Wellbutrin and Headaches: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Cyn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 17, 2016

For Depression "I have little side effects, like a headache, but that is due to no appetite from this medication. Ever since I have been on it, I feel wonderful again, like I used to be. All I would sit around and cry and think I was useless, but now that is gone altogether. I'm on 200 mg, and who knows, I could have it increased if all goes well. Since I have been on this medication, I have lost 14 lbs. I have no appetite, so I have to force myself to eat, which isn't till like 4 pm. I'm so glad I'm losing weight and not gaining. Who knows, it could be a combination with my Lisinopril. I guess everyone is different, but give it a try or ask your doctor if you can take it for weight loss. My doctor put me on it for weight loss and depression... Very, very happy."

• Anonymous
• November 23, 2009

For Depression "I've been taking Wellbutrin for about 1 month. I really want this medication to work, but I'm having all side effects. Started with a bad taste in my mouth and went to headache, really dizzy, and nauseous. (I will go off if this doesn't go away.) Today I'm having some chest pain, but it feels a little worse than the anxiety chest pain I was having, so I'm not sure what to think of that. I have been on Prozac and then Celexa for 10 years, and I wanted to try this for the less sexual side effects. That has worked, and I feel more sensitive to the things that should make you cry. I really want this to work, but the side effects are hard. I'll stick with it and hope they go away soon."

• Anonymous
• August 11, 2011

For Anxiety "Have only been taking for three days. Have some headaches, nausea, no big deal. I don't like the feeling after my second dose at night. I have gotten panicky and felt like I was going to have a panic attack, but have not so far. I am mainly using this to quit smoking, and I see that it is triggering my anxiety somewhat, but I have already lost the urge to smoke and will quit on my quit date. I would rather deal with side effects for a couple of weeks than die of lung cancer and leave my children with no mother. Especially after losing my mother at a young age and my grandfather. I am hoping this will help my depression and anxiety after I am used to it. I can't wait to be smoke-free soon."

• Anonymous
• April 29, 2012

For Depression "I started off on the Wellbutrin 150 mg XL twice a day, and I was exhausted every day, not to mention the nausea was so bad I had to stop taking it. Just started on Wellbutrin immediate release at 100 mg once a day, and it is a complete difference. I have so much more energy and focus, so far I love it. I do get a little headache by the end of the day, but it's not a big deal."

• som...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 17, 2023

For Depression "I started bupropion 75 mg and was on it for 10 days. The first days, I was agitated and hypervigilant, had problems with driving as everything attracted my attention, and felt a bit more active. I became careless and a bit arrogant. My empathy and people-pleasing behaviors lowered. I could socialize, not feeling inferior. Slowly, the medicine lost effect. The next 10 days were bupropion ER 150 mg. It gave me grave depression, I feel like I am in a cage, extreme depression, and I feel people are all monsters. I still have empathy, but no joy, no happiness, nothing. I can study, and my brain fog is gone. I can focus if I eat something. Now I am on 300 mg bupropion ER. Still very depressed. No joy. My kidneys are starting to hurt, and I have some breathing problems and nasal dripping problems. Super aware of my surroundings, studying is easy. I have lost joy, and I sleep all the time. I have a dull headache. I feel like if I continue, I will have a mental episode."

• Tho...
• September 24, 2018

For Depression "I was prescribed 50 mg Wellbutrin to take 1/day for my ADHD symptoms and depression. I had read good things about this drug, so I was excited to try it, and I was hopeful about it being able to work for me. The first two days I took it, I felt better-more energy, happier outlook on life! But after the third day, I felt like I wasn't taking any pill at all. No noticeable positive effects and only negative side effects, like dry mouth, headaches, and sore throat. A week later, I decided to ask my doctor to up my dosage to the XL 150 mg. What a mistake! I started having paradoxical effects from it. I was CONSTANTLY exhausted, no motivation to do anything, and I became so irritable and angry that I would start the day already in a bad mood, and small things would set me off. It made me feel unbearably depressed, which I had not done that in many years. I can see how this may be a miracle drug for some, but definitely be wary of how it affects you. Still looking for mine.:("

• Kac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 29, 2019

For Depression "Gave me horrible headaches, flu-like symptoms, horrible rash, and severe depression. I literally felt toxic on it. I’ve heard this drug can be very dangerous, and I see why! Got off immediately, or it would have destroyed all my relationships and myself. Also caused anxiety attacks. Be very careful with this drug!"

