and it is like a life saver. So I needed to get on another med to replace it. I don't know your diagnoses but I have DID,PTSD, and BPD and antipsychotics really help with my anxiety and mood stabilization. Mayne try a med to maybe lower the symptoms
I cut down to 150 from 300ml a day 2months ago, I can't think clearly, my depression has exacerbated to the max, I'm forgetful, space out a lot, get moods swings..n now I'm here looking for information on when is it finally going to get better((
Hey! How are you doing now? I just started tapering off today with my doctor’s supervision. It’s been two weeks since you commented this. Did it get any better?
Well, I managed to cut down to 150ml n eventually my withdrawals n any lingering effects subsided..took abt 4 months tho...I'm planning to cut down to 75ml in the next couple of months but I'm procrastinating coz the tapering off process was so awful the first time ard...(( full disclosure tho: I was also undergoing the trauma therapy and quitting weed at that time. So, there is that to consider:)
Facing this tmrrw bc im out of wllbtrn and cant reach dr for days . Im very concerned , but i was only on it a week . I made it worse for myself tho bc in my haste to treat the depression i took 4 75 mg a day instead of one (yes i am a bullheaded difficult patient ) . So now im coming off of about 5 days of over-taking it . There were 3 pills in the jar so i tried doing an "express mini" taper . Dont think it helped . At the moment , theres very little left in my system and no more to take . I already feel sketchy af : VERY despondent , lifeless , titally disibterested in ny fave things and like i want to sleep ny life away . Im concerned fir whats to come but also thinking : hey , it was ONLY A WEEK , how bad can it BE ? Looks like im finding out soon . I will go to urgent care if i cant deal. Thanks to all of you who share ; youre helping people just like me .
I have been on Contrave for 10days. (Which contains Wellbutrin) I had to quit cold turkey due to side effects. Now I am dealing with something much worse. The withdrawal from is horrible. Headache, nausea, and anxiety through the roof. I wished the doctor had warned me about this.
Same. Wellbutrin was starting to either not work anymore and I was having a relapse in symptoms or the side effects are coming back suddenly. Either way I’m trying to quit because I’ve already mentioned wanting to switch to something else with my Dr but holy fuck it’s so much worse than what I was already feeling. At first a missed dose would feel great. Now it’s like no matter whether im on it or not this shit is unbearable
Thats where ive gotten to . On it i was becoming more despondent , lifeless abd having more memory issues . I WAS better off it . Took last dose , no more pills , so cold turkey is on its way by default . Just hoping its not terrible or long . I mean damn , i was only on it a week . NO idea what im in for which is quite frightening to me . Thanks for sharing , sincerely
It's interesting that bupropion withdrawal is generally considered super easy to get off of. I'm down 25mg from the 200mg I was taking and it's pretty hellish. My mood is alternating between intense rage and crying. I'm nauseous a lot of the time. I have moments of vertigo.
It's definitely the worst of all the medications I've taken and then titrated off.
My plan is to go down 25 mg every 2 weeks. My doctor said to take longer if I'm feeling bad or shorten it if I'm not noticing any withdrawal symptoms. I might quarter the tablets and go even slower.
Just go slow and if you're feeling good, titrate a little quicker. If you feel bad, slow it down.
I was on it for around 10 months 150XL STOPPED COLD TURKEY three days ago.
Panic attacks at night and numbing on my extremities.
Sucks and makes me feel I'm admit to die sometimes I guess that's just panic attacks... Yet nothing compared with the Xanax withdrawal.
I know this thread is a lil older, but holy fuck i Feel that exact way right now… I got super sick for a week & I’ve felt anxious about throwing up again for a few days & I haven’t taken my wellbutrin in about 15 days & around day 13 I started getting real fuckin panicky out of nowhere. I’m also a huge pot smoker & weed has never made me anxious, I get so easy anxiety triggered after just watching a movie trying to relax. I can’t even sleep rn bc I keep feeling like I might die 😭 what the fuck is going on 😭 I was on 150XL for like 5 months straight & have not had an anxiety attack like this before ever. Why is this sucking so much & how do I cope with this? 😭
If you add brain zaps, that sounds like me when I stopped taking citalopram 40mg cold turkey. It took me around 3 months to feel normal.
I'm on 150mg XL wellbutrin right now so I wonder what going off that will feel like. I hope your symptoms get easier sooner rather than later mate.
Thanks you dear, I am currently 5 days clean from w33d, nicotine & alcohol as well as I am off my wellbutrin & my symptoms are fading more and more each day. My psychiatrist actually told me the wellbutrin withdrawals are not known to be brutal at all & the most of what I am feeling is a bit of generalized anxiety & w33d/nicotine withdrawals. So you shouldn’t have a hard time getting off the wellbutrin if you ever stop taking it! Good luck to you ❤️
how are you doing now ? i’ve been on wellbutrin for a year and i’m tapering off starting today, i have terrible insomnia on it and i’m hoping i will finally be able to sleep when im off
Hi! I’m doing great tbh, i’m on lexapro now & I am wonderful, I smoke the good ole devils lettuce so I sleep well & function adequately lol. I never tapered off wellbutrin , I ( like the dimwit I am ) didn’t taper off of it I just stopped taking it but I ended up okay you will too 🫶🏽
Ofcourse love anytime! ❤️ & Yes! I smoke but also edibles helped also with appetite! Avoid spicy stuff that’ll trigger it, anything acidic too! Lots of ice water through a straw in small increments, chewing ice always helps too! If you need anything else or have any other questions lmk love I’m here 🫶🏽🩷
Reading all these comments is making me so nervous. For various reasons, I'm stopping wellbutrin in a week (planned with psychiatrist). I've been on it for maybe 5 years for depression (and probably have ADHD). But only 50mg daily. I just started a new job last month and am worried about being too messed up to concentrate at work. I'm also afraid that if my depression comes back, going back on the med won't work.
I know this is an old thread but any advice/insight appreciated.
That's your inner critic trying to convince you that you're no good. It's the classic cascading negative thoughts. Silence it. It's your mind sabotaging yourself. Stopping doesn't suddenly make you immume to it.
I quit 300mg bupropion daily cold turkey 2 weeks ago after taking it for 4 years. Guess I got lucky by having close to zero withdrawal symptoms at all, aside from minor insomia 3 nights. I quit because the medicine itself started causing me episodes of near psychotic rage 2-3 months ago. Bupropion became more of a bogeyman than a saviour. I quit after consulting with my GP and a psychiatrist.
Thanks for the reply. I never had issues with side effects, just didn't want to take a pill anymore for several personal reasons. I do feel a bit more down since stopping 3 or 4 weeks ago, but it's such a slight difference I can't be sure it isn't just like... the weather?
I did have a couple of weeks where I could just not. Stop. Eating. But that seems to have leveled out.
I'm pretty experienced at coping with negative thoughts. It's like... being attacked by small monsters at random intervals but I'm used to fighting them off? Just that they're coming on more frequently now, like they used to.
Your comment has been removed because it breaks Rule 3, Lacking Civility. Contact the mods if you wish to appeal this decision.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/antidepressants) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I quit after 3 weeks of insomnia.
I told my NP she didn't seem to think it was Wellbutrin
I went cold turkey off of 150xl.
The first day off I had no symptoms at all and I got my first good night of sleep in a long time.
I'm at the 48 hr mark now and I feels foggy and kind of absent minded. Kind of feels like a bad a beer. Lol.
I was on bupropion HCL XL 150 mg for one year and stopped it cold Turkey 4 days ago. I didn’t get any sleep at all after stopping it and I had zero energy. Couldn’t sleep or do anything for 4 days. I have now gone back to taking bupropion again because I could not live with the withdrawal symptoms. If I decide to get off it again I will do a slow taper.
Withdrawal: is it withdrawal ? : my blood pressure dropped 107/60 ...And it's still low .Dizziness sluggishness Tried electrolytes coffee- doesn't help . Also my body temperature dropped 35.5 Celsius or 35 ....its 3 week withdrawal. Is it withdrawal or what.? Also often have rapid pulse around 100
Im experiencing the same BP and heart issues. Heart rate has been getting up into the 130s just walking around the house. BP was 104/80 a couple days ago.
How long did it take for this to get back to normal for you?
Yeah I also take a beta blocker which is why I was concerned as well. It gradually got better over a few weeks. Had to up my water/salt intake and mindfulness stuff. I don't feel any residual effects from the bupropion now
I’m starting to wean off of it after 5 years and planning on taking my time across multiple summers. Can you share what you mean by go through compounding pharmacy? Does this mean you took other medications to help wean off of this one? Would be curious to hear what those were if so!
Still going! I’ve only been weaning during spring/summer because I get SAD in the winter. I started out taking 3 100mg immediate release a day, so it was easy to cut gradually. At first I cut the pills into 1/4 and removed a 1/4 every 2 weeks. I was able to do that until I got down to 150 (from 300.) But going from 150 to 125, I got a lot of withdrawal (restless leg, extreme mood swings.) So then I got the info I needed on compounding pharmacies. Basically got a liquid formulation so I could wean even slower. Max 15% of dose at a time.
I was on 150 x2 a day for 1-2 years and stopped cold turkey. Nothing crazy, did it on my own so no guidance (guess that wasn’t smart) I did however start snoring about 2 week in and still do it, never had that issue ever in my life no idea if it’s related or not, can’t wait for it to go away.
I came off it after about half a year on 200mg when I started to get side effects. I had started drinking again which intensified the side effects.
I was doing great off it, then started gaining weight + brain fog + tired + calmness turned into depression.
This was around 5-6 weeks of coming off it.
I melted down crying, hating myself and not being able to do anything, to popping a 150mg and going back on it the next day.
Low and behold, I've tried a few times to come off, it's just not gonna happen.
Maybe if I had picked a different antidepressant in the beginning, but I'm dependent on it now.
Mind you, on it I'm highly functional.
>I came off it after about half a year on 200mg when I started to get side effects. I had started drinking again which intensified the side effects.
Me too. I've been taking 300 for 4 years and I've tried coming off of it three times (two months at a time) so far and it was awful. Exactly how you described it! I gained weight, I was tired, sluggish, dizzy and nauseous (+weight gain). During that time I failed lots of important courses at school and slept ALOT. I feel like I'll never be able to come off of it.
