Bupropion and Irritability: What Users Say (Page 4)

• KWJ...
• February 3, 2014

Bupropion for Depression "I started taking Wellbutrin about 3 weeks ago for depression. I had been on Zoloft for the past 6 years and needed a change. After the switch, I was more irritable. Three days ago, I developed hives and swollen lips. After my 2nd ER visit, I am back on Zoloft."

• Big...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 12, 2021

For Sexual Dysfunction, SSRI Induced "Delayed ejaculation has always been an issue for me. Certain SSRIs made this much worse (particularly Zoloft). Welbutrin was a godsend for a while until I realized how agitated it made me. The sexual function was great, but I couldn't accept how on edge I was."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 4, 2016

Bupropion for Depression "Before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I was on this antidepressant, along with Zoloft. It gave me manic symptoms, so beware for those who may have undiagnosed bipolar. Plus, on 300 mg, I felt terrible, as if I was sped up. Physically, it made my heart race and caused agitation. Lowering the dose to 150 mg was better physically (before being diagnosed by bipolar, but then I was taken off of it completely). Whether on 150 mg or 300 mg, I noticed insomnia. I have also heard other people say this who aren't bipolar, although I'm sure for some, this works wonders."

• NHa...
• February 17, 2021

Bupropion for Depression "I’ve been on Wellbutrin XL for about 5 months. I started at 150 mg SR. The first few days, I noticed a big increase in anxiety, but only twice it was intense enough that I couldn’t function. After a few weeks and a follow-up with my GP, we switched to 150 XL, and it helped as it’s a slower release. The positive side effects definitely outnumbered the negative. I almost immediately felt more energy and couldn’t stay in bed all day if I’d wanted to (this had been an issue for me). I had more motivation and a bit more focus. I’d been on Cipralex for years previously and found it took the edge off my irritability and managing mood swings but wasn’t a significant change. My GP and I were drawn to the weight loss side effect as I’ve put on 60 pounds over 8 years and two pregnancies. I did not see any difference in weight, even with an increase in energy. All in all, I like Wellbutrin, and it has more pros than cons."

• NoG...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 2, 2016

Bupropion for Depression "After having seizures back in December, the doctor started me on Lexapro for depression - made me sweat like crazy, lightheaded, uh, not function at work, then to Zoloft, slightly better, still sweating intensely after the first hour, seemed better than Lexapro, stuck with it for 3 months, no real change in depression; incredibly tired all day. Added Wellbutrin to the mix, after 3 weeks couldn't be around anyone, a total irritable a-hole. Finally had enough, stopped Wellbutrin and did extensive research about generics vs. name brands. Despite the FDA's approval, many people report the generics are not nearly as effective. 3 days off fake Wellbutrin, feel slightly better. Getting off Zoloft next. Perhaps brand names work, but I'll deal with my depression myself."

• Wel...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 10, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "This drug has been a lifesaver more than once. I intend to stay on it forever. I have taken it for several extended periods, 6-18 months at times, at doses up to 450 mg per day. I've stopped and started, but eventually, my depression returns. On 150 mg per day, I feel horrible. I have the worst agitation inside, where I feel like I could crawl out of my skin. I have a tightness in my chest that will not go away. I'm unable to sit and concentrate at work. On 300 mg/day - it's like night and day from 150 mg. This is when I feel perfectly fine. The agitation disappears, and in fact, I almost feel sleepy. The chest tightness goes away, and I'm able to sit and do my work for a full 8-hour day. I sleep amazingly. On 450 mg/day is when I feel 'normal.'"

• Anonymous
• October 16, 2011

Bupropion for Depression "I was finally prescribed Wellbutrin SR after four months of treatment with a hospital psychologist. Treatment through other means of talking through my emotions helped some, but there were those thoughts, if you know what I mean. So they started me on the medicine. It was only 100 mg one time a day, I only took it for ten days. I felt great for about ten hours, but in the evening I would feel like I was in withdrawal or like I was in an emotional craving of some sort, kind of hard to describe. I felt edgy at night, was easy to bark at the kids for little or no reason, and I would have deep and serious thoughts about suicide, but those thoughts only lasted about ten minutes, and then they would go away, as quickly as they had started."

• Mst...
• November 28, 2016

For Anxiety "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."

• Sar...
• October 11, 2009

Bupropion for Bipolar Disorder "Wellbutrin relieved my internal feelings of turmoil but turned me very edgy, rude, and angry at inappropriate times. Not a fun person to be around. And while it helped me emotionally a little, it did nothing spectacular."

• ADa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 5, 2019

Bupropion for Depression "Sadness turned into energy and sometimes anger. Overall positive on the day's mood. However, massive insomnia every night. Had to ultimately stop the treatment. I guess it's a good treatment if you're an energy-less vegetable, otherwise, you become very angry, agitated, and can't sleep well."

