Wellbutrin - Dealing with insomnia?

Question

I started out taking the 100mg IR 3 times a day. Initially, I was on cloud nine; my mood was great, my libido was through the roof, etc. After a week or two that faded. It still took away my sadness and grief, but it also gave me the "jitters". Like I drank wayyyy too much coffee. I wasn't able to sleep at night.

I switched to the 150mg SR twice a day, more out of convenience than anything; one less pill to take. I take one at 5am and one at 5pm. I am unable to sleep. If I get to sleep, (with the help of Klonopin or Trazodone) I wake up between 1 and 2 am and cannot get back to sleep. My body is "buzzing".

The only way back to sleep is more Klonopin or Trazodone and that takes 40 minutes to kick in. I get up at 4:20 so you can see how this disrupts my sleep and it's just not good.

I'm going to try 150mg SR once a day; hopefully it will get me through the day mood-wise and by bed time, my system will be clear of it.

One other thing; I am amazed that they prescribe this stuff for anxiety! Wellbutrin wires me out so bad my wife said she could feel my body buzzing in bed last night!

Please share with me your experience with insomnia and how you dealt with it.

Answer

Give the 150 xr a try and give it a few weeks. The  insomnia  does pass. I didn't think it would so I quit. And when I tried again I gave it more time and it passed.

Answer

Well, I was off Wellbutrin for several months then decided to go back o n it. I did 150 XL for a couple months and I adjusted well; I had never taken the XL before, always IR. I recently moved up to the 300 XL and I'm doing fine with regard to sleep. I get up really early due to my job; about 3:30AM and that's when I take it. I seem to be doing well with it. I wish the  weight loss  side effects worked for me, as I could stand to lose a few lbs. Also, the increase in libido was not really noticable with the XL like it was with the IR. In any case, I have gotten past the insomnia issue, it was just a matter of patience and adjusting to it. Thanks for all of your replies.

Answer

Hi,

I am experiencing the exact same thing. Was on xl and switched to 150 sr once a day because of sleep issues. I have been taking it for a week now and still have to take sleeping stuff to stay asleep at night. I wake up feeling like I've gotten 0 R.E.M. Sleep and have been half awake/half asleep through the night.

Did it end up resolving itself after it settled into your system a little more?

Answer

Hey friend axslinger, how have you been? Jittery and sleepless I guess, which is annoying. My story with Wellbutrin is similar to RonMan's. I took my full dose in the AM, but in my case required a very small Clonazepam to sleep, which I still take. Wellbutrin is widely prescribed, effective and known for having few side effects. Hope it ultimately works out for you. Take care.
Frenchie.

Answer

I'm on 100mg 2x day. I sleep great. When I was on Paxil I slept 2-4 hours a night, one of the reasons I switched. Right now my dosage takes the edge off... but  my depression  is still getting to me..I'm thinking of seeing my doc to adjust my dose. Hasn't helped my ADD though, lol.

Answer

I do not know if this is true. But I hear it from a few others that when you first start a med for the first couple of weeks you go throught a 'honeymoon' period then the side effects kick in. Maybe what happen to you?
Like everyone said Wellbutrin is known for it's "jetters". If you have a sleep disorder or anxiety this may not be the med for you. As one of the side effects that may not go away is increased anxiety 'jetters'.
Taking it as early as you can one dose may help. I also had this issue with WB and was told to up my Ativan at night. But it was not worth getting hooked on benzos for me to continue to take it. I was also on trazodone but had to stop due to side effects. Do not know why they prescribe WB if you have an anxiety disorder??
Best to you, hope you can get some sleep soon.

Answer

Hi axslinger,
I think RonMan has the right idea, take it in the morning only. Just take your entire dose in the morning and you will probably feel a bit better at night and you may get better ZZZ's. If not, ask your doc for something, just for a week or two, to help you sleep. You may not want to do that, but it's an option.

Wellbutrin is known for causing some insomnia and not a good choice for people with anxiety disorders, at least the info I've garnered from this site indicates that this opinion and info is correct, I've experienced this personally as well. BUT the great thing about it is NO sexual side effects, whereas most ssri's and snri's cause such havoc with our libidos and abilities in both men and women.
Best wishes and I hope you get some great sleep very soon, as this is probably temporary,
Lara

Answer

I was on 300 mg Wellbutrin once a day for years. I took it in the morning around 9 am. If I did not I had major sleeping problems as well. If I missed for some reason and took it past noon, I had sleeping problems that night. Oddly it made me drowsy for a couple of hours after I took it. Coffee seemed to be the answer.

Sorry I could not provide more help. You should talk to your doctor. I did and they is why I was taking it when I did.

Good Luck,

RonMan

Votes: +1

Answer

I had same problem as u when on wellbutrin. I took trazadone at night and I slept great.

Wellbutrin - Dealing with insomnia?

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