Wellbutrin for Major Depressive Disorder User Reviews (Page 3)

• Goods
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 13, 2020

"I started wellbutrin and abilify 4 days ago and already I'm noticing some relief. I have anxiety and depression and the anxiety has gone down a noticeable amount. It was at 8.6/10 now it's at a 5.5/10. And I've had anxiety and depression as well as schizophrenia for years now. Finally found a combination that works. I wouldn't say I'm cured though. Just better than before. I also take Loxapine for my schizophrenia. So whatever that combination of Abilify, Wellbutrin, and Loxapine is doing, it's helping."

• Reppy
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 6, 2015

"Coming from a very problematic childhood, I've been labeled everything from A to Z by psychiatrists and given a slew of meds. Wellbutrin in my experience has been beyond beneficial. At first for the first week or two I had slight tremors, irregular heartbeat, major insomnia and headaches but dismissed. I still have slight insomnia which is why I take them when I wake up. But reading comprehension, multitasking, thought focus and moods overall have dramatically improved! I'm one of those people that may have to take them for the rest of my life but I'm not complaining =). One thing that does bother me tho is dry mouth from wellbutrin but I take biotene which helps a bit. Enough to make it worth it anyways lol."

• Bob_FL
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 4, 2020

"Finally, after 25 years, I was able to stop taking Wellbutrin. My Dr. put me on Trintellix 20 mg which hits the same receptor as Wellbutrin to increase dopamine. It also hits the other major receptors as well. Then, Valeant raised the price of Wellbutrin brand to $1,700, so I bought the Canadian version of 300 XL for $150 per month. However, now that I'm on Trintellix, I'm thrilled to get off Wellbutrin which is the cause of so many complaints as a generic. Also, with Trintellix, there's no time-release (SR or XL) - so, this eliminates the dispensing of the drug in the body at various rates - as can be felt between generic and brand. This is just my experience as a veteran of anti-depressants. Trintellix is still in brand form only and costs about $295 per month."

• mdog
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 5, 2022

"I wanted to share my experience because people may be scared away by negative reviews about this drug. Wellbutrin truly saved me. I was dealing with very severe depression, not getting out of bed for days, not wanting to live 24/7. Wellbutrin has been a Godsend for me. I have been able to go back to school, work again, do CrossFit like I used to, and get closer to the person I was before all the depression. I will admit it does have some side effects, especially when starting, but I stuck it out, and I am SO glad I did."

• Changed...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 18, 2022

"Wellbutrin XL 300 mg once a day changed my life. I have used it for 20+ years. I started using it when it came out to help keep my weight down and to help with amotivation aspects of depression. This medication helped me with motivation, socialization, and pushing myself to achieve more. I would not have become a doctor or gotten married without Wellbutrin. However, after all these years, I realized the fibromyalgia I have been fighting for years is due to Wellbutrin. It has gotten so bad that I would constant neck spasms and not be able to get out of bed without taking several layers of pain medication. I read up that Wellbutrin can cause myalgias. I was also taking Adderall for my ADD, this also worsened the muscle spasms. I currently had to stop Wellbutrin completely. Myalgias went away. I have tried other medications for depression, but nothing has giving me the get up and move attitude like Wellbutrin does."

• Britt
• October 5, 2019

"Have been on Wellbutrin for almost a month now. I was originally prescribed 150 mg once per day, but my psychiatrist recently upped my dosage to 300 mg per day. The only reason I’m rating a 5 is because I haven’t felt any drastic difference yet as it takes time for these medications to work. The things I have noticed is that I don’t feel sad anymore and I don’t cry near as much. Right now I’m feeling complete apathy and indifferent towards everything, and my psychiatrist ensures me that I am on my way to recovery."

• Usele...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 23, 2020

"Does nothing for depression. Dried me out to the point of needing steroid eye drops and regular eye drops every 4 hours. I would also wake up every night with a dry mouth. Don't take if you have insomnia. More of my life wasted trying potions."

• GrNana
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 16, 2022

"Wellbutrin or Bupropion is by far the best medicine I've taken for relieving depression. It takes time on this med so don't give up too soon. I have been on 300mg for 6 months and I am seeing results that I never saw with other antidepressants and I have taken most of them at one time or other. Every antidepressant I've taken in the past caused me such apathy I can't function. I now have pleasant or even joyous thoughts occasionally and I am getting interested in life again."