• Coa...
• July 6, 2015

Bupropion for Depression "I've been on Wellbutrin for 2 weeks, and I don't really feel any better. I notice weight gain and more irritability than usual. I've read that I must be patient and continue taking it, and I should see improvement after about a month. I took this years ago, and it was the reason I was able to quit smoking. My wife called it the happy pill because she saw a big difference in my mood. So far, it's not having the same effect it did 15 years ago. I do like that I am not having any other side effects. My sex drive is still good, and I think my anxiety has improved somewhat. I'm on 100 mg a day, and I take it first thing in the morning."

• 000...
• December 23, 2015

Bupropion for Depression "I started taking this a week ago, I think. I never wanted to use meds, but I'm in the middle of a major depressive episode that began around mid-late October. I'm a single mom of a 4-year-old. I feel like she takes more care of me than I can of her sometimes, and that makes me feel awful. I decided to ask my doctor to do something because I figured nothing could feel worse. Day 1, I had a lot of energy, days 2-4, I was very anxious and irritable over nothing. That has now passed, but I still don't feel better, not really. I don't feel overwhelmed with the feeling of wanting to die, so I guess that's good, but I still feel it. I'm not suicidal, though I have been in years. I just don't want to move out of my bed, clean the house, or do anything really."

• Kai...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 11, 2020

For Major Depressive Disorder "Wellbutrin has been a totally game changer. My impulse control has improved, and my eating habits have as well. The best change, though, is I can actually get through the week with very few depressive episodes, if any at all. You will have to get past some snappy, angry side effects the first few weeks, this DOES go away. It has helped so much. I am so glad my doctor told me to wait a few weeks. Life-changing medicine."

• Brv...
• January 7, 2017

Bupropion for Depression "My doctor started me on a very low dose of this (100 mg). I have anxiety, depression, and (a questionable diagnosis, pending review) of bipolar disorder. The first day I took this, I had a full-blown panic attack. My heart was racing so fast, and I was experiencing pretty bad chest pain and heaviness, so much so that I called the office and they wanted me to stop taking it and go to the ER to have an EKG done. I stopped taking it for about 2 weeks, but wasn't ready to give up on it - big mistake. So I went back on it for 3 days. Each day I had an elevated heart rate and felt anxious all day long. I was EXTREMELY irritable to the point of rage, my ENTIRE face broke out with painful cystic acne I'd never had before - basically overnight. Skip!"

• Lov...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 6, 2012

Bupropion for Depression "I used bupropion XL 150, only used for 1 week. This made me so angry and irritable that my family couldn't stand me. I took Pristiq before this, and it did the same thing, plus made me gain 15 lbs in 2 weeks. I do not think antidepressants are for me. They just make me way too angry. Bupropion also gave me an itchy rash everywhere, headaches, and made me constantly feel hungry, also made me have really bad dizzy spells and twitches in my neck. All of this, and it didn't help my depression at all, in fact, I feel worse since I've started taking medicines than I did before. I know this works wonders for a lot of people, but I am not one of them."

• Jus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 22, 2022

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "Dealing with an anorexic, post-alcoholic husband, who needs mental help but won't get it, I felt in a fog. I was stress eating and wanted to stop. I had no energy. I asked to try Wellbutrin to get me out of my funk and won't cause weight gain. At 150 mg, I felt great but noticed a craving for carbs and sweets immediately. After a few months, it leveled off like I wasn't taking anything. I went up to 300 mg XL and felt edgy, my arms started breaking out in hives and blood blisters. The biggest thing was I got very bloated, felt achy, itchy, and packed on about 10 pounds in one month, 20 lbs total from the start. I was working out and watching what I ate and gained like crazy. I stopped cold turkey. First, maybe I wasn't truly depressed but dealing with living with a depressed person, so it didn't help. Now I'm stuck trying to lose the weight, which seems like a different weight gain, all around the waist and hips. But now I know and will go a completely different route with my mental health."

• Anonymous
• August 6, 2012

For Smoking Cessation "The first week has been a nightmare. The side effects are intense, and I am only on day 5 (insomnia, agitation, rash). But I can say I went from 1 pack a day for 10 years to just 4 cigarettes a day. I am only taking 150 mg 2 times a day."