• Anonymous
• April 27, 2011

For Anxiety "I was put on a 150 mg dose about 4 weeks ago for mild depression/anxiety. I had dry mouth, headaches, spacey feeling, and nervousness, all of which added to my anxiety. I switched to 300 mg for 1 week, but the jitters increased, and I could have climbed the walls! Rarely felt like eating. It did not negatively affect my ability to orgasm (like Lexapro did), which was nice, but couldn't handle the side effects. Trying Cymbalta."

• Sam...
• January 5, 2017

For Depression "I've been depressed for quite some years now on and off. I've had my highs and my lows. I decided to talk to my doctor to try out antidepressants even though I was so scared and skeptical. My doctor prescribed me sertraline 50 mg. I noticed my energy level increased to a certain extent, but after a couple of months, I noticed no change at all. I was just at a 5 out of 10, not going up or down, so I decided to change my meds. He then prescribed me bupropion XL 150 mg. The first 3 days were amazing, I had an incredible amount of energy. I felt the most normal I had in a whole year. Soon after, the 6th day came and I felt horrible: vomiting, headaches, confusion, night sweats, etc."

• Msq...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 2, 2020

For Depression "I've been on and off taking Wellbutrin from 200 mg to 150 mg for two years now. It's good for your depression. The only side effects I experience are dry mouth, mild headaches, and stomach pain. Other than that, I have no problem with Wellbutrin. It keeps me calm. I'm not overthinking about anything, I just feel relaxed and numb."

• Anonymous
• February 20, 2011

For Depression "This is my second time on Wellbutrin XL. I took it once when I was 14-15, with no negative side effects, and I'm now 18. My doctor started me on 150 mg and then bumped me up to 300 mg, and it helped so much. This time when I started, I got headaches for the first 10 days, which were pretty bad sometimes, but it was worth sticking them out (I had headaches during depression anyway). And for a period of 1-2 weeks, I would wake up in the middle of the night for no reason, but I could usually always go back to sleep. I have more energy, and I don't dwell on things as much. Overall, very satisfied."

• Ogo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 23, 2012

For Depression "Horrible side effects: irritability, headaches, malaise. Did not help me with depression as a result."

• Tas...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 23, 2023

For Depression "This is an honest review. It is not a horror story. It is to help prevent someone else from having my experience. I was an avid user of this medication since January 2023. I started with 150 mg. I had minor headaches and mild relief for like 8 hours. Then, a crash would happen where I felt depressed like clockwork every day without reason. I moved up to 300 mg. It helped me to stay mellow for the entire 24 hours, which I found great. I started 300 mg in February. Come March (this month), I started to have severe shortness of breath. I was eating and didn't have a heart condition. I don't have any severe allergies. I am healthy outside of my mental health struggles. I would be eating and struggling severely to breathe during and after the meal. I took emergency allergy meds thinking I had developed one out of nowhere. I took iron pills thinking I had low levels (Google will lead you down a rabbit hole). I thought I was suffering from GERD (acid reflux). I was going insane. It was the pills."

• qua...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 4, 2012

For Depression "When I first took it, I thought it was great, but after being on it awhile, I got terrible headaches, and if you ever got angry while on it, my blood pressure went real high."

• Anonymous
• January 19, 2011

For Depression "Just started taking this for depression/anxiety, so far, so good. The first few days, I could definitely feel the stimulant effect, but on day 5, I can barely feel anything. Obviously, it's too early to tell how it will help with anxiety/depression. I had just a hint of a headache, but nothing bad enough to even take anything for. No real trouble sleeping. I will be increasing the 150 mg to 300 mg (twice daily) Saturday, so I'm sure there will be another adjustment period then. I've heard it's important to take the second dose fairly early in the afternoon (around 3 or 4), so it doesn't keep you up. At first, I did not think this would work with my anxiety, but it's mostly gone due to my body adjusting."