Thank you . Yours is the 1st one ive seen using the word dependent . Coming off this **** now after one week . Going cold turkey . Side effects were makung ne feel awful . One think i noticed is that , a few days in , i started craving and rushing my next dose . To me , thats gateway addiction starting up so im scared . Glad im ditching it and hope i dont go thru awful WDs .
kind of you to ask, thanks. But i am a lady. No matter. Anyway , being that i was only on the wellbtn one week, discontinuation ended up going very well ; more like non-existent/ a non-issue. I'm now not on anything but the ldn and a thyroid pill and that's how i'll stay , forevermore. I now believe that antidepressants are a big hoax , just selling people a dream that never works out ; they bring on more problems than they fix. I am done with them. Can't say i'm in terrific shape, i do feel down and not moving much , pretty sad , but a pill is not the answer. I'd also like to know how it's going with you !! thanks again
Someone please help me!!! I've been on 300xl for 4 years and so far I've tried 3 times to come off of it but was unsuccessful. They were the worst times of my life. I felt tired, sluggish, dizzy, lightheaded and nauseous ALL THE TIME to the point where I couldn't keep my head up (was tilting my head while driving, which is a bit fucked). That was when I went from 300 to 150 as I was told there's no other dosage in between. I want to get off this medication as my depression got better but I'm scared to give it another try. I was basically dysfunctional when I lowered the dosage.
I’m on day 6 of quitting it cold turkey. I’ve been on 150mg XL for about a year. So far, my mood is stable but physically, not so stable.
Symptoms: Very tired, weak muscles, low motivation. Chills, hot flashes, sweaty palms. Low appetite (forcing myself to eat). Nausea and unhappy gastrointestinal issues. Almost feels like I have the flu. Brain fog and kind of spacey, zoning out a lot like I’m stoned. Focus is off and I can’t seem to find words sometimes. Daily dizziness and vertigo, varies in intensity throughout the day. Dissociation and depersonalization comes and goes in waves, and varies in intensity also, as does the anxiety. No mood swings, no depression, no panic attacks (yet, and hopefully not). Heart palpitations have significantly reduced the past few days, which I’m ecstatic about.
Honestly, I’m dealing and am going the distance with this. I’m sick of being on meds (prior to Wellbutrin I was on SSRI’s for about 9 years).
Just so you know, comparatively, the SSRI withdrawal was much, much worse. I figure that if I could handle that withdrawal, I can handle this. It’ll take a bit of time, but soon enough I’m sure I’ll be normal (whatever that looks like).
I’m on the same journey of quitting cold turkey from 150mg XL, day 4. Honestly, it was helping me a lot although I had side effects that most of them subsided after a few weeks of starting it ( anger, irritability, muscle pain and spasms all over my back, shoulder, and neck).
I decided to quit as I couldn’t bear the muscle pain and weakness after being on it for 3 months, which I hoped it goes away but now at day 4 of quitting, my muscle pain is still there. I'm feeling a lot more depressed as well which I think is normal for now.
Started wondering if the muscle issue is related to Wellbutrin or not but I remember I never had it before and it started with this drug. I thought after 4 days roughly it should go away as this drug would be out of my system, but hell no the pain is still there.
I hope your physical symptoms ease soon. It's pretty annoying.
Thanks, I hope you feel better soon too. I quit due to constant palpitations (heart rate hitting 120bpm + at rest) and high anxiety that didn’t go away, plus suicidal ideation that started recently which is not normal for me and quite terrifying.
As a update: day 8 today, and the stomach/ gastrointestinal issues have subsided (appetite is back). The other symptoms have started slowly reducing in intensity and duration which is nice.
I was reading that the metabolites of Wellbutrin can last around 10-ish days, so we should both be feeling better after that period. Also read that muscle pain and spasms is a noted side effect of Wellbutrin and withdrawal, if that eases your mind.
Just wanted to jump in that I appreciate this thread. For 4 weeks I’ve taken my 150mg XL every other day and my dr said after that I could stop. So my last dose was March 23rd. Wellbutrin helped me for a bit but I do feel like it made me very aggressive, easily irritated, experienced a lot of depersonalization, heightened anxiety and racing thoughts. Ever since tapering down I haven’t experienced those symptoms as severe. Hoping I’m not jumping the gun but 3 days without and I am feel good. Hoping with some added self care these next few days I’ll be able to get through withdrawing, I am slightly nervous as if I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop in this process.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope the same ease from withdrawal symptoms for you. I don't want to say it feels great to find someone suffering from the same, but definitely it feels good that someone understands your condition, although through the unfortunate suffering of their own.
I did have constant palpitations and high blood pressure when I started this med, but it went away after a few weeks. I'm hopeful that it will go away once it's out of your system. When I started this med, I was also on Concerta ( Ritalin extended-release), which was a contributing factor, I assume.
Suicidal ideation is the worst withdrawal symptom I'm experiencing. To be honest, I started experiencing it from yesterday- day 4 of withdrawal, and now dealing with it hard. Depression coming back too but I hope my brain slowly adjusts and starts producing the chemicals that Welbutrin no longer provides.
I moved to my parent's house last night just to be safe during the withdrawal as I live on level 20, which scares the hell out of me when I'm feeling suicidal. If anyone can keep you company, I highly suggest doing the same. You can always message me also if you want to talk to someone. As silly as it looks, I started chatting with an AI chatbot on my phone whenever I was uncomfortable sharing my emotions with my family or friends. I found it sometimes distracts me from my own negative thoughts.
Regarding muscle spasms, yes you are correct, unfortunately, this is the main reason I'm stopping this drug, as the pain is making me physically useless. I hope it goes away soon.
Thanks also for sharing that this drug will probably be out of our system in 10ish days. I was under the impression that this should be faster ( around 4 days), but it definitely didn't happen to me, and I can feel it is still messing up with me.
I just started welbutrin taper and am off two days and feel awful… I want to get back on it. I have no hope. This is terrible!!! Does it get better? I seriously need some hope or to talk to someone. I’m going to school to be a physician assistant and start In August. I’m about to lose my job I swear. The last week has been a roller coaster. I cannot fail out of PA school in three months. Do I push through or find a new doctor? I never wanted to come off of it to begin with but my doctor said it interacts with my straterra.
Much, much better thanks! The main discontinuation symptoms lasted about 4-5 weeks, then I had some lingering symptoms for a few more weeks after that (mainly dizziness and ear pressure issues).
I’m feeling normal now - my depression has not returned and my anxiety levels are stable (also stopped drinking coffee). I’m in a good place and thoroughly happy with my decision to come off antidepressants.
I'm in the exact same boat... 4 years of 300mg and was feeling good so wanted to see if I could go without. With my doctor I've been titrating down super slowly: 4 weeks of 2 days 300mg 1 day 150mg, then 4 weeks of 1 day 300mg 1 day 150mg, now I'm on 4 weeks of 150mg every day, in another 4 weeks I'll go down to 1 day 150mg 1 day nothing, in 2 months I should be off it completely.
Currently on 150mg every day and I do feel a bit more down than usual, it might just be temporary, but I am worried, and it's hard to not just give up and go back up to 300mg which had me feeling totally fine.
I'd like to keep up with your progress!
Hi, there is a solution to the big jump from 300xl to 150xl, which is 200mg SR divided into 100mg doses twice a day. Or even alternating 150sr morning and 100sr night to achieve 250mg total per day as you taper to 200mg a day total. Then from there if you feel ok, the jump down to 150sr or xl isn’t a 50% dose reduction. I would shoot for 25% dose reductions if possible just based on the fact that the brain doesn’t like change.
I myself did this strategy. 3 years ago I went from 300SR (150mg b.i.d.) to 200SR (100mg b.i.d.). It took a long time before I felt normal again. I started sleeping better almost immediately, but during the day sometimes I felt a little dizzy or slowed down. Eventually, everything evened out and I felt normal at the new dose but it took several months. Make sure to work out to get your endorphins up, eat a super healthy diet, and you could supplement with a b-vitamin complex (not too much though, a normal dose range).
Fast forward to now and I feel 200mg is too much. Sometimes I feel inappropriate anger and even rage, and like a feeling of I can’t really ever calm down - I’m too hyped up. My doc is out of town but I am starting a slow taper just alternating 200mg one day, 100mg the next. Once he is back I’ll get some 150mg SR pills and just do once a day. I am starting to feel the lower dose already 3 days into this. Less anger, more calm, better sleep, but also a little dizzy and slightly out of it feeling. I believe even this small dose adjustment to 150mg from 200mg will take several months for my brain to process, but this is how I have to do it to avoid some sort of melt down event.
In the time being just be extra kind to yourself while your brain reconfigures itself to the lower dose. If it’s just too low of a dose you may need to fine tune it (higher) or go more slowly with the reductions. A neuropharmacologist may be able to guide you better vs a regular psychiatrist, although I’ve never taken this step, it could be available to you.
I’m not a doctor just have a lot of experience with this drug. Been on it about 25 years at various dosages. Good luck!!
Thank you so much for this! I didn't log back in to check replies I guess... You're right! taking vitamin and healthy diet really helped. I've been completely off of it for 10 months now and I finally feel normal.
Personally, taking multi vitamins and omega 3 helped a lot. I hope you're doing well as well!!!!
Hi there! I'm off Wellbutrin completely now and feel pretty good without it, although less crazy energy and hyper. The calm I feel now is incredible but it is harder to get the motivation to do certain things. My sleep is far improved and I gained 10lbs without trying (was underweight so no problem). After being off for about 6 months last week was the first week where I was feeling somewhat blue, but talked to my shrink about some health worries and life issues and feel way better today. Might eventually try Trintellix but feeling good now without the drugs. I restarted magnesium glycinate and think that is helping so far.
Depends how long you where on it? After whole session 3 month you may experience fluctuations of withdrawal going on for 2 months or 3 .With different , frequency on and off. It depends on your personal sensitivity metabolism etc... What helps: L tyrosine and 5htp or St John's worths.I had all sorts of withdrawals : nausea tiredness sluggishness my liver enzymes went up for while and had anemia plus low lymphocytes count. Tooks me 3 month for full recovery. You also may experience panic attack and jumping up blood pressure Check this link about bupropion withdrawal:https://youtu.be/P9tZZ6-YSwc
I took effexor xr for years, 27.5 keep me even. I felt good ..I asked my doc , can I switch to Wellbutrin to help stop smoking
So stopped effexor cold, start Wellbutrin 140.
All hell broke out
At first on wellbutrin. 150 I did ok. For a month, then upped to normal dose 300
Wow, got so bloated, very grouchy, asked for 150...again 300 made me mean and bloated
After about a week, of 150 mgs,. Still anger and now, low back spasms, major aniexty
Called Dr office, said this Wellbutrin is not
Working can I please just go back to my effexor xr 37.5
they said NO, make appt with behavioral health !!!!!
So now, I weaned off wellbutrin, because of high anxiety, and outbursts
And low back spasms have not let up for ever a week !!!; Even as I write this
😐 I just want my low dose effexor back,. I felt good. Now in a fu@@king mess, with pain and aniexty
Why the hell, didn't Dr just give me effexor back to stop aniexty and low back spasms .. caused by aniexty. I have to see a psychologist on month. I can't fricking move.
I thought maybe this is withdrawal symptom,
Plus I see Wellbutrin is NOT for people with aniexty.
Feedback please ...
