Bupropion for Anxiety User Reviews (Page 5)

• Mst...
• November 28, 2016

"I started taking Bupropion 1 1/2 years ago. At first, I thought I had found the best meds for my condition, but about 8 months in, I stopped feeling the effects and started having anxiety attacks almost daily. My doctor upped my dosage from 100 mg to 200 mg. Fast forward to present day, and I completely went crazy (irrational, irritability, memory loss, loss of sex drive, and so many more things that I am embarrassed to even say, even though this is anonymous!). My wife and I looked up some of the side effects of this drug (after long-term use) and saw that I was displaying just about all of them. I have since begun to taper myself off the drug, and for the past week, while my anxiety is still there, the other 'issues' I was having are gone."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 4, 2015

"Was prescribed the generic for Wellbutrin, and the first day I felt great. But when I woke up the next morning and went to school, I was dizzy, nauseous, and anxious. I had to go home early, and it felt like I had zero energy. Barely left my bed. I took it again, and symptoms didn't seem to ease up. Now on day 3, I have been throwing up and weak. I didn't feel like I had depression before, just anxiety. Now I have symptoms of both. The pharmacy told me to stop taking it."

• Ger...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 28, 2018

"I was only on this medication for 2 weeks, but it was awful. I suffer from general anxiety disorder, and this skyrocketed my anxiety through the roof. Panic attacks daily, emotional wreck. I would not recommend this to anyone!"

• Dd2...
• November 25, 2015

"I have PTSD and anxiety disorder. I have been on bupropion HCl ER XL 300 mg and clonazepam 1 mg Teva. Both medications taken together are terrible. My symptoms are memory loss, anxiety, tiredness, problems sleeping, panic attacks, and depression. I feel like the bupropion causes anxiety and my new panic attacks. Yes, losing weight is great at first, but I'm in need of changing these medications. Watch yourself, make sure it's right for you. Also, headaches or migraines."

• sti...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 14, 2023

"Had tried a whole bunch of different SSRIs and SNRIs to treat my mild depression, anxiety, and social anxiety. Most did not work and had terrible side effects. I'm on 450mg of bupropion and though it hasn't completely wiped away all symptoms, it is noticeably energizing and has cleared my brain fog. I feel more sharp cognitively, like my thinking is more crisp. Overall, I would recommend."

• IDK...
• July 6, 2018

"I don't know how I feel about Wellbutrin. I was prescribed it due to anxiety. I think it's helped a bit with it, but there are still some situations I get in and need to take an Ativan to calm me down. I definitely noticed the side effects: could not sleep, sore throat, felt sick, dry mouth. The third day I was on this, I had the biggest panic attack I've ever had. I was going to stop taking it but thought I might as well try it out for the month. As for smoking, I still have a smoke here or there, but I definitely notice I don't crave them as much as I did before. Also, I've had three people tell me I've lost weight since I started taking it, so I suppose it helps with that as well. I still do crave junk food, though, I've read in a lot of reviews people stop craving it. That's not the case for me! Maybe less than I used to, but not completely. The side effects I listed earlier are gone now (this is my third week on it)."

• Cha...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 31, 2021

"It is amazing how varied the reviews are, and it appears as though it all depends on the individual. I had been on Cymbalta for my anxiety, but after a long time out of work, I became so depressed that my doc added 150 mg of Wellbutrin. That saved my life (along with an excellent therapist and support of fam and friends). I am now in a great place and in the midst of reducing my Cymbalta (going from 60 mg to 30 mg) and will report back any negative impact of Wellbutrin. Nothing so far. I am hoping to eliminate Cymbalta completely and eventually reduce Wellbutrin. I am taking the natural supplement Valerian to help with sleep, plus lay on a 'bed of nails' while reading in bed - it's for acupressure."

• 25a...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 8, 2019

"I was on Zoloft, and it worked amazingly for my anxiety, but it was causing sexual dysfunction. My doctor had me try bupropion. The first week, I didn’t really notice a change, but by week two, I was depressed for the first time ever and cried every single day after work for no apparent reason. An absolutely exhausting medication I will never ever take again."

• Ken...
• September 26, 2018

"I started off on 75 mg SR twice a day, and I really didn’t notice any difference in before taking it, to after, besides being irritable when I forgot to take it. I asked my doctor to switch me to the XL because I kept forgetting to take my second dose, this was a mistake. I took 150 mg XL once a day for about 2 weeks, then started having panic attacks. The first couple of days they were only once at night and went away by the morning. After that, it was like something in me switched, and I was having panic attacks constantly all day long. I ended up going to the ER, where they gave me Ativan to calm me down and I could finally sleep. Since then, I have stopped taking bupropion, it’s been about 6 days. My elevated anxiety has not decreased, but I am no longer having any attacks. I plan on asking to be put on Lexapro since it’s what my sister’s on and it works well for her. I was originally put on this drug for ADHD, which I didn’t notice a difference in. If you are prone to anxiety, STAY AWAY."

