Bupropion and Sexual Dysfunction: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 17, 2018

Bupropion for Depression "I’ve been on Wellbutrin for a little over a year, and honestly it’s been life-changing. I’ve been able to go farther in my weekly talk therapy and get to issues that were blocked in the past because of depression and anxiety. I’ve gone further in my career and found a lot of daily comfort from feeling generally better and able to get through depressed times. I think I finally see an end point to therapy (it’s been nine years). I lost a few pounds and initially had a burst of sexual energy that has sadly dissipated. Now I’m back to normal sex drive, which is so much better than an ill-fated Lexapro trial years ago that prevented me from trying other antidepressants for years. I’m so very glad and grateful I found bupropion."

• Gol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 10, 2018

Bupropion for Depression "I've been on and off various antidepressants, and although the SSRIs helped when my little brother passed, the side effects were dreadful. I also no longer wanted to move, I slept all day, every day, with no sex drive. Hello, Wellbutrin! Honestly, it changed my life. I have so much energy, my sex drive is back, and I've lost 10 lbs. The only downside is I don't always sleep well, but not in a groggy, tired sort of way. I seem to just wake up in the middle of the night and feel like I could go to the gym or something. However, I will work my way through this due to all the positive things that have changed."

• Jok...
• September 3, 2017

Bupropion for Depression "Dopamine and norepinephrine are two major brain chemicals in the feelings of romantic love. Serotonin (key in SSRI) actually suppresses dopamine and inhibits feelings. This dopamine and norepinephrine (a stimulant) reuptake inhibitor can help and DRIVE without sexual side effects, weight gain, and apathy caused by SSRIs. Often prescribed with an SSRI to counteract side effects of it. Also, it is reported to have few side effects (unless you suffer from a seizure disorder that is). I recommend this over an SSRI or in addition to one."

• Ane...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 18, 2015

Bupropion for Depression "Taken all types of antidepressants. None worked until a friend mentioned Wellbutrin. Started off on 150mg SR generic brand. Anxiety increased, smoking decreased, sex drive moderate, no change in weight or additional side effects. After two years, doctor finally prescribed 24 hr Wellbutrin. Taking name brand. Day 2 & WOWWWWW. I'm feeling fabulous. I have Valium in case of emergency anxiety attacks. But I honestly believe this is a winner."

• tir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 20, 2020

Bupropion for Major Depressive Disorder "Like most people with depression, I have tried a lot of meds. But after a great deal of research, I have found a great combination for myself. I refuse to take SSRIs due to zaps and sexual side effects. But when I combined Wellbutrin XL 150 mg with Sam-E 400 mg every morning, good things have happened. Depression is better, and my fibromyalgia has subsided a great deal. Try it. You might like it. Just be cautioned, you may need something to help you sleep. But these two make you much more active."

• Kat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 3, 2023

Bupropion for Sexual Dysfunction, SSRI Induced "I took Wellbutrin for about 10 months without any major issues... or so I thought. A few weeks after starting, I realized I couldn't orgasm, but joked with my boyfriend that he 'broke' me and didn't think it was the bupropion. It took a few months, but eventually, my orgasms came back, just much weaker than before. I never once thought it was the bupropion (if I did, I would have stopped) until I left the bottle behind on vacation and realized that after I stopped taking it suddenly, my weak orgasms fizzled down to nothing at all. This was a slow fade over ~6 months, and I only put the puzzle pieces together another six months after that. Now, 2 years later, I see that I went from naturally having multiple amazing orgasms a day to barely being able to eke out roughly 2/10ths as much pleasure post-bupropion. I'd warn anyone on Wellbutrin that they should be extremely careful tapering and keep an eye out for issues, as bupropion is not known to cause sexual side effects but most definitely does."