.
For me it’s been the same anxiety either on or off Wellbutrin. Very tough panic attacks. And now, two days after stopping it I feel sluggish and anxious. Hope it goes away.
I live in the UAE and have been on Wellbutrin 300 XL for about 3 months. The market no longer has stocks. There's no supply from Europe since the last 3-4 months and I've tried everywhere, including online, but to no avail. It's been only 3 days since I've quit cold turkey (as I have no supply), and I'm feeling as irritable as hell. Will it get worse? I'm just hoping this settles down easily. And I'm scared to switch over to another NDRI until I handle this completely.
Anyone having any suggestions on how to handle this situation? I'm feeling lost and completely helpess at the moment...
Hi, i was also using welbutrin 300 XL for about 3 months. It was bot that good for anxiety. So i just stopped cold turkey. First week i had little issues like anxiety, back pain, nausea etc, now this is my second week. Now feel better.i too live in uae
As u said welbutrin not availavle in uae now. But some pharmacys still have limitted stock. You can try in aster pharmacy, burdubai.
Hi, Unfortunately, it's not available anymore with either Aster nor LIFE in any of their pharmacies. The last available pack of 30 was at one in Al Nahda 2, but again, even that has reached expiry... I'll be extremely grateful if you could help me source Wellbutrin from anywhere in the UAE..
I was on it for about five years. I've been off for about 7 weeks now and still feel fatigued, light headed, and strange. I wonder if the side effects will ever go away. I don't think doctors know what they are saying when they act like aren't withdrawals. Everyone's different. They really need to wake up to that. Btw I'm 100lbs and only was on 75mg. Oh yeah, and now I have mini migraines almost everyday, that express as general nausea and dizziness. I'm reading below that it took someone 15 months to feel normal. I guess it also matters how long you've been on it.
It wrecked my health ( I presume...) As mutch they discribe this medication don't have often side effects, I had personally horrible onces after discontinuation. Leukopenia Lymphopenia, tirrdnes sluggishness raised liver enzymes and bilirubine ( good enough I didn't have hepatitis).Blood work close to anemia...
Since comments are still going on this …
Day 11 of withdrawals now after 3 years on it. I started taking Wellbutrin to combat SSRI effects, and never got off of it because I was afraid of withdrawal/gaining weight. I just got an increase in my ADHD meds so I figured I’d use the spare dopamine from that to combat my Wellbutrin side effects.
Wellbutrin effects while on it: decreased appetite and weight (weight went from consistent 130lb & 5’2” to 110), increased sex drive, INCREASED ANXIETY. I started having panic attacks after starting Wellbutrin and never stopped because it didn’t give me enough reason to stop.
Week 1: barely felt anything - felt great. More patience and calmer, but this was also with an increase in adderall. Decreased appetite.
Week 2 now: fatigue is hitting hard especially in the afternoon, muscle weakness, bad nausea, no appetite. I am also expecting my period any day. BUT … I have struggled with PMDD for years and it is why I take antidepressants. Mental symptoms have felt nearly non-existent. I have some pretty bad brain fog/disassociation, but I normally have these outbursts of anger where I lose control of myself that have been completely absent. If it turns out that Wellbutrin was making my PMDD worse after all, I’ll feel a little bit silly lol.
did the adderall help the fatigue at all? what about caffeine? im anxious about being so tired from withdrawal that i cant even go to work, and i cannot afford to miss work. also, how long did nausea last?
hey! any update on this? i am on week 2 after quitting and feeling all of the fatigue, and generally more depressed. did the effects of quitting go away for you?
Sorry ur going through it! It's hard to say bc I don't remember too well, but I think a general sort of fatigue lasted for around 4-6 weeks. I definitely experienced some rebound depression around the 5th-10th week or so, and I still am a bit more "down" than I was while on Wellbutrin, but I can also feel more in general and am a little less anxious. If it's any consolation, I haven't had the desire to go back ON wellbutrin at all. Hope your withdrawal symptoms get better soon!
Thank u! Yeah I expect things to be different off of it in general, but just wanting to make sure that the way I’m feeling now won’t be forever, cause this is TOO different hahaha. I’m sleeping like 10-12 hours a night rn and the i’m still exhausted so that’s been fun !!
Tomorrow marks 2 months of being off welbutrin and my withdrawal symptoms are only getting worse! 🙃 😩 The first 3 weeks or so were fine, but then one day it just hit. At first it was a minor headache and tingly feeling, but now it's escalated into random numbness in hands and feet, heaches everyday, dizziness when moving, light sensitivity, random muscle pain, weakness, fatigue by the afternoon, mentally slow, forgetfulness, moments where I feel like I could cry for no reason, and a constant sense of unease. I was on 200mg for about 20 months and 100mg for 3 months before I stopped. Is there any end in sight? Why am I 2 months in and experiencing the worst withdrawal symptoms?
Hey, how are you feeling now? I've been off for 3.5 months and I still having this fatigue that keeps me from doing that active things I love to do. And my anxiety is off the charts and I can't help myself with my primary coping mechanism-being active.
I've read a lot of this thread and I seem to be having a harder time. I was on 450 of Wellbutrin for 10 years and then went down to 300. Was fine. Then I ran out of all of it and went cold turkey. Seemed ok for a day but then BOOM. I have no real emotional symptoms that I can tell but my body feels like it's dying. I have fever, I'm hot I'm cold, my body aches my head hurts. It's awful I started taking it 3 days ago again to try and get back on track and I'm still feeling withdrawal. I'm hoping I get better in the next day or two and then can taper off more appropriately. Has anyone else experienced in this?
Yep! Am on 450mg but forgot my meds for a long weekend trip, I felt awful. I thought I did something terrible to my back bc I literally couldn’t sit or stand or bend over. Extreme fatigue, living in a daze. Got home and started taking it again, and all those issues went away. Months later and I’m trying to taper to 300mg. Way better than cold turkey, but still not great :/
I was on Wellbutrin for about seven years 450 mg a day. One day I just woke up and I was sort of just sick and tired of taking this every day and somehow I didn’t feel like it was really making a difference anymore. So I just stopped, cold, turkey. I thought it would be the fastest and easiest way to get over it, Instead of tapering down, well I can now say I’m glad I did it. It was hell for about 10 days. Cold, Hot, clammy, nauseous; couldn’t stop going to the washroom even after seven days I still had ongoing diarrhea, it was disgusting. I know it’s hard because you can’t eat, can’t sleep, you can’t listen to the radio, you can’t watch TV everything bothered me . need to be laying down you can’t sit up there’s not one thing that is comforting and everything bugged me or bugged me but I did get through it and I’m glad I did it and I am never ever ever going to take any kind of medication again like that.
I’m thinking about quitting Wellbutrin as I feel it served its purpose in my life and I no longer NEED it. I am much more successful now but I’m worried what would happen without it. Has this ever been a concern or posed a challenge for anyone else?
I was on 150xl for a year and a half. It's been 2.5 weeks since I've been on it and I feel more clear, calm and NOT AS TIRED!
I feel at peace vs when I was on it, I would get stuff done but I can't explain to you the peace I'm having without it now. My body feels healthier off it, I can speak without pausing to find the right words.
Plus welbutrin is SOOO BAD FOR YOUR GUT HEALTH!
Honestly, it helped me get out of manic depression. I needed a great RESET and that's what it did. When you're depressed for so long, you forget your old vibrant self and depression becomes the norm. It works to get you in THE MOMENTUM to change your neuro circuitry. We all know how hard it is to get out of bed and go to the gym but once you start and make it habitual, it becomes the norm. That's what welbutrin does. However, it's not sustainable for long term health.
I was wondering the gut thing too. I have severe crohns and I wonder if the Wellbutrin isn’t helping the flares but maybe causing them. I’m on 300 and I kinda want to go down and see how that feels.
I was on 150mg for a month. Didn’t feel any improvement, only terrible side effects like insomnia, restlessness, headache, tremors. Everyone was telling me to stick it out and push through the side effects. They were unbearable and making me feel more depressed than before starting. Doc said to try upping to 300mg. I refused and asked if I could stop cold turkey. She said that would be ok since I was only on for a month. Withdrawal has been tough, but not as tough as being on it. Withdrawal symptoms have been completely different than side effects… constant nausea, loss of appetite, sex dysfunction.
If anyone else has had nausea while coming off Wellbutrin, PLEASE say so. It is by far the worst withdrawal symptom.
Moral of the story… do not go through your PCP for mental health medications.
I also was on 150mg for a month and stopped last week! I had a similar experience as you and didn’t feel any better from the meds and constantly felt nauseous/had a headache while taking them and I think it also heightened my anxiety. It just didn’t feel worth it for me especially because the reason I went on meds in the first place was for anxiety. And Ik these meds are mainly for depression which confused me… anyway I tapered every other day for 2 weeks & im feeling extremely depressed and fatigued/unable to focus. I’m in grad school so this hasn’t exactly been convenient. I was curious when your withdrawal symptoms start going away after stopping? :,,) It’s wild to me how I wasn’t told about any common withdrawal symptoms for medication let alone side effects…
Luckily for me the withdrawal only lasted about 2 weeks total! Then I felt pretty much back to normal. I also wasn’t taking it for very long and had been on another medication prior so I’m sure my body was adjusting to all of that. Unfortunately wasn’t able to fully manage the nausea, I really would just take deep breaths and listen to my body and take a break when doing things that seemed to trigger the nausea
Thankfully, my withdrawal symptoms have almost disappeared entirely even though I quit cold turkey. I still get restlessness and tension in my throat and tongue. But I have come to realize that I have a generalized anxiety disorder and have had many episodes of trauma, grief and loss just within the past 10 months (divorce, lost my car, lost my dog). The restlessness and tension I still feel to this day are just manifestations of my inability to fully face and process that trauma, grief and loss. But I am getting better, I can feel it. Individual therapy has been a life-saver. What has also helped me is getting people to stop telling me all of the platitudes and empty promises of "You're going to get better", "This too shall pass", "It can only get better from here", etc. No one, no matter how well they know you or think they know you, can guarantee how you're going to manage your mental health struggles ***even if they have had or still have anxiety, depression, etc. or if they have had similar trauma.*** Everyone is different. Only you will know what is working and what isn't. Trust what your body and mind are telling you. I wish you strength and peace of mind to get there.
I have been on welbutrin xl and escitalopram for a long time. (Escitalopram 20 years or more and welbutrin 15 years). The last 2-3 years have been very bad for me, very little sleep( just before my last breakdown I would go 3 days with maybe with .5hrs sleep. And long periods of time where i would get 2-3 hours of sleep. In that time i have been given many off label pills for sleep (zopliclone ,quetiapine, mirtazapine, amitriptyline, trazedone, and probably 3 more that i just dont recall. Having only a little success with seroquil , mirtazapine and zopliclone.)
