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Crying and anxiety switching from Celexa to Wellbutrin, and I need support.

purple_cloud

purple_cloud

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Jul 1, 2009
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I'm here to get some stuff off my chest, as well as ask if any of you guys have had such seemingly ridiculous medication side effects...I think this is within the rules of TDS.

For the last year and a half, I have been taking 10mg of Celexa (citalopram) daily, and found that when coupled with alprazolam as needed, it did wonders for my anxiety. I had the extreme SSRI sexual side effects, and if I dared consume alcohol I got really sick. Recently, I had tried to quit smoking and failed, so my doctor suggested I switch to Wellbutrin (bupropion). I weaned off Celexa by taking 5mg for 10 days and then 2.5mg for 4 days, and I was told that at 10mg I could have just stopped with no discontinuation symptoms, but I found that out around Christmas time the hard way. I took 150mg SR in the morning for 3 days, and then began taking 150mg SR in the morning and another 150mg SR in the evening for 300mg a day total...this is exactly what my doctor instructed, and it is even written on the prescription bottle.

I've been on just Wellbutrin for about a week now. In this last week, I've cried a LOT. Today has been the worst day just far. I have this horrible anxiety pain in the pit of my stomach, I haven't had an appetite almost at all (I smoke pot everyday, and usually get an appetite afterwards even if I'm extremely anxious). Pot has not helped at all with increasing appetite or decreasing nausea or stomach irritation. I constantly feel like I have to poop, my stomach hurts really bad, and then only a little liquidy amount comes out. Right now, my anxiety is definitely close to it's max, I feel physically uncomfortable even after taking some alprazolam.

Today, I cried about the fact that my life has never been normal, and when I come home from college I don't have what everyone else has. My mom died almost 3 years ago and that still hurts me everytime I go home. I have a job interview tomorrow, and I'm hoping I'll be able to go home for a week or so before the job would start, if I do get hired. Maybe that will fix things.

This is long, as I said I just needed to vent a little. I am most likely going to see if I can get an appointment with my doctor (or another at the student health center) tomorrow.

Have any of you guys taken both Celexa and Wellbutrin, and then stopped the Celexa, and had some similar side effects? I UTFSE and couldn't find anything, and on google found stuff on other forums, but the posts were years old and there's no way for me to find the OPs to ask personalized questions.
 
Celexa was the first antidepressant I was put on. After a week I became EXTREMELY jittery, agitated, and highly anxious. I told my doctor and he had me stop cold turkey, and the withdrawl was something wicked, I couldn't leave my bed, yet I had all this agitation on top of deep depression. I then was put on desipramine, and it seemed like it was working, I wasn't as miserable, I could at least go out and function. While on the desipramine, I had two suicide attempts, and found it wasn't really working as well as I thought, so they used wellbutrin to augment the desipramine. The wellbutrin caused most of the same effects as the celexa, but not as harsh, so I called my doctor and he took me off it. I ended up in the hospital one night after OD'ing on the desipramine. The psychiatrist then put me on remeron, which I felt wasn't working at all, and I was having suicidal thoughts on a constant basis, so I checked myself into the psych ward where they stopped the remeron and started me on geodon, which seems to be working greatly. The plan is to stabilize my anxiety and then add the wellbutrin (the wellbutrin worked wonders on my depression, but wreaked havoc on my anxiety the first time I took it.) I'm hopeful that wellbutrin along with the geodon will work, as I'm already starting to feel better
 
Citalopram (Celexa) was the second anti-depressant I was prescribed, after Prozac, and neither did much to help my depression. When I recently shifted onto Wellbutrin I noticed a marked improvement in my mood. Anxiety and hypertension are two known side-effects of Wellbutrin, but fortunately I haven't experienced them. Have you considered staying on a small dose of citalopram for the anxiety? SSRI's and DNRI's can work together quite well.
 
wellbutrin is a NRI, it gives you more energy, and often for many, gives people nervous energy.

In fact, if youre taking it for depression, unless your doctor is set on it, wellbutrin hasnt proved to be better than some of the other SNRIs or SSRIs
 
Colmes said:
In fact, if youre taking it for depression, unless your doctor is set on it, wellbutrin hasnt proved to be better than some of the other SNRIs or SSRIs
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I don't really need medication for depression, its more of an anxiety problem to be honest. And this is why I'm a little worried...it apparently has fewer side effects and is easier to stop taking, but I can't live like this. My anxiety is through the roof. I have a job interview in the morning, and I'm not going to take the dose before hand...the crying seems to start about an hour later. You might be right, it's giving me nervous energy perhaps.
 
Go with the welbutrin, not an SSRI, not an MAOI, and no side effects that i experienced, except some people (like my girlfriend) get a bit nauseated sometimes during the first week. Other than that, if anything its slightly increased my sex drive and "endurance" (probably because it actually works at least a bit for anxiety and depression)

Anyway, i would say make the switch and i wish you good luck. I have only been on it for about 3 months, but i have noticed that i have more days when im not that depressed and have experienced at least enough less anxiety to notice, but not by much. Also i definitely don't feel as shitty as i used to when i wake up in the morning, i used to feel absolutely horrible physically and mentally every morning.


My bad, didn't read the whole thread. I guess maybe it isn't the best choice for you if you need it more for anxiety. Ive tried a plethora of "non addictive" drugs for anxiety and the only thing that has made it slightely better is welbutrin, but not by much. (other than benzos obviously but i would rather not be addicted to benzos especially since im already addicted to opiates/opioids. so instead of telling my doc that .25 isn't nearly enough xanax to make me feel normal i just get 30 of those for the month and usually end up finishing them off within a week or two. And also share them with my girlfriend, shes got issues too.


