# Wellbutrin



## Reflection (Aug 12, 2004)

I have been taking Wellbutrin for 5 weeks and the only thing that I have noticed is that I feel more awake. So far it hasn't helped at all with my dp or depression and has increased my anxiety levels. I don't know whether I should stay on it for a few more weeks or stop taking it. Is 5 weeks long enough to know if this drug is going to help me or should I stop taking it?


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## Katezorz (Jan 10, 2010)

Lewis said:


> I have been taking Wellbutrin for 5 weeks and the only thing that I have noticed is that I feel more awake. So far it hasn't helped at all with my dp or depression and has increased my anxiety levels. I don't know whether I should stay on it for a few more weeks or stop taking it. I've had dp for almost 14yrs now and have tried almost every drug there is. I've lost the whole of my 20's to this feeling. I'm tired and have lost almost all hope of ever getting better. If I was going to get well I'm sure it would have happened by now. Is 5 weeks long enough to know if this drug is going to help me or should I stop taking it?


Many say that they don't feel the real effects from it until 3 months. I would say stick it out for two more months, but if it makes your anxiety worse, you should talk to your doctor about that. Sometimes medication can make you feel worse before you feel better. My cousin has had severe depression for years. He tried many things, even Wellbutrin. He didn't feel anything until three months later, and now he's apparently doing better than ever.


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## Reflection (Aug 12, 2004)

Thanks for your reply. Most of the literature I can find says that it takes 4 weeks to take full effect but I found one forum where some people have said they felt worse for the first few weeks and that it can take up to a couple of months to work. Wellbutrin is quite stimulating and so I knew it would increase my anxiety but I am also taking klonopin and Lyrica (pregabalin) so that helps a bit. I've only been taking pregabalin for 5 weeks as well but it doesn't seem to really help and makes me feel more spaced out. I have also read that adding another antidepressant to Wellbutin can help.


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## imfromtheburgh (Mar 5, 2010)

Lewis said:


> Thanks for your reply. Most of the literature I can find says that it takes 4 weeks to take full effect but I found one forum where some people have said they felt worse for the first few weeks and that it can take up to a couple of months to work. Wellbutrin is quite stimulating and so I knew it would increase my anxiety but I am also taking klonopin and Lyrica (pregabalin) so that helps a bit. I've only been taking pregabalin for 5 weeks as well but it doesn't seem to really help and makes me feel more spaced out. I have also read that adding another antidepressant to Wellbutin can help.
> 
> I feel so depressed and anxious all the time. I have never had a day free of anxiety or depression since my dp started. I don't know whether I am anxious and depressed because I have dp and it has ruined my life or whether I am anxious and depressed for some other reason and that is causing my dp.
> 
> ...


how did you get it


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## AllmindnoBrain (Jun 28, 2007)

Normally by 5 weeks you would be getting some sort of results, unless you are on a very low dosage, ask you psychiatrist though. I was on wellbutrin for nearly 2 months and i was convinced it was a sugar pill because it too had no impact on me whatsoever. you shouldnt waste your time, get off of it and go on something else. Every drug reacts differently with each person, so dont think that because wellbutrin isnt helping you that no antidepressant will.


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## Reflection (Aug 12, 2004)

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## Mr Ratatosk (Mar 30, 2010)

Vedanta said:


> I have tried well over 20 medications and nothing has helped. I Have been incapacitated with dp/dr 24/7 for almost 14yrs. I have also felt severely depressed anxious and agitated all day every day without a break during this time. I can't remember having a day where I haven't felt suicidal since this started. My life has been completely destroyed. I don't feel like I have any hope left. I have never heard of anyone being in so much mental pain for as long as I have. I don't want to die but I'm so tired of feeling frightened and depressed. My whole adult life has been a complete waste. I don't understand why nothing has helped me and why my depression and anxiety are so severe and resistant to treatment. I have been on Wellbutrin for about 7 weeks now and I don't feel any better. If there is a hell, then I feel like I am in it. I often wish I just had the guts to end it all but I'm scared of death. The only thing that has kept me going is hope and I feel like I have run out of it. I can't cope with the pain that I am in everyday and the feeling that I have lost so much life. I can't work, have hardly any friends and can't get any enjoyment out of anything. I wish I could think of a reason to carry on but I can't. I wanted to do so many things with my life but I haven't been able to achieve any of my dreams. I thought that I would have a wife and kids by now but I can't see that ever happening. I think there is only so many years that a person can take being in so much unbearable mental pain without a break. I'm sorry to scare anyone who is reading this who hasn't had dp for very long but this is the reality of my situation which seems to be extremely rare. There is every chance that most people will get better. I just wish I could have been one of those people.