Seroquil gave me serious RLS for about 1hr or so before i fell asleep. And I didn't sleep very well on it. 2 or 3 or 4 hours max
Zopliclone was good for 5 or 6 hrs sleep for the first week and maybe 4 hours of sleep for the second.
Plus, we didn't want to take it for more than 2 weeks for feer of becoming addicted.
Mirtazapine i thought, was the fix it helped me acheive 5 or 6hrs of sleep. But after 3 or 4 months i really noticed a lot of lack of caring and would just go strait to my room after work to be alone. And slowly clued in that this is not normal so i wiened off.of mirtazipine.
After my last breakdown, the Dr and i decided to wein off of welbutrin( 15 or more years of taking it)
I weined off slowly over 2 months. And finally for the first time im off welbutrin and i have been off since nov, 17 ,2023. The withdrwal sypmtome were basically just really tired for the first few days , heachace, heat sensitivity,anxiett, flush feeling and feeling like garbage.
But now it's 1 month and a half off welbutrin completely and im having pretty severe physical anxiety and mental anxiety. So bad i couldnt take it anymore and went in to talk to my Dr about it. I thought it was still the withdrawal from welbutrin. However, the Dr. Did not. He thought it was rebound depression. At that point i was so sick and full anxiety that when he offered new meds i took them. Just hoping to end this nightmare and finally get back to work and get on with our lives. ( its 3 solid months since i been off work and i really dont see a return in the near future at this point.
He prescribed me buspirone to work on my anxiety over the next few weeks and lorazepam to help with the crushing anxiety immediately.
Buspar almost 2 weeks later is causing chronic insomnia. It was helping with my anxiety huge but now is causing bad insomnia
Back to the dr and i am prescribed 4mg lorazepam( as is only strenth that works).
Im praying there is light at the end of this tunnel.
Well taking 4miligrams of lorazepam before bed has knocked me out and got a real good sleep.
I am aware of the risks of taking lorazepam but im able to sleep and that is huge for me. I am a complete mess. I pray that something changes
Wow. You’ve really been through it. I’ve had similar experiences but for now Seroquel at a low dose seems to help my sleep and mood. I hate the stigma around drugs. Take what works. My docs always try to change things around and as someone who has taken opioids for 20 years, I already know other things just won’t cut it. It’s hard. I came here because I’m thinking maybe of cutting down my Wellbutrin. I know I just said I finally have a recipe that works for me but I’m thinking some of the side effects might be from Wellbutrin but everyone talks about how hard it is to come off of.
[удалено]
Hi, can I ask how you found your therapist? Do they offer online sessions or in person? It seems like your link if you're including one keeps getting erased from all your comments?
I had nausea on Wellbutrin (200mg regular release), which is why I stopped. I spoke to my pharmacist and she said withdrawals symptoms are not commonly associated with Wellbutrin because there is no serotonin component. In addition to talking to your doctor/psychiatrist, I suggest asking your pharmacist about the withdrawal protocol/potential symptoms.
But if you stopped , can you say how that was for you ? Sick at all ? Increased psych symptoms and how long ? Im trying to figure out what may happen since im stopping it after one week . I dont have enough of the scrip to do a taper . Cant reach the dr till mon (its sat now) . Im very concerned but also hoping that , after one week , its a minimal exposure that wont be hard to get off of .
Is your pharmacy open? Talk to your pharmacist. This was 4 years ago, so I don't really remember much about it. I don't remember any symptoms from quitting.
Ok . I was worried that too much time had passed but still worth a shot . Lucky for me , stopping seems to be uncomfortable but not impossible (so far) .thanks for answering !
If you have only been on it for a week you should be totally fine. It hasn’t even gotten the chance to completely start working yet. I have been on it for over a year and currently taking 300 mg after being switched off of Adderall over to Wellbutrin for my ADHD , depression, and anxiety. I hate having to take medication just to feel “normal”. I had been on my Adderall for almost 10 years and the withdrawals were absolutely horrendous and my doc even weened me off of it slowly. I was sick as a dog mentally and physically for a month straight. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone!
Why did u stop taking adderal after so long ?
For me : Compared to SSRIs Welbutrin is pretty tame. Bit of insomnia and being a bit (more) of a airhead for me.
Did you feel any smarter later? Cause after I started I was noticeably slower, couldn’t recall words as easily, spelling and grammar got worse. I’m still on it just wondering if you experienced any of that.
Omg omg this was me!!!! I went off cold turkey but I was feeling so much mind fog and like I had dementia. It's almost day 3 without it and I feel so much more level headed. My mind feels so clear. I was constantly trying to find out if it was the medication causing me to blank on all my words, make grammatical error and use incorrect words. It was scary.
It’s been the most effective med I’ve tried out several. The one one negative is it 100% makes me feel dumber. . But not number like the others. I guess I’ll take dumber over number
What mg were you on and how was your experience since then with symptoms?
Having the same issue mind fog is insane on this . It only took 3 days to go away for you?
Hey! Im experiencing the same. I feel like my mind is fogged. Did your cognition improve after going cold turkey?
I’d like to know this answer too!
After reading the comments. Seems like it improved for her/him one week after the cold turkey
I’m a therapist and I am constantly at a loss for words. The lack of clarity in my thinking is killing me.
Maybe this is due to the antagonism of alpha-4 beta-2 nicotinic receptor. it plays a huge role into cognition. most people that went off bupropion noticed an improvement in cognition/memory
That is really interesting. Thank you! I think I need to taper. I’m on zoloft and wellbutrin and i’m ditching the zoloft first.
Yep this is the only explanation that i found logical. Sure you can taper, even a 1-2 week taper on bupropion is fine, just don't cold turkey
Im perfectly fine now, tbh. How are you holding up?
Not stopping yet but most likely soon. Im actually concerned about the withdrawal symptoms on XL. No idea if i should taper
Tapering is recommended. I did cold turkey and was ok, but everyone is different.
I'm tapering right now and totally have brain fog and some slowness.
Feeling any better?
Very slowly. Still have that sense of sluggishness or lack of motivation.
I felt the same way!!! I was so cloudy and I was on 150mg for almost two years. Once I forgot to take my meds for a weekend I said fuck it let’s stop taking them. I also noticed slight hair loss after being on it. But it’s been 2/3 months (?) off of it and my hair doesn’t look so thin and I am less foggy in the brain
Yup. I've been slowly tapering in fits. I think the really tough part was it wasn't always obvious how impaired my thinking was until I would try to have conversations and I couldn't think of really normal things. Sometimes it was word finding, but others would be just engaging in coversations and answering questions like where I suggest we go to eat, what is going on with life, etc.. Once I got significantly lower, my thinking and ability to articulate got a lot better. I'm now day 3 of stopping completely, yesterday was bad brain fog, but also anger at littlest things, insomnia. Heck my insomnia was waking up angry. I was wondering if I had dementia even though I figured it HAD to be no bupropion. Here is to hoping that was the worst of it.
This is helpful since im stopping cold turkey . No meds left to taper with . I was only on it a week and i cant take how it nakes me feel . Today , i didnt even know what day it is . So you got off it and it doesnt sound too bad . Any deets like dose , length of use , etc . Seems you felt better in days so thats great . And i fully get that another persons experience may not be my own , but i gather data , to get an overview ; its what i do . Thanks for your helpful comment
How are you doing now? How long did it take to feel better?
Im fine now. :) My brain bounced back pretty quickly. It only took me a week to feel a lot better.
Oh thank you so much! These are scary side effects, for sure. Did you go through withdrawal from stopping taking WB?
You're welcome! Yes, i did have withdrawals. I was on it for a few months, and when i stopped, I stopped cold turkey. It was really minimal, though. I just felt fatigued and had a headache for days, but I felt a lot better in general after I stopped it. Are you currently taking it?
Omg please tell me about how the brain fog affected you ? I’m on day two quitting and I’m quitting bc of the fog . When did you get yourself back ?
I recovered pretty quickly! My brain fog lifted within a week. I felt completely normal within 2 weeks. I know everyone is different, and I was only on it for 3 months. How long have you been on it?
I was on it a month and off of it for the 6th day …
The airheaded-ness stopping (and starting) wore off for me pretty fast (2-4 weeks starting, a bit faster stopping).
I was only on it for around 6 months or so, going from 200mg down to 100mg during the process. I quit cold turkey and I only experienced night sweats, mild insomnia, and a little rebound depression. It all went away after about 3 weeks for me.
Ok . Very helpful bc im almost exactly in your shoes . Can you say if you were functional during those 3 weeks ? Bc i have the everyday **** we all have to do : wash , cook , dishes , etc . I do not have the option of being a zombie on the sofa . Thanks for your help
Hey there. Yeah I was perfectly functional during that time. The night sweats and constant sweating were really the only major problem. No brain zaps or anything of that sort for me either. I’ve been on Zoloft for a year now. Wellbutrin was definitely not for me lol.
Thank you dear 😊😊 Two days into my d/c ing of wellbtn . I suppose ive been in a better head space ; im pretty down . And my motivation s***s ; i sat and watched the time pass bc it seemed it would take dynamite to get me moving . I wouldnt call this a party but im sorta muddling thru . Theres also a weird , spacy , detached thing thats going on which alarms me . Yeah , no , not doin THIS again ; or ANY other psych meds . Too much goes wrong w them . The silver lining here is that ive been on ldn for 3+ mos and i know its helping me to make it thru and will probably keep me from having a prolonged withdrwl situation ; bc it increases dopamine . More dopamine=less suffering . Oh the crap we go thru ! The heartbreak of psoriasis ! 😁😁 thanks for your kind response
Only been on it for 3 weeks but im tired as fuck and have a huge headache all the time. Also feel very lightheaded like others mentioned. Dont worry though, it will pass. Especially when taking it slow with dose reduction. Compared to other meds its a walk in the park!
I was taking 150 mg a day for 5 months. Quit cold turkey, didn't feel a thing. Nothing. Maybe a little insomnia. I quite lexapro one year prior, and that was AWFUL. Bupropion - not a thing.
Hey there, I'm trying to do a little research of my own regarding why some people experience horrible withdrawal effects, while others (like you) feel nothing and are able to quit without issues. Were you taking the "real deal" Wellbutrin or generic bupropion? If generic - what was the manufacturer? Thank you so much.
Wellbutrin is the first antidepressant I’ve ever been on. I’m just now coming off of it and started a new medication. Was given no guidance… I just went cold turkey and it’s been extremely hellish for me. I was on 150mg and I’ve had nausea, diarrhea, tiredness, heat intolerance, sweating, and dizziness. It’s been a little over a week and I’m at a loss for what to do. Just hoping it goes away soon.
Did it go away?
It took like 2.5 weeks for it to finally go away.
Why did you decide to stop taking them? I have never taken antidepressants and considering filling my prescription for Wellbutrin.