Anyway, good luck with your anxiety man. I know how horrible it can be, i would probably give in and say fuck it about benzo addiction if i had it as bad as you, not that im suggesting that. :(
 
I think it might be about the dose you're on. 10 mg of celexa is a really low dose. That's a dose they usually start people on, and then increase it. The average dose is 20 mg (according to my doctor). Whereas 300 mg of wellbutrin is the avg dose. So maybe it's just an issue of being on a super low dose of one, and then switching to basically twice the equivalent dose of another?
My stomach was also fucked for the first two weeks on wellbutrin, the shits, and/or feeling like I had em all the time. It passes. I'm not sure why they'd tell you to take it at night either. It has stimulant properties, which can screw with your sleep cycle, and make everything worse. Good luck though:)
Oh, and if it starts to make you feel suicidal, get ahold of your doctor right away, and remember ITS JUST THE DRUG that's making you feel like that...
 
Wellbutrin is one anti-depressant i can actually take with no side effects really. But it can make some people pretty anxious so id tell your doctor about it.
 
Just as an update, I called and got an appointment with my doctor for a couple hours from now, I seem to feel a bit better today and tried not taking the wellbutrin when I got up, and things were fine. I took it about 40 minutes ago and already feel pretty off, so I think I'm definitely making the right decision by getting this taken care of. Will post about how it goes.
 
I went to the doctor, and she told me to stop taking the Wellbutrin. She prescribed me Effexor, since it is indicated for anxiety and that is my general problem...its an SNRI, so that's slightly less evil than an SSRI, right? I'm going to start taking these tomorrow, and hope they help me out.
 
purple_cloud said:
I went to the doctor, and she told me to stop taking the Wellbutrin. She prescribed me Effexor, since it is indicated for anxiety and that is my general problem...its an SNRI, so that's slightly less evil than an SSRI, right? I'm going to start taking these tomorrow, and hope they help me out.
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Effoxor could help you but beware of the withdrawals which are the worst of any anti-depressant. I would rather go through 6 months of cold turkey hydromorphone withdrawals then a week of effexor withdrawals.

I was only on it for maybe 2 months i think. Since im bipolar and not unipolar depression it made me much worse.
 
^ after taking effexor last night I've felt pretty sick and lethargic all day, with no appetite. I think I'm just gonna wait a few days and go back to the citalopram...at least it worked with the fewest side effects.
 
I don't think Wellbutrin is the best drug for anxiety, it worked well for me but I was prescribed benzos at the same time.

I also think that possibly you increased your dose too quickly, my doctor had me stay on 150mg for over a month before he upped it.

I've never been on SSRI's because I've seen my family members have some pretty bad reactions to them and I've noticed some very strange changes in friends who went on them, they were happier but it was like a false kind of happiness, like they weren't in touch with their emotions.

I'd advise benzos for a short period of time and some CBT for anxiety and panic attacks, I think this is the best way too beat anxiety without getting addicted to something. ( I've learned this the hard way and I'm still dependent on my rx'ed klonopin.)
 
Azeogen said:
Wellbutrin = stimulant! not good at all for anxiety. also ,in rare folks (me) marijuana can make anxiety worse too. i hope u feel better



"SNRI, so that's slightly less evil than an SSRI" = definitly! hehe count me in
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What if someone with high anxiety were to take a mood stabilizer and then add Wellbutrin? Could that work? Because Wellbutrin alone drove me up the wall, but really helped my depression. My psychiatrist recommended this, so I've been on the mood stabilizer for about 2 weeks and they plan on adding the Wellbutrin soon.
 
You should feel better within a few weeks. If it isn't getting better, Wellbutrin might not be right for you. Discontinuing SSRI's is a horrible experience, that's what you're experiencing. I think it's worse than quitting heroin. You'll feel better though. If you are feeling really edgy/anxious due to a hightened sense of alertness/hyperactivity/hypervigilance, or feel too "speedy" on it, I would suggest getting off of it, or at least taking a smaller dose. The bioavailability of bupropion ranges a bit from what I remember.

Discontinuing SSRI's will make you feel edgy too, so if you are feeling the same way 2-3 weeks later, I would reconsult your doctor.
 
I used to take zoloft for 2 months and just couldn't stand the side effects it was giving me. when I stopped I had extreme mood swings and would just cry all day even though it was a perfect day.
 
I have been prescribed wellbutrin, in conjunction with depakote and nuerontin, for bi-polar disorder. Interestingly enough, it was during my college years sometime back when I happened to be going through a tremendous rough patch in my life. I found that Wellbutrin intensified my anxiety, led to disturbances in sleep, and did little for easing my symptoms of depression during the first week or two of taking it. Over time, however, it did help but not as well as some other medications I have tried. Your symptoms of depression are likely due to the combination of coming off a traditional SSRI, such as Celexa, and experiencing a down regulation in serotonergic activity while having to adjust to a new medication that primarily effects a different pathway (dopamine) to achieve the same result. Wellbutrin, unlike Celexa, works primarily on the dopaminergic system which, in turn, has a secondary effect on firing in serotinergic pathways to help achieve the desired therapeutic effect. The symptoms of depression will likely subside as the Wellbutrin works its way in. If they do not or get worse then contact your primary care physician immediately to discuss a possible new medication regime. I hope this helps and best of luck with the job interview!

P.S.
Also, I don't know whether you roll or not, but be careful while doing so on Wellbutrin because it lowers the seizure threshold in the temporal lobes (if memory serves me correct); same applies for amphetamines or cocaine.
 
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