I am looking to see if I am just a freak of nature when it comes to meds, because I gained weight on Wellbutrin.

*If you lost weight and love it, that's great, but I am looking for replies from the other side of the spectrum to see if I am alone in this.*

Hi Persephone,

Well, I lost weight at first. But now I have gained 5 lbs. Dont know if it is the Wellb. or that I havent been walking since I hurt my back or.....Im eating too much sweets.
What type are you taking and what is the dosage?

GS

Wellbutrin XL, 50 mg

takin 300 mg and have hardly any appetite... lost weight...

i don't believe it's the wellbutrin
wellbutrin is one of the anti-depressants proven to not increase weight

This sounds like what was said about Prozac years ago. When I was taking Prozac - I gained weight (especially after my dose was increased to 60mg/day) - but for the longest time I didn't attribute my weight problems to Prozac because I was brainwashed by the drug-company propaganda that a "common" Prozac side-effect was weight-loss. Seems like they heavily "advertised" weight-loss as a side-effect, by putting it in big, bolder type in the drug literature - while weight-gain was in much finer print (if it was listed at all). And of course the doctors helped propagate this myth by "assuring" patients that it wouldn't cause weight-gain like the older drugs, and by putting the blame on patients when they gained weight on the drug.

When my psychiatrist put me on Wellbutrin - she of course assured me that weight-gain was much less of a problem than it is with Prozac, Luvox, Effexor (all of which I had been on and gained lots of weight from). But on Wellbutrin (Buproprion), I'm having the same problem that I had with previous drugs - I haven't really gained weight on it (although I'm worried that my weight may be slowly creeping up - or will begin to do so...), but I have this frustrating inability to lose weight despite my efforts (exercise, watching what I eat). The scale doesn't budge downward ever - when my weight actually should be going down if my body were "working properly".

Wellbutrin was the only AD I was taking at the time...are you saying the 60lbs is all in my head?

It drives me nuts when I get on a med and gain weight and then I am told it's not the med, it must be something else. When I am off meds, I lose TONS of weight. I made this post to see if anyone else had gain weight, not to have people tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about in reference to my own body.

This post has been edited by Persephone78: Apr 18 2008, 05:48 PM

I know exactly how you feel. Over the many years I've been taking these "necessary evil" drugs - I've suffered from much frustration from gaining weight, and not being able to lose it (not as long as I'm on the medication). And on top of the tremendous frustration and distress that these drug-induced weight problems have caused me - I've often had to visit my doctors/therapists, and endure them telling me (or implying) that it is somehow something I'm doing to cause my weight problems - something that I'm not "taking responsibility" for.

I'm like you - I'm the one living inside my own body 24-7-365 - so I'm in a much greater position to know what's actually going on. Yet these doctors - having only seen me for about 0.00000001% of the total hours I've lived with these drugs in my system - sit up in their offices and try to tell me I'm wrong - and that these drugs aren't causing weight-gain. We're just the "crazy" mental patients - and it's as though they use our vulnerability against us in trying to convince us that we're not perceiving the problem correctly and are not "taking responsibility".

Oh - and I've also experienced rapid weight loss when I come off these drugs and they leave my system. The first two times I went off of Effexor - I got to the point where I was losing 3 pounds a week. (Unfortunately, I didn't have that type of weight-loss the third and possibly final time I went off Effexor - maybe because I'm older...or maybe my hormonal imbalances are worse-than-ever, maybe it's my liver....or something. But even though the weight-loss wasn't as rapid or as dramatic - I did manage to lose about 22 pounds this time, and I can never lose a single pound when I am on these drugs.)

This post has been edited by crossroids: Apr 19 2008, 02:15 AM

Yes, I gain weight on wellbutrin.
It's not unusual, though more tend to loose weight than to gain it.
For me, it increases my anxiety too.

Peace!

I started Wellbutrin in Sept '07 at 150mg, moving up to 300 mg in early Oct.
I have gained nearly 20 lbs. since. I am now working on my diet and increasing my walking.
If I take the 20 lbs off, I will be in good shape.
I would rather diet (I am an Atkins fan) than let go of the Wellbutrin.