• Rae...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 30, 2022

For Depression "I had very high hopes for this medication. My brother takes it, and it’s magic in a bottle for him. He does very well, no side effects at all. So I have GAD, PTSD, panic disorder, and depression. I take Xanax to help control the anxiety and panic, and I’ve been taking it for 15 years. I’ve had no side effects with that. I lost my mother a few months ago and noticed that my depression was getting worse, and so I decided to try Wellbutrin. I have been on this for a little over 17 days now, and I decided today was the stopping point. I know this is just my experience, and maybe due to my particular medical problems, this medicine just was horrible for me. I could not eat, I can’t hold water down, the nausea is crazy, dry throat, dry eyes, headache, constipation, thoughts of death like OCD fixated on death. My stomach hurts so bad, I’m getting the chills, then hot flashes. I have GERD and hypothyroidism, and maybe this isn’t something that works well with those conditions. Not for me."

• Ean...
• June 30, 2020

For Major Depressive Disorder "Let me start off by saying my body is super weird and sensitive to medication. I do not need a high dose of anything, and I typically get side effects with anything I take. I took 30 mg of Wellbutrin for about a month, and within that month was miserable. I had very bad gut pain and digestive issues, so my doctor dropped me down to 15 mg. I was on that for another 2 weeks before quitting. So, in 45 days of being on Wellbutrin, I got terrible adult acne on my face and chest, severe digestion issues and gut pain, and gained 10-12 pounds in water weight (I felt bloated 24/7 - like I was on my period), headaches, and had severe angry outbursts (which is not to my character). It is a bummer I had such horrible side effects because it really did help greatly with my depression. It also gave me a huge sex drive (which my husband loved!). But there were just too many side effects to justify staying on it."

• MyE...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 8, 2017

For Depression "Unfortunately, this medication did not work out well for me at all. I was on 150 mg of Wellbutrin, a generic SR version. In the first week, I took the medicine first thing in the morning as directed (for me, that's about 7 a.m.), and the rest of the day I had intense/severe headaches. Mind you, I already take medication daily for migraines because I'm a chronic sufferer, and my migraine medication was being blown out of the water! I felt like I had several ice picks in my head. The other issue I noticed immediately was that I was having an extremely difficult time sleeping, and if I did fall asleep, I'd have very vivid and awful nightmares. Other apparent issues were having memory loss and abnormal behavior. Not for me!!!"

• Boo...
• April 2, 2021

For Depression "Before taking Wellbutrin, I was on Zoloft, which made me really tired, and I had no motivation, so my doctor put me on Wellbutrin 150 mg. The first couple of weeks taking it, I was sick from coming off Zoloft and didn’t feel any better depression-wise, I was much worse! After a few weeks, I felt better, but felt it didn’t help my moods and anger like Zoloft did. After being on it for 2 months, I have started feeling sick, my head feels like there’s so much pressure, my heart pounds a lot, I start to feel weak. I went into the ER because I had bad stomach pain and diarrhea, I was sweating and shaky. I am calling my doctor to see what my options are. At this point, I don’t want to take any medication because I feel like rubbish."

• jmm...
• April 15, 2015

For Depression "I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety, as well as a bit of OCD regarding my weight well over 10 years ago, but started taking medication for it only 2 years ago. I'm on Wellbutrin again, after a year or so off of it, for about 6 days now, and I haven't felt much of a positive change whatsoever, unfortunately. The one side effect I've been getting is extreme migraines. I suffer from chronic migraines anyway, but they're never usually this bad every day. I'm not sure if it's because I'm still coming off of the Zoloft while starting up the Wellbutrin. Zoloft gave me awful headaches and major weight gain along with some insomnia. I'm sticking it out and hoping that the migraines go away. I have been nauseous daily also."

