Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 436236

Shown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

wellbutrin tight chest

Posted by vicwa on January 1, 2005, at 0:46:42

Hi there, having never been on an anti depressant, I have been prescribed Wellbutrin and so hoping it does the trick. (as does my husband). Took 150 for a month, (with little to no affect) and have been on 300 now for almost a week. I want it to work!!! Today was horrible, very angry, weepy, and the mild chest tighness I felt with the 150 has increased. It feels tight, sort of like I have intagestion (sp?). Anyone out there have any advise, I can't speak to my doc for a couple of days (new years and all), so I wonder if I should go off it, or wait it out. Help!

 

Re: wellbutrin tight chest » vicwa

Posted by anneL on January 1, 2005, at 6:24:12

In reply to wellbutrin tight chest, posted by vicwa on January 1, 2005, at 0:46:42

Hi,

I don't know your age, however, if you are having chest tightness, something you mention similar to
indigestion and you have tried an antacid, I would recommend that you call your physician. Chest tightness, sense of chest pressure, and/or indigestion are symptoms that should not be ignored. These symptoms would be best addressed by your GP. To the best of my knowledge, you should not be having chest tightness with Wellbutrin.

 

Re: wellbutrin tight chest

Posted by stresser on January 1, 2005, at 12:02:44

In reply to Re: wellbutrin tight chest » vicwa, posted by anneL on January 1, 2005, at 6:24:12

You should read some of the posts on this board concerning Wellbutrin, I'm sure that will be helpfull to you. It does increase my heart rate, and gives me heart palpitations. It also increases anxiety for many people, so I would suggest contacting your doctor to be on the safe side. Good luck to you. -L

 

Re: wellbutrin tight chest

Posted by vicwa on January 1, 2005, at 20:09:55

In reply to Re: wellbutrin tight chest, posted by stresser on January 1, 2005, at 12:02:44

Thanks to you both for you words. Happy New Year. Today seems a little better, no coffee, guess that was contributing. Still tight, but not bad. I will speak to my doctor Monday and hopefully I can figure this out. Worst case scenario this med is not for me. Damm, I was really hoping it would work. Somehow (In my mind anyway) Wellbutrin was the "anti depressant light", the others all seem so heavy. But, if that's what I need, I best get used to the idea. Thanks again for your time. Vicky

 

Re: wellbutrin tight chest » vicwa

Posted by yellowbrickroad on January 2, 2005, at 14:10:46

In reply to Re: wellbutrin tight chest, posted by vicwa on January 1, 2005, at 20:09:55

You know, when I was on Wellbutrin, my doctor didn't give me any instructions except when to take the pills. Later, I read the digest of product info that CVS tacks on to prescriptions and found that I was supposed to avoid Sudafed or anything else "stimulating." I also found that I got heartburn, which I've never really had a problem with, otherwise (especially if I drank a lot of coffee or Diet Coke).

YBR

 

Re: wellbutrin tight chest » vicwa

Posted by yellowbrickroad on January 2, 2005, at 14:16:53

In reply to Re: wellbutrin tight chest, posted by vicwa on January 1, 2005, at 20:09:55

And, when I got the heartburn, I thought I was dying because I'd never really had it. I called my sister and said, "I don't know what's happening but I have this...burning...around my heart..."

Being a big sister, she had some fun at my expense over that (ha, ha).

Tagamet helped, but then I think you're not supposed to take that while on Wellbutrin, either (though why...?)

YBR

 

Found this on the net » vicwa

Posted by yellowbrickroad on January 2, 2005, at 14:48:02

In reply to wellbutrin tight chest, posted by vicwa on January 1, 2005, at 0:46:42

I looked on the net for Wellbutrin info and found 1) drug interactions, and 2) side-effects to call your doctor about immediately.

The link is at the bottom of this message.

tell your doctor and Wellbutrin pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription drugs you are taking, or have taken in the last 2 weeks, especially anticoagulants [warfarin (Coumadin)]; antihistamines; antipsychotics; carbamazepine (Tegretol); cimetidine (Tagamet); diet pills; insulin; levodopa (Sinemet, Larodopa); lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid); MAO inhibitors [phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate)]; medication for high blood pressure, seizures, asthma, colds, or allergies; methylphenidate (Ritalin); oral antidiabetic medications; other antidepressants; ritonavir (Norvir); sedatives; sleeping pills; theophylline (Theobid, Theo-Dur, others), thyroid medications; tranquilizers; and vitamins. You should not take Wellbutrin or Wellbutrin SR and Zyban together. Also tell your doctor if you drink large amounts of alcohol or are addicted to cocaine, opiates or other drugs so that you can properly taper and end their use. Abrupt withdrawal increases seizure risk.


If you experience any of the following Wellbutrin symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

seizures or tremors
loss of coordination
fever
severe skin rash
itching
hives
chest pain
shortness of breath
muscle or joint pain
yellowing of the skin or eyes
irregular heartbeat

www.wellbutrin-side-effects.net/

 

Re: wellbutrin tight chest » vicwa

Posted by Optimist on January 3, 2005, at 13:09:57

In reply to wellbutrin tight chest, posted by vicwa on January 1, 2005, at 0:46:42

> Hi there, having never been on an anti depressant, I have been prescribed Wellbutrin and so hoping it does the trick. (as does my husband). Took 150 for a month, (with little to no affect) and have been on 300 now for almost a week. I want it to work!!! Today was horrible, very angry, weepy, and the mild chest tighness I felt with the 150 has increased. It feels tight, sort of like I have intagestion (sp?). Anyone out there have any advise, I can't speak to my doc for a couple of days (new years and all), so I wonder if I should go off it, or wait it out. Help!

