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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Joe Schmoe on July 20, 2001, at 18:27:30
...and I feel terrible. The Klonopin worked for a week or two, but I have had to start upping the dosages already to maintain effectiveness. 1 mg in the morning and .5 mg in the afternoon just isn't cutting it. The Wellbutrin made me feel great the first three days with lots of energy and no appetite, then it just kind of faded away, felt like taking sugar pills, no side effects, nothing. Now I am spinning down into a deep depression with suicidal thoughts and feelings of anger and hatred toward everybody and everything. I have urges to leave my significant other and just drive away and keep going in a random direction till I hit some state far away and settle down there.
This actually feels a lot like what happened when I took Serzone. Felt manic the first few days, then just felt normal, then a deep depression hit which lasted for weeks and weeks till I hit a really high dosage. I have heard of this effect from Serzone but not from Wellbutrin. Is this a phase, or is this drug just going to suck as much as Serzone and Paxil did? I will wait a little longer and see. So far every AD I have tried has made me feel worse than when I started. I am starting to think the dysthymia is better and I should forget the ADs and just treat the social phobia with Klonopin alone.
I have heard people say good things about Wellbutrin but all of them seemed to find it activating. Me, I slept 11 hours yesterday. I don't find it activating at all, although the Klonopin could be masking it somewhat.
Posted by terra miller on July 20, 2001, at 20:15:32
In reply to Starting week three of Wellbutrin/Klonopin...., posted by Joe Schmoe on July 20, 2001, at 18:27:30
hi. i'm sorry that i don't remember what dose of wellbutrin you are taking. but i _did_ want to say that with my dosing (i take it 4 times a day because i take the immediate response vs. the sustained release version) i actually find the last dose of the day makes me very sleepy.
i _also_ notice that if i go too long between doses i get angry and irritable and very tired. for me this is usually if i go more than 5 hours between doses. i am wondering perhaps if this might be happening to you. i found that when i initially started on the sustained release version i burned it off so fast that it didn't stay with me long enough. switching to immediate release has meant a more steady feeling instead of the peaks and valleys i felt on the s.r. version. this is a possibility. i really like being on the wellbutrin, but it's almost like my body does the opposite of everybody else who is taking it. most people find the s.r. version keeps the wellbutrin at a more leveling out vs. the i.r. but for me it is exactly the opposite.
thought i'd give you my story in case it might prove helpful. -terra
Posted by Else on July 20, 2001, at 20:16:22
In reply to Starting week three of Wellbutrin/Klonopin...., posted by Joe Schmoe on July 20, 2001, at 18:27:30
You may consider adding a mood-stabilizing anti-convulsant like Depakote or Neurontin. It works for me to the extent that I am not depressed. Of course, I'm still nervous as hell. Wellbutrin does the same thing to me during the first few days. It has a mild stimulant effect which wanes over time to make way for the (noradrenergic) anti-depressant effect. That may be why you feel so good at the beginning, it's like being on amphetamines. But it never lasts. If it did the drug would be controlled. If you live in the States you may try a stimulant or something. Might be better than an AD.
> ...and I feel terrible. The Klonopin worked for a week or two, but I have had to start upping the dosages already to maintain effectiveness. 1 mg in the morning and .5 mg in the afternoon just isn't cutting it. The Wellbutrin made me feel great the first three days with lots of energy and no appetite, then it just kind of faded away, felt like taking sugar pills, no side effects, nothing. Now I am spinning down into a deep depression with suicidal thoughts and feelings of anger and hatred toward everybody and everything. I have urges to leave my significant other and just drive away and keep going in a random direction till I hit some state far away and settle down there.
>
> This actually feels a lot like what happened when I took Serzone. Felt manic the first few days, then just felt normal, then a deep depression hit which lasted for weeks and weeks till I hit a really high dosage. I have heard of this effect from Serzone but not from Wellbutrin. Is this a phase, or is this drug just going to suck as much as Serzone and Paxil did? I will wait a little longer and see. So far every AD I have tried has made me feel worse than when I started. I am starting to think the dysthymia is better and I should forget the ADs and just treat the social phobia with Klonopin alone.
>
> I have heard people say good things about Wellbutrin but all of them seemed to find it activating. Me, I slept 11 hours yesterday. I don't find it activating at all, although the Klonopin could be masking it somewhat.
Posted by akrake on July 21, 2001, at 7:58:13
In reply to Starting week three of Wellbutrin/Klonopin...., posted by Joe Schmoe on July 20, 2001, at 18:27:30
i understand how you feel...i started wellbutrin on the 5th of july...felt ok on the 150mg dose, but when i upped it to 2x/day, i started having headaches and terrible thoughts. yesterday i was screaming at my 4 yr old and couldn't stop (even thought i knew deep down that it was wrong). i felt insane. everything makes me sensative...all i say is shhh...to everyone all day...and i'm yell it louder than the bunch.
my 4yr old says i used to be nice.
i've decided to try to add the klonopin today. good luck!amie
Posted by Else on July 21, 2001, at 8:22:14
In reply to Re: Starting week three of Wellbutrin/Klonopin...., posted by akrake on July 21, 2001, at 7:58:13
You know, the recommended dosage of Wellbutrin is actually 150mg a day. Doctors typically prescribe 300mg, probably because of the short half life but the CPS (Canadian PDR) for the year 2000 says that no studies have demonstrated increased efficacy above 150mg. 150mg is also the recommended daily dose on Canadian boxes. Now perhaps new research has been done since but I would rather trust the early studies. The reason for that is that Wellbutrin drove me completely insane for a couple of days TWICE. Once it made me hypomanic, which was nice, the other time psychotically depressed, which was not. I've never had that problem with doses of 150mg a day.
> i understand how you feel...i started wellbutrin on the 5th of july...felt ok on the 150mg dose, but when i upped it to 2x/day, i started having headaches and terrible thoughts. yesterday i was screaming at my 4 yr old and couldn't stop (even thought i knew deep down that it was wrong). i felt insane. everything makes me sensative...all i say is shhh...to everyone all day...and i'm yell it louder than the bunch.
>
> my 4yr old says i used to be nice.
> i've decided to try to add the klonopin today. good luck!
>
> amie
Posted by terra miller on July 21, 2001, at 10:22:28
In reply to Re: Starting week three of Wellbutrin/Klonopin...., posted by akrake on July 21, 2001, at 7:58:13
> i understand how you feel...i started wellbutrin on the 5th of july...felt ok on the 150mg dose, but when i upped it to 2x/day, i started having headaches and terrible thoughts. yesterday i was screaming at my 4 yr old and couldn't stop (even thought i knew deep down that it was wrong). i felt insane. everything makes me sensative...all i say is shhh...to everyone all day...and i'm yell it louder than the bunch.
>
> my 4yr old says i used to be nice.
> i've decided to try to add the klonopin today. good luck!
>
> amieAmie- Don't know if this will help, but I went through this exact thing at the same time. I've got 3 kids and there are times when i'm the worst crab of them all....always saying, "shhh." it's the getting distracted that is the worst. However, it was the worst for me between 3-5 weeks at the beginning. Then it progressively got better. I've read about others referring to it as "rage," and looking back I'm inclined to adopt that same description. It took about 3 months before this calming effect kicked in (like something you would feel on an antidepressant.) Between 5 weeks and 3 months it was just additional energy to be productive, which was a welcome benefit itself. So for me it got better. But I think Klonopin is a great step as well. -Terra
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