• Tan...
• September 27, 2019

Bupropion for Major Depressive Disorder "I have been struggling with depression and anxiety for a long time. Every little task felt so overwhelming, and when I had my baby, it was just too much. Dr. prescribed Cipralex, then Zoloft, and it didn't help much. Then I asked for Wellbutrin. So my thoughts so far when the Zoloft finally left my body and I got to 300 mg of Wellbutrin: I had so much energy. I accomplished a lot, my libido skyrocketed. I felt great. A few weeks later, I think it caused me to be manic. I felt high, even my pupils in the mirror were tiny. I felt super confident and sexual, and I did whatever I wanted and did not care who I hurt. Then I came down and went back into a horrible depression and attempted ending it all over the way I acted when I was feeling so great. Now that the sadness has leveled out, I'm just irritable and snappy over nothing, or laughing my ass off at things that aren't that funny. I either get a bunch done or can't be motivated to move."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 4, 2022

Bupropion for Depression "It’s worth a try. Easy to come off of. I’ve cold turkey quit many antidepressants. Insomnia will probably be your worst side effect. Sweating, agitation, restlessness, trouble focusing, and even increased depression and anxiety are common too. It’s an NDRI like Ritalin but much weaker and less selective. I think jogging, drinking lots of water, and an energy drink or coffee or two is more effective. Don’t expect much, but it’s definitely better than SSRIs, SNRIs, antipsychotics, etc."

• bum...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 4, 2022

Bupropion for Major Depressive Disorder "I had a great experience the first three months. It helped keep me up during the day, which was nice. Did nothing for my sex drive, but that was zero when I started. Then it was like a switch flipped, after the third month (at 300 mg), I was suddenly back to sleeping 14 hours a day, had nausea all the time, and when I was up, I was having awful panic attacks. And oh my god, the irritability, I was going to hurt someone or myself. I've had bad reactions to most pills, but that was a pretty big disappointment because I did feel great for three months. My psych handled it poorly and wanted me to wait two more months for an appointment, so I quit cold turkey. And while that was stupid and I don't recommend doing that without the help of a medical professional, I experienced no withdrawal symptoms. I will say I feel better now than I did before starting Wellbutrin, probably due to diet improvements and establishing an exercise routine."

• Jay...
• May 2, 2015

For Smoking Cessation "Day 6 for nicotine cessation after using for 20+ years in various forms. Did not have any desire for nicotine upon waking. The 'habit' is still there, but no physical craving. The 'habit' is easy to stop since your body isn't craving nicotine. Tobacco doesn't really have any taste at this point. I don't seem to crave it...at all. I was agitated for about 30 minutes on day 4, but have not been since. No other noticeable physical signs or symptoms. Taking the bupropion early in the day is important, or you may have trouble getting to sleep later in the day. After the final use of nicotine, 72 hours should be out of my system. I plan to take the bupropion for 1-2 weeks after and start tapering at that time."

• Msr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 3, 2016

Bupropion for Depression "Taking name brand. Started 150 1x a day for a week. First day so amazing, energized, went to the gym, positive, and for 4 days felt great. 5th not so much and by 7th day was feeling back to my depressed self, so I upped it to 2 a day. Now I go from anxious to flat. Feel absolutely nothing, zoned out, very irritable. Vivid dreams and nightmares, kind of can't separate dream from reality because it seems like someone's in the house and I wake up out of a dead sleep and I'm not sure if someone's in the house. Going to give this a few more days, if things don't get worse, hopefully they'll get better. If not, not going to take it anymore. I took this because I wanted to avoid weight gain, which happened years ago with other SSRIs. Hasn't affected appetite."

• Ale...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 22, 2016

Bupropion for Depression "I started taking 150 mg twice a day, and I started feeling a difference since day 1. The very first night I woke up in the middle of the night, agitated because of a very vivid dream, and they only got worse as the days went by, to the point I could not differentiate dreams from reality and having a lot of trouble waking up. During the day, I was feeling hopeful again and started doing things I had stopped doing, but on day 7, approximately, I had a major panic attack at work, feeling like I was choking due to lack of oxygen and started hyperventilating, which I had never experienced before in my life. So, long story short, I ended up in the ER that night. Even though the paramedics suggested it was going to go away by itself, I still wanted to be checked out. Horrible experience."

• Ohm...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 28, 2014

For Bipolar Disorder "When I had a difficult time getting a refill due to insurance issues, I missed a few days and talked to my doctor about trying to go without. I take Xanax ER 2mg and Lamictal 200mg, both twice daily. I was fine for about 2 weeks. When I spiraled downward, it was bad. I ate, slept, and cried. I never missed a day of work, but I sure felt like running out of there. Finally, things worked out with insurance. I am actually glad to take a 3rd medication, realizing how it helped me. It has been about 6 weeks since I took my last dose. I begin again tomorrow. So, my story can be summarized as depression and frustration levels returned within 2 weeks of stopping bupropion XL 300mg. Don't just stop!"

• sca...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 24, 2016

Bupropion for Depression "I have been on 150 XL and feel horrible. It's almost like I'm tripping on LSD. Foggy head, angry, cranky, and very irritable. Heart palpitations, and it makes me very lethargic. Dr. recommended taking it at night, and it's a tiny bit better. I want to stick with it to see if it gets me to a better emotional state, but don't know if I can last. How long before I start feeling better?"