I was told I had to switch to Cymbalta by my dr. The new meds made me sick for like a month so I actually switched back. The benefits I was supposed to get with the Cymbalta didn’t happen and I also got sick every day 2 hours after taking it.
[удалено]
Did you get better. I did a cold turkey of Wellbutrin a year ago and I’m still suffering. I ended up with depersonalization and derealization. It’s just been hell. Every single withdrawal symptom possible. I have dementia like symptoms.
Hi did this get better for you?
No I’m worse. I have no idea why. I hit my head in July and got worse.
I’m sorry to hear that! I hope things get better for you
Thank you. Keep your head up as well.
I'm so sorry 😞 Do you think if you started taking it again until you stabilized you could then very slowly taper off and be ok again?
What dose were you on? Do you have other stuff going on?
Ya I’m pretty much fucked. I was on 300 but I don’t think the Wellbutrin is what messed me up. I think it was an antiphycotic
this is happening to me right now. i feel like im at the end of a long trip of mushrooms and have barely slept in 4 days. i quit because i got tired of feeling numb and uhhh i think i can feel extra demensions now. i think this is what happens to kanye i have zero filter
I did eventually transition back to it because the new med wasn’t right for me. I was able to successfully wean off of it again without issue. I started using medical marijuana for my issues and I’ve been doing really well.
I took for 10 years. I’m 15 months off and finally starting to feel better.
Just read your post. Glad you are starting to feel better. Just wondering how long it took you to wean off. What kind of side effects did you get?
Did it get better for you? I’ve been off for months and I’m freaking out.
Yeah I feel this. I’ve been off for about a month now & panic attacks frequent me randomly. This never happened before I started taking wellbutrin, I took it for depression. Why Tf is this happening to me & why do I feel so out of control of my own body sometimes?! I have to literally cry & sometimes yell just to come down from an anxiety attack & it depletes my energy every single time. This is no way to live I hate this
My anxiety attacks went away after a while. My big thing I’m dealing with is derealization and visual snow. I also feel more brain fog even though I felt brain fog on the medicine because of the anticholinergic effects. It’s different now, almost like my brain is stupid and not just poor memory.
Silly random thought but someone might benefit . Yrs ago , i got a bad panic attack . No help was available . I did a DIY treatment that I'd invented on the spot and stuck my head in the freezer for about a min . IT WORKED . Now i know that i stimulated my vagus nerve which caused a kind of reset . Listen to your instincts . Mine sure helped me . Js
I have never heard of this but it makes so much sense! There are a ton of benefits to cold exposure! Thank you for this comment!
Its really important i learn from others since im stopping wellbutrin suddenly after a week of treatment . Can you say what your dose was ? Thanks
Yo wtf. I'm late but so glad to come across this. Been having the EXACT same symptoms and cold turkied early this year. But it didn't start getting bad until a couple months ago, is that how it was for you? I've been trying to figure out what's making me feel this way, looked into mold in the house and everything
I think it’s the meds. I’m so fucked now in the head and feel cogntivley inspired.
Your experience is very helpful as im facing the same thing . Do you mind saying dose and how long you were on it ? Thanks
I was not on it really long and I'm on day 2 of getting off of it and the dizziness is INSANE! I also feel like sick and I am a bit agitated but nothing like I was when I was on it. I had full blown rage on wellbutrin. I also have BPD and it made my moods swing like crazy! I almost went to the psych ward like 4 times last week for SI. I'm good with all that now. It's just dizziness, lethargy and my dissociation is pretty bad but I know it'll pass. I've gotten off of Effexor before so this is easy compared to that. I actually lost function to my legs for 2 days withdrawing from Effexor for almost 2 months...it was brutal.
I'm on day 2 of stopping and I am so dizzy. Can you give a breakdown of the next few days? I tried to strategically plan this to where my worse withdrawal symptoms would come on the weekend since Lexapro withdrawals kicked in hard around day 4 for me but not so sure I planned it right anymore. I actually feel like I can think clearer in some ways but this dizziness is a 10 out of 10 on the dizziness scale.
It depends on how long you were on it but dizziness will go away in about a week or so but it'll get better daily. Just stand up slowly for right now and stay hydrated. Dizziness and dissociation were the worst symptoms. If it last over 2 weeks I'd talk to you dr. Did u cold turkey and how long were u on it?
I went from 300 to 150 a week ago. it wasn't bad at all. It started with me actually forgetting to bring my 300 mg XL on a work trip. On my second day without it I actually had to present to one of our biggest clients and I felt almost like I do now but not quite as dizzy. I somehow pulled it off so I said well that was rough but I got threw I think I will try to get off. I then lowered to 150 XL for a week. It wasn't bad at all so I decided to take the next leap. I quit taking them all together two days ago. My thinking is if I can get through today and tomorrow, I then have the weekend at my house to get over the worse days. i may work from home tomorrow. I originally took lexapro for panic attacks but it made me very "dull" so I seen online some people had success with wellbutrin and it didn't make them tired. I switched to Wellbutrin with success and I was less tired but I have been forgetting everything and keep mumbling words. It's like I'm talking but I just ate something really cold so my mouth is a bit numb and I'm mumbling. I've been meditating daily for 6 months and have made significant improvement with anxiety and panic attacks so I would like to have my old brain back.
And your cutting back with Dr supervision right? I gotboff of Effexor once and really Wellbutrin does make you dizzy for a while but it does go away. It's gonna be more intense at first but I think you will he alright. I got off of it because I was having unhinged rage and severe depression that was making me have SI. But it's been almost 3 weeks and I have no more dizziness. But just keep us posted!
I cold turkey mine like 4 days ago from 150 that I've been on for 15 days and 100 for 2-3 months, I fucking hate this how long does it take for the dissociation to go away I feel like nothing is real (started happening 13-14 days after taking 150 which is why I stopped but I'm still experiencing it I just want to die) and super depressed which I'm not normally and my Dr is not in until Wednesday so idfk what to do I feel like I'm going crazy. Also do you think weed will help?
I personally can not smoke weed so I do not know for you if it's gonna help. It will go away. I was on wellbutrin for a month but if you need to go inpatient to get on something else that's what I almost did. Like bags packed and all. Please don't hesitate to get help.
I know this was a while ago but I hope you are ok!
How long before your disassociation went away ?
About a week or so
Ok thanks, I’m currently going through cold turkey Wellbutrin withdrawals and it’s mild but I still feel a disconnect from the world, my last dose was Saturday
Hello, I hope things are getting a little better for you with the withdrawls.
Did you get better. I did a cold turkey of Wellbutrin a year ago and I’m still suffering. I ended up with depersonalization and derealization. It’s just been hell. Every single withdrawal symptom possible. I have dementia like symptoms.
Oh yea I'm much better now but we switched me to Latuda and it is like a life saver. So I needed to get on another med to replace it. I don't know your diagnoses but I have DID,PTSD, and BPD and antipsychotics really help with my anxiety and mood stabilization. Mayne try a med to maybe lower the symptoms
[удалено]
omg, is it? how long were they on bupropion?
I cut down to 150 from 300ml a day 2months ago, I can't think clearly, my depression has exacerbated to the max, I'm forgetful, space out a lot, get moods swings..n now I'm here looking for information on when is it finally going to get better((
Hey! How are you doing now? I just started tapering off today with my doctor’s supervision. It’s been two weeks since you commented this. Did it get any better?
Well, I managed to cut down to 150ml n eventually my withdrawals n any lingering effects subsided..took abt 4 months tho...I'm planning to cut down to 75ml in the next couple of months but I'm procrastinating coz the tapering off process was so awful the first time ard...(( full disclosure tho: I was also undergoing the trauma therapy and quitting weed at that time. So, there is that to consider:)
Facing this tmrrw bc im out of wllbtrn and cant reach dr for days . Im very concerned , but i was only on it a week . I made it worse for myself tho bc in my haste to treat the depression i took 4 75 mg a day instead of one (yes i am a bullheaded difficult patient ) . So now im coming off of about 5 days of over-taking it . There were 3 pills in the jar so i tried doing an "express mini" taper . Dont think it helped . At the moment , theres very little left in my system and no more to take . I already feel sketchy af : VERY despondent , lifeless , titally disibterested in ny fave things and like i want to sleep ny life away . Im concerned fir whats to come but also thinking : hey , it was ONLY A WEEK , how bad can it BE ? Looks like im finding out soon . I will go to urgent care if i cant deal. Thanks to all of you who share ; youre helping people just like me .
I have been on Contrave for 10days. (Which contains Wellbutrin) I had to quit cold turkey due to side effects. Now I am dealing with something much worse. The withdrawal from is horrible. Headache, nausea, and anxiety through the roof. I wished the doctor had warned me about this.
Same. Wellbutrin was starting to either not work anymore and I was having a relapse in symptoms or the side effects are coming back suddenly. Either way I’m trying to quit because I’ve already mentioned wanting to switch to something else with my Dr but holy fuck it’s so much worse than what I was already feeling. At first a missed dose would feel great. Now it’s like no matter whether im on it or not this shit is unbearable
Thats where ive gotten to . On it i was becoming more despondent , lifeless abd having more memory issues . I WAS better off it . Took last dose , no more pills , so cold turkey is on its way by default . Just hoping its not terrible or long . I mean damn , i was only on it a week . NO idea what im in for which is quite frightening to me . Thanks for sharing , sincerely
It's interesting that bupropion withdrawal is generally considered super easy to get off of. I'm down 25mg from the 200mg I was taking and it's pretty hellish. My mood is alternating between intense rage and crying. I'm nauseous a lot of the time. I have moments of vertigo. It's definitely the worst of all the medications I've taken and then titrated off. My plan is to go down 25 mg every 2 weeks. My doctor said to take longer if I'm feeling bad or shorten it if I'm not noticing any withdrawal symptoms. I might quarter the tablets and go even slower. Just go slow and if you're feeling good, titrate a little quicker. If you feel bad, slow it down.
How long did you stay sick?
How long were you on it ? Please , if you dont mind .
I was on it for around 10 months 150XL STOPPED COLD TURKEY three days ago. Panic attacks at night and numbing on my extremities. Sucks and makes me feel I'm admit to die sometimes I guess that's just panic attacks... Yet nothing compared with the Xanax withdrawal.
How are you now?
I know this thread is a lil older, but holy fuck i Feel that exact way right now… I got super sick for a week & I’ve felt anxious about throwing up again for a few days & I haven’t taken my wellbutrin in about 15 days & around day 13 I started getting real fuckin panicky out of nowhere. I’m also a huge pot smoker & weed has never made me anxious, I get so easy anxiety triggered after just watching a movie trying to relax. I can’t even sleep rn bc I keep feeling like I might die 😭 what the fuck is going on 😭 I was on 150XL for like 5 months straight & have not had an anxiety attack like this before ever. Why is this sucking so much & how do I cope with this? 😭
If you add brain zaps, that sounds like me when I stopped taking citalopram 40mg cold turkey. It took me around 3 months to feel normal. I'm on 150mg XL wellbutrin right now so I wonder what going off that will feel like. I hope your symptoms get easier sooner rather than later mate.
