Wellbutrin XL and Irritability: What Users Say

• MJa...
• February 6, 2021

For Depression "I was diagnosed with Bipolar II and C-PTSD in 2015. I tried a handful of different medications, but I was also dependent on alcohol. I stopped drinking August 2020 and soon after went med-free (supervised) to see where I was at. What appeared to come about was depression mostly. When I started 150mg bupropion HCL XL, within 48 hrs I felt more energy, more activated emotions, less fog. It caused me to be more agitated and angry at first, but I knew it was because I was coming from complete numbness to actually having some feelings. I am now a month in and I feel happy about where I am with my mood. I say definitely give it a chance, especially if you are not a fan of SSRIs. Give it a few weeks and log your feelings. Being on this is far better than where I was in my depression. I wanted to share my experience and feelings because it has given me some hope and I want to share that with others."

• Dem...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 29, 2019

For Depression "This was the worst experience I’ve EVER HAD. If you are on this medicine and are trying to push through the bad side effects (anger, irritability, panic attacks, dark thoughts), GET OFF THIS MEDICINE. Do some research on this medicine - it has a 30-page black box label with the title 'SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS; AND NEUROPSYCHIATRIC REACTIONS' that literally warns people about suicide while on this medicine. I yelled at my partner and my family, and for some people, this might literally ruin relationships with people due to the extreme irritability. I have been off this for about 5 days and woke up today the happiest I’ve been in a long time. Don’t feel bad if this one doesn’t work out for you. Things will get better! I am so glad I decided to stop taking this! Always talk to a doctor about stopping first because the withdrawal effects can be severe, but I really recommend anyone doubting the effectiveness of this medication for them should not be on it. This medicine could have been the end of my life. Please learn from my mistake!"

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 12, 2013

For Depression "I have been taking 300 mg for a few weeks now, and I have to say this medication has definitely improved my quality of life. Such a big change from when I was trying Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, etc. Wellbutrin XL helps control my gloominess, anxiety, and even my appetite. I am more motivated to do things during the day. The biggest side effect for me right now is that I am more snappy and aggressive when I get angry, hopefully that will subside."

• Stv...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 24, 2013

For Depression "I tried Bupropion SR generic first. It worked well for depression and rid me of my feelings of despair and hopelessness, but it made me very irritable, and I was up and down all day. I switched to genuine Wellbutrin XL, and what a difference! I can only assume the coating on these is superior, as my irritation is completely gone, and I feel leveled out all day. I was given Citalopram first and lasted four days on it. I felt spaced out mentally, but the sexual side effects were too much to deal with, none of those with Wellbutrin, in fact, the opposite. I was at the end of my tether, this medicine makes me feel normal."

• Man...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 23, 2020

For Depression "Sadly, this drug didn't work so well for my anxiety/depression. I have been on Prozac for the past two years with fantastic results but some sexual side effects. I requested a script for Wellbutrin XL. I added this to 10 mg of Prozac. The first couple of days, I was full of energy and got a lot of cleaning done. I had extreme difficulty falling asleep the next few nights and had to resort to taking Zopiclone. Wellbutrin helped me to lose about 5 lbs in a week (with diet and exercise), and I had no desire to drink alcohol and made it very easy to diet. Ultimately, it was making me agitated, anxious, and angry. I was losing sleep, tinnitus was acting up, and I was experiencing eye pain. I may have continued to stick with it, but it made my sexual dysfunction worse to the point where it was difficult to orgasm even on my own."

• 17 ...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 16, 2016

For Depression "So, I'm 18, and I was prescribed this medication about a year ago, but it was the generic brand of Wellbutrin 100 mg. Now I am on Wellbutrin 150 mg. Ever since I have been on this medication, I have become so irritable with everything. I'm not sure why. But it seems like every little thing sets me off, and I can't stand anyone. It's to the point that I'm starting to get in trouble with my parents, my boss at work, and even sometimes at school... I get so aggravated with everyone and everything. It has caused me very bad anxiety. I have an appointment scheduled with my psychiatrist in 3 days, and I am going to be lowered off of this medication. It has been the worst experience with medications I've had. It's made me miserable!"

