I am 25 years old & have had depression for years, probably on & off since I was 11 or so. It became very apparent when my mom died 4 years ago (of the same cancer that killed my dad when I was 12). I started taking Celexa that same year when my mom was diagnosed. She (and my older brother) both suffer(ed) from depression & needed meds. Before going to the doctor & learning of my "chemical imbalance," I couldn't even go to work, I lost 2 good jobs in a row & the Celexa completely saved my life. I was only on 20mg a day for about 4 years & then I moved, got an awesome job, became blissfully distracted & stopped taking them altogether. I was amazed with how well I could function without anti-depressants & refused to get back on my Celexa & go back to all those sexual side affects & weight gain... no way! But in the past several weeks, I have had many, many total melt-downs; crying hysterically & having such intense fits of anger I have put holes in walls & torn down the metal towel rack in the bathroom! (What I really wanted to do was smash my fists into the mirror.) I get so upset/cry so hard for so long, I literally can't breathe. My husband & best friend are the only people on the planet who know I'm anything other than bubbly, outgoing, happy as can be--total social butterfly. It's so hard to pretend you're on top of the world everyday when you feel like there's nothing to live for. So I started taking Wellbutrin after a doctor told me it would increase my sex drive & may even take off a few pounds. Both have proven to be true already, but I don't know if I can get over "the hump." The first 4 or 5 days were great--tons of energy, happy as could be, super productive, but now after 10 days, I am absolutely miserable, more depressed than I've been in a LONG time. Constantly crying, feeling totally empty, worthless, alone & my stomach's sick with grief. I spent the whole first hour of work today trying to hide my tears, running to the bathroom when I couldn't hide them anymore. The worst part is that I don't think I can ever come clean to my boss or co-workers... not only do they totally not get depression in general, but they'd never even believe someone as happy & wonderful as me could possibly need meds. I am so afraid I will lose my job, (which would cause 100 times more stress than I'm under now) I think about going back to no pills at all, but I really want to give these a try. (I know I need something.) I am still only taking the dosage for the initial week, 150 mg/day (1 pill) because I'm afraid to go to the 2 pills & make things doubly worse. Or do I need a higher dose? I'd love to stick it out & see, but I don't know if I can. I can't even afford to go to the doctor & talk about what's happening or try something different. Just spillin' my guts made me feel a little better for tonight though. :)
My Wellbutrin seems to be making me more depressed! HELP?
- Asked
- 24 Jan 2010 by dj2623
- Active
- 5 days ago
- Topics
- wellbutrin, depression
Added 24 Jan 2010:
Forgot to mention, it's Wellbutrin SR
Responses (13)
If you go off of it, it could get worse. Considering what has been going on in your life. You may have to see your doctor up to 3 times a week to get you through this spell. He/She may have to increase your medication till you get to where you need to be.
Do not consider this as something bad. This is a learning experience. You now are learning that you have true friends around you. So pick yourself up and on Monday give your doctor a call and deal with it. Your work is very important, but it is ony going to work if you become more proactive in your treatment.
Don't give up. I do not see this in you. You are a fighter to get better and you will feel better. Stop beating yourself up...
Contact me off line and I will be there for you.
I am experiencing the exact same thing. I have been on Wellbutrin 150mg for 9 days. At this point, there is no way that I will increase the dosage to 300mg per day. I am more miserable now than I was before. I experience uncontrollable crying spells and a sense of internal desolation. I have never been on any type of anti depressant before. I don't know what to do. I have called the prescribing physician and am waiting for a call back. I was hoping that this medication would work. The first week, I had more energy and self motivation. I am on the second week and feel like being alone all the time. I HAVE NEVER FELT THIS WAY IN MY LIFE ! I have been reading all of the postings on various websites about the med in hopes of finding some type of solace. I wanted to remain on the medication for at least 14 days in hopes that things would begin to turn around... I don't know if I will be able to hold out much longer.
Okay so antidepressants can take about 4 weeks to kick in BUT the side effects can happen the first DAY that you take the med. a lot of people are saying take a benzodiazepine and i dont think this would be a good idea for depression Specifically. If its anxiety mainly then yes but since your depressed no... (benzos can help anxiety but it depends on the person and which neurotransmitter the medication works on... depression can be from seratonin, norepinephrine, gaba, dopamine, histamine, and i think cortizone) anyway i think you should try a different antidepressant (zoloft of paxil is my first recomendation since the withdrawals are low to none).
ANY antidepressant is dose specific (didnt notice any change untill 150mg zoloft and i started at 50mg) so you may want to try moving up but its really just trial and error with any medication
Has that changed at all now?
I just started bupropion 10 days ago and I'm experiencing some of the same feelings and side effects. I took this several years ago. I had been on citalopram for several months and when I told my doc that I felt like it wasn't working and I was just having more bad side effects, he prescribed the bupropion to take with the citalopram. For several years, I took nothing. I got off any and all anti-depressants for quite a while. During those several years, I've been through quite a lot. Had to deal with my ex husband for a number of months holding up parenting in court. My current husband was diagnosed with cancer and had to go through chemo. The list goes on. And through it all, it was just like I became numb. I just dealt with one bad set of circumstances after another. I was feeling tired, lethargic, and just basically downright sad most days. A few months ago I went to my primary doc and requested blood work.
