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- Sep 7, 2020
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Day 2:
Hey everyone. I've been taking Wellbutrin for over 2 years. I began with the SR form, but quickly switched to 300mg of the XL form due to side effects which I have stuck with to this day. At time of writing, I have been off of it for a bit over 40 hours. I will be using this thread to document my experience for purposes of personal reflection and to share valuable harm reduction info on a commonly-prescribed medication with little scientific literature regarding its withdrawal effects. I aim to update it daily.
What is Wellbutrin?
For those of you who do not know, Wellbutrin/Zyban/Bupropion is an atypical antidepressant that functions primarily as a NDRI (norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor.) It also has activity as a nicotinic receptor antagonist, and therefore is frequently prescribed to assist people with smoking cessation.
How serious is Wellbutrin withdrawal?
As Wellbutrin is not an SSRI, it is generally thought to be one of the easier antidepressants to quit. Some anecdotal evidence online indicates that tapering for a couple weeks or going cold turkey results in little to no withdrawal. One scientific case study from 1999 indicates that a man experienced flu-like symptoms, insomnia, and anxiety about 5 days after quitting Wellbutrin SR which were resolved within 36 hours of resuming treatment. He then tapered off of the medication over 18 days.
What am I changing about my consumption of it?
Due to long-term side effects and the perception that it is not doing much to help me, I have decided to go cold turkey on Wellbutrin after noticing that I felt much better after I accidentally went a day or two without taking it - and then feeling worse after going back on it. If I begin experiencing withdrawals that I feel are detrimental enough, then I will instead speak to my doctor and create a plan to taper off of it.
What have I experienced since going off the Wellbutrin?
Improved mental and physical energy, improved mood, mental clarity, drastically improved appetite, reduction/near elimination of social anxiety (Such anxiety is somewhat abnormal for me but has been a big issue recently), reduced dissociation, dissipation of GI/stomach issues, moderate increase in sex drive but sexuality feeling less forced/compulsive, occasional mild physical restlessness, and slightly improved focus. Much of this may be placebo given that the Wellbutrin and its metabolites are still partially in my system.
I have noticed a lot of itching/tingling feelings the past while that have made it difficult to exercise and been distracting at times. I am experiencing these as I write this, but they are milder than they were at times in the past few weeks. This feeling is something that I have periodically experienced over the past year and a half or so. It seems to be correlated with sleep deprivation, depressive episodes, not eating enough, and not exercising frequently (with the last one being a chicken or the egg question.)
I hope to observe improvements in my productivity in the coming days, and to start seeing people more. I have been quite socially withdrawn the past couple months due to a combination of low productivity, relapsed depression, and social anxiety.
What withdrawal symptoms am I watching out for:
I am looking out for the symptoms mentioned in the linked case study: Flu-like symptoms/aches and pains, headaches, insomnia, irritability, and anxiety. I am also watching out for depression, hypomania, and worsening itching/tingling feelings.
What negative effects have I experienced from Wellbutrin?
I've experienced persistent mild physical side effects such as mild GI issues, periodic insomnia, strange bodily pains, and difficulty maintaining/gaining weight. I have always struggled with these, but they have been noticeably worse since starting the Wellbutrin and never quite returned to baseline. I have ruled out my prescription stimulants as the culprit, as they persist even during long periods of abstinence from them.
Other issues such as dissociation, poor focus/ability to get things done despite having the motivation + being on ADHD medication that works for me, anxiety, and periodic low energy + productivity have become more noticeable than they were prior to medication at times, even when my depression has been alleviated.
Weight loss, insomnia, appetite suppression, itching, paranoia/anxiety, drastically increased impulsivity/irrationality, occasional hallucinations, and tinnitus were all quite noticeable for the first couple months of Wellbutrin in addition to worsened hypomania.
One major concern in hindsight is that I was beginning to experience hypomania around when I went on the Wellbutrin, and the medication significantly accelerated this. A few days after starting it, I remember feeling intense paranoia while skateboarding at 3 AM. I began hallucinating demonic/zombified faces onto random people on the street and was convinced that random passerby were attempting to kill me. I had never experienced anything like this prior to taking Wellbutrin SR, and have not since I switched to XL. (There was one other occasion a few months later towards the end of the hypomanic episode where I experienced this while on the street by myself at 4 AM coming down from a large dose of an RC disso sold to me as ketamine.) My psychiatrist at the time immediately dismissed these concerns and my concerns about me possibly being bipolar, without even allowing me to explain them. My insomnia, mood swings, suicidality, impulsivity, irrationality, sober euphoria, detachment from reality - All the hallmarks of (hypo)mania - worsened over the next 2-3 months and I did a lot of shit that nearly ruined my life and my relationship with my family.
