Help...I'm new to Wellbutrin...

I was just diagnosed with moderate to severe depression.
It was recommended that I take medicine to go with CBT. I wanted CBT because I hate meds. But I need the meds because I need to clear up my thinking better for CBT. I was prescibed Wellbutrin XL. I've been on SSRIs. I didn't want one of those because they numb me. I asked her if wellbutrin was an alternative. She was apprehensive to give it to me because she was concerned of it's stimulating qualities. I told her I wasn't worried because I scored low on an anxiety index. But actually I was wondering if anyone who's taking it could tell me real live stories about what exactly will happen to a person when the do start taking it? I read all the medincine notes and that always seems so far from people who are not doctors or scientists.
Thanks,
ccblue

I'm sorry, I've never been on Wellbutrin...but, if you don't mind...can you elaborate on how you felt "numb" on SSRI's? Cause I'm currently on Celexa, an SSRI, and I've been feeling somewhat numb...but I thought it was just me...

Heather,
I can try to explain. It was like a neutral feeling like you are trying to feel things through a cloud of cotton. It made me very uncomfortable like I had no clear emotional barometer to work with.
A nullifying of emotional sensitivity is the best way to describe it. I tried Zoloft and Paxil. Paxil was better. I am a creative person, and I was afraid it might have been interfering with that somewhat, but compared to Zoloft the numbness was minor. If I wasn't an artist I wouldn't have minded Paxil at all, plus, being artistic makes me hypersensitive to the tiniest reaction from any medicine. You might want to find out if you can switch over to that.
As far as the Wellbutrin...I've been sleeping more and more lately, and I decided I'd better just start taking it because I didn't want to wake up one morning and not get out of bed. It wasn't so bad. I was a little bit disoriented. I might have been disoriented because sometimes I don't eat at work like I did today. I guess now i can tell somebody about what it was like on the first day.

Yeah! Thats sort of how I feel...like I never have a clear emotion. I can seem happy but like..I don't feel happy...its weird. but yeah. Thanks for the reply.

ccblue wrote:I was just diagnosed with moderate to severe depression.

Although I have yet to receive an "official" diagnosis (that is, one from a professional), all the online questionaires point to this as my diagnosis as well.

ccblue wrote:I've been on SSRIs. I didn't want one of those because they numb me.

I took Lexapro (escitalopram) 10mg once/day for 6 weeks last year. My side effects were drowsiness (particular difficulty waking up in the mornings), fatigue, diminished sexual desire, delayed orgasm (during both sex and masturbation), and inability to orgasm (during both sex and masturbation). Additionally, it was not effective in elevating my mood, so I quit taking it and starting taking Wellbutrin XL.

ccblue wrote:I was prescibed Wellbutrin XL....She was apprehensive to give it to me because she was concerned of it's stimulating qualities.

What stimulating qualities are you referring to? I didn't really notice any. What were her concerns?

ccblue wrote:But actually I was wondering if anyone who's taking it could tell me real live stories about what exactly will happen to a person when the do start taking it?

I took Wellbutrin XL 150mg once/day for 12 weeks last year. It was therapeutic for me. It was only the second antidepressant medication that I have ever taken, but I was mostly pleased with it. It elevated my mood, helped me get out of bed, helped me be more optimistic and hopeful. However, since I only took it for 12 weeks, I don't know how I would have fared by taking it more long-term (i.e. 6 to 9 months). I don't recall experiencing any side effects. If I did, they weren't sufficient enough for me to recall them now (a year later).

I go to see my doc in 2 weeks to switch me from lexapro (10mg) to Wellbutrin. The main reason I decided to do it is weight gain - i gained 30 lbs and now on the edge of becoming overweight. But also i started wondering whether it is Lexapro that makes me feel apathy, completely lose sex drive, etc. I ll see how W. will work for me.

When I went on Wellbutrin it was because none of the SSRI's helped me. The SSRI's did give me that numb feeling. I hated it.... but when I read the side effects of Wellbutrin I got scared. I read that it could give me seizures. So I came off of it within a week. I'm now on an MAO called Manerex or Moclobimid (not sure if the spelling is right) It seemes to be working better that the others did for me. Not sure if any of this helped??? Good Luck!