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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 aquestioner on June 25, 2003, at 2:22:36
Okay I'm very short/hot tempered and have trouble sleeping...anyone know why? Here's some info... I started Wellbutrin four days ago and have since been reading as much as I can. The most immediate problem to figure out is...Is it making me VERY irritable when it wears off? At this time, I am only taking the one purple in the morning (9:00am) and that is all. It seems to me that by about 4:00 I am very angry, aggitated, massive road rage...or then I go home and cry and then feel the "zaps." 'Then in the evening, I'm having quite a bit of trouble sleeping. So, has anyone else had this? Could it be that my body needs the afternoon dose that I haven't started yet. I'm scared to try it out...incase it gets worse. I also have had coffee or chai drinks in the late morning. Is the caffeine the culprit? But the fun part is in the morning I jump out of bed and am really ready to go do stuff. I want this one to work. My docter isn't much help. He's hard to talk to, and is never available for questions. I guess that is why this message board is so full of questions. Okay, so anyone familiar with the afternoon "rage?"
Posted by SteveB on June 25, 2003, at 17:58:05
In reply to wellbutrin help!-caffeine/ wearing off? help, posted by aquestioner on June 25, 2003, at 2:22:36
Hi,
I've been on and off Wellbutrin for the past year or so. I've changed my dosage several times to see what would work best - from one 150mg pill in the am to 3 (tot 450mg) spread out during the day. I'm now on 2 X 150mg / day.
To answer yr question - a single morning dose DOES leave me agitated in the afternoon. By then the boost in drive & energy has worn off and all that's left is the extra anxiety that comes with WB. So I suggest you try splitting your WB between morning and early afternoon to see if that works for you. Also, some people are very sensitive to stims, so you may want to try splitting your single 150mg pill in two and taking 2 x 75mg to see if that's enough for you.
Good luck
Steve
Posted by eep on June 25, 2003, at 22:18:57
In reply to wellbutrin help!-caffeine/ wearing off? help, posted by aquestioner on June 25, 2003, at 2:22:36
hello.
> Okay I'm very short/hot tempered and have trouble sleeping...
the first couple of weeks on wellbutrin were *rough* for me. i would fly off the handle over thing that are ordinarily bothersome but not worthy of a "hackles up" response (bad driving, the "news", etc.). after two weeks, i started feeling a little more stable. i still feel aggitated at times, but in a no-biggie-i'm-over-it-now sort of way.
coffee/chai may certainly be exasperating the aggitation. i all but kicked the stuff when i first started WB as i'd get really irritable at work, not good. i've found that drinking black or green tea instead of coffee makes me less irritable, so i kind of rotate between the two. i also wait a bit for my am caffeine fix - i can't sit still if i don't. ohh, and something to eat with the WB and shortly after caffeine seems to help out, too.
> Could it be that my body needs the afternoon dose that I haven't started yet. I'm scared to try it out...incase it gets worse.
i had a few days where i considered not taking another dose, ever, because i felt so out of my mind.. and moody, hee hee. but the afternoon dose is worth trying, even though it will most likely make you feel worse at first. i've read that WB takes about 8 weeks to adjust to, so...
maybe your doc can write a script for a few low dose xanax to take the edge off while you adjust to the medication. benzos have a bad rep, but if you're not an "addictive personality" and stick with a low dose, you shouldn't have any problems. but that's my humble opinion, of course.
if your insurance will cover it, you might also consider wellbutrin SR instead of the immediate release. my doc says it's a much easier on the system.
whew,
v.ps, ambien is great for insomnia, much better than benedryl - no antihistimine hangover the next day. xanax is nice as well.
Posted by aquestioner on June 25, 2003, at 22:57:17
In reply to Re: wellbutrin help!-caffeine/ long response!, posted by eep on June 25, 2003, at 22:18:57
So much thanks to "Eep." Your opinions are helpful and suggestions good as well. My doc sucks at returning my calls and have to wait until my next appt. (two days) to work the rest out. I'm not really sure he cares about the side effects or believes me or what...If you think of anything else, please let me know. I almost smashed this woman's face in today b/c she was yelling at me at work. It's BAD!! I keep telling him that, but he doesn't seem to understand that I really feel like I could/might hurt somebody, or just lose control and really do something wrong. He just says, "that's normal with depressiona and anxiety. Ugh, okay, thanks again.
Posted by Snoozy on June 26, 2003, at 0:33:52
In reply to Re: wellbutrin help!-caffeine/ long response!, posted by aquestioner on June 25, 2003, at 22:57:17
Sometimes when I've had a severe problem, and it doesn't seem like I'm getting through to my doc (whether it's because they're not listening or if I'm such a wreck I can't get my point across) I have taken a family member with me to appointments. It has helped - to have someone else sitting in that office saying I've known this person forever, and what's going on is not normal.
I saw your post below about looking for a new doc. I can't offer you any advice there, but I do wish you good luck.
> So much thanks to "Eep." Your opinions are helpful and suggestions good as well. My doc sucks at returning my calls and have to wait until my next appt. (two days) to work the rest out. I'm not really sure he cares about the side effects or believes me or what...If you think of anything else, please let me know. I almost smashed this woman's face in today b/c she was yelling at me at work. It's BAD!! I keep telling him that, but he doesn't seem to understand that I really feel like I could/might hurt somebody, or just lose control and really do something wrong. He just says, "that's normal with depressiona and anxiety. Ugh, okay, thanks again.
Posted by Sebastian on June 26, 2003, at 10:02:44
In reply to wellbutrin help!-caffeine/ wearing off? help, posted by aquestioner on June 25, 2003, at 2:22:36
Yes, some times the afternoon dose is better than the morning dose. I also take a evening dose, total 3-100mg doses a day with each meal. I don't drink a lot of caffine with it, just one cup in the motning.
This is the end of the thread.
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