Wellbutrin and PCOS

criticalpanda · 06-30-2009, 12:18 PM

Hi everyone!

I have struggled with depression, anxiety and up/down moods for a long, long time. I used to take Paxil, which I remember helping me. Now my husband and I are TTC and I've heard that Wellbutrin is a safe option as far as anti-depressants go. Has anyone taken Wellbutrin? If so, what are your experiences?

Thanks!

WyCwgrl77 · 06-30-2009, 01:59 PM

I LOVE it... I have tried lexapro, effexor and cymbalta....none with any success. I felt immensley better after 2 days on the wellbutrin... good luck!

kapuakea · 06-30-2009, 03:12 PM

My doctor put me on wellbutrin for smoking cessation (back when I used to smoke). It had a really weird effect on my dreams. Every night I would have these really graphic bloody & violent nightmares with intense color saturation. I couldn't take the dreams so I quit taking the pills.

Since then, I was able to quit smoking cold turkey but that was my experience with wellbutrin.

Bethann · 06-30-2009, 04:37 PM

Make sure your doctor puts you on it very slowly, this minimizes the risk of seizures, which is small but real.

I can't take it because it causes horrible migraines, which is a known possibility.

It is supposed to not cause weight gain or sexual problems, which would be a plus for women with PCOS, that's part of why I originally tried it.

RoaryKennedy · 07-01-2009, 05:03 PM

I was put on Wellbutrin to counter the sexual side effects I had from taking Zoloft and then Effexor. Honestly, I do not think that I gained any benefit in that department.

I have always felt that my Wellbutrin "wasn't working", but perhaps that's because--unlike my other anti-depressants--there's no side effects of missing a dose or tapering down. With others, even if I missed one dose, I'd have the infamous head spins that accompany tithing down from an anti-depressants. With Wellbutrin, I have nothing.

My psych recently took me off Effexor and put me on Lamictal, but kept the Wellbutrin. I'd never felt worse. I was crabby and moody and teary and irritable. So when I visited her last week, she had me drop the Wellbutrin, because she said it typically causes one of two effects: an uplifting mood burst, or a tendency toward irritability, like I had.

Hope this helps! I would say that of the anti-depressants I took, Zoloft was the one I had the most success with, and I took that while TTC and throughout my whole pregnancy with no ill effects.

Good luck!

dreamy28 · 07-31-2009, 12:00 AM

Hi, if you don't mind me asking, what is your dose of Lamictal and do you have any side effects from it? If so, what are they? Has it caused any weight gain for you or any water retention?

Any insight you could give me would be great!

Cheers,

Bethann · 08-02-2009, 10:33 PM

I know you asked Rosary, but for what it's worth I take 200mg of lamictal/day, I haven't experienced any weight gain on it--it doesn't generally cause that effect.

That said, lamictal is a mood stabilizer that works well on depression, not an anti-depressant so it's usually not used for non-bipolar depression.

prockwell · 08-10-2009, 07:02 PM

I have been on Wellbutrin for several years now and have had no problems whatsoever! It has been really helpful, although it took a little bit to figure out what the right dose was for me because my doctor wanted to start very slow so that I didn't have to take more than was needed. I have had no weight gain from the Wellbutrin (now the PCOS is something different but let's not go there....) and no sexual side effects. Good luck!

Paula

RoaryKennedy · 08-10-2009, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreamy28

Hi, if you don't mind me asking, what is your dose of Lamictal and do you have any side effects from it? If so, what are they? Has it caused any weight gain for you or any water retention?

Any insight you could give me would be great!

Cheers,

Hi Dreamy! I'm sorry that it took me so long to get back to you--my job is crazy in the summer, and I don't get on SC as much as I'd like!

I started with a Lamictal "Starter Pack", which started me at 25 mg for two weeks, 50 mg for two weeks and then jumped to 100 mg. 100 mg wasn't cuttin' it: I felt horrible. Worse than I'd EVER felt. Seriously, I could barely drag myself out of bed, and there were many, many nights that my mom had to come up and help take care of my toddler, because all I wanted to do was sit around and cry. And my psych appointment got rescheduled, so I had to wait like, a month, to get in to discuss it!