Oh my goodness, you all took the words right out of my mouth hence why I went online looking for an answer to my question, can Wellbutrin make you more depressed. I feel numb, lost, sad, irritable, no energy and I cannot think of anything that I want to do to make me happy, I have no desire. I've only been on for five days, I am 51 and going through menopause, I just quit a job that was only part time at that making minimal money with a nine-year-old to support, I feel like I am losing it!! I've been on Prozac 40mg for years and never had any side effects from it and felt that it did work up until about a year ago and they upped my dose to 60 MG, now my doctor put me on the 150 of the wellbutrin XL and decrease the Prozac to 20 mg! Ughhh this so stinks... I guess I have to give it a bit more time
This is incredible because I feel the same way. I can't stop crying. I feel like no one will ever love me and I have no hope. I'm 20 and I've been on it for 2 1/2 weeks. Does this feeling go away? This is horrible but it's helping me lose weight which I've struggled with my entire life, but I'm feeling suicidal and that was never an issue for me before. A part of me wants to stay on it no matter what to lose weight and then get off of it, but I'm not sure I can do it.
I had this too! I tried for 10 long days. I had complete brain fog. Could barely function at all. No energy, stomach pain, constipation, etc. my depression actually seemed the better option. Stopped it Monday. Done. Still have dry mouth and dragging my wagon but I know it takes time to get out of my system. Too bad it didn't work.
I've been on 150 mg of wellbutrin for 1 month now, and, I too, feel worse. I didn't even get any of the energy I've heard some talk about. I've been having crying fits several times a day now as well. My husband says to just wait. Don't think I can. I know I'm not helping with your question, but I vote for getting off of it. Neither one of us are taking an anti depressant to feel worse.
I totally agree with you and stopped taking it!! Got myself fish oil and b complex and staying on my Prozac... also doing more aromatherapy and feel tons better!!! Essential oils are great and the zen, lavender and eucalyptus candles are wonderful!!
So freaking crazy. I literally searched this because I've been wondering the same thing since i started taking Wellbutrin again for about two to three weeks. i just feel in a slump. Initially i stopped taking it because i couldn't sleep (the daytime energy was really nice though), but then i had a couple
bad weeks and knew i had to get back on. No more insomnia but i'm just down all the time. I don't wanna quit again but i can't live my life like this.
I had similar problems when taking Wellbutrin XL. I switched over to Wellbutrin SR and all the problems subsided.
Oops! I just re-read the initial post. Many times I have dosed down to one 150mg tablet of Wellbutrin SR only once a day. It could mean lowering any side effects you may be having and yet still be effective for you. You could discuss this with your doctor.
I feel your pain. Crying uncontrollably, inconsolable, desolate, alone, like I'm not even present in this life. Anger fits. I thought Wellbutrin was supposed to help not hurt. Been on it now for 5 weeks. 4 weeks at 150 then 1 week at 200 and it is NOT helping me. I was on Zoloft for 8 years then my doctor thought I had a case of "serotonin burnout" so he (a general practitioner) prescribed Cymbalta. Major constipation so then Lexapro (prescribed by a Psych Doctor, then because of side effects it is now "Wellbutrin 150 for the first 4 weeks then 200 for the past 7 days.
I thought I was going crazy. I been taking 300mg 24hr sa for 3 months. I have never cried this much not even when the relationship broke up. Every little things makes me cry. If I am not crying, I am extremely irritated and frustrated by everything. I have yelled at my friends and my dogs for no reason. I have strong desire to throw things and break them when I am angry. Before Wellbutrin, I was taking Celexa for 8yrs. Nothing bothered me. I was numb to everything. My sex drive was completely gone. I was gaining weight. So, I asked my doctor to switch to Wellbutrin because I read that it will help with weight loss and bring back the sex drive. The medication worked and I was happy in the beginning. But then the crying fits started followed by the anger.
I am a 32 year old Male. I've been on Wellbutrin 300mg XL for 6 weeks now. Before, I've been on 5 different SSRIs over a year which gave me horrific side effects. For the last three weeks I've been suffering from crippling depression, crying everyday multiple times a day. I can't sleep for more than an hour without waking up. My sex drive is completely dead. My stomach has been in knots and I have diarrhea most of the time. I'm miserable all the time, and can't take care of myself or my dog right now and am staying with my parents for the extra help. It's like I no longer care about life or myself. It's putting a strain on my relationship with my partner too.
Hi there, sorry to hear about what you're going through but I have also just started taking welbutrin XL 5 days ago and I was already on Prozac for a month but now starting to feel much more depressed than usual, I don't feeling worthless and like I wanna die. I know your pain. How do you feel now that you stopped taking it?
Further Information
- Wellbutrin Information for Consumers
- Wellbutrin Information for Healthcare Professionals (includes dosage details)
- Side Effects of Wellbutrin (detailed)
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Hi, I was on Wellbutrin also and the same thing happened to me. I felt fine one week and the next week I was a basket case, crying for no reason! I went to my p doc and she upped my dose and I felt worse, more anxiety and it just didn't work for me. Eventually realized the only thing I liked about it was the energy. It helped my depression but had breakthrough crying spells and it could be the anxiety that increased which was a side effect. I was also irritable on it. It effects everyone differently though, so maybe you should give it more time, I am not sure how long you have been on it, but 4 to 6 weeks is the amount of time it takes most people to get the full effects. Good luck!
I have been on wellbutrin and now for the past ten years Prozac. For break through I use benedryl. It just takes that edge off.
Are u still taking Wellbutrin? Wonder how that ended up for u..and did you try going back on Celexa?