Hello, I'm new to Wellbutrin and am seeking feedback from those who have tried both the XL and SR versions of the med. I am a male age 42, taking WB 150 mg once daily and am starting my 4th week. I'm taking it for ongoing mild depression.. Working with my therapist I am hoping to be able to get enough benefit from the 150mg to not have to increase dosage up to 330mg's. So far so good, it seems like each week I feel slightly better than the week before. The only thing I do notice is that late in the day I can tell a difference in how I feel.

Seems like that happy feeling I get in the am starts to wear off later in the day which may be due to the type of WB I'm on? and also due to me taking it once daily. I'm assuming the WB 150mg XL version of the med might be released into your system more consistenly throughout the entire day making it a bit smoother?? Seeking feedback, from anyone who is using the WB XL and how they feel on it including the dosage? Also how it compares to SR if you also tried that too. Thanks in advance for your feedback.... Don

I've only taken the XL version, but even as smooth as that is, I still got the afternoon/evening crash for the first few weeks. It does smooth out over time, though. After a couple of months, the effects were pretty consistent.

Thanks for replying... Hopefully not too much of an adjustment to change if I do decide to give the XL a try..

I made a post a few days back about crashing in the evening. Mine was pretty bad/scary. My pdoc added in the second dose in the afternoon so that seems to have helped. However, she also had me try seroquel for sleeping last night, and that was TERRIBLE this morning/afternoon, so we'll have to see how having that second dose goes in the next few weeks :)

Also, I take SR, so it probably helps to have that extra one in the afternoon. If you're crashing might be worth talking to your doctor!

Oh yea, I did see that posting... My crash late day/evening is not so bad, it's just that more than anything I seem to get sleepy after feeling more energized during the morning, somtimes I'll feel depressed or like I can feel I'm coming down off the drug. It seems to me that if I'm only going to take 150mg 1 x per day then XL makes more sense for me to be taking since its designed for single dosage. I'm seeing a therapist who works with a psych doc, so next visit I"m going to try and get some input from them as to what is best.

What happens when you would hit that "crash" in the evening if ok to ask? Don

I would be feeling semi-normal and then just nose dive into depressed. To where I would be sobbing for no reason whatsoever, and couldn't stop for 1-2 hours. Then I was waking up and feeling better and wondering what the heck happened. I have never been to the point of actually being suicidal, but I was definitely in that "I'm never getting better, I'm screwed for life" state. One evening I called my mother sobbing, telling her how "I wish I had cancer instead of what I have," which is NOT me at all, I felt like I pretty much lost it.

Doing things like this is one of the reasons I was going on medication in the first place..... but I could literally feel my mood slide downward on that same time every evening.

Geez, sounds like I'm having similiar feelings in that I seem to hit this wall at like 7 in the evening where I feel really depressed out of nowhere with nothing specific bugging me... Well I need to get in and see my doc about trying the 150 xl so that maybe it lasts the whole day or doing the two doses of SR otherwise this seems like a real see saw ride for me every day. Plus I tend to get major anxiety within an hour of taking the med in the morning and I'm starting to think it's because each day I'm starting all over with getting the med into my system. I"m a bit discouraged but trying to hang in there with this medication... thanks for your response.. all the info people share on here is helpful.. Don

Hey Don, keep us updated! I seem to be having a bad few days, and I'm not sure if it's still the seroquel, which I am never taking again... But, I drank chai tea this morning like an idiot forgetting there was caffeine in it, and was REALLY agitated all morning. To the point where I was in tears in my therapists office when I my appointment earlier.... So lesson learned, caffeine bad :)

Perhaps this is the end to the supposive "honeymoon" I have been hearing about. The first week, minus the evening mental breakdowns were MUCH better, now I am totally down again.... we shall see where it goes I guess!

Hello Lindsey22,

Well here's the latest on my Wellbutrin SR adventures. Beginning week 5... I am keeping a daily log of how I feel on this medication and week to week reviewing to see if it is helping. I honestly feel quite good on the med from when I take it until it wears off late afternoon, early evening. Not every day but sometimes I don't feel so good after that 8 hr dose begins to taper off. I get mentally cloudy, depressed or sometimes very drowsy. I'm somewhat convinced after using the SR 150mg once daily that it was never intended to be used just once a day. I'll either need to start doing another 150 mg late day or try taking the extended release formulation of 150 mg to see if that helps. I swear that slowly as each week goes by my body is adjusting more and more to this medication in a positive way. I'm meeting with my therapist this week to discuss options to try out. I agree caffeine may not be good to have in the morning when taking this med.. I am trying to cut back on it because it can bring on the anxiety.