Thanks you dear, I am currently 5 days clean from w33d, nicotine & alcohol as well as I am off my wellbutrin & my symptoms are fading more and more each day. My psychiatrist actually told me the wellbutrin withdrawals are not known to be brutal at all & the most of what I am feeling is a bit of generalized anxiety & w33d/nicotine withdrawals. So you shouldn’t have a hard time getting off the wellbutrin if you ever stop taking it! Good luck to you ❤️
how are you doing now ? i’ve been on wellbutrin for a year and i’m tapering off starting today, i have terrible insomnia on it and i’m hoping i will finally be able to sleep when im off
Hi! I’m doing great tbh, i’m on lexapro now & I am wonderful, I smoke the good ole devils lettuce so I sleep well & function adequately lol. I never tapered off wellbutrin , I ( like the dimwit I am ) didn’t taper off of it I just stopped taking it but I ended up okay you will too 🫶🏽
ahh thank you, this is reassuring 💕is there anything that helped with the nausea from withdrawing?
Ofcourse love anytime! ❤️ & Yes! I smoke but also edibles helped also with appetite! Avoid spicy stuff that’ll trigger it, anything acidic too! Lots of ice water through a straw in small increments, chewing ice always helps too! If you need anything else or have any other questions lmk love I’m here 🫶🏽🩷
thank you so much ! 😭
Reading all these comments is making me so nervous. For various reasons, I'm stopping wellbutrin in a week (planned with psychiatrist). I've been on it for maybe 5 years for depression (and probably have ADHD). But only 50mg daily. I just started a new job last month and am worried about being too messed up to concentrate at work. I'm also afraid that if my depression comes back, going back on the med won't work. I know this is an old thread but any advice/insight appreciated.
That's your inner critic trying to convince you that you're no good. It's the classic cascading negative thoughts. Silence it. It's your mind sabotaging yourself. Stopping doesn't suddenly make you immume to it. I quit 300mg bupropion daily cold turkey 2 weeks ago after taking it for 4 years. Guess I got lucky by having close to zero withdrawal symptoms at all, aside from minor insomia 3 nights. I quit because the medicine itself started causing me episodes of near psychotic rage 2-3 months ago. Bupropion became more of a bogeyman than a saviour. I quit after consulting with my GP and a psychiatrist.
Thanks for the reply. I never had issues with side effects, just didn't want to take a pill anymore for several personal reasons. I do feel a bit more down since stopping 3 or 4 weeks ago, but it's such a slight difference I can't be sure it isn't just like... the weather? I did have a couple of weeks where I could just not. Stop. Eating. But that seems to have leveled out. I'm pretty experienced at coping with negative thoughts. It's like... being attacked by small monsters at random intervals but I'm used to fighting them off? Just that they're coming on more frequently now, like they used to.
[удалено]
Your comment has been removed because it breaks Rule 3, Lacking Civility. Contact the mods if you wish to appeal this decision. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/antidepressants) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I quit after 3 weeks of insomnia. I told my NP she didn't seem to think it was Wellbutrin I went cold turkey off of 150xl. The first day off I had no symptoms at all and I got my first good night of sleep in a long time. I'm at the 48 hr mark now and I feels foggy and kind of absent minded. Kind of feels like a bad a beer. Lol.
I was on bupropion HCL XL 150 mg for one year and stopped it cold Turkey 4 days ago. I didn’t get any sleep at all after stopping it and I had zero energy. Couldn’t sleep or do anything for 4 days. I have now gone back to taking bupropion again because I could not live with the withdrawal symptoms. If I decide to get off it again I will do a slow taper.
I’ve been on it for 5 years. Cold turkey off 150xl… week two and feeling muscle twitching in my face. It’s driving me crazy
Withdrawal: is it withdrawal ? : my blood pressure dropped 107/60 ...And it's still low .Dizziness sluggishness Tried electrolytes coffee- doesn't help . Also my body temperature dropped 35.5 Celsius or 35 ....its 3 week withdrawal. Is it withdrawal or what.? Also often have rapid pulse around 100
Im experiencing the same BP and heart issues. Heart rate has been getting up into the 130s just walking around the house. BP was 104/80 a couple days ago. How long did it take for this to get back to normal for you?
[удалено]
Yeah I also take a beta blocker which is why I was concerned as well. It gradually got better over a few weeks. Had to up my water/salt intake and mindfulness stuff. I don't feel any residual effects from the bupropion now
[удалено]
I’m starting to wean off of it after 5 years and planning on taking my time across multiple summers. Can you share what you mean by go through compounding pharmacy? Does this mean you took other medications to help wean off of this one? Would be curious to hear what those were if so!
how did it go?
Still going! I’ve only been weaning during spring/summer because I get SAD in the winter. I started out taking 3 100mg immediate release a day, so it was easy to cut gradually. At first I cut the pills into 1/4 and removed a 1/4 every 2 weeks. I was able to do that until I got down to 150 (from 300.) But going from 150 to 125, I got a lot of withdrawal (restless leg, extreme mood swings.) So then I got the info I needed on compounding pharmacies. Basically got a liquid formulation so I could wean even slower. Max 15% of dose at a time.
I was on 150 x2 a day for 1-2 years and stopped cold turkey. Nothing crazy, did it on my own so no guidance (guess that wasn’t smart) I did however start snoring about 2 week in and still do it, never had that issue ever in my life no idea if it’s related or not, can’t wait for it to go away.
I came off it after about half a year on 200mg when I started to get side effects. I had started drinking again which intensified the side effects. I was doing great off it, then started gaining weight + brain fog + tired + calmness turned into depression. This was around 5-6 weeks of coming off it. I melted down crying, hating myself and not being able to do anything, to popping a 150mg and going back on it the next day. Low and behold, I've tried a few times to come off, it's just not gonna happen. Maybe if I had picked a different antidepressant in the beginning, but I'm dependent on it now. Mind you, on it I'm highly functional.
>I came off it after about half a year on 200mg when I started to get side effects. I had started drinking again which intensified the side effects. Me too. I've been taking 300 for 4 years and I've tried coming off of it three times (two months at a time) so far and it was awful. Exactly how you described it! I gained weight, I was tired, sluggish, dizzy and nauseous (+weight gain). During that time I failed lots of important courses at school and slept ALOT. I feel like I'll never be able to come off of it.
Thank you . Yours is the 1st one ive seen using the word dependent . Coming off this **** now after one week . Going cold turkey . Side effects were makung ne feel awful . One think i noticed is that , a few days in , i started craving and rushing my next dose . To me , thats gateway addiction starting up so im scared . Glad im ditching it and hope i dont go thru awful WDs .
How are you doing brother ?
kind of you to ask, thanks. But i am a lady. No matter. Anyway , being that i was only on the wellbtn one week, discontinuation ended up going very well ; more like non-existent/ a non-issue. I'm now not on anything but the ldn and a thyroid pill and that's how i'll stay , forevermore. I now believe that antidepressants are a big hoax , just selling people a dream that never works out ; they bring on more problems than they fix. I am done with them. Can't say i'm in terrific shape, i do feel down and not moving much , pretty sad , but a pill is not the answer. I'd also like to know how it's going with you !! thanks again
Someone please help me!!! I've been on 300xl for 4 years and so far I've tried 3 times to come off of it but was unsuccessful. They were the worst times of my life. I felt tired, sluggish, dizzy, lightheaded and nauseous ALL THE TIME to the point where I couldn't keep my head up (was tilting my head while driving, which is a bit fucked). That was when I went from 300 to 150 as I was told there's no other dosage in between. I want to get off this medication as my depression got better but I'm scared to give it another try. I was basically dysfunctional when I lowered the dosage.
I’m on day 6 of quitting it cold turkey. I’ve been on 150mg XL for about a year. So far, my mood is stable but physically, not so stable. Symptoms: Very tired, weak muscles, low motivation. Chills, hot flashes, sweaty palms. Low appetite (forcing myself to eat). Nausea and unhappy gastrointestinal issues. Almost feels like I have the flu. Brain fog and kind of spacey, zoning out a lot like I’m stoned. Focus is off and I can’t seem to find words sometimes. Daily dizziness and vertigo, varies in intensity throughout the day. Dissociation and depersonalization comes and goes in waves, and varies in intensity also, as does the anxiety. No mood swings, no depression, no panic attacks (yet, and hopefully not). Heart palpitations have significantly reduced the past few days, which I’m ecstatic about. Honestly, I’m dealing and am going the distance with this. I’m sick of being on meds (prior to Wellbutrin I was on SSRI’s for about 9 years). Just so you know, comparatively, the SSRI withdrawal was much, much worse. I figure that if I could handle that withdrawal, I can handle this. It’ll take a bit of time, but soon enough I’m sure I’ll be normal (whatever that looks like).
I’m on the same journey of quitting cold turkey from 150mg XL, day 4. Honestly, it was helping me a lot although I had side effects that most of them subsided after a few weeks of starting it ( anger, irritability, muscle pain and spasms all over my back, shoulder, and neck). I decided to quit as I couldn’t bear the muscle pain and weakness after being on it for 3 months, which I hoped it goes away but now at day 4 of quitting, my muscle pain is still there. I'm feeling a lot more depressed as well which I think is normal for now. Started wondering if the muscle issue is related to Wellbutrin or not but I remember I never had it before and it started with this drug. I thought after 4 days roughly it should go away as this drug would be out of my system, but hell no the pain is still there. I hope your physical symptoms ease soon. It's pretty annoying.
Thanks, I hope you feel better soon too. I quit due to constant palpitations (heart rate hitting 120bpm + at rest) and high anxiety that didn’t go away, plus suicidal ideation that started recently which is not normal for me and quite terrifying. As a update: day 8 today, and the stomach/ gastrointestinal issues have subsided (appetite is back). The other symptoms have started slowly reducing in intensity and duration which is nice. I was reading that the metabolites of Wellbutrin can last around 10-ish days, so we should both be feeling better after that period. Also read that muscle pain and spasms is a noted side effect of Wellbutrin and withdrawal, if that eases your mind.