• Emi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 25, 2020

For Major Depressive Disorder "I've been on a lot of different antidepressants for my anxiety/MDD. I was on a whole handful of different prescriptions for a while, trying to figure out what worked best, and no matter what pill I've been on, I've noticed I feel a little high, like I'm more outgoing and more talkative, but I can feel a buzz in my head, and I've also struggled with migraines/headaches on other pills (including this one which happens almost daily now). I have trouble focusing, I have severe panic attacks, I feel extremely anxious most of the time. My fiancé felt like it was ruining our relationship because the side effects are too much to handle. We went out to dinner recently, and I literally broke down crying, and we left the restaurant because of my uncontrollable mood swings. I don't know how I fully feel yet because it's been such a short period of time since I started this pill, but I know I don't like the side effects I'm experiencing so far. I'm not looking forward to weaning off these pills."

• Bip...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 12, 2019

For Depression "I have bipolar II, and after a series of failed drugs, I was prescribed quetiapine (that's a whole other message board) and bupropion. I was on Activas bupropion 150 XL for about six weeks. It stabilized me, but I was still depressed - but functioning. Side effects - waking up early, feeling like a zombie, loss of appetite - went away within that time period. I've now been on Par Pharmaceutical's bupropion 300 XL for about a month. Side effects are irritability and jitters, but I'm hoping those go away. I tried Activas 300 XL - oval pills - and it seemed to dump a large portion of the medication about two hours after taking it, giving me a zombie effect. It also gave me a headache. Those things may have gone away with time, but I switched back to Par. Overall, I'm content, and my depression is gone."

• Mol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 2, 2022

For Depression "I'm finishing my fourth day on Wellbutrin. Never tried it before. I shared with my GP that I've been having feelings of impending doom-and my sales have decreased significantly with the current economy-worrying a lot. Since self-employment and impending doom are a bad combination, she suggested I try it. I'm 64, but my husband and I enjoy an amazing sex life, and I didn't want to mess that up. And I'm fit, so I didn't want to risk gaining weight. Since starting it (150 mg), I've had a few headaches and a few short periods of nausea. Sleeping is so much fun because the dreams are so vivid. So today, I've had amazing energy-no need for coffee-didn't even think about it. I've been really happy today. Has to be the drug. I can be very difficult and blow my top over little things sometimes, and I always feel so bad afterward. I'm praying this will help me keep things in perspective and not blow things out of proportion. My poor husband has suffered. So far, I would recommend it."

• Sqy...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 11, 2017

For Depression "The first few days while taking Wellbutrin, which is not really recommended for anxiety, but the doc recommended giving it a try, were not too bad. Around week 2, I began to notice I was miserable, angry all the time, and just not feeling like myself! I am usually a happy person that laughs a lot and enjoys making others laugh! Wellbutrin changed all that! I was now a bitter and angry person that found fault with everything! I wasn't sleeping well, had slight headaches every day, and my head felt cloudy and foggy all the time! I wasn't able to concentrate, which made it difficult for me to function properly at work. I was no longer the happy, silly person I used to be! This drug totally changed my personality!"

• Sun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 8, 2021

For Depression "I have found Wellbutrin to be the best for me. I've tried Zoloft, Lexapro, Cymbalta, Adderall, Vyvanse, Prozac, and Strattera. These others made me too agitated or too zombie-like. No dry mouth, no jaw clenching, no yawning, no RLS, no anxiousness, no headaches with Wellbutrin/Bupropion. Feel uplifted, more my old self, laugh and love easier, and anxiety a bit better. Less achy too! My long-term memory has even improved. I don't mind the vivid dreams, kind of fun. I do have some side effects which make me wish and plead for a lower dosage to be available. I'm taking 150 XL here in the USA. I really wish they'd make a 75 XL for sensitive types like me. I often get into a hyperfocus mode with this dosage of Wellbutrin. I can get a ton of reading done, internet research, etc., but then procrastinate things of higher priority. Please, manufacturers, please offer 75 XL as well. I think you'd be helping a ton of people."