![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by HOK on October 6, 2004, at 10:21:29
I'm one of those people who is having a paradoxical experience on wellbutrin. I've been taking 150mg of the XL version for four days now and I feel completely sedated and sleepy on it.
I've read a lot of posts that mention that the side effects of anxiety and insomnia eventually subside after a few weeks on the drug. But I'm wondering about those individuals who have had the same reaction I do -- feeling sleepy, sedated and just plain out of it -- does this get better with time or is this a bad foreshadowing to poor success with Wellbutrin?
thanks a bunch for taking the time to respond.
HOK
PS- I've also been having trouble with word recall and slight stuttering in coversations. Anybody know if this side effect goes away too?
Posted by Sebastian on October 6, 2004, at 11:22:25
In reply to Wellbutrin - SLEEPY AND SEDATED - please help, posted by HOK on October 6, 2004, at 10:21:29
It made me tired at first too. Went away. Stutering is the stimulating effect. That goes away too. Do you also get dizzy when you stand up quick? Think it has something to do with the sleepy. Also goes away. You are being stimulated, just hard to tell. You should try a higher dose.
Posted by OldPunk on October 6, 2004, at 12:03:40
In reply to Wellbutrin - SLEEPY AND SEDATED - please help, posted by HOK on October 6, 2004, at 10:21:29
I had a similar problem with Wellbutrin XL. At 150 mg of the XL I was dragging through the day, so I started taking it in the evening. Then I found out it only maintained a fully-working concentration for 18-20 hours. 150 mg twice a
day worked much better, but my insurance doesn't allow for a 1/day pill being taken 2/day (twice the dose 1/day is no problem).At 300 mg Wellbutrin XL, the tiredness progressed to nodding off while driving in commuter traffic
even with the evening dosing. So, my pdoc added 5 mg adderall 1/day, and now 2/day. That made it possible to stay awake and focussed while driving or at work. My coworkers seem happier too.A side benefit is that my vasomotor rhinitis (at 30+ years and still annoying) is gone as long as I take the adderall at least 1/day.
Posted by jaby on October 6, 2004, at 12:58:09
In reply to Wellbutrin - SLEEPY AND SEDATED - please help, posted by HOK on October 6, 2004, at 10:21:29
I have a theory on this one from my own experiences. I think that the paradoxical reaction can be caused by a deficiency in NE. When I get this feeling I take tyrosine which is the precursor to NE. I usually feel much better. It may be a total placebo rsponse, but might be worth a try.
Posted by Sebastian on October 7, 2004, at 11:42:06
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin - SLEEPY AND SEDATED - please help, posted by OldPunk on October 6, 2004, at 12:03:40
You know they have a 300 mg wellbutrin XL pill.
Posted by pablo1 on October 7, 2004, at 11:50:08
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin - SLEEPY AND SEDATED - please help, posted by jaby on October 6, 2004, at 12:58:09
Could you explain the NE defficiency theory?
Strattera is another NE med that causes sleepiness until you adjust so this makes sense to me. Personally I think I have an excess of NE & wellbutrin was quite stimulating for me plus it interfered with my sleep & quite a few unpleasant side effects like achey muscles.
> I have a theory on this one from my own experiences. I think that the paradoxical reaction can be caused by a deficiency in NE. When I get this feeling I take tyrosine which is the precursor to NE. I usually feel much better. It may be a total placebo rsponse, but might be worth a try.
Posted by OldPunk on October 7, 2004, at 21:59:43
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin - SLEEPY AND SEDATED - please help » OldPunk, posted by Sebastian on October 7, 2004, at 11:42:06
> You know they have a 300 mg wellbutrin XL pill.
Oops. I forgot to clarify that that's what I'm currently taking - in the evening of course.
And it _is_ doing most of what I need it to. I guess I just needed a little more NA/DA released
for the reuptake inhibition to work properly.
Posted by Sebastian on October 8, 2004, at 11:55:03
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin - SLEEPY AND SEDATED - please help » Sebastian, posted by OldPunk on October 7, 2004, at 21:59:43
You could take the SR version in generic, thats probably more insurance freindly.
Posted by Pluto on October 11, 2004, at 0:39:39
In reply to Wellbutrin - SLEEPY AND SEDATED - please help, posted by HOK on October 6, 2004, at 10:21:29
Wellbutrin will be a sedating med for ADHD patients. I tried it with klonopin and the dose almost knocked me out. I was really hoping for a stimulant effect from it and that was the reason for the klonopin addition. But paradoxically it helped me to sleep well, and did nothing to elevate my mood. Another paradoxical effect was lessened libido, although wellbutrin claimed to be a libido neutral drug.
PLS
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.