• Kat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 3, 2023

Bupropion for Sexual Dysfunction, SSRI Induced "I took Wellbutrin for about 10 months without any major issues... or so I thought. A few weeks after starting, I realized I couldn't orgasm, but joked with my boyfriend that he 'broke' me and didn't think it was the bupropion. It took a few months, but eventually, my orgasms came back, just much weaker than before. I never once thought it was the bupropion (if I did, I would have stopped) until I left the bottle behind on vacation and realized that after I stopped taking it suddenly, my weak orgasms fizzled down to nothing at all. This was a slow fade over ~6 months, and I only put the puzzle pieces together another six months after that. Now, 2 years later, I see that I went from naturally having multiple amazing orgasms a day to barely being able to eke out roughly 2/10ths as much pleasure post-bupropion. I'd warn anyone on Wellbutrin that they should be extremely careful tapering and keep an eye out for issues, as bupropion is not known to cause sexual side effects but most definitely does."

• bon...
• July 22, 2011

For Sexual Dysfunction, SSRI Induced "After being on Lexapro for 6 months, I had lost all desire for sex and it felt like a chore that sometimes could not be completed. Did I mention I am male, and my wife is amazing? Anyway, I felt missing out on one of life's greatest pleasures, and the intimacy missing in my marriage was no longer tolerable. I spoke to my doctor and started Bupropion. After about 3 weeks, I began having sexual desires that had been missing. Sexual focus returned to my whole body in a lose-your-breath, heart-skip-a-beat sort of way. I may someday give up the Lexapro (20), but I am not sure I am ready, and outside of the sexual side effect, I have to give it credit for doing wonders for me."

• Nin...
• May 13, 2016

For Anxiety "Female, 26, suffers from anxiety, depression, fatigue, sexual dysfunction due to heart surgery, hysterectomy, and a traumatic couple of years. This stuff helps so much! I have energy and am able to have conversations with strangers, enjoy a social life, and after over a year of a complete lack of sexual interest and problems, I finally have a libido again! Not that I needed to lose weight, but I was 133 lbs and due to thyroid trouble, I was unable to get back to my 120 lbs until starting this medication."

• mal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 31, 2013

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been taking bupropion 200mg for roughly three weeks to treat bipolar depression. I have not had success with any other antidepressants. For me, Wellbutrin has been great. It has increased my energy level dramatically, as well as improved my mood. It's not a cure-all, but it's certainly helping. The side effects - I take it in the morning to avoid trouble sleeping. Increased my anxiety somewhat the first week. Higher libido. Markedly reduced appetite. I need to remind myself to eat, and I've lost 5 lbs. Others have mentioned a bad interaction with alcohol which I have not experienced. I've had up to three drinks with no problems. My overall experience has been good, this is a great medicine if it agrees with you."

• Chr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 1, 2018

Bupropion for Depression "I have been on this for about a month now. I'm taking it for depression and to quit smoking. I feel totally amazing, it's like a dark cloud was lifted off me. I'm also on a maintenance medication for using opioids. The maintenance medicine completely killed my sex drive. It almost ruined my marriage. Now adding this to my meds has reversed all side effects from the maintenance meds. It took a while to start making it better, but now I'm back to the sexy living woman I used to be. Not to mention how great I feel again. I'm me all the way around again. Thank you!!!!"

• Pet...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 28, 2015

For Sexual Dysfunction, SSRI Induced "Took the medication for a while. Worked well for depression and overall well-being, but I did notice it killed my ability to get a solid erection and sex drive was reduced. This trickled into performance anxiety. Trying to figure out how to overcome that now has made things worse for me."

• got...
• April 20, 2010

Bupropion for ADHD "I was like one of those fluorescent bulbs flickering out... had ADHD and depression. When I was upped to the 300mg in week two, the bulb was changed, light was on. Forget the light, I was solar powered. Sexual side effects, nymphomaniac 1st 2 weeks. Healthy by week 3. Husband couldn't keep up. I woke up without an alarm, went to bed, slept great. I started working out. Then I got a rash. I was devastated. I wanted to explore the possibility of continuing while living on allergy medicines. I tried that for a few days but the good feelings were gone. My body refused to cooperate with my mind and emotions. Drug companies, please come up with another antidepressant NDRI I can take. Goodbye Wellbutrin, with you the honeymoon was grand. Going to try out Cymbalta."

