Question:
I'm startin wellbutrin today... Could any of you tell me your success
stories? Does it cause male impotence? And how is it affective towards
the other anti-depressants? Paxil didnt do anything for me , even at
60mg's.... Any info would be appreciated... Also what is the reccomended
dosage daily? My doctor told me like 3 times but I forgot... Thats the
bad advantage of having a good lookin female shrink...
Answer:
No first hand knowledge on my part, but according to renton (a frequent
poster who will probably respond later) it actually increased his libido.
At this moment Wellbutrin seems to be the anti-depressant of the day so a
lot of people will be able to help you better re-maximum dosage etc. But I
thought you would want to know about the impotence question right away :-)
I'm on my 8th week of Wellbutrin SR now and finally doing great! I know
everyone is different, but the best thing I could tell you is to raise your
dosage slowly to reduce the jitters, etc. Also, at least at first you may want
to reduce or cut out caffeine. The first couple of weeks on this I was
climbing the walls if I had more than one cup of coffee. The next best thing I
could tell you is what everyone here told me - give it time! I was so deep
into my depression that I was really anxious for this to work. The first few
weeks I would have an occasional good day, but not too often. By 6 weeks I
could feel it kicking in on a steady basis and now this week (#8), I'm really
feeling better than I have in a very long time. I've been depressed most of my
life and didn't know what it was to not be depressed. Now I know - and I
definitely like it! Any bad side effects do go away (at least for me) with
time. Once in awhile I still feel a little hyper, but not too bad. I am
taking 150mg. 2x day, which I think is the target dose. My shrink tried me on
a higher dose and I couldn't handle it - was too nervous and cranky. When I
first started I was at 150mg 1x day for the first week and raised it the second
week. The best thing about this (other than helping with depression) is that
it does the opposite of some of the bad side effects of some SSRIs. It helps
to lose weight, rather than gain. It gives you energy, rather than make you
tired or sleepy. And like many have said - it does help increase your libido,
rather than reduce it like the SSRIs. And if you smoke, it will help you to
stop. Sounds too good to be true. I just hope it keeps working for me!
I think you said it eloquently. It definitely will not hurt your sex life
like the "SSRI" antidepressants often do. In fact, it is often prescribed to
counteract that problem. Good luck and ramp up at your own pace, not your
doctor's.. It's all very individual. It may cause some anxiety at first and
that too will pass. If this is a problem some doctors are sympathetic to giving
their patients some Xanax or similar to help that and help the possible
insomnia in the beginning.
It's not a good idea to say of any AD that a certain side effect will
"definitely" not happen. As is so often said on this ng, everyone's
experience of these drugs is different. Users of Wellbutrin have a
significantly lower incidence of sexual dysfunction than those taking SSRI's,
but the drug can still affect your ability to have orgasms. Go to the
Wellbutrin SR pages posted on the Glaxo Wellcome website (
http://wellbutrin-sr.com ), and click on the sexual dysfunction page. Two
studies of orgasm dysfunction are cited, comparing Wellbutrin to Zoloft.
Delay or absence of orgasm with Wellbutrin is less than half of that
experienced with Zoloft, but is present nonetheless (although in one study,
the incidence of dysfunction is comparable to that of the placebo). Given
that this information is on the manufacturer's site (interestingly, the
sources are not cited), I wonder if the real-world frequence of orgasm
dysfunction with this drug might not actually be higher.
The typical side effects of Wellbutrin - insomnia, irritability, tremors,
etc. - may themselves interfere with sexual function. Yes, these effects
generally subside or go away completely, but not for everyone.
I've been on WB SR for a month now, and have gradually worked the dosage up
to 300 mg. Side effects are tolerable so far (no sexual problems,
fortunately), and I have a lot more energy than usual. The antidepressant
effect hasn't kicked in yet.