• Eano
• June 30, 2020

"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 30mg 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 15mg. 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 outburst (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 had side effects to justify staying on it."

• coming...
• December 31, 2015

"I was on 150 MG efexor for nearly a year and continued suffering with depression and anxiety. It affected my libido to the point that I couldn't stand being touched by my husband. I've been on wellbutrin for nearly three weeks and it's been a miracle for me. My energy level is up, I can focus again, and my libido has increased. The only negative I have had is it doesn't help my anxiety."

• Pinkl...
• November 19, 2014

"I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and have also suffered the loss of my family. I had 5 major surgeries in one year and have attempted suicide several times. I've been on a variety of meds and have watched my weight balloon from 140 to 240lbs because of these medicines. Am I better because of Wellbutrin maybe at first and it is easier to move my life along. Side effects, itching that drives me nuts, no sex drive, I've only been able to drop 40lbs, can't sleep, agitated really easy over stupid stuff, cry at the smallest thing. Yes, I still have days I don't want to get out of bed but after a while I finally do. No suicide thoughts right now which is good."

• Coura...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 8, 2015

"I've been off and on of this medication for about 8 years. I originally started it to help me quit smoking (which worked wonders for me, I was able to quit) and later was put back on it for seasonal depression disorder. It helps me a lot with depression, especially as it worsens in the winter. Side effects I experience is increased anxiety, heart palpitations, increased heart rate. I've been on 300 mg (150mg twice a day) before and my anxiety was horrible. If you're on a higher dose and suffer with anxiety you may want to try a lower dose. I currently take 150 mg a day and it's very helpful. It gives you that spark of motivation you need in the mornings."

• Lano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 23, 2019

"After five months of a deep depression, I went to see a psychopharmacologist who suggested 300 mg effexor with 300 mg of wellbutrin. At 150 mg wellbutrin, I did not have much progress. Once we increased to 300 mg, I felt so much better. I still have some anxiety but the darkness has been lifted!"

• Alive...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 12, 2016

"I have suffered depression and PTSD for a long time. I ate ativan like tictacs and tried many other anti-depressants (prozac, escitlaopram, etc. all of which had very negative effects on me and which I discontinued after trial periods). Last year was a significant year for me with huge outside stressors adding pressure. Long story short, doc put me on wellbutrin. I didn't notice anything at first, but I noticed after a couple weeks the black dog was going away and then I gradually became emotionally flatter and could go weeks without crying. Great stuff. I will be on it for life. Con: As another poster stated; bad and scary quick rebound depression when you quit (ran out and was away so could not renew scrip)."

• JDano
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 8, 2021

"Ii am a (older) teenage girl who has struggled with mental illness their whole life and I’ve been on many medications and my least favourite is wellbutrin. it caused my anxiety to worsen, made me constantly dizzy and shaky, I would lose control of my eyes and they would roll into my head several times every hour and it actually made my eyesight worse (sounds unlikely but it’s true). I wouldn’t recommend this drug to anyone."

• Alex
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 8, 2022

"I have tried several AD drugs in the past... Venlafaxine, Sertraline, Prozac, Aripiprazol... Some of them have worked for a while... others have not. My particular experience with Wellbutrin lasted for 11 excruciating days. Since day 1 I felt horrendous and uncontrollable suicidal thoughts, as well as exacerbated and aggressive impulsive behaviours, something that had never happened to me in the past. I just held on taking the medicine until day 11th with the expectation on things getting better, as my psychiatrist told me to hold on... but then, on the 12th day, as I found myself writing suicidal letters to each of my brothers about telling what they should remember about me when I'm gone. I had a moment of clarity and poured those pills into the toilet."

• Emily
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 25, 2020

"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 moat of the time, my fiance felt like it was ruining out relationship because the side affects 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 affects I'm experiencing so far. I'm not looking forward to weening off these pills."