• Sho...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 3, 2020

For Sexual Dysfunction, SSRI Induced "39, male from the UK. I was experiencing some depression, and because of it, I went to the GP. She prescribed me Sertraline 50 mg a night. I didn't know that stopping it abruptly would cause severe erection dysfunction and loss of libido. My sex drive was fantastic while I was on Sertraline. If I knew that stopping it would kill my sex life, I would not have done that. I used to have sex 5-7 times a week. However, I have not had sex for 10 days now, it is really frustrating and unfortunate. Please, guys, share some of your experiences with me. At this stage, what should I do? Should I resume taking Sertraline or switch to the bupropion class of medicines? I just want my sex life back. Thanks in advance."

• Rev...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 9, 2016

For Anxiety "I was on Lexapro for maybe 3 years for panic attacks and anxiety. That made me kind of numb. Not really any sex drive, I used to sweat at night with Lexapro. It helped with panic and anxiety, but I gained weight and raised my cholesterol levels dramatically! I asked to start Wellbutrin to quit smoking and slowly tapered off Lexapro. I'm now taking 0.5 mg of Lexapro maybe 2 times a week until the brain zaps disappear. Now on to the Wellbutrin... 3 months of XL 150 in the morning, and I lost ten pounds! I feel amazing, and the sex drive is wonderful. Until I started Wellbutrin, I didn't realize how much Lexapro affected that because you just don't think about it, that's part of the numbing, I guess. I'm very happy that I switched!"

• tay...
• May 4, 2009

Bupropion for ADHD "Helps me wake faster in the morning. Thinking clearer. Helped me get over sexual dysfunction (SSRI induced years ago). Stopped SSRIs, but residual emotional scarring remained. Was on Lamictal and Depakote. Exchanged the Depakote for Wellbutrin XL and my girlfriend commented I went from boy to man in less than a month. Superb concentration and continuous connected thought."

• am1...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 16, 2017

For Anxiety "I have tried many anti-anxiety medications, and each one always seemed to have a side effect. The main side effect was loss of libido. So, with that being said, I went off anti-anxiety medications completely. Until the past month, I was having panic attacks, tightened chest, and depression. I went to my doctor and explained how all the anti-anxiety medications caused loss of libido. So he put me on this medication, and it has been a lifesaver. No more panic attacks, I feel happy and content. Plus, libido is back! 100% recommended."

• Den...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 4, 2016

Bupropion for Depression "Just switched over to Wellbutrin and so far, so good. I had been on Zoloft for a year, following a diagnosis of depression. Zoloft was just awful for me. The entire time I was on it, I battled chronic fatigue, no libido whatsoever, some memory loss, nerve problems, vertigo... you name it. And on top of all of that, I completely stopped working out and put on 30 lbs in 10 months. Feel like I am back on the road to being me on Wellbutrin. 150 mg XL seems to work for me. Thank God - I was prepared to swear off any and all antidepressants if this didn't work. Also, I haven't drunk alcohol for going on 10 years, so if you're sober that eliminates one of the big drawbacks for a lot of people."

• ADH...
• December 22, 2015

Bupropion for Depression "I'm 18 years old. I started taking Wellbutrin 3 months ago when my psychiatrist put me on. I looked up reviews in here, and recommended I should be prescribed. Anyway, the first couple of months were horrible, but don't give up! 1 month ago, all my problems with Prozac were alleviated, my focus was 10X better (I also have ADHD, so my grades skyrocketed)! And my depression died. Yes, DIED! I laugh so much now, people at my school ask me why I laugh so much. It's refreshing, actually. Anyway, Prozac gave me severe loss of libido (on a serious note). I'm 18, so it bothered me horribly that I had a low sex drive. After months on end of taking Prozac, my libido became ED. And I lived a fairly healthy life, trust me. Wellbutrin fixed my problems."

