Kooldoggy: Wellbutrin - strange muscle twitching and anxiety

[Kooldoggy]

Hello,
I'm 26, diagnosed with depression, otherwise healthy. I had been taking Wellbutrin XR 150 mg for about 18 days since my first dose (with no or little side effects) and made a horrible mistake - one evening I smoked some weed for better sleep (it used to help me before). Short after that I noticed strange muscle twitches (more like fasciculations than myoclonus) in my legs, arms and jaw. My hands became shaky. I was feeling very anxious and paranoid too (not a normal thing for my disease), but somehow finally fell asleep. With my psychiatrist approval I decieded to stop Wellbutrin and switch to Brintellix. I am not taking Wellbutrin for 8 days now (after a 4 week taper) and I'm still feeling those strange muscle twitches every now and then, it seems to come and go (with the anxiety), especially when I'm going to sleep or try to relax. It's a really horrible feeling, worse than my depression, it changes the way I think and make me really nervous. Previously I've been taking escitalopram and I quited 3 times cold turkey without any withdrawal. Are those withdrawal symptoms or did I do something to my nervous system mixing drugs with weed? Will this ever stop? How can I help myself? Anyone had similar experience?

Thank you for any answers!

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Kooldoggy.

 

It sounds like you might have had an adverse reaction to Wellbutrin. Going on and off psychiatric drugs can make your nervous system hypersensitive to other psychoactive drugs and even supplements and foods.

 

It can take time to recover from any drug-induced symptom. Plus, Brintellix might also be stressing your sensitized nervous system and adding to this adverse reaction.

 

However, you should talk all of this over with your psychiatrist. Unfortunately, they are usually clueless about adverse reactions.

 

This is a site for going off psychiatric drugs, we don't address "disease."

 

PS Never, ever go cold turkey (unless you are having a life-threatening reaction). You may not feel it then, but it's very hard on your nervous system, which is not made of rubber.