Frazzled

[Anonymous]

I was on 30mg cymbalta after stepping down from the 120mg I was on a year ago. After the revelation of ADD we did 2 things. First bumped from 18mg Concerta to 36mg. Big difference and loving it so far. Then came the other. we stopped the cymbalta. Now I’ve been on many different serotonin meds for quite a few years for depression and anxiety. We figure now that they were secondary to the ADD. I’m not more depressed without it but… I find I;m easier to frustrate now and I’m more likely to act on it. I snap at people, raise my voice and have less issue being very blunt. What bugs me is I have a 4 year old son and I find I’m harder on him then I was before.

So here’s the proposed fix… wellbutrin xl. What I’m reading now though is I may be happier and such on it but will be more prone to temper.

Anyone else have a similar experience? I don’t think I’ll get the prescription filled just yet.

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[Saffron]

Wellbutrin XL definitely gave me a shorter fuse. It seems to be a very, very common adverse effect.

You would need to be prepared for the irritability it can cause (particularly when it is wearing off) and for the impulse to react with aggression where you were once too tired or depressed to stand up for yourself. (Really; this will sneak up on you!)

It seems to rev up the body’s metabolism and give one a greater sense of energy (a huge difference over the inertia of an SSRI), even restoring libido and reducing the urge and the need for more sleep. So basically, you would need to be prepared to *channel* this extra energy into exercise or other outlets. Be prepared to put your fist in your mouth in annoying situations. And because it’s so much easier to wake up and to get out of bed with this med, you would need to resist a powerful tendency to burn the candle at both ends and to sleep too few hours, which itself leads to irritability.

A common solution is to combine Wellbutrin with a low-dose SSRI. The Wellbutrin counteracts the libido-dampening effect of the SSRI, and the SSRI can often blunt the irritability of the Wellbutrin.

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[Anonymous]

Hmmm. You touched a couple things there that has me thinking. I need that greater sense of energy in a big way. Even now that I am thinking clearer I still have a hard time getting going. I’m still not sure what I’ll do. I don’t want to have a shorter temper and me more likely to act before thinking. I guess this is where the importance of having a coach comes in to teach you new skills like anger management and the stuff I clearly don’t have.

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[ADDled]

Wellbutrin Xl is working well (no pun intended) for me. Like most of us. I’m on a variety of meds for the comorbid conditions of anxiety and depression. I was changed to Wellbutrin from Effexor because the Effexor (someone please stop me) wasn’t having an effect any more. But as often is the case, what works well for one person doesn’t mean it works for another.

My psydoc has also added Lomotrigine as a mood stabilizer for a while now and that has worked extremely well. When I do get angry, it seems to be more under control. When I do lose it, I’m more aware at my point of losing it and am better able to diffuse the situation, such as choosing to avoid acting inappropriately.

No doubt therapy and coaching has helped, too. And in a lot of cases where we have to interact with people, pills aren’t enough. I think somewhere in this website is the mantra of “Skills, not pills”.

Live better through chemistry…..

Hope this helps…and good luck

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[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies. I’m going to get a months worth and try it out. A month should be enough time to give me an idea if it’s going to be for me.

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[Anonymous]

Oh yea big difference. I don’t get frustrated as easy and my tolerance level is up.

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[Anonymous]

Skills WITH Pills

Wellbutrin (buproprion) is a noradrenergic medication much like Strattera. Helps to work on attention and mood. Activating but limited in the number of doses for ease of titration. Not to be used if concurrent seizure disorder. In the US, formulated under the name, Zyban.

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[Author]

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