Hi

I was just wondering if anyone has had their anxiety reduced with Wellbuterin? I have been on it for about 4wks with 2 increases in dose and have yet to see any benefit.

Thanks everyone,

Paul

It didn't help with mine. Actually all it did was supress my appetite and make the sight/smell of food make me sick. I took it for a month and lost 20 pounds I didn't need to lose.

Talk to you doctor and ask him/her how soon this med is supposed to take to work. If it's past that time, see if there's something else that can help you.

Lisa

i have been on it for years it helps with my depression and my ptsd. i also take another med for intrusive thoughts and one for my bipolar. they help me but they won't sholve my problem has their is not cure for these diseages. that why i have one on one thrypy and group thyphy. the doctor told me these meds will help but i have to use thypy also to help me and learn to live with it.

Anxiety often accompanies depression, so by treating the depression with Wellbutrin it's conceivable that your anxiety would be reduced. From personal experience (I've been on Wellbutrin two years) and others, it's unlikely, though--I have continued on an anxiety medication along with the Wellbutrin. Discuss your symptoms with your doctor and describe the degree to which the anxiety is affecting you. He may decide to put you on one of several excellent anti-anxiety medications.

hey, andy. i take wellbutrin (only a small dose now) but i can tell you it will never help anxiety, it is a stimulant. it may make anxiety worse. it is a good antidepressant, but you need something to calm you, not stimulate. foods rich in magnesium can help, breathing techniques can help, music, etc. and of course there are a plethoria of perscriptions out there for such. but you'll have to ask your dr about them.
cathy

Cec,

Wellbutrin only added to my anxiety - I actually had hallucinations while on Wellbutrin. I now take Effexor. I agree with Cookie - it is a good anti-depressant because it revs a person up. But not necessarily for someone with anxiety- I would talk to your doctor about that decision.

Best,
Rachel

Hello, I'm the oddball.

I had PTSD for 18 months (with gobs of anxiety, fear, paranoia and panic) prior to starting Wellbutrin in March.

Wellbutrin has been really helpful to me.

It has greatly reduced the intrusive thoughts, improved my depression (which had gotten much worse with the PTSD), significantly reduced the fear and paranoia, and IMO it also reduced my anxiety. It has reduced the number of grisly, vivid nightmares I get (now I get "bad dreams" instead -- which is better). And it has made me able to work through anxiety and panic attacks, where previously, such exercises simply did not work. No matter how hard I tried, I was at the mercy of my anxiety, and nothing helped. Now I will still be affected for several days by a flare-up, but at least breathing exercises take the edge off an acute panic attack, for example. Previously, controlled breathing, visualization, etc. did nothing for me. :(

My favorite effect of Wellbutrin is I get basically no menstrual cramps. (cec, I expect this will be especially important to you. LOL!!!!!)

My migraines are not as painful, which is great!!, but unfortunately they also do not respond as well to painkillers (I take Excedrin and neurontin).

I have still been struggling with clenching my jaw, and a super tensed-up hip, both of which are physical expressions of my underlying anxiety. Although they're not as bad, they're still there. To treat them I take neurontin 2x/day, and also 250-500 mg magnesium daily. Beware the magnesium ... it's a laxative. Not that there's anything wrong with it, just, be prepared. LOL


Given the choice, I won't give up my Wellbutrin ... no way, no how ... it has really helped me. I mean, I'm not magically fixed or anything :-P but it's definitely been a net gain.

Remember, anti-dep's affect different people in different ways, because our brains are all very different. You might need to try a # of anti-depressants, and at a # of dosages, before you find the combo that helps you.


Bailey

It helps me a lot. I only take 100-150 mg(generally that is a 1/2 dose) because more makes me present with gross motor problems such as tripping and shaking. But I have been on it for years. I would...do, cry daily without it.

Tachiku

When I was put on it, it made my anxiety worse than ever. I stayed on it for about 2 weeks, then came off of it and my anxiety went back down. But everyone if different....

Hi Paul,

I was started on Wellbutrin, mainly because that's all I'd take (I was in a pretty bad spin and, well, I can admit now that my judgment and thinking were pretty skewed, but all I cared about at that point was trying to get back in control...so concentration was my main concern). My concentration was completely shot, I had no energy, mentally confused, constantly fearful. The Wellbutrin helped immensely with concentration, mental clarity and energy - but didn't do enough for depression and hypervigilance/arousal/anxiety.

When I relented and we added in Zoloft, I also experienced relief from the depression and a lot of the hyper-arousal/vigilance/anxiety. It didn't fix it, but it helped enough to where it enabled me to use the tools I have in place...but gradually.

One thing I am learning is that ramping back down takes a bit of patience. I've been on meds since March and I am only just now starting to feel "real" again. Whew!

HTH-
-Dylan