I had some chest tightness for about a week when I upped my dose from 300mg of Wellbutrin SR to 450mg. I also had the odd heart palpitation. It kinda freaked me out at first since I'm relatively young (28) and consider myself in good shape. After doing some research on here about it though I saw that it was quite common and not really something to worry about. It almost always seems to be temporary as well.

I'd talk to your doctor about it as soon as possible about it though. You want to rule out any other problems just in case.

I found that when I was first started taking antidepressants that I became a little paranoid about all the side effects etc... and would prematurely take my self off the drugs too early. But if you do that you will recieve no therapeutic action of course and the depression will linger.

There seems to be many on here that seem to bounce around from medication to medication after a few bad days. They don't like the side effects after a week so they go off it hoping that the next one will have less side effects. Usually most side effects will diminish over time as your body gets used to them. When I first took Wellbutrin SR after a week of 150mg I couldn't stand the side effects so I went off it. I decided a few months later to give it another shot and rided it out. Now after 6 months and up to 450mg I have no side effects what so ever. That just goes to tell you that it takes a while for your body to get used to the particular drug.

No offence to anyone that jumps around from med to med quite often. I understand how difficult it can be do deal with a mental illness and I find I get quite impatient myself trying to find something that helps my problems.

 

Re: wellbutrin tight chest

Posted by stresser on January 4, 2005, at 13:53:18

In reply to Re: wellbutrin tight chest » vicwa, posted by Optimist on January 3, 2005, at 13:09:57

Wellbutrin givess me heart palpitations as well.....I think that's a side effect. I also get a nervous stomach. It's feels like a tightness in the muscles in my stomach. Weird. -L

 

Re: wellbutrin tight chest » stresser

Posted by KaraS on January 4, 2005, at 18:06:40

In reply to Re: wellbutrin tight chest, posted by stresser on January 4, 2005, at 13:53:18

I tried Wellbutrin years ago and only took a small amount. It made me feel like I couldn't breathe. I wonder if that's the feeling that you're all describing. It felt more like the cilia in my lungs were paralyzed. My doctor thought I was having an allergic reaction to it but now that I've read Optimist's post, I'm wondering if maybe it would have passed with time. I think I gave it at least a week at that low dose with no improvement but still I wonder now... I have always regretted that I couldn't take this medication. I had a partial response to Effexor but this would have been a great combination with it.

 

Re: wellbutrin tight chest » KaraS

Posted by yellowbrickroad on January 4, 2005, at 18:28:01

In reply to Re: wellbutrin tight chest » stresser, posted by KaraS on January 4, 2005, at 18:06:40

I didn't have any side effects from it (other than really bad heartburn) until I'd been on it for over a year, then the paranoia (extreme and not a familiar feeling to me).

My doctor was dismissive at the time because he said that, if I had side effects, they would show up pretty quickly...that long-term studies didn't show any development of new side-effects.

The problem with that, I now realize, is that long-term studies are rarely more than 6 months into the future because of the expense of conducting them. And maybe the fact that I was taking it together with lithium may have played a role. Maybe not. Who knows. But the paranoia was real. (I certainly don't think the alternative...that all my neighbors were whispering about me...was likely true.)

When my dose was lowered, the paranoia went away. I actually stayed on the drug for another year after this, but at a reduced dose.

I am one of those people who has tried different courses of pharmacological therapy and had side effects with all of them. I guess there's no such thing, really, as having no side effects at all, and I was willing to stay on these medications for 1 1/2 to 2 years before switching (except for one because I kept falling asleep AT MY DESK and couldn't afford to get fired or I wouldn't have the insurance to pay for the drugs anyway).

However, I think the important thing is if the side-effect is tolerable and if it diminishes over time. Is the benefit worth the side effect?

If I had a side effect that caused me great distress, however, I would call my doctor's emergency number (or even poison control or an emergency nurse if it interfered with breathing, standing up, etc.).

I would hate to discourage anyone from seeking a course of therapy that worked for her, and a drug that is not tolerated by one person may be a God-send for another.

If it prevents normal functioning, then I would go off of it...but WITH supervision. Taking oneself off drugs cold turkey can pose physical and psychological problems (sometimes severe) of its own.

YBR

 

Re: wellbutrin tight chest

Posted by stresser on January 4, 2005, at 21:01:38

In reply to Re: wellbutrin tight chest » KaraS, posted by yellowbrickroad on January 4, 2005, at 18:28:01

This is true about taking yourself of medications. I did quit taking wellbutrin about four days ago, and so far so good. I have done it before, so I really didn't expect anything drastic to happen this time either....you never know. YBR is correct in saying one drug may be fine for one person and not for another, only you and your doctor can make that discision. Everyone is sooooo different! -L

 

Re: wellbutrin tight chest

Posted by vicwa on January 6, 2005, at 10:35:28

In reply to Re: wellbutrin tight chest, posted by stresser on January 4, 2005, at 21:01:38

Thanks all, well doc suggested I stop the wellbutrin. Did that a few days ago. Ha, no more chest tightness. Have started on Lexapro, 3 days in, so far so good. Funny, after taking it for 3 days (call me crazy!) I feel better than I did on Wellbutrin for 6 weeks. So, although very early stages, I feel positive I may have found something that works. Thanks again for all you support.

 

Excellent news! » vicwa

Posted by yellowbrickroad on January 6, 2005, at 10:50:36

In reply to Re: wellbutrin tight chest, posted by vicwa on January 6, 2005, at 10:35:28

So glad to hear you are finding something that works so much better for you. Congratulations!

YBR


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