When I finally did get in, my psych doubled my dosage to 200 mg. But she also added Effexor back in, and I think that was key. After about 7 days of Effexor (and also the increased dose of Lamictal, I suppose), I started feeling much, much better.

I have not noticed any side effects at all. I haven't gained any weight, but I sure haven't lost any, either. I've had nothing unusual that I could attribute to the Lamictal.

Lamictal can be a touch thing, from what I understand. There's another Cyster that I talk to often on Facebook, and she got very manic from a 50 - 100 mg dose of Lamictal. She's only on 25 mg, and it works well for her. But it's interesting, isn't it? How one person can be on 200 mg and be okay, while another can only 25 mg or she ends up manic. Brain chemistry is weird sometimes!

Hope this helps!

RoaryKennedy · 08-10-2009, 07:26 PM

Oh, and water retention...no, I haven't noticed that, but I also take a "water pill" for my high blood pressure, so if it does cause that, it might be counteraffected by my water pill.

ShyChicagoGirl · 08-11-2009, 12:26 AM

I love Wellbutrin. I have been on it for maybe 7 or 8 years now. No side effects for me at all, especially no weird sexual side effects which was really important to me.

I take 150mg, of the XL (extended release). My doc once tried to move my Rx up to 300 mg, and it sent me spiraling into a hardcore depression within days. I'll never change my dosage again (not really sure why he changed it anyway). If I even miss a couple days of it now, my hubby will notice my mood change and ask if I am out of my Wellbutrin or forgotten to take it. I cannot imagine not being on it.

Oh and it came out in generic in the past year so that cost has dropped which is nice since I don't have a flat rate co-pay like $5, $10, I have to pay 20%...mutter..but I love the generic as much as the regular.

Psstt...Hi Jen...fancy running into you here

spongebobmami86 · 08-16-2009, 04:55 AM

I took wellbutrin, I don't quite remember the dosage. All I know is that it didn't seem to work for me. I was moodier, but I eventually stopped taking it and I guess I am better now. I didn't lose weight while on it, but I did gain a little after stopping. I may try it out again at a higher dosage, but I really should go to a psychiatrist instead of a general practitioner.

JoyannaWants2BaMommy · 08-22-2009, 01:30 AM

i have been on it for a year in october. i take 150 mg budeprion sr 2x a day. well supposed to, sometimes i only get 1, it that. it's expensive for me usually b/c i have no ins. the dr started me out at that dose, and i felt fine, lost 10 lbs in a week cuz i had NO APATITE! but i think thats why they say start low. and don't stop cold turkey, whoa i did that too! went without for 6 wks! at first my drs wanted me to either not take anything, or take zoloft. well, after 8 days on zoloft i went right back to my wellbutrin. it's considered safe to take pg. the dr said fine, whatever works for you. i think they just like to go with zoloft or prozac b/c they've been around longer. but i do know it says DO NOT BREASTFEED so i'll take my crazy pills and bottlefeed this here lil monster! LOL i know, such a bad mom i'll be, my sanity over bf'ing! LOL just a joke!

JoyannaWants2BaMommy · 08-22-2009, 01:33 AM

yeah, and you do get to keep your sex life, don't eat the house, and motivation to get up out of bed and bathe regularly which i did not have with zoloft. i was a stinky fatty! LOL

BooNaeKar · 09-04-2009, 12:50 AM

I took Wellbutrin for several years and loved it! I was happy when I found out that there was a generic for it, but I didn't do well on the generic at all. So I went back to taking the name brand. I ended up going off of the Wellbutrin this past summer, however, because I started getting insomnia really bad, and the doctor suspected that the Wellbutrin might be causing it. It gives you such an energy boost, that I guess it was lasting into the night for me. Sure enough, once I weaned off of it, the insomnia disappeared and I've slept just fine ever since. I do miss it sometimes, though, because I did lose quite a bit of weight while taking it, and I also loved the extra energy that I had. Worked great for my depression too-lol!