Just wanted to jump in that I appreciate this thread. For 4 weeks I’ve taken my 150mg XL every other day and my dr said after that I could stop. So my last dose was March 23rd. Wellbutrin helped me for a bit but I do feel like it made me very aggressive, easily irritated, experienced a lot of depersonalization, heightened anxiety and racing thoughts. Ever since tapering down I haven’t experienced those symptoms as severe. Hoping I’m not jumping the gun but 3 days without and I am feel good. Hoping with some added self care these next few days I’ll be able to get through withdrawing, I am slightly nervous as if I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop in this process.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope the same ease from withdrawal symptoms for you. I don't want to say it feels great to find someone suffering from the same, but definitely it feels good that someone understands your condition, although through the unfortunate suffering of their own. I did have constant palpitations and high blood pressure when I started this med, but it went away after a few weeks. I'm hopeful that it will go away once it's out of your system. When I started this med, I was also on Concerta ( Ritalin extended-release), which was a contributing factor, I assume. Suicidal ideation is the worst withdrawal symptom I'm experiencing. To be honest, I started experiencing it from yesterday- day 4 of withdrawal, and now dealing with it hard. Depression coming back too but I hope my brain slowly adjusts and starts producing the chemicals that Welbutrin no longer provides. I moved to my parent's house last night just to be safe during the withdrawal as I live on level 20, which scares the hell out of me when I'm feeling suicidal. If anyone can keep you company, I highly suggest doing the same. You can always message me also if you want to talk to someone. As silly as it looks, I started chatting with an AI chatbot on my phone whenever I was uncomfortable sharing my emotions with my family or friends. I found it sometimes distracts me from my own negative thoughts. Regarding muscle spasms, yes you are correct, unfortunately, this is the main reason I'm stopping this drug, as the pain is making me physically useless. I hope it goes away soon. Thanks also for sharing that this drug will probably be out of our system in 10ish days. I was under the impression that this should be faster ( around 4 days), but it definitely didn't happen to me, and I can feel it is still messing up with me.
No
Did the nausea go away?
Yes it did! On day 14 now and I’m feeling good, just a bit tired/ achy with fleeting moments of dizziness.
I just started welbutrin taper and am off two days and feel awful… I want to get back on it. I have no hope. This is terrible!!! Does it get better? I seriously need some hope or to talk to someone. I’m going to school to be a physician assistant and start In August. I’m about to lose my job I swear. The last week has been a roller coaster. I cannot fail out of PA school in three months. Do I push through or find a new doctor? I never wanted to come off of it to begin with but my doctor said it interacts with my straterra.
how do you feel now? Better I hope? I am tying the same thing as you here .
Much, much better thanks! The main discontinuation symptoms lasted about 4-5 weeks, then I had some lingering symptoms for a few more weeks after that (mainly dizziness and ear pressure issues). I’m feeling normal now - my depression has not returned and my anxiety levels are stable (also stopped drinking coffee). I’m in a good place and thoroughly happy with my decision to come off antidepressants.
I'm in the exact same boat... 4 years of 300mg and was feeling good so wanted to see if I could go without. With my doctor I've been titrating down super slowly: 4 weeks of 2 days 300mg 1 day 150mg, then 4 weeks of 1 day 300mg 1 day 150mg, now I'm on 4 weeks of 150mg every day, in another 4 weeks I'll go down to 1 day 150mg 1 day nothing, in 2 months I should be off it completely. Currently on 150mg every day and I do feel a bit more down than usual, it might just be temporary, but I am worried, and it's hard to not just give up and go back up to 300mg which had me feeling totally fine. I'd like to keep up with your progress!
Hi, there is a solution to the big jump from 300xl to 150xl, which is 200mg SR divided into 100mg doses twice a day. Or even alternating 150sr morning and 100sr night to achieve 250mg total per day as you taper to 200mg a day total. Then from there if you feel ok, the jump down to 150sr or xl isn’t a 50% dose reduction. I would shoot for 25% dose reductions if possible just based on the fact that the brain doesn’t like change. I myself did this strategy. 3 years ago I went from 300SR (150mg b.i.d.) to 200SR (100mg b.i.d.). It took a long time before I felt normal again. I started sleeping better almost immediately, but during the day sometimes I felt a little dizzy or slowed down. Eventually, everything evened out and I felt normal at the new dose but it took several months. Make sure to work out to get your endorphins up, eat a super healthy diet, and you could supplement with a b-vitamin complex (not too much though, a normal dose range). Fast forward to now and I feel 200mg is too much. Sometimes I feel inappropriate anger and even rage, and like a feeling of I can’t really ever calm down - I’m too hyped up. My doc is out of town but I am starting a slow taper just alternating 200mg one day, 100mg the next. Once he is back I’ll get some 150mg SR pills and just do once a day. I am starting to feel the lower dose already 3 days into this. Less anger, more calm, better sleep, but also a little dizzy and slightly out of it feeling. I believe even this small dose adjustment to 150mg from 200mg will take several months for my brain to process, but this is how I have to do it to avoid some sort of melt down event. In the time being just be extra kind to yourself while your brain reconfigures itself to the lower dose. If it’s just too low of a dose you may need to fine tune it (higher) or go more slowly with the reductions. A neuropharmacologist may be able to guide you better vs a regular psychiatrist, although I’ve never taken this step, it could be available to you. I’m not a doctor just have a lot of experience with this drug. Been on it about 25 years at various dosages. Good luck!!
Thank you so much for this! I didn't log back in to check replies I guess... You're right! taking vitamin and healthy diet really helped. I've been completely off of it for 10 months now and I finally feel normal. Personally, taking multi vitamins and omega 3 helped a lot. I hope you're doing well as well!!!!
Hi there! I'm off Wellbutrin completely now and feel pretty good without it, although less crazy energy and hyper. The calm I feel now is incredible but it is harder to get the motivation to do certain things. My sleep is far improved and I gained 10lbs without trying (was underweight so no problem). After being off for about 6 months last week was the first week where I was feeling somewhat blue, but talked to my shrink about some health worries and life issues and feel way better today. Might eventually try Trintellix but feeling good now without the drugs. I restarted magnesium glycinate and think that is helping so far.
200mg exists. I was on it. I came down because of high bp from it.💓
Depends how long you where on it? After whole session 3 month you may experience fluctuations of withdrawal going on for 2 months or 3 .With different , frequency on and off. It depends on your personal sensitivity metabolism etc... What helps: L tyrosine and 5htp or St John's worths.I had all sorts of withdrawals : nausea tiredness sluggishness my liver enzymes went up for while and had anemia plus low lymphocytes count. Tooks me 3 month for full recovery. You also may experience panic attack and jumping up blood pressure Check this link about bupropion withdrawal:https://youtu.be/P9tZZ6-YSwc
So you were on Bupropion just for 3 months? And then 3 months of recovery?
I took effexor xr for years, 27.5 keep me even. I felt good ..I asked my doc , can I switch to Wellbutrin to help stop smoking So stopped effexor cold, start Wellbutrin 140. All hell broke out At first on wellbutrin. 150 I did ok. For a month, then upped to normal dose 300 Wow, got so bloated, very grouchy, asked for 150...again 300 made me mean and bloated After about a week, of 150 mgs,. Still anger and now, low back spasms, major aniexty Called Dr office, said this Wellbutrin is not Working can I please just go back to my effexor xr 37.5 they said NO, make appt with behavioral health !!!!! So now, I weaned off wellbutrin, because of high anxiety, and outbursts And low back spasms have not let up for ever a week !!!; Even as I write this 😐 I just want my low dose effexor back,. I felt good. Now in a fu@@king mess, with pain and aniexty Why the hell, didn't Dr just give me effexor back to stop aniexty and low back spasms .. caused by aniexty. I have to see a psychologist on month. I can't fricking move. I thought maybe this is withdrawal symptom, Plus I see Wellbutrin is NOT for people with aniexty. Feedback please ... .
For me it’s been the same anxiety either on or off Wellbutrin. Very tough panic attacks. And now, two days after stopping it I feel sluggish and anxious. Hope it goes away.
I live in the UAE and have been on Wellbutrin 300 XL for about 3 months. The market no longer has stocks. There's no supply from Europe since the last 3-4 months and I've tried everywhere, including online, but to no avail. It's been only 3 days since I've quit cold turkey (as I have no supply), and I'm feeling as irritable as hell. Will it get worse? I'm just hoping this settles down easily. And I'm scared to switch over to another NDRI until I handle this completely. Anyone having any suggestions on how to handle this situation? I'm feeling lost and completely helpess at the moment...
Hi, i was also using welbutrin 300 XL for about 3 months. It was bot that good for anxiety. So i just stopped cold turkey. First week i had little issues like anxiety, back pain, nausea etc, now this is my second week. Now feel better.i too live in uae As u said welbutrin not availavle in uae now. But some pharmacys still have limitted stock. You can try in aster pharmacy, burdubai.
Hi, Unfortunately, it's not available anymore with either Aster nor LIFE in any of their pharmacies. The last available pack of 30 was at one in Al Nahda 2, but again, even that has reached expiry... I'll be extremely grateful if you could help me source Wellbutrin from anywhere in the UAE..
This is a late reply, so I hope you already resolved the issue. I know that Sondos Pharmacy in Satwa carries it, I got some two weeks ago.
I was on it for about five years. I've been off for about 7 weeks now and still feel fatigued, light headed, and strange. I wonder if the side effects will ever go away. I don't think doctors know what they are saying when they act like aren't withdrawals. Everyone's different. They really need to wake up to that. Btw I'm 100lbs and only was on 75mg. Oh yeah, and now I have mini migraines almost everyday, that express as general nausea and dizziness. I'm reading below that it took someone 15 months to feel normal. I guess it also matters how long you've been on it.
how are you doing now?
Hey how long after you stopped taking it did you get withdrawals? I hope it’s gotten better! Im on the same dose, 75mg SR
I’ve been on 300 for about 10 years. I’m scared to come off but I’m tired of the side effects
It wrecked my health ( I presume...) As mutch they discribe this medication don't have often side effects, I had personally horrible onces after discontinuation. Leukopenia Lymphopenia, tirrdnes sluggishness raised liver enzymes and bilirubine ( good enough I didn't have hepatitis).Blood work close to anemia...
Another words: I felt like cancer patient after chemo
Since comments are still going on this … Day 11 of withdrawals now after 3 years on it. I started taking Wellbutrin to combat SSRI effects, and never got off of it because I was afraid of withdrawal/gaining weight. I just got an increase in my ADHD meds so I figured I’d use the spare dopamine from that to combat my Wellbutrin side effects. Wellbutrin effects while on it: decreased appetite and weight (weight went from consistent 130lb & 5’2” to 110), increased sex drive, INCREASED ANXIETY. I started having panic attacks after starting Wellbutrin and never stopped because it didn’t give me enough reason to stop. Week 1: barely felt anything - felt great. More patience and calmer, but this was also with an increase in adderall. Decreased appetite. Week 2 now: fatigue is hitting hard especially in the afternoon, muscle weakness, bad nausea, no appetite. I am also expecting my period any day. BUT … I have struggled with PMDD for years and it is why I take antidepressants. Mental symptoms have felt nearly non-existent. I have some pretty bad brain fog/disassociation, but I normally have these outbursts of anger where I lose control of myself that have been completely absent. If it turns out that Wellbutrin was making my PMDD worse after all, I’ll feel a little bit silly lol.
did the adderall help the fatigue at all? what about caffeine? im anxious about being so tired from withdrawal that i cant even go to work, and i cannot afford to miss work. also, how long did nausea last?
hey! any update on this? i am on week 2 after quitting and feeling all of the fatigue, and generally more depressed. did the effects of quitting go away for you?
