I am bipolar 2, and take Lamictal 300 XR and Wellbutrin 150 XL. It has been a very effective combination for me, which I am extremely grateful for. I was struggling to find medications that helped me live a productive life for ten years, and covered most classes of anti-depressants before ending up on Wellbutrin. I was prescribed this combo about four years ago, and I haven't had a true clinical episode of depression or hypomania since.
I'm a US/UK dual citizen, and was planning to ask for a transfer at my company to their London branch, because I've wanted to move to London for a very long time. (Please forget about Brexit making this a bad choice when answering- I'm really just concerned about my medication first and foremost before worrying about that.)
So it was a pretty nasty shock to look up Wellbutrin in the UK and find that it's not approved for depression over there. Bupropion is prescribed for smoking cessation, but not depression. Is there any way that I could still have access to it after moving? Would a doctor make an exception to prescribe it to me if I've already been taking it for four years and clearly haven't been abusing it? Or could I continue to be a patient to my American doctor and have it shipped to me without running into any issues? Cost is less of a concern, and I don't mind if the NHS doesn't cover it or I can't use American insurance. Unfortunately, I just don't think the process of finding other medications all over again is worth it for me, and I've basically already tried most of them.
Thanks in advance- this was very very disappointing to learn about and is causing a lot of stress.