How long have you been taking this med? and what dosage again? How have things been for you lately on it?
I dont know much about seroquel or what it is used for? I am using Xanex on as needed basis to quell anxiety.

Don

I started on a 2nd dose of WB a few days ago, of course, my sleep has been very poor except for last night; I actually slept fairly well! Eureka! What I have experienced with the 2nd dose is that I have less anxiety in the afternoon and actually feel calmer. I believe if you're taking the SR formula then you definitely need a 2nd dose. But if you bump up, I would try a half tab, 75mg, for a few days or weeks until you get used to that. Seroquel, in my humble opinion, is bad news. I did talk my pdoc into rx'ing it for sleep based on the comments in this forum, since insomnia is a big problem for me--I tried it one, night, it didn't help, and the risks and side effects really freaked me out--is says that some of them are irreversible! Anyway it's an anti psychotic, for treating bipolar and schizophrenia--not for me!

Givemepeace: I agree about the Seroquel, my pdoc took it out of my cocktail. It seemed to be helping me sleep, but we also thought it might have been capping my mood and keeping it lower, since it's also a mood stabilizer. Also, I had a freaky experience after taking 50mg, so done with that.... And yeah, I have been taking the 2nd dose for awhile now. At first it really helped in the afternoon, but now after 2 weeks I'm back feeling like I was before all day (goodbye honeymoon!). The insomnia can get bad though, it helps to have something on hand just in case.

Don: Thanks for the post! I have been on it 2 weeks now, the first having some good high points, and very low points (as I said before about the annoying crash). My doctor has me taking the SR 2x a day, so yeah, I'm pretty sure that is how it is suppose to be taken. I take 100mg when I wake up, and another 100 between 2-3. The past week I have been feeling like I was feeling before, basically depressed, not excited about much of anything. But I

My pdoc just added Cymbalta and Trazodone to my cocktail today, so we'll see how that goes. Any side effects from the Wellbutrin (i.e headaches) seem to be gone. I still don't feel like eating though, which isn't a huge deal. I used to take Trazodone in college to sleep and found it worked fine, so I'm glad I'm not using seroquel, since it doesn't seem like I need it (as my doctor agreed). Anyways, we'll see how it goes....

Seeing as you are on week 5, and you mention that it seems to be helping (in the afternoon anyways). Has that been the case pretty consistently, or did it start again after the first week? I'm curious...

300/mgs of wellbutrin sr in the morning

I've been getting the late afternoon crash as well. It seems the worst of the side effects take place just after the crash as well. Blurry vision, mild hallucinations/ distortions, depression.

Lindsey22: No it has not been the case that I have felt that WB was helping me until now. I have to say that up to this point it's been kind of an up and down roller coaster ride however I am starting to really feel better and better as time goes on. Maybe week 5 is my turning point with this drug. I'm actually beginning to crave taking my next dose of this medication which is a bit scary. I'm feeling calmer and more relaxed about life as each week goes by and no complaints there. I have not had a full week depression free however I think I may get there.....

Yes, I now know that this med does have somewhat of a roller coaster effect, since this felt like a down day. I was so pleased when I got up this morning b/c I had actually gotten some sleep last night and I thought that that was the one hurdle I had before I started to feel really good. But, instead I felt rather overwhelmed with thoughts about things in my past, the traumatic things, that eventually led to the necessity of medication. I'm not willing to call this a real depressive day, b/c one of the things I have noticed about this med is that it has cleared the fog that I feel I existed in when I was just on Remeron. The Remeron allowed me to ignore the past even though I knew it was baggage I was still carrying around with me. The last time I visited my pdoc he suggested therapy to help me with insight into my anxiety and depression. I was negative about it b/c I told him that no therapist was going to be able to lead me to sudden, or eventual, enlightenment. Now that I have been taking the WB I feel more open to facing these things and I want to empty the bags, though I really don't think I will be able to get off meds, but I do feel the need to talk to someone who will listen objectively.
I can see another positive effect of the WB, it's that I feel more patient with family members, it's not that I was ever mean, but I was always so closed up, and it was so difficult to have lengthy conversations. But after I picked up my daughter from school today I ended up having a half hour discussion about Sponge Bob with her, and this is a cartoon show that I always found to be so annoying. Well, I'm sorry that I'm blathering on but I think this is also an effect of WB, everything seems more interesting and I concentrate on things more. OK, enough already.

my pdoc said wellbutrin sr gives a more efficient dosage, but is just more inconvenient. Im trying it and so far ive been doin good, also just started celexa.