• hal...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 23, 2019

Bupropion "I've been on many SSRIs, and every single one of them caused me to lose all interest in sex. Me not being able to orgasm caused a toll on me, considering I am a very sexual person, and not being able to orgasm or not wanting to have sex made me more depressed. So I stopped taking my meds altogether, and that caused me to get even more depressed. Then the angels have come down and blessed me with this drug. My libido came back stronger than ever, and I can orgasm again!! Yay!!! Sometimes less in 5 minutes too!! Life is good again, lol."

• Stv...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 24, 2013

Bupropion for Depression "I tried Bupropion SR generic first. It worked well for depression and rid me of my feelings of despair and hopelessness, but it made me very irritable, and I was up and down all day. I switched to genuine Wellbutrin XL, and what a difference! I can only assume the coating on these is superior, as my irritation is completely gone, and I feel leveled out all day. I was given Citalopram first and lasted four days on it. I felt spaced out mentally, but the sexual side effects were too much to deal with, none of those with Wellbutrin, in fact, the opposite. I was at the end of my tether, this medicine makes me feel normal."

• Nin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 10, 2016

For Sexual Dysfunction, SSRI Induced "I've been on Prozac for just over a year now, and one of the side effects for me was decreased libido (it was almost extinct before the Prozac), and my psychiatrist thought adding this would help. I was excited because of the supposed weight loss and appetite suppression that goes along with this medication. Unfortunately, it did not help me weight-wise, but my libido went from 0 to 100! My husband couldn't keep up! I'd never, and I mean NEVER, been that ready to go in my whole life. After a few weeks, the effects wore down to more like a 20, so I still have that desire, just not 6 times a day (seriously). I called it my women's Viagra, lol! I also managed to quit smoking last year while on this too. Yay!"

• Man...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 23, 2020

Bupropion for Depression "Sadly, this drug didn't work so well for my anxiety/depression. I have been on Prozac for the past two years with fantastic results but some sexual side effects. I requested a script for Wellbutrin XL. I added this to 10 mg of Prozac. The first couple of days, I was full of energy and got a lot of cleaning done. I had extreme difficulty falling asleep the next few nights and had to resort to taking Zopiclone. Wellbutrin helped me to lose about 5 lbs in a week (with diet and exercise), and I had no desire to drink alcohol and made it very easy to diet. Ultimately, it was making me agitated, anxious, and angry. I was losing sleep, tinnitus was acting up, and I was experiencing eye pain. I may have continued to stick with it, but it made my sexual dysfunction worse to the point where it was difficult to orgasm even on my own."

• Man...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 23, 2020

Bupropion for Depression "Sadly, this drug didn't work so well for my anxiety/depression. I have been on Prozac for the past two years with fantastic results but some sexual side effects. I requested a script for Wellbutrin XL. I added this to 10 mg of Prozac. The first couple of days, I was full of energy and got a lot of cleaning done. I had extreme difficulty falling asleep the next few nights and had to resort to taking Zopiclone. Wellbutrin helped me to lose about 5 lbs in a week (with diet and exercise), and I had no desire to drink alcohol and made it very easy to diet. Ultimately, it was making me agitated, anxious, and angry. I was losing sleep, tinnitus was acting up, and I was experiencing eye pain. I may have continued to stick with it, but it made my sexual dysfunction worse to the point where it was difficult to orgasm even on my own."

• com...
• December 31, 2015

Bupropion for Major Depressive Disorder "I was on 150 mg Effexor for nearly a year and continued suffering with depression and anxiety. It affected my libido to the point that I couldn't stand being touched by my husband. I've been on Wellbutrin for nearly three weeks, and it's been a miracle for me. My energy level is up, I can focus again, and my libido has increased. The only negative I have had is it doesn't help my anxiety."