• chi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 14, 2013

For Depression "Third day on Wellbutrin and so far so good, except for the side effects. I get headaches, angry and snappy over silly things, ringing in my ears. Those are the main side effects, and they're inconsistent, up and down all along. I feel mentally alert and creative. And actually look forward to doing things. I haven't felt like that since I was a kid! Oh, and my sex drive has increased. I found I have been eating more food, probably because I've been more creative cooking in the kitchen. Just not sure if I'm into being angry/snappy with my toddler around. Hopefully that side effect subsides."

• cat...
• June 8, 2016

For Depression "I just started taking Wellbutrin XL 300 mg recently after being off of it for almost a year. During that year, I found myself dropping my kids off at school and coming home and sleeping all day. I stopped taking it because my insurance would no longer cover the brand name. After being on and off of this drug for many years, I can tell you there is a HUGE difference between generic and brand. When I took bupropion, I was very short-tempered, irritable, and my hair started to fall out! This is not listed as a side effect, and my doctor and pharmacist also assured me this is not a known side effect. After some research, I found many women have hair loss on bupropion. For me, it's worth the $ to pay for brand name."

• Sad...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 6, 2015

For Depression "I was on Wellbutrin XL 300 mg for 6 years. After 3 years, I started having extreme woozy/lightheaded spells that were ruining my life. Everyone kept blaming it on my anxiety. After three years of hating life, I went off of Wellbutrin. It took over 30 days before I even started to see relief, but by the 90-day mark, I was free from those spells. I have my life back. It would not have gone away. Wellbutrin helps with the kind of depression where you have NO motivation and crave sugar. It will make you dehydrated, constipated, edgy, and a light sleeper that only needs about 6 hours per night. It isn't good for anxiety and will not help it. During the adjustment period, you could lose about 10 lbs and have the most vivid nightmares ever."

• Nan...
• June 9, 2015

For Depression "Been on depression meds for many years, specifically Celexa 20 mg, Wellbutrin XL 150 mg, Lamictal (brand name) 150 mg for bipolar disorder. Lately, feeling like I cry easily, got agitated easily, and stressed out if trying to do too many things at once. If someone upset me, it would take days to come out of the dark cloud of depression/sadness. Finally, went back to my doc a week ago, and he upped my Wellbutrin XL to 300 mg. I feel great, but the only negative is that it is keeping me from sleeping through the night, only on day 5. Doc said to take it early in the morning, like 7 am, since later can keep you up. Feel less distracted, more focused, but still a little 'edgy'/anxious, and hope that will get better."

• Nan...
• June 9, 2015

For Depression "Been on depression meds for many years, specifically Celexa 20 mg, Wellbutrin XL 150 mg, Lamictal (brand name) 150 mg for bipolar disorder. Lately, feeling like I cry easily, got agitated easily, and stressed out if trying to do too many things at once. If someone upset me, it would take days to come out of the dark cloud of depression/sadness. Finally, went back to my doc a week ago, and he upped my Wellbutrin XL to 300 mg. I feel great, but the only negative is that it is keeping me from sleeping through the night, only on day 5. Doc said to take it early in the morning, like 7 am, since later can keep you up. Feel less distracted, more focused, but still a little 'edgy'/anxious, and hope that will get better."

• Big...
• June 27, 2019

For Depression "Tried it for a couple of months after getting off of Zoloft 100 mg after 5 years (sexual side effects). Healthy 34-year-old male, and I quickly became pleased with my libido returning within a week or so. That’s where the good news stopped. Started off with being dizzy and almost disoriented extremely often. Had issues sleeping and was constantly with my head in the clouds. Nothing felt real, and I found myself doing silly stuff that was out of character for me. Losing things, stumbling thoughts, feeling faint, shortness of breath, just completely out of sorts. Stayed with it for another month just to see if the side effects would drop off. Irritability level went through the roof! Little stupid things set me off deeply! Finally, enough was enough. Been off a week now, and I feel like a human again. Luckily, I changed doctors, and she recommended me getting off of Wellbutrin XL. That being said, this was NOT the drug for me at all."

• Ter...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 18, 2019

For Depression "Was prescribed a generic substitute of bupropion 150 XL for fatigue, loss of interest, motivation, and mood swings. Tried for 2 months, feel maybe ten percent more energy, no side effect at all, but that’s all it has changed. Doctor changed to 300 XL, been on it for two weeks, hasn’t done anything for me. I was excited to find something that didn’t cause restlessness, irritability, panic, vertigo, heart palpitations, or serotonin syndrome, which is what Abilify and Prozac gave me. Abilify has worked best but gave me horrible side effects. Gave 5 stars to Wellbutrin as I had no weird and scary symptoms, but really didn’t do much for me."