14 years of DP sounds horrible. If no medication helps you can try taking up yoga classes. Or maybe you should try to work with your subconsciousness. There are many guides how to do it. Meditation also helps for some people.


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## AllmindnoBrain (Jun 28, 2007)

You said that you have tried over 20 medications with out any positive results, what about psychiatrists? Try a different psychiatrist, sometimes it is a matter of getting the right combination of med's, and only a good psychiatrist has the expertise and skill to create this cocktail of medications. Putting you on wellbutrin after knowing that 20 previous med's have failed already is surprising to me because i never thought of wellbutrin as a last resort type of medication. I think what makes wellbutrin most attractive, isn't its effectiveness in curing depression, but its lack of side effects. Fuck wellbutrin and your current psychiatrist, go hunt around for a solid psych.


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## Reflection (Aug 12, 2004)

I am seeing one of the best psychiatrists working in the field of depersonalization.

It was thought that wellbutrin might help as it seems that my depression is atypical and wellbutrin often helps with this type of depression. I have tried last resort medications such as the MAOI's. I've also tried all the medications that are thought to help with dp such as memantine, naltrexone, lamotrogine, klonopin, clomipramine etc. Before I found out that I had dp I also tried quite a few anti psychotics and at one point was put on 1000mg of chlorpromazine which made me ten times worse.

Some people might wonder why I continue to keep taking different medications when they haven't helped and the simple answer is that I don't know what other choice I have. It is not an option for me to do nothing as I am in too much pain.

I often read on here about people who say that they haven't told anyone that they have dp or that they don't know how to tell their parents etc. For me this wasn't even an option. I was at Uni when my dp started and I felt like I was having the mother of all nervous breakdowns. I couldn't think straight to do anything and was terrified. I had to drop out of University and was in a massively agitated state.

I have seen many psychiatrists over the years and even went into hospital voluntarily for two weeks. None of the psychiatrists I saw seemed to have a clue what was wrong with me and none of them ever came up with a diagnosis of dp.

For a while I was seeing a psychiatrist at the Priory who said he had never seen anyone like me before. Once a year he would hold a meeting with a group of about 15 psychiatrists to discuss any patients that he was having difficulty in treating and diagnosing. He asked me if I would be willing to go to a meeting and stand up in front of them and tell them about the feelings I was experiencing. I did this and afterwards they went into another room to discuss what they thought might me wrong with me and still not one of them came up with a diagnosis of depersonalization.

Eventually after searching on the Internet I found out that I had dp and so asked to be referred to the depersonalization research unit at the IOP in London. I was diagnosed with primary depersonalization disorder and have probably participated in every area of research that they have undertaken. I've had brain scans, skin conductivity tests, biofeedback, amongst many other things.

I've tried everything I can think of to get better. I used to go to the gym almost everyday for years and would often run about 8 miles a day. I've tried all sorts of supplements, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, reflexology, acupuncture, meditation, CBT and even reiki. Over the years I have done all of the things that people say can help with dp. I have forced myself to socialize and have relationships and to distract myself the best I can but nothing has helped to even make a dent in my dp.

I don't know how I have made it through the last 14 years but I don't feel like I can hold on much longer. The only thing that has really kept me alive is the hope that I might get well. If someone had told me when this first started that I would have to live like this for the rest of my life then I wouldn't have been able to carry on. I'm scared to die but I don't want to get any older feeling this way. I can't cope with the pain of watching my life pass me by anymore.


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## insaticiable (Feb 23, 2010)

Vedanta said:


> I am seeing one of the best psychiatrists working in the field of depersonalization.
> 
> It was thought that wellbutrin might help as it seems that my depression is atypical and wellbutrin often helps with this type of depression. I have tried last resort medications such as the MAOI's. I've also tried all the medications that are thought to help with dp such as memantine, naltrexone, lamotrogine, klonopin, clomipramine etc. Before I found out that I had dp I also tried quite a few anti psychotics and at one point was put on 1000mg of chlorpromazine which made me ten times worse.
> 
> ...