• Don...
• August 23, 2022

"Depression/anxiety/ADD I started at 75 mg and increased to 150 mg after 7 days. It’s been almost four weeks, and I already see a major difference in my mood, concentration, and appetite. I just feel more balanced than I ever have in my entire life. I did have major anxiety side effects for the first few days after increasing my dose, however, I was prepared for that and convinced myself not to give up. I’m so glad I didn’t. The anxiety has vanished. I’ve done SSRI in the past, and it had such bad side effects I was afraid to try something new. I feel like I have my life back."

• yar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 24, 2015

"Well, I have been on Wellbutrin XL 150 mg for 5 days, along with Paxil, also taking Xanax or Klonopin only as needed (not often). While without meds, I have too many thoughts running through my head all the majority of the time, I worry, and sometimes I even have fears of driving to places I am not familiar with. I find it difficult to concentrate in grad school (stressful) and cry out of simply being tired of trying to self-encourage and fight off or trying to ignore my anxiety. Since I have been on meds, my thoughts are slower and not so many, but they are like a movie shooting through my mind, and it is usually a thought of worry. I will give it more time to work, hopefully, it gets better."

• Mav...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 30, 2019

"My doctor prescribed bupropion for my anxiety. First, we tried the 150 XL, that didn't seem to work, so they upped it to 300 XL. I've been on it for almost three weeks, had two panic attacks, mild migraines, and nausea. I called and told them what was going on, and they lowered the dosage back to 150 XL. Note I've never had a panic attack before. I've had anxiety, but not to the point where I thought my life was in danger. I am planning on going off this medication when I see my PCP in two weeks."

• Bet...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 10, 2018

"So I was put on this about 2 months ago, and it has been crazy since. First, my attacks got A LOT worse. I don’t mean here and there, I mean every day, almost all day. It got to where I couldn’t do anything without an attack coming up. I took this along with Trintellix. After about 2 weeks of taking both these together, I heard voices. The first encounter was my mother calling my name. I walked in the kitchen, and no one was in there. The second encounter was people arguing in my living room, so once again, I went to see what was going on, and again, no one was in there. Well, before these meds, I DID NOT hear voices, and I haven’t heard them since I stopped the bupropion. Another thing that I noticed while I was taking this is I had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. Even now, after I stopped taking this, I have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep."

• 30F...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 18, 2016

"I have been on these meds for about 3 months now for anxiety on 150 mg. At first, I felt on top of the world, it was great to go on with my day with reduced anxiety. But I still felt some unpleasant adrenaline, so I confirmed with my doc to increase to 300 mg, hoping it would completely eliminate the adrenaline that was left. After 2 weeks on 300 mg, I became severely depressed and still feel that minor adrenaline. I will go back to the 150 mg again and go back for a reassessment."

• MMC...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 13, 2022

"It's kind of tricky because it raises dopamine levels, which may be good for depression. But not actually that good if you want to calm down and relax. You may be tempted because it apparently boosts libido and energy, but you eventually would decrease that with anxiety and bad sleep. It's like any other medicine, you have to try and see if you feel better or worse."

• sja...
• May 10, 2021

"Been dealing with anxiety for 25 long years. Been on citalopram, makes me so tired and blahhh. Then on escitalopram, I was a bit tired, but I gained about 30 lbs, that pill caused me to be a carb craver. I went on Wellbutrin, which has been 4 weeks now. The 1st week on Wellbutrin at a dose of 150 was okay, and the next week the dose went to 300 mg. Wow, that's when the side effects hit, and I started going down that dark rabbit hole. Anxiety went through the roof. New meds are like already having a full sponge of anxiety and the meds squeezing it. The darkness that came about day 4 at 300 mg was bad. Luckily, I read about all the side effect symptoms and kept my mind on the symptoms rather than my mind going off the rails about life sucking. The side effects cleared up, but it really hasn't done much for GAD. I am alert, yes, but the general anxiety is a slow constant. I have no more panic attacks. I have added Prozac and lowered the Wellbutrin to 150 mg, and thus far, over 5 weeks, I don't think the Wellbutrin is doing much. So now I am waiting for the Prozac to kick in. So good luck, everyone. Hang in there."