• Tan...
• September 27, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have been struggling with depression and anxiety for a long time. Every little task felt so overwhelming, and when I had my baby, it was just too much. Dr. prescribed Cipralex, then Zoloft, and it didn't help much. Then I asked for Wellbutrin. So my thoughts so far when the Zoloft finally left my body and I got to 300 mg of Wellbutrin: I had so much energy. I accomplished a lot, my libido skyrocketed. I felt great. A few weeks later, I think it caused me to be manic. I felt high, even my pupils in the mirror were tiny. I felt super confident and sexual, and I did whatever I wanted and did not care who I hurt. Then I came down and went back into a horrible depression and attempted ending it all over the way I acted when I was feeling so great. Now that the sadness has leveled out, I'm just irritable and snappy over nothing, or laughing my ass off at things that aren't that funny. I either get a bunch done or can't be motivated to move."

• ray...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 13, 2018

For Depression "150 mg XL-brand WB, 2 wks, then 300 mg. Day 3 on 150 mg, INCREDIBLY restless, irritable, angry, which lasted 5 days, then felt normal until I upped the dose. 2 days, 300 mg SO angry, irritable, restless more than before. Emotionally exhausting. Feel more depressed than ever. Lasted nonstop 3.5 weeks. I was a nightmare. I isolated myself, luckily, I work freelance, so able to not work. Did have more energy, channeled into exercise, healthy diet, cleaning. It helped to focus on things, read many Wellbutrin reviews online. Helped to not feel crazy. Week #6 started to feel better. Not 'happy' but no longer crazy emotions. Week 7 now. I have more energy than before starting, more goal-oriented & drive to get things done. Again, don't feel 'happy' but don't feel like depression is in the driver's seat, so can do what needs doing, including changing external factors that add to depression. Still quick to irritation. Stopped smoking week 5. Glad where I am now, but adjustment period much more difficult than could have imagined."

• NoG...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 2, 2016

For Depression "After having seizures back in December, the doctor started me on Lexapro for depression - made me sweat like crazy, lightheaded, uh, not function at work, then to Zoloft, slightly better, still sweating intensely after the first hour, seemed better than Lexapro, stuck with it for 3 months, no real change in depression; incredibly tired all day. Added Wellbutrin to the mix, after 3 weeks couldn't be around anyone, a total irritable a-hole. Finally had enough, stopped Wellbutrin and did extensive research about generics vs. name brands. Despite the FDA's approval, many people report the generics are not nearly as effective. 3 days off fake Wellbutrin, feel slightly better. Getting off Zoloft next. Perhaps brand names work, but I'll deal with my depression myself."

• Anonymous
• May 27, 2010

For Depression "I'm a 19-year-old female prescribed 100 mg of Wellbutrin XL. The Good: Positive feelings about the future/self (initial), appetite loss/weight loss, increase in energy, clarity in thought (fluctuates), general feelings of optimism/excitement, increase in sex, increase in desire to be productive, makes depressive episodes manageable, stopped smoking, less desire to drink. The Bad: Insomnia, minor tremors/twitching, irritability, increased anxiety, frequent mood swings, periodic feelings of hopelessness and apathy throughout the day (but are more manageable than they had been before), decrease in desire to socially interact, loss of concentration. I've only been taking it for 3 weeks, so I'm staying optimistic. I really want this medication to work."

• Rem...
• September 19, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "I am a 25-year-old female. I started taking Wellbutrin XL 150 mg after being diagnosed with MDD in April. I have done CBT in conjunction with taking medication. On Wellbutrin, I feel more energetic, focused, and present. The black haze I saw my life in cleared, and I feel normal. The main side effects I feel are: increased energy soon after I take it, insomnia, appetite suppression, some impulsivity, some forgetfulness, irritability sometimes, and during high-stress events I felt a buildup of nervous energy and a 'drunk' feeling. I did try other doses: 75 mg once daily did nothing for me, 100 mg of an instant release once daily for a month. I felt an instant energy and focus in the mornings, but by the evenings, my mood would fall very deeply, and I found evenings difficult to get through. At 100 mg, I didn't experience appetite suppression, insomnia, irritability, or impulsivity. I plan to continue 150 mg Wellbutrin XL and may elect to take an SSRI to help with anxiety."