Vedanta- You mentioned that you had taken naltrexone in the past among a series of many medications thought to be helpful with DP, and although I read that many of your trials with medications had proven unsuccessful, I am wondering if you could elaborate a little bit more on your experience with naltrexone and how it affected you in a positive or negative way. I am hopeful to try this medication out, as I have read about the small amount of success it has yielded through several research studies, but hope that I can gather more information from someone who has had first hand experience with it. Thanks.


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## flat (Jun 18, 2006)

You sound very intelligent and coherently expressive of your experience. It would be a shame to give up now when you came this far. There may be something you haven't tried yet that may help you turn the corner. How about electroshock therapy? Yeah, there is a risk that your memory may be affected but it has helped many people with chronic depression who did not respond to anything else. Consider it as a last resort. Have you tried all the supplements that are supposed to be helpful like valerian root (comes in capsules, tincture and tea) or pregnenolone? Pregnenolone is supposed to be helpful with the negative symptoms of schizophrenia which normally doesn't respond well to meds. Zyprexa? Keep trying!


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## Reflection (Aug 12, 2004)

Thank you for kind words and advice flat. I took Zyprexa a long time ago when none of the psychiatrists I had been seeing knew what was really wrong with me. I took quite a few other antipsychotics which made me feel much worse. I found out later that in many cases they just exacerbate the feelings of depersonalization. I have tried valerian root but if 6mg of Klonopin or a 1000mg of chlorpromazine can't take away my anxiety then I doubt if any herbal supplement will help. I recently stopped taking medication so that I could try taking the supplements that Tommygunz has suggested but I didn't feel they had any effect on me at all.

Yes, ECT is a last resort but I reached that point a long time ago. I'm surprised that in the years before I found out that I had dp that it was not suggested to me. I have asked about having it done as I have read that it has a 90% success in "curing" treatment-resistant depression but I've been told that since it won't help with my dp it will be of little or no benefit. I could be wrong but I have always felt that my anxiety and depression are a result of experiencing such overwhelming depersonalization and derealization and the impact that having this has had on my quality of life.

According to the DSM-IV though I easily suffer from all the symptoms of major depression. I find it hard to get my head around the fact that in almost all cases depression is very treatable and that most depressive episodes will resolve themselves within a matter of months even if antidepressants aren't taken. The reason why antidepressants are often given is that severe clinical depression is often too painful to endure for even a few weeks yet alone months.

I have read so many times that depression never lasts and that each time you have a depressive episode you have to keep reminding yourself that it will go. I can honestly put my hand on my heart and say that I have not had one minute free from major depression in almost 14yrs and if that wasn't enough I also have to deal with 24/7 severe chronic anxiety and depersonalization. The pain and frustration that I feel when I think about how rare this must be is beyond words.

insaticiable - It's funny that you should ask about naltrexone. As I mentioned I have tried many different meds over the years and not one of them has made any difference to my depersonalization or feelings of depression accept maybe naltrexone. The first time I took naltrexone was about 5yrs ago. At the time I didn't really have any idea how long I was supposed to take it for before I would know if it would be of any benefit. Also any effect that it did have on me was unlikely to be a placebo because I had tried so many other medications in the past that hadn't helped me at all. That being said I had also read a couple of research papers reporting impressive results with naltrexone but I thought that perhaps it would be weeks before I would know if it would help. I remember that just before taking naltrexone I was having the usual constant feelings of anxiety, depression and dp which for me always get worse at night. I took it at about midnight got into bed and didn't really think anymore about it. After about an hour I still couldn't get to sleep and then gradually I started to feel an amazing sense of euphoria and even though I was lying in the dark I felt for the first time in about 9yrs that my dp was gone. I got up and sat on the edge of my bed for about half an hour too scared to turn the light on in case everything still looked strange to me. Eventually I reached for the light and looked around the room and everything that had seemed so unfamiliar and alien to me for so long seemed 'normal' again. I sat there for quite a long time scared to believe what was really happening to me. By this time it must have been about 2am. I turned off the light and fell asleep. When I woke up I felt like none of it had really happened and my dp was back to the way it had been before I took the naltrexone. I took it again the next night praying that the same thing would happen but it didn't do a thing. I carried on taking it for a while but still nothing. I'm not sure what happened to me that first night and I do sometimes wonder if it could have been some kind of placebo effect but I don't think it was. I didn't tell my psychiatrist about the experience at the time but about 6 months later I still couldn't stop thinking about what had happened and so I told him about it and decided to try taking it again but still it didn't have any effect on me.