Feel free to ramble! I always find it rather interesting to hear other experiences. I have definitely been feeling crappy for the past few days. I'm not doing the seroquel anymore so we'll see if that makes a difference. I'm also super nervous about taking Cymbalta, as it was hard enough to make myself accept doing ONE medication. But, if it helps then I'm all for it.

And I don't notice the SR dropping off so much as of late, since I have been feeling pretty depressed all day again anyways....

Lindsey, Thanks for the support. I am amazed that last night I had an even better nights sleep. I still woke up a few times but I was able to go back to sleep within a few minutes. I never thought I would start sleeping with this WB. Anyway, have you started the Cymbalta yet? It's interesting b/c the last time I saw my pdoc he had mentioned cymbalta to me as well. I think is was b/c of my complaints of extreme anxiety before I started the WB. I told him I didn't want an SSRI and that I wanted to see how the WB worked out (and the Seroquel, which I only tried once). So I'd be interested in hearing about your experience with Cymbalta and if it helps lift you up if you decide to try it. I know what you mean about being on more that one med--it's seems like there's a negative stigma associated with being "on medication". I have never been able to tell anyone I associate with, except for my husband, that I take AD's, and he doesn't even know why I take it! I'm good at hiding my feelings, which I feel, is part of the reason I'm in this situation. So please keep us posted!

I started the Cymbalta today. It's kind of freaky because once again I was reading over some of the side effects on the other forums, ugh. I didn't notice anything today but I was kind of loopy around lunch time, and then felt fine after. So, I hope that isn't the way I am gonna feel everyday on it, blah.

And I agree, there is still a stigma. I have many good friends who seem to be avoiding me because they know I have "issues", and it seems like they are more into carefree friendships at this age, lol. Oh well. I think there's a time to tell people about it, and a time not to. I DO tell people I am close to, but I sort of explain like a physical illness. I tell them something like, "If I had a broken leg, would someone dis me because I put a cast on it?". I don't tell people I barely know.

And that's good you're sleeping well. I am still having horrid insomnia. I got about 2 hours of sleep last night, and feel another sleepless night coming on again. It's annoying because I slept great for the first week on WB and then the second week got hit by the insomnia. Maybe it's a side effect....

And yeah, we'll see where this Cymbalta stuff goes, from what I read I am bracing for the nasty side effects!

Lindsey
I wish you well as you work through this new med. Antidepressants are so frustrating, it's like shopping for the perfect pair of shoes for a special occasion and having to go from store to store to store until you finally settle on a pair that's OK, but fails to excite you b/c they're not the perfect pair you had envisioned. We are shopping for normalcy, but it always seems out of reach. I still have a big problem disclosing that I'm being treated for depression, I guess part of it is that I hide it well, and most of the people I know think I'm a very together person. I will be working the next 2 days, 12 hr shifts, so I probably won't have time to spend in the forums. Try to be patient with the ups and downs of the meds, they always say it takes weeks before you feel the benefits.

Wow, holy insomnia.... I haven't really slept for the past 2 nights, I think I might have got an hour or 2 total. The annoying thing is that the wellbutrin makes me feel "awake" all day, so I'm tired, but not as tired as I should be feeling. So I had to call the doctor to get something else to sleep, since the Trazodone wasn't working and giving me a weird side effect....

I am reallllly hoping that this ridiculous insomnia goes away after awhile. I have a huge problem having to take 2 antidepressants AND a sleeping pill every evening. That or I am going to ask the doctor if I need to be taking less wellbutrin, since if this continues for the duration that I'm on this, that isn't going to fly with me....

Sorry, just venting, I miss being able to sleep!

Lindsey,
The insomnia can drive you crazy and WB does somehow still give you energy even though you haven't slept. I know I could not stick with the WB if I did not have help with sleep. I'm taking 2mg clonazepam and 15mg Remeron to help me sleep and it has been very helpful lately. Kaiser won't rx an actual sleeping pill even though some are supposed to be non-habit forming. They'd rather rx a benzodiazepine, which I know is addicting. What sleep aid did your doctor prescribe?