I do not blame any of that on the Wellbutrin, as it had already begun a month or two prior to me ever taking any medication, but I am confident that the Wellbutrin accelerated and likely worsened it.
What positive effects have I experienced over the past 2-2.5 years since I first started Wellbutrin?
Please note: The following may be partially or entirely attributable to Adderall/Dexedrine/Vyvanse, CBD oil, extensive trauma therapy and talk psychotherapy, psychedelic + very rare MDMA or ketamine use, etc.
Periods of alleviated depression, significant increase in extroversion, feeling more like myself, periods of increased energy, increased sex drive, rare periods of improved focus and productivity, somewhat reduced PTSD symptoms, periods of improved sleep, drastic improvements in self-esteem, feeling more mentally stable.
While the Wellbutrin likely helped to alleviate my initial depressive episode and its symptoms, I have noticed the depressive episodes resurge every 3-8 months and last for 0.5-3 months, often being ended by psychedelics such as LSD, 4-sub-tryptamines, ketamine, or MDMA.
Which substances am I still taking?
I am still taking 10-30mg of Dexedrine IR/day (Dosing split into 10mg, 10mg, then 5-10mg if needed), 40mg/day of CBD oil, Vitamin D3, Magnesium, and Zinc. I also occasionally take Ginger for stomach issues and periodically take L-theanine.
I will likely be taking 2CB and DOM over the next couple weeks as I haven't tripped in a while. I have about 20-30+ uses of powdered 2CB ranging from 2mg to 25mg, usually in the 12-15mg range. I have never tried DOM.
I have not engaged in using psychedelics or THC over the past few months, with the only exceptions being a microdose of LSD a week or two ago and 105-110mg of IN ketamine 3 weeks ago to kill a depressive episode that was getting quite severe. My previous most recent psychedelic usage prior to that was a very meaningful 1P-LSD trip in the summer and some light dosing of 2C-B at a few raves. My last THC use was a few months ago, using a vape containing a roughly 1:1 ratio of CBD:THC.
Hey everyone. I've been taking Wellbutrin for over 2 years. I began with the SR form, but quickly switched to 300mg of the XL form due to side effects which I have stuck with to this day. At time of writing, I have been off of it for a bit over 40 hours. I will be using this thread to document my experience for purposes of personal reflection and to share valuable harm reduction info on a commonly-prescribed medication with little scientific literature regarding its withdrawal effects. I aim to update it daily.
What is Wellbutrin?
For those of you who do not know, Wellbutrin/Zyban/Bupropion is an atypical antidepressant that functions primarily as a NDRI (norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor.) It also has activity as a nicotinic receptor antagonist, and therefore is frequently prescribed to assist people with smoking cessation.
How serious is Wellbutrin withdrawal?
As Wellbutrin is not an SSRI, it is generally thought to be one of the easier antidepressants to quit. Some anecdotal evidence online indicates that tapering for a couple weeks or going cold turkey results in little to no withdrawal. One scientific case study from 1999 indicates that a man experienced flu-like symptoms, insomnia, and anxiety about 5 days after quitting Wellbutrin SR which were resolved within 36 hours of resuming treatment. He then tapered off of the medication over 18 days.
What am I changing about my consumption of it?
Due to long-term side effects and the perception that it is not doing much to help me, I have decided to go cold turkey on Wellbutrin after noticing that I felt much better after I accidentally went a day or two without taking it - and then feeling worse after going back on it. If I begin experiencing withdrawals that I feel are detrimental enough, then I will instead speak to my doctor and create a plan to taper off of it.
What have I experienced since going off the Wellbutrin?
Improved mental and physical energy, improved mood, mental clarity, drastically improved appetite, reduction/near elimination of social anxiety (Such anxiety is somewhat abnormal for me but has been a big issue recently), reduced dissociation, dissipation of GI/stomach issues, moderate increase in sex drive but sexuality feeling less forced/compulsive, occasional mild physical restlessness, and slightly improved focus. Much of this may be placebo given that the Wellbutrin and its metabolites are still partially in my system.