• Ahh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 3, 2021

"26-year-old female. Tomorrow marks just 4 weeks since I started Wellbutrin 150 mg XL once a day, and I started noticing changes almost immediately. That “edge” you constantly have with anxiety, poof… gone. I’m more energetic and upbeat, I have laughed more this month than I have in years. My spirits are lifted, and everything is just better, I am functioning much, much better with it. I have lost a little bit of weight without trying, one of the side effects. I read about getting acne with this medicine, but mine is actually clearing up!! Another thing I was so hopeful this med would help with is my libido, and ohhh my goodness, it has! My doctor started me off with 150 mg and said we’d go to 300 mg if I felt I would benefit from it, and I do think I would because, unfortunately, it hadn’t done a thing for my ADHD like I hoped. That's the only downfall, though. Overall, love this stuff, and my life is changing. So glad I finally asked my doctor for help!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 31, 2024

"Everyone is different. I’ve used Wellbutrin in the past and recently bupropion SR two different times for smoking cessation. While it works excellent for quitting smoking, the anxiety is unreal, especially if there are underlying conditions or you aren’t in a good spot in your life. For smoking, I used 100 mg SR 2/day. I believe they have 50 mg, that would be an option. I keep them around just in case I get down, and I will handle the anxiety just to feel a bit better, then stop them ASAP. You probably won’t have a problem if you don’t have a problem with anxiety."

• Kel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 21, 2019

"I was on 300 mg and felt okay, but then anxiety came back. I was increased to 450 mg. I have nausea, dizziness, and even worse, forgetfulness. I would lose my train of thought and think longer on writing an email at work. I've lost weight, so that's a plus. I was on Effexor before, and it worked well for me, but I gained weight."

• CSe...
• March 12, 2016

"Just wanted to add this article regarding bupropion and anxiety: http://www.currentpsychiatry.com/home/article/does-bupropion-exacerbate-anxiety/e49bea11f64a67d3c2912a72db4e46bc.html It seems to state that if there is anxiety alone, that bupropion would not be the best choice as it is not FDA approved for anxiety. Studies do show that bupropion does not exacerbate anxiety symptoms. I have been on Zoloft 100 mg for anxiety, and it was working quite well, except for sexual side effects. My doctor added Wellbutrin (bupropion) 75 mg twice daily and has me tapering off the Zoloft. Only on day 2 of taking both and feel like my heart is beating harder and some issues sleeping, but it is manageable. Hopefully, those symptoms will pass."

• mum...
• January 7, 2011

"I am on 150 mg of the generic bupropion for approximately 2 months now. The side effects have been increased anxiety and irritability, as well as really bad insomnia. I went to see the doctor, and they increased it to 300 mg a day. I am skeptical, thinking it will intensify the side effects, but they are telling me it should decrease them with a higher dose. I went in to change to a different medicine, we'll see what happens. I still don't understand doubling the dose."

• Kiw...
• August 15, 2021

"This is the worst medication I’ve ever used in my life. I have GAD, OCD, Panic Disorder. Went on it for my ADHD and went off my citalopram. Never again. I was on it for 2.5 months and kept telling myself, “the side effects will go away.” They didn’t, it got worse and worse, and I ended up afraid of everything, paranoid, delusional, mania, emotional. It felt like I wanted to cry all the time, so I went back on my citalopram."

• Rob...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 21, 2017

"I have been taking this for about 1 year now for anxiety, but also in hopes of quitting smoking. That failed. I still smoke today as much as I did before taking it. As for anxiety, I notice no change whatsoever. I still experience the same amount of anxiety as before. I have had no known positive (or negative) effects. I only take it today just to prevent withdrawal and don't feel like tackling that just yet. It's easier to just continue taking it than to wean off it. The weaning off brings unpleasant side effects in and of itself. I don't recommend this for anxiety whatsoever, but as far as smoking cessation goes, it's known to help many people. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of them."

• Col...
• January 14, 2018

"The doctor prescribed this for anxiety relief, added to my Lexapro that I have been on for many years. I have been under a great deal of stress (Mom in Alzheimer’s facility, Dad recovering from aortic valve replacement, work needs me to cover a maternity leave). I was prescribed 100 mg twice daily. Taken 5 pills - now experiencing - anxiety, irritability, nausea, a feeling like I am crawling out of my skin, headache. The anxiety is the worst, and that is what we were looking to manage. I am not taking another pill. Does not work for - calling doctors in the AM."

• cj3...
• September 10, 2016

"I was on the generic form of Prozac 20 mg for anxiety/headaches for about 6 months. During the first few months, I worked out at least 3 times a week and didn't notice a difference in my weight loss. I became frustrated with it. I also felt like I needed more help. Once my doctor increased my dose, I maybe worked out once a week and the weight piled on. I was always sleeping and didn't feel like doing anything. I went and saw my doctor and told her to take me off this because it wasn't working and the weight gain was awful: 20 pounds in 2-3 months. I started Budeprion XL 150 mg once a day. Today is my third day, and I already feel that I'm not as hungry, I have way more energy. Last night, I felt like I was drifting in and out of sleep, I may need meds to help sleep."