• Confl...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 12, 2023

"I’m conflicted about how to review this. After trying many meds for MDD, I was feeling pretty helpless after all of them either failed or caused intolerable side effects, including increased lack of motivation to the point of not being able to get out of bed, extreme fatigue with the same consequence, social awkwardness (which is outside of the norm for me), extreme, fluctuating emotions, brain zaps, and memory issues. Meds I’ve tried for MDD include Lexapro, Pristiq, Celexa, and Zoloft, with each having various levels of the payoff of improvement in symptoms while causing the worsening of others. This drug did feel different and better in some ways — more energy and less general lethargy that affected my job, somewhat of a mood uplift, and more motivation. However, it did cause me more emotional volatility, making me more short-fused with others, and it worsened my ADD. In the end, I chose to discontinue this med, as it wasn’t worth the trade-off and was borderline dangerous."

• Ann
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 3, 2023

"I have MDD, anxiety, ADHD, and other mental diagnoses. Wellbutrin very much helped with my depression and also gave me more energy and motivation. The only negative side effect I've had is that if I increase my dose too quickly, I become very irritable. Also, I have no appetite for a couple of weeks but it eventually comes back. I personally love this medication. It does not help with anxiety much, and I do wish it helped more for ADHD symptoms, but for depression, it's awesome."

• Always...
• August 28, 2014

"I have been taking Wellbutrin for 10 months. I had 6 migraines in the first 10 days, but then the headaches stopped. I also had dry mouth for about a week when I started taking the 300 milligram tablet. After that, no side effects at all. Unfortunately, I have had no positive effects either. I feel as though I am taking a sugar pill. I am still dysthimic all the time and have had several depressive episodes lasting weeks since beginning this medication. I agreed to take it for a year, buy I don't see any improvement at all."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 10, 2022

"I experienced a rare side effect on Wellbutrin that I was not warned about before: a delayed-onset allergic reaction. 2 weeks after I started taking Wellbutrin I broke out in hives all over my body and experienced painful joint swelling. Immediately after stopping the medication, my symptoms disappeared. If you experience any signs of allergic reaction, even weeks after starting, contact your doctor immediately. While this medication works for many people, I wanted to share my experience with a relatively unknown side effect."

• Puree...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 2, 2015

"I originally started out on solely Prozac for depression. I noticed a moderate amount of difference and because of my lack of focus (after a few months of adjusting to Prozac), my psychiatrist gave me the option of combining Prozac with Wellbutrin. The first time around it really wrecked havoc on my GI and I found out that is extremely rare. I took a couple months off of the Wellbutrin and went back to Prozac alone. About 9-10 months ago, I started back on the duo and I have had zero problems since. No side effects and I have actually noticed quite a significant difference when taking it before bed. I wake up extremely energized. I have never been on Wellbutrin alone, but I can safely say this combination has been fantastic in the AM/PM."

• dprsd...
• April 21, 2021

"I’ve suffered from pretty severe major depressive disorder & anxiety since I can remember, diagnosed since I was 18 (now 25). Tried prozac, zoloft, effexor, lexapro, & none really helped me escape the deep hurt I felt 24/7. About 16 months ago I started taking this drug, building up to 300mgXL over a 2 week timespan. That was a pretty horrific time if I’m being honest - manic, crawling out of my own skin, couldn’t sleep at all. But then my doctor added 100mg of serequel at night for my sleep. Over the next 3 months I felt myself lift out of the darkness a little. She also added an anti-anxiety (klonopin). Wellbutrin didn’t solve my depression, but it definitely did help save my life. If you’re just trying it out for the first time, try to get past the bad side effects in the beginning if you can, It’s been worth it for me anyways. Long term side effects have been anxiety, reduced appetite, memory loss, restlessness, nausea & some confusion/disorientation."

• Ducky
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 16, 2018

"I've been on Wellbutrin for 5 or 6 years. The counsellor gave me the choice of this or some others, which all had sexual side effects that were not acceptable to me. Taking 150 twice a day. If I forget it for a couple days I get very irritable, so even if I forget some of the others (for blood pressure, diabetes type 2, and heart problems) I try always to take the wellbutrin. But, in the last year I'm finding that there are few times when I'm not down in the hole. Won't be seeing the psych for another 6-months, but don't really want to talk to her anyway. My recommentation: if it helps even a little, keep taking it; it's better than going nuts."

• Monica
• April 3, 2020

"So I’ve taken Wellbutrin once before because my antidepressant ( Prozac ) was giving me sexual dysfunction. So my doctor said that I’ll add on Wellbutrin to see if the gets better. And I never really noticed a difference with that. But this medication gave me Tinnitus(ringing in the ear) and headache drove me insane. Oh also it made me more depressed."