Wellbutrin - Sudden heightened sense of smell, anyone else had this?

Just wanted to say that if you know it's the medication you should consider reporting it to the FDA so that they're aware that it's happening.
1-800-FDA-1088 (in the USA)

Don’t fell alone I also have that ,I can smell our laundry hamper in my bedroom when I’m in the living room !I also had a good sniffer before I started taking the medication.be careful because I also was going in sane ,my daughter pointed it out and it was only on the bad bottles of the medication!

My sense of smell is driving me nuts I started taking this 4 days ago and I smell everything it’s driving me crazy

Yes. I’ve been taking Wellbutrin or generic for years. It’s a thing. I can smell everything! Sometimes it affects the way something tastes. So I have to ask my husband if it tastes weird. Mostly smells however. I use a lot of alcohol spray where I work to kill the smells.

When man was prehistoric, he relied on his adrenaline to save his hide when danger presented itself. Fast response time, increased strength and dexterity, elevated sensory perception are part of the increased adrenaline release. As I understand it, Wellbutrin helps block the reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine so that more remains in the space between the brain's nerve cells. Norepinephrine is responsible for adrenaline release. Its not normal to have extra adrenaline sitting idle in a calm state so one will become more aware of all the things that alert your senses. For me I experience bad and good smells, more laughter and more sadness. Increased anxiety with some fear too. I often do not know what I smell and that bothers me sometimes because its difficult to find the source and eliminate it.

I have been on Wellbutrin for a couple of years and I have definitely noticed an increased sense of smell which has affected me quite a bit! My husband is patient but I know that it bothers him when I react so intensely to smells. I smell everything. I know what people ate when I talk to them, the gym and hockey rink are almost unbearable, body odors are way too intense for me, and I have scentsy burners in every room of my house now! However, for me the positive outweighs the negative when it comes to taking this medicine. It definitely helps me.

Yes. I was taking only 75 mg for approximately. 2 months. It caused my hypersensitivity to perfumes/chemicals,etc. Also, it seemed to increase depression because of the hypersensitivity to smells. Praise god, I realized this problem and stopped the Wellbutrin. Now will be taking Elavil.

I started Wellbutrin about 3 weeks ago, and I am having the same situation. I can smell EVERTHING! The worst is smelling people. I can smell their natural scent (not BO) coming from their breath (as in their internal breath) and it makes me very nauseous my sense of smell is also completely heightened with everything else. I can smell feet if people have their shoes off. My omega 3 pill I take smells like a fish died..etc.

Hello Wiscoteacher. Psychiatric drugs can and do effect us in various ways. I will research and hopefully have a definite/more information on your question. Regards pledge