Have fun!

I take 100mg SR Wellbutrin once a day for depression. Unfortunately, I had the side effect of gaining weight. Noticed it made me want to snack a lot which is not usual for me. I gained 12lbs and I'm trying to lose it now.

I have gained a considerable amount of weight, 35 lbs, since I have started taking this. Now I am figuring out what I can do to lose all this. I was never this heavy when I had both of my kids.

This post has been edited by sag28: May 13 2008, 07:47 PM

Most people don't gain weight on Wellbutrin. Bupropion is a phenylethylamine very similar to amphetamine (adderall) and methamphetamine (desoxyn). As with those drugs, it usually speeds up the metabolism (and heart rate, BP, etc)

However, as with any drug, some people have paradoxical reactions and experience the opposite effects.

I'm not saying that any of you are doing this, but if you think you can eat whatever you want just because you're taking a stimulant which is supposed to make you lose weight, you'll probably gain weight. In reality, most people do not lose or gain weight on bupropion.

Also, 50mg bupropion is a very low dose. I'm surprised you have any weight effects.

You could always consider trying sertraline (Zoloft). Sertraline, like bupropion, is typically weight neutral. Unlike bupropion though, sertraline is not typically known for making people lose weight.

If I were to switch antidepressants, sertraline would be my next choice. You can get it for $5 per month too if you shop around. My bupropion costs me $32 w/o insurance.

Persephone:
When did you last have your thyroid levels checked? Symptoms of hypo-thyroidism are weight gain and depression amongst others.
I had seen several psychiatrists before a new one said to me "First of all, let's check your thyroid" and blow me down if I wasn't hypo-thyroid. A bit of Eltroxin and not only did I manage to lose some weight, but my depression improved. One can only speculate how long the thyroid factor had been having a hand in there. It's not the full picture of my depression, but it's a significant part and I have levels checked at least once a year now.
Go and ask them to check, at least, your TSH and T4.
If your TSH is high and T4 low - that may be a contributing factor to the weight gain.

Ok, now I'll take off my nurse's hat and go back to being a depressive ;)

I too want to snack all the time. I have always liked snacks, but I think about it all the time now. I take 450 mg a day, but haven't lost any weight at all, but I do feel better on Wellbutrin. I just wished I could have had the side effect of loosing.

Has anyone taken diet pills with Wellbutrin? I know most everyone has lost weight, but not the case here.

I did, but I have PCOS and bupropion is supossed to help weight control but for me because I have PCOS it didn't help. It probably slowed down the amount of weight I put on usually but nope, still gaining weight. gosh stupid PCOS!

I can imagine gaining weight if I stay on it, because I have had this nausea, lightheadedness, dry mouth, headache feeling that makes me want more juice or almost makes me feel as if I need to eat something....in a way it makes me hungry more often, because my body feels depleted of something. I just really don't like the overall feeling this drug gives my body.

ive been on wellbutrin 8 days and i noticed right away i want to eat more

It's good to know that there are others that understand. It's so aggravating, I'm even trying not to eat/snack as much, but then that's all I think about and then snack.

Months of Wellbutrin XL at 300 mg did not make me lose weight. In fact, like others have mentioned, I sometimes felt like my appetite increased! I didn't gain weight either, btw.

The exact same thing has happened to me and everyone thinks I'm crazy! I've been taking it for 7 days and I feel famished all day long. I snack and eat regular meals yet I'm still starving. This is very unusual for me and if it continues I'm not taking WB anymore. This is ridiculous.

I'm on Welbutrin and Remeron, haven't gained weight, but haven't lost any either

Hi jeff_m,

What are the doses of WB and Rem are you on? I am on WB 150SR soon to go up to twice a day. Looking for a night med such as Rem to help with sleep. Is it working well for you? Thanks for any info you (or anyone else) can share. Thanks a bunch and best wishes.

~M