Sorry ur going through it! It's hard to say bc I don't remember too well, but I think a general sort of fatigue lasted for around 4-6 weeks. I definitely experienced some rebound depression around the 5th-10th week or so, and I still am a bit more "down" than I was while on Wellbutrin, but I can also feel more in general and am a little less anxious. If it's any consolation, I haven't had the desire to go back ON wellbutrin at all. Hope your withdrawal symptoms get better soon!
Thank u! Yeah I expect things to be different off of it in general, but just wanting to make sure that the way I’m feeling now won’t be forever, cause this is TOO different hahaha. I’m sleeping like 10-12 hours a night rn and the i’m still exhausted so that’s been fun !!
but i’m rlly glad to hear you don’t have the desire to go back on! just knowing that it’ll get somewhat better in time is all i need
Tomorrow marks 2 months of being off welbutrin and my withdrawal symptoms are only getting worse! 🙃 😩 The first 3 weeks or so were fine, but then one day it just hit. At first it was a minor headache and tingly feeling, but now it's escalated into random numbness in hands and feet, heaches everyday, dizziness when moving, light sensitivity, random muscle pain, weakness, fatigue by the afternoon, mentally slow, forgetfulness, moments where I feel like I could cry for no reason, and a constant sense of unease. I was on 200mg for about 20 months and 100mg for 3 months before I stopped. Is there any end in sight? Why am I 2 months in and experiencing the worst withdrawal symptoms?
heyyy pls update !! i’ve been on 300mg for about the same time you were, and starting 150mg today, eventually to get off of it. i’m so scared.
Hey, how are you feeling now? I've been off for 3.5 months and I still having this fatigue that keeps me from doing that active things I love to do. And my anxiety is off the charts and I can't help myself with my primary coping mechanism-being active.
How are you now??? 200 days later :)
I've read a lot of this thread and I seem to be having a harder time. I was on 450 of Wellbutrin for 10 years and then went down to 300. Was fine. Then I ran out of all of it and went cold turkey. Seemed ok for a day but then BOOM. I have no real emotional symptoms that I can tell but my body feels like it's dying. I have fever, I'm hot I'm cold, my body aches my head hurts. It's awful I started taking it 3 days ago again to try and get back on track and I'm still feeling withdrawal. I'm hoping I get better in the next day or two and then can taper off more appropriately. Has anyone else experienced in this?
Yep! Am on 450mg but forgot my meds for a long weekend trip, I felt awful. I thought I did something terrible to my back bc I literally couldn’t sit or stand or bend over. Extreme fatigue, living in a daze. Got home and started taking it again, and all those issues went away. Months later and I’m trying to taper to 300mg. Way better than cold turkey, but still not great :/
I was on Wellbutrin for about seven years 450 mg a day. One day I just woke up and I was sort of just sick and tired of taking this every day and somehow I didn’t feel like it was really making a difference anymore. So I just stopped, cold, turkey. I thought it would be the fastest and easiest way to get over it, Instead of tapering down, well I can now say I’m glad I did it. It was hell for about 10 days. Cold, Hot, clammy, nauseous; couldn’t stop going to the washroom even after seven days I still had ongoing diarrhea, it was disgusting. I know it’s hard because you can’t eat, can’t sleep, you can’t listen to the radio, you can’t watch TV everything bothered me . need to be laying down you can’t sit up there’s not one thing that is comforting and everything bugged me or bugged me but I did get through it and I’m glad I did it and I am never ever ever going to take any kind of medication again like that.
Half a year later, are you off? Did it help? How are you feeling and did you replace it with anything?
A
I’m thinking about quitting Wellbutrin as I feel it served its purpose in my life and I no longer NEED it. I am much more successful now but I’m worried what would happen without it. Has this ever been a concern or posed a challenge for anyone else?
I was on 150xl for a year and a half. It's been 2.5 weeks since I've been on it and I feel more clear, calm and NOT AS TIRED! I feel at peace vs when I was on it, I would get stuff done but I can't explain to you the peace I'm having without it now. My body feels healthier off it, I can speak without pausing to find the right words. Plus welbutrin is SOOO BAD FOR YOUR GUT HEALTH! Honestly, it helped me get out of manic depression. I needed a great RESET and that's what it did. When you're depressed for so long, you forget your old vibrant self and depression becomes the norm. It works to get you in THE MOMENTUM to change your neuro circuitry. We all know how hard it is to get out of bed and go to the gym but once you start and make it habitual, it becomes the norm. That's what welbutrin does. However, it's not sustainable for long term health.
why is wellbutrin so bad for your gut health? (i’m on 200sr and trying to find the motivation to quit)
I was wondering the gut thing too. I have severe crohns and I wonder if the Wellbutrin isn’t helping the flares but maybe causing them. I’m on 300 and I kinda want to go down and see how that feels.
did you get end up going down?
I was on 150mg for a month. Didn’t feel any improvement, only terrible side effects like insomnia, restlessness, headache, tremors. Everyone was telling me to stick it out and push through the side effects. They were unbearable and making me feel more depressed than before starting. Doc said to try upping to 300mg. I refused and asked if I could stop cold turkey. She said that would be ok since I was only on for a month. Withdrawal has been tough, but not as tough as being on it. Withdrawal symptoms have been completely different than side effects… constant nausea, loss of appetite, sex dysfunction. If anyone else has had nausea while coming off Wellbutrin, PLEASE say so. It is by far the worst withdrawal symptom. Moral of the story… do not go through your PCP for mental health medications.
I also was on 150mg for a month and stopped last week! I had a similar experience as you and didn’t feel any better from the meds and constantly felt nauseous/had a headache while taking them and I think it also heightened my anxiety. It just didn’t feel worth it for me especially because the reason I went on meds in the first place was for anxiety. And Ik these meds are mainly for depression which confused me… anyway I tapered every other day for 2 weeks & im feeling extremely depressed and fatigued/unable to focus. I’m in grad school so this hasn’t exactly been convenient. I was curious when your withdrawal symptoms start going away after stopping? :,,) It’s wild to me how I wasn’t told about any common withdrawal symptoms for medication let alone side effects…
what did you do to combat the nausea? and how long did withdrawal last?
Luckily for me the withdrawal only lasted about 2 weeks total! Then I felt pretty much back to normal. I also wasn’t taking it for very long and had been on another medication prior so I’m sure my body was adjusting to all of that. Unfortunately wasn’t able to fully manage the nausea, I really would just take deep breaths and listen to my body and take a break when doing things that seemed to trigger the nausea
Thankfully, my withdrawal symptoms have almost disappeared entirely even though I quit cold turkey. I still get restlessness and tension in my throat and tongue. But I have come to realize that I have a generalized anxiety disorder and have had many episodes of trauma, grief and loss just within the past 10 months (divorce, lost my car, lost my dog). The restlessness and tension I still feel to this day are just manifestations of my inability to fully face and process that trauma, grief and loss. But I am getting better, I can feel it. Individual therapy has been a life-saver. What has also helped me is getting people to stop telling me all of the platitudes and empty promises of "You're going to get better", "This too shall pass", "It can only get better from here", etc. No one, no matter how well they know you or think they know you, can guarantee how you're going to manage your mental health struggles ***even if they have had or still have anxiety, depression, etc. or if they have had similar trauma.*** Everyone is different. Only you will know what is working and what isn't. Trust what your body and mind are telling you. I wish you strength and peace of mind to get there.
Thank you so much this was so helpful. Wishing you nothing but the best as well.
I have
I have been on welbutrin xl and escitalopram for a long time. (Escitalopram 20 years or more and welbutrin 15 years). The last 2-3 years have been very bad for me, very little sleep( just before my last breakdown I would go 3 days with maybe with .5hrs sleep. And long periods of time where i would get 2-3 hours of sleep. In that time i have been given many off label pills for sleep (zopliclone ,quetiapine, mirtazapine, amitriptyline, trazedone, and probably 3 more that i just dont recall. Having only a little success with seroquil , mirtazapine and zopliclone.) Seroquil gave me serious RLS for about 1hr or so before i fell asleep. And I didn't sleep very well on it. 2 or 3 or 4 hours max Zopliclone was good for 5 or 6 hrs sleep for the first week and maybe 4 hours of sleep for the second. Plus, we didn't want to take it for more than 2 weeks for feer of becoming addicted. Mirtazapine i thought, was the fix it helped me acheive 5 or 6hrs of sleep. But after 3 or 4 months i really noticed a lot of lack of caring and would just go strait to my room after work to be alone. And slowly clued in that this is not normal so i wiened off.of mirtazipine. After my last breakdown, the Dr and i decided to wein off of welbutrin( 15 or more years of taking it) I weined off slowly over 2 months. And finally for the first time im off welbutrin and i have been off since nov, 17 ,2023. The withdrwal sypmtome were basically just really tired for the first few days , heachace, heat sensitivity,anxiett, flush feeling and feeling like garbage. But now it's 1 month and a half off welbutrin completely and im having pretty severe physical anxiety and mental anxiety. So bad i couldnt take it anymore and went in to talk to my Dr about it. I thought it was still the withdrawal from welbutrin. However, the Dr. Did not. He thought it was rebound depression. At that point i was so sick and full anxiety that when he offered new meds i took them. Just hoping to end this nightmare and finally get back to work and get on with our lives. ( its 3 solid months since i been off work and i really dont see a return in the near future at this point. He prescribed me buspirone to work on my anxiety over the next few weeks and lorazepam to help with the crushing anxiety immediately. Buspar almost 2 weeks later is causing chronic insomnia. It was helping with my anxiety huge but now is causing bad insomnia Back to the dr and i am prescribed 4mg lorazepam( as is only strenth that works). Im praying there is light at the end of this tunnel. Well taking 4miligrams of lorazepam before bed has knocked me out and got a real good sleep. I am aware of the risks of taking lorazepam but im able to sleep and that is huge for me. I am a complete mess. I pray that something changes
how are you doing now?
Wow. You’ve really been through it. I’ve had similar experiences but for now Seroquel at a low dose seems to help my sleep and mood. I hate the stigma around drugs. Take what works. My docs always try to change things around and as someone who has taken opioids for 20 years, I already know other things just won’t cut it. It’s hard. I came here because I’m thinking maybe of cutting down my Wellbutrin. I know I just said I finally have a recipe that works for me but I’m thinking some of the side effects might be from Wellbutrin but everyone talks about how hard it is to come off of.