I just started (again) taking the Wellbutrin 150 xl (I am on my fifth day) and I can say that my concentration is better although I definitely do feel a little anxious. I also half to take 1 mg of xanax at night before bed in order to sleep. Personally, I WISH I did not have to take the alprazolam for sleep because once you start taking it, you cannot sleep without it. I will likely move up to 300mg of wellbutrin xl once I am acclimated to the 150's. What I do like about wellbutrin is i do actually feel better. What i don't like about it is for me it causes insomnia.

Peace and love to all.

First she prescribed trazodone, which was giving me a weird side effect when I took it, so that was out. Then yesterday I called her and she called in some lorazepam to take before bed. I took a .5 mg tablet like she said and it barely helped. I woke up again after a few hours and was all awake again. So, not sure what's going on there....

And yeah, since I have to take the Wellbutrin in the morning, and that keeps me awake, it's not like I can nap. It pretty much keeps me from feeling tired at all during the day, which would under normal circumstances be good, but not when I know I SHOULD be tired.

UGH!

Yes, I'm frustrated that I have to depend on a benzo to sleep. I have a fear that my insurance will change and a new doctor won't prescribe it and I'll go through some withdrawal hell. I'm hoping that my sleep continues to improve so that as I stabilize on the WB I can taper down on the klonopin, but I know I won't be off it completely.

Just this morning I realized after I was almost to work that I had left the house without taking my pill. I figured I'd be able to ride it out, but no way. Tired and confused by 10am. My normal dosage is a bit different then the standard because of the severe physical reactions that I have to the depression itself. I tend to crash about 3pm but my system can't handle 300 mgs XL at once so my Doc has me staggering 150 mg xl, one in the am and one in the early afternoon. I've found 7:30am and 1:30 pm is working to keep the tiredness away but not make the insomnia unbearable. At least with breaking up the dosage I have a bit of control over taking the meds when I feel the need for them throughout the day. Even though it's only been 2 hours since I took my am pill, I think I'm going to take my pm pill anyways since I haven't been able to shake the tired feeling that came on earlier. I thought I was just overly sensitive to the medicine, but after reading on the forums today, I realize how many feel the same way with the medication.

Please help me:

I’m now into the 2nd week of WB SR 150mg once in the morning. My doc prescribed the low dose only in the morning to reduce the adverse affects with sleeping.

Well, last night was another consecutive 24-hr day with no sleep. I worked throughout the night doing chores all around the house. I can’t believe the energy the WB has, but my God… when am I going to crash?

I‘m seriously thinking of getting off this stuff. My already high libido is now soaring through the roof & I’m not liking it one bit! I also have a loss of appetite & my face feels like its being plastered over. I want my old self back but without the depression.

The WB is helping with the depression but its sure not with all the rest. How long do I need to ride this out till it smoothes out? I’m loosing my patience.

This is the first time I've heard someone mention that they are crashing on the XL. I was switched from SR to XL 2 weeks ago (I've been on Budeprion for 1 1/2 months after a 1 month Zoloft fog). I was switched to XL because I was crashing on SR at 4pm then 3pm then 2pm. I am much better now on the XL300mg but I still feel a crash late in the day, first at 6pm now at 5pm. My doc said to call him if I felt like the dose should be raised but I'm a little scared of the seizure warnings at high levels. Does the second dose in the afternoon keep you awake well into the evening? I can't continue to crash while I'm at work- its effecting my job. Why did your doc prescribe a second dose rather than a higher dose?

Does anyone else have a similar experience?

Hello, I have both the SR and XL and I like the SR better. My original prescription was 150mg 2x daily with the SR. I found that it took me a while to get adjusted to it, but felt "happier" almost emotionally numb until I began experiencing sporadic panic attacks. One day while I was getting ready for work I had a breakdown because I couldn't seem to find anything I needed and my brain was a forgetful mess. It lasted about 30 minutes and I was still at home crying, fully aware that I was supposed to be at work that moment. I tried to contact my manager and needless to say when I finally got myself together and came in an hour from when my shift began, I was scolded in front of my other co-workers. She is fully aware of my situation but was extremely insensitive about it. I was ready to burst at the seams but just barely kept it together.

The next day I went to see my doctor and he had given me the same dosage but XL. He assured me that 300mg at once would improve my mood. It didn't make much of a difference at all. In fact I have been supplementing GABA and 5-HTP along with my pills to curtail any anxiety outbursts. I did feel happier on the SR, where as the XL I felt it wore off at the end of the day.