Bupropion augmentation with Modafinil (or Strattera?)

[glitch23]

Has anybody had any experiences combining Wellbutrin with Modafinil? I'm thinking of adding Modafinil to my usual daily dose of Wellbutrin (300mg XL) in order to enhance the energizing/motivating effects of bupropion. Having taken bupropion for nearly a year for depression, its original stimulating effects have simply worn off. It works great as an antidepressant, but I'd like to have the original "edge" back - hence, Modafinil.

It looks like the combination has been used in some studies with positive effects, but I would worry about the lowered seizure threshold. There was someone on this forum saying that he ended up with a seizure combining the two, but the post sounded like he may have experimented with higher dosages.

Any experiences or alternative suggestions (Strattera)?

Thanks in advance.

 

[seep]

Any experiences or alternative suggestions

This is the only way I currently consume bupropion (150 mg at a time, milled to an ultrafine powder). I think your principal enemy is the time release matrix.

DO NOT mix it with amphetamine, btw. I have similar reservations about mixing it with atomoxetine: I did that combo once when I was coming off amps and the experience was nauseating. I underwent vertigo, dyspnea and tachycardia for hours.

I have a nagging suspicion that IM HGH would combine with bupropion quite well.

What studies are you seeing on bupropion + modafinil?

There's also diethylpropion, btw. Indicated in the US for appetite suppression I think.

See also the thread entitled "That Wacky Modafinil"

 

[glitch23]

IM HGH? That's hardcore haha!

Why are you milling the bupropion? I am taking it for therapeutic purposes and wouldn't want to mess with its sustained release mechanism. It's just working too beautifully for me. With the Modafinil I'm essentially just trying to replace the 5-10 cups of coffee I drink a day. (I also enjoy being amped and getting stuff done.)

I can see the atomoxetine and bupropion not being a great combination due to the norepinephrine double whammie (especially when there's other stimulants in the system!). In the past I've combined the bupropion with street stimulants and have been lucky enough not to have any negative effects. I tend to stay away from the dirty stuff anyway - especially since there are so many clean prescription/legal brain enhancing alternatives available these days...

Augmentation/Combination Strategies for Residual Symptoms of Treatment Refractory Depression

http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/558662

Here's a study on Modafinil augmentation (using venlaflaxine, but considering the mechanisms of action, I would assume that it is relatively safe to combine with bupropion as well...)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC181158/

Here's someone's personal experience with the same combo:
http://www.addforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-54205.html

Person with ADHD benefitting from the combination:
http://www.additudemag.com/adhdforums/thread/3897.html

Random:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Should_I_take_wellbutrin_and_Provigil_at_the_same_time


There's no way I can get a script for diethylpropion so that is out of the question. It doesn't sound like that much fun anyway.

I saw the "Wacky Modafinil" thread as well but figured that this topic deserved a separate thread as stimulant augmentation has become rather commonplace.

 

[seep]

Thanks for the links.

IM HGH? That's hardcore haha!

I'm perfectly serious. HGH has a high therapeutic index, little interaction with other pharmaceuticals and in my experience is very stimulating.

Why are you milling the bupropion?

It optimizes the onset time. The stimulant effect is almost immediate.

I am taking it for therapeutic purposes and wouldn't want to mess with its sustained release mechanism. It's just working too beautifully for me.

Have you checked the pharmacokinetic data? It'd possibly work just as well for you IR 2X or 3X daily. Maybe better. Then again, maybe worse.

Relatively benign experiment: Try augmenting your usual dose with a 50 or 75 mg aliquot of mortar-ground bupropion in the morning. Make it palatable somehow as it's the worse tasting pharm I know of. It tastes quite like boric acid.

Historical perspective: I had it prescribed IR 2X daily for depression for a few years and it was heavenly. I came back to it a few years later and got the once daily XL version (the one you take) and it did nothing for me (as prescribed). Maybe the XL formulation was little more than an attempt to boost corporate profits. I remember the reps were pushing the XL really really really hard.

There's an ex-mod here who can asseverate the relative merits of each. username:Mariposa I think.

---

Not at thread but in general: considering the differential activities of the metabolites, the S-enantiomer of buproprion would be superior. The principal metabolite of the R-enantiomer (R,R-hydroxybupropion) is an anticholinergic with no DAT or NAT affinity.

 

[skillet]

It does taste pretty horrific! Also has quite a numbing effect just dumping the powder into your mouth. I used to wrap it in tissue, gel caps would be a great idea.

It does kick in pretty quickly, though I didn't try taking it for more than a week or so, so I don't know if the effect lasts. And yeah, with a 20hr half life (according to wiki) extended release is probably a waste of time. Edit: Except to probably negate the mild stimulant effect!

 

[Mudeltakappa]

I can't offer anything in regards to the Bupropion/Modafinil combo... but I can say that Modafinil is one of the most pleasant substances I've ever come across. I only stopped using it due to financial reasons, just couldn't pay for the stuff anymore... but it was nice.

I found it to be smoothly stimulating, mood-lifting, socially lubricating and surprisingly anxiolytic.

 

[Scald]

That's actually really interesting concerning the time release mechanic, I mean I can miss a day and not notice it due to how ridiculously long the half life is so there is really no need to have the time release... And it would be pretty fucking handy to effectively have 3 doses of a mild stimulant at my disposal per day, because I really do enjoy the stimulating effects of Buproprion, and it would be pretty nice to have them back.

Alright, I'm going to look like a junkie and crush up my next dose and parachute it, see what 150mg IR feels like

 

[Hammilton]

isn't bupropion metabolized to some phenylmorpholine derivative?

 

[atara]

isn't bupropion metabolized to some phenylmorpholine derivative?

Yeah, hydroxybupropion, 2-(3-chlorophenyl)-3,5,5-trimethyl-morpholin-2-ol, aka radafaxine. It actually has some resemblance to phenmetrazine.