• ADa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 5, 2019

For Depression "Sadness turned into energy and sometimes anger. Overall positive on the day's mood. However, massive insomnia every night. Had to ultimately stop the treatment. I guess it's a good treatment if you're an energy-less vegetable, otherwise, you become very angry, agitated, and can't sleep well."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 4, 2016

For Depression "Before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I was on this antidepressant, along with Zoloft. It gave me manic symptoms, so beware for those who may have undiagnosed bipolar. Plus, on 300 mg, I felt terrible, as if I was sped up. Physically, it made my heart race and caused agitation. Lowering the dose to 150 mg was better physically (before being diagnosed by bipolar, but then I was taken off of it completely). Whether on 150 mg or 300 mg, I noticed insomnia. I have also heard other people say this who aren't bipolar, although I'm sure for some, this works wonders."

• Lov...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 6, 2012

For Depression "I used bupropion XL 150, only used for 1 week. This made me so angry and irritable that my family couldn't stand me. I took Pristiq before this, and it did the same thing, plus made me gain 15 lbs in 2 weeks. I do not think antidepressants are for me. They just make me way too angry. Bupropion also gave me an itchy rash everywhere, headaches, and made me constantly feel hungry, also made me have really bad dizzy spells and twitches in my neck. All of this, and it didn't help my depression at all, in fact, I feel worse since I've started taking medicines than I did before. I know this works wonders for a lot of people, but I am not one of them."

• NHa...
• February 17, 2021

For Depression "I’ve been on Wellbutrin XL for about 5 months. I started at 150 mg SR. The first few days, I noticed a big increase in anxiety, but only twice it was intense enough that I couldn’t function. After a few weeks and a follow-up with my GP, we switched to 150 XL, and it helped as it’s a slower release. The positive side effects definitely outnumbered the negative. I almost immediately felt more energy and couldn’t stay in bed all day if I’d wanted to (this had been an issue for me). I had more motivation and a bit more focus. I’d been on Cipralex for years previously and found it took the edge off my irritability and managing mood swings but wasn’t a significant change. My GP and I were drawn to the weight loss side effect as I’ve put on 60 pounds over 8 years and two pregnancies. I did not see any difference in weight, even with an increase in energy. All in all, I like Wellbutrin, and it has more pros than cons."

• And...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 21, 2022

For Depression "I take Seroquel 50 mg in the am and 150 mg at bedtime. I take Clonazepam 1/2 mg in the am and 1 mg at 3:00. And I take 150 mg of Wellbutrin XL in the am. Seroquel helps me fall asleep. Clonazepam (Klonopin) gets rid of some anxiety. But I feel awful, always fatigued, depressed, irritable, moody, lonely, quick to anger, and self-non-social. My psychiatrist said, “There’s no magic pill, take a walk outside.” I have no desire to talk to people, never mind going outside. What am I supposed to do?"

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 4, 2015

For Depression "I really wanted Wellbutrin to work. I was given 150 mg once daily. At first, it seemed to be helping with minimal side effects, but about 4 or 5 weeks in, I was so depressed and not even getting out of bed. I was so agitated, even with the addition of a mood stabilizer. Wellbutrin was not a pleasant experience for me."

• Kay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 8, 2024

"I was initially prescribed Wellbutrin for ADHD and depression to hopefully address both conditions at once. Wellbutrin brought on intense headaches, waves of euphoric mania, and some irritability. After a month of 100 mg SR, the decision was made to bump me up to a 'clinically effective dose' of 150 mg/XL. That was brutal. I suffered some of the worst emotional instability I've experienced; the headaches kept coming and haven't stopped since stopping the drug. ADHD and depression aren't one size fits all conditions, nor are the drugs that help treat them. I was quite excited to start Wellbutrin at the suggestion of my psych, as I know several people who swear by it and have had nothing but good things to say. Ultimately, I was disappointed in what I had experienced while on it; but I can say that since stopping it, it was more effective than I had thought in addressing the ADHD."