I have noticed a lot of itching/tingling feelings the past while that have made it difficult to exercise and been distracting at times. I am experiencing these as I write this, but they are milder than they were at times in the past few weeks. This feeling is something that I have periodically experienced over the past year and a half or so. It seems to be correlated with sleep deprivation, depressive episodes, not eating enough, and not exercising frequently (with the last one being a chicken or the egg question.)
I hope to observe improvements in my productivity in the coming days, and to start seeing people more. I have been quite socially withdrawn the past couple months due to a combination of low productivity, relapsed depression, and social anxiety.
What withdrawal symptoms am I watching out for:
I am looking out for the symptoms mentioned in the linked case study: Flu-like symptoms/aches and pains, headaches, insomnia, irritability, and anxiety. I am also watching out for depression, hypomania, and worsening itching/tingling feelings.
What negative effects have I experienced from Wellbutrin?
I've experienced persistent mild physical side effects such as mild GI issues, periodic insomnia, strange bodily pains, and difficulty maintaining/gaining weight. I have always struggled with these, but they have been noticeably worse since starting the Wellbutrin and never quite returned to baseline. I have ruled out my prescription stimulants as the culprit, as they persist even during long periods of abstinence from them.
Other issues such as dissociation, poor focus/ability to get things done despite having the motivation + being on ADHD medication that works for me, anxiety, and periodic low energy + productivity have become more noticeable than they were prior to medication at times, even when my depression has been alleviated.
Weight loss, insomnia, appetite suppression, itching, paranoia/anxiety, drastically increased impulsivity/irrationality, occasional hallucinations, and tinnitus were all quite noticeable for the first couple months of Wellbutrin in addition to worsened hypomania.
One major concern in hindsight is that I was beginning to experience hypomania around when I went on the Wellbutrin, and the medication significantly accelerated this. A few days after starting it, I remember feeling intense paranoia while skateboarding at 3 AM. I began hallucinating demonic/zombified faces onto random people on the street and was convinced that random passerby were attempting to kill me. I had never experienced anything like this prior to taking Wellbutrin SR, and have not since I switched to XL. (There was one other occasion a few months later towards the end of the hypomanic episode where I experienced this while on the street by myself at 4 AM coming down from a large dose of an RC disso sold to me as ketamine.) My psychiatrist at the time immediately dismissed these concerns and my concerns about me possibly being bipolar, without even allowing me to explain them. My insomnia, mood swings, suicidality, impulsivity, irrationality, sober euphoria, detachment from reality - All the hallmarks of (hypo)mania - worsened over the next 2-3 months and I did a lot of shit that nearly ruined my life and my relationship with my family.
I do not blame any of that on the Wellbutrin, as it had already begun a month or two prior to me ever taking any medication, but I am confident that the Wellbutrin accelerated and likely worsened it.
What positive effects have I experienced over the past 2-2.5 years since I first started Wellbutrin?
Please note: The following may be partially or entirely attributable to Adderall/Dexedrine/Vyvanse, CBD oil, extensive trauma therapy and talk psychotherapy, psychedelic + very rare MDMA or ketamine use, etc.
Periods of alleviated depression, significant increase in extroversion, feeling more like myself, periods of increased energy, increased sex drive, rare periods of improved focus and productivity, somewhat reduced PTSD symptoms, periods of improved sleep, drastic improvements in self-esteem, feeling more mentally stable.
While the Wellbutrin likely helped to alleviate my initial depressive episode and its symptoms, I have noticed the depressive episodes resurge every 3-8 months and last for 0.5-3 months, often being ended by psychedelics such as LSD, 4-sub-tryptamines, ketamine, or MDMA.
Which substances am I still taking?
I am still taking 10-30mg of Dexedrine IR/day (Dosing split into 10mg, 10mg, then 5-10mg if needed), 40mg/day of CBD oil, Vitamin D3, Magnesium, and Zinc. I also occasionally take Ginger for stomach issues and periodically take L-theanine.
I will likely be taking 2CB and DOM over the next couple weeks as I haven't tripped in a while. I have about 20-30+ uses of powdered 2CB ranging from 2mg to 25mg, usually in the 12-15mg range. I have never tried DOM.
I have not engaged in using psychedelics or THC over the past few months, with the only exceptions being a microdose of LSD a week or two ago and 105-110mg of IN ketamine 3 weeks ago to kill a depressive episode that was getting quite severe. My previous most recent psychedelic usage prior to that was a very meaningful 1P-LSD trip in the summer and some light dosing of 2C-B at a few raves. My last THC use was a few months ago, using a vape containing a roughly 1:1 ratio of CBD:THC.
. Please keep posting.