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## insaticiable (Feb 23, 2010)

Vedanta said:


> insaticiable - It's funny that you should ask about naltrexone. As I mentioned I have tried many different meds over the years and not one of them has made any difference to my depersonalization or feelings of depression accept maybe naltrexone. The first time I took naltrexone was about 5yrs ago. At the time I didn't really have any idea how long I was supposed to take it for before I would know if it would be of any benefit. Also any effect that it did have on me was unlikely to be a placebo because I had tried so many other medications in the past that hadn't helped me at all. That being said I had also read a couple of research papers reporting impressive results with naltrexone but I thought that perhaps it would be weeks before I would know if it would help. I remember that just before taking naltrexone I was having the usual constant feelings of anxiety, depression and dp which for me always get worse at night. I took it at about midnight got into bed and didn't really think anymore about it. After about an hour I still couldn't get to sleep and then gradually I started to feel an amazing sense of euphoria and even though I was lying in the dark I felt for the first time in about 9yrs that my dp was gone. I got up and sat on the edge of my bed for about half an hour too scared to turn the light on in case everything still looked strange to me. Eventually I reached for the light and looked around the room and everything that had seemed so unfamiliar and alien to me for so long seemed 'normal' again. I sat there for quite a long time scared to believe what was really happening to me. By this time it must have been about 2am. I turned off the light and fell asleep. When I woke up I felt like none of it had really happened and my dp was back to the way it had been before I took the naltrexone. I took it again the next night praying that the same thing would happen but it didn't do a thing. I carried on taking it for a while but still nothing. I'm not sure what happened to me that first night and I do sometimes wonder if it could have been some kind of placebo effect but I don't think it was. I didn't tell my psychiatrist about the experience at the time but about 6 months later I still couldn't stop thinking about what had happened and so I told him about it and decided to try taking it again but still it didn't have any effect on me.


Whoa, thats crazy. I can imagine the excitement you must have felt that night, only to be hit with such a huge disappointment the next morning. Perhaps, that had been an initial response that wore off too quickly, but that just really blows. The research studies sound very promising, and I keep thinking that perhaps I may just be one of the lucky ones it could potentially have an effect on. I dont know it it's based upon luck, or if it has to do something with different body chemistries and composition's. Another research study that had been done on naltrexone had shown to reduce overall dissociative symptoms in people with Borderline Personality Disorder over a 2 week period, and this appeals very much to me, because I suffer from Borderline, and again, I wonder if I would be among some of the several it has yielded success' with. For now, my doctor is adament on continuing my current cocktail of medications, which she believes will be helpful with the DP. Nevertheless, thank you so much for your response.


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## flat (Jun 18, 2006)

Every now and then there are new drugs that drug companies want to research with willing volunteers. There was one here in canada that I saw advertised on tv a while back about a new kind of antidepressant. Maybe there are some in your country. Doctors may not know about them but if you check with the big pharma companies they may let you know of any research being done.

Speaking of ECT I did a rather silly experiment at work with a typical 12 volt battery charger that charges car batteries. It only pumps out 15 amps but every time I held onto the wires (one in each hand) I felt somehow more relaxed and things seemed more 3D again even though I only did it about a minute each time. Placebo effect? Perhaps. I'm thinking of getting one just for the heck of it and charge myself up for a couple of hours every day just to make sure lol.


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## Reflection (Aug 12, 2004)

That's one one of the craziest things I've ever heard lol. I would be tempted to try it though just to see how it would make me feel. I guess it would probably have the effect of taking your mind off yourself for a few minutes and grounding you in the present. Was it painful?


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## Reflection (Aug 12, 2004)

Katezorz said:


> Many say that they don't feel the real effects from it until 3 months. I would say stick it out for two more months, but if it makes your anxiety worse, you should talk to your doctor about that. Sometimes medication can make you feel worse before you feel better. My cousin has had severe depression for years. He tried many things, even Wellbutrin. He didn't feel anything until three months later, and now he's apparently doing better than ever.


Thank's Katezorz - I'm glad to hear that your cousin is feeling better. Was it Wellbutrin that helped him or another medication. I'ts been about 7 weeks for me now on Wellbutrin. I still don't feel any better, but I'm going to stick with it for maybe another 4 weeks and then probably give up. Not sure where I will go from there. Maybe some kind of augmentation. I've read that lithium can boost the effects of an antidepressant so maybe that's an option. I've tried taking Marplan and I've never felt so awake in my life, but it didn't help with my dp or depression. I might give parnate a try. I really am running out of options though.


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