Sven: bupropion / Wellbutrin generic 200mg SR cold turkey

[Sven]

I know that tapering is always suggested, but I'm a week into it to begin with already and I don't have the money to keep affording it anyways (live in the U.S. go figure). I am determined to stay off of it, and there is no alarming psychological withdrawal effects thus far and I don't expect any, really.

I'm 29-year-old male around 180lbs/87kg in otherwise good health. Major Depression diagnosis by an actual Psychiatrist when I was around age 20, didn't start taking any regular Antidepressant medications until three years ago at age 26. Had briefly tried both Zoloft and Effexor ages 21 and 24 but the side effects were horrible for both so I did not care for them. Honestly I hated school so much and was either bullied or just hated waking up in the morning so much and not having freedom as a teenager that I became careless about my lifestyle and life, but I've learned so much about what my life could be if I actually tried that I think I can live without antidepressants now. They helped, they did their thing, and now it's time to move on. I also went through a very bad breakup in 2015, but enough time has passed that I think I'll be ok no matter what happens in my life. 

Historically my worst Depression-related symptoms have just been with sleep, really, so I take Quetiapine(Seroquel generic) 12.5mg–25mg (depending on how much I need to sleep) nightly, and the dose is small enough to not affect me negatively in other ways (weight gain etc.) I've been taking that for a while, perhaps since 2014, took a break between 2015 and 2016 off it entirely, then am back to that same dose nightly since 2017. I'm not sure if I feel the need to taper off the Quetiapine, one thing at a time for now. 

The worst thing at first was the cold/flu symptoms, most of which have subsided. Was kind of freaking out that I had COVID because I had a sore throat and was stuffy, but got tested twice and negative, and pretty careful about my social circle as well. Very drained of energy, though, as I am now working 40 hours a week(from home on the computer) and after work I can barely even muster the energy to watch TV much less socialize. I am not sad or depressed, really, just a malaise, which I'm told is common with Wellbutrin withdrawal.  Stomach feels kind of weird too, hoping that goes away soon. 

I guess other than general support, I'm just wondering about something more natural like Guarana or maybe something OTC like Pseudoephedrine to stave off the achiness associated with NDRI withdrawal. I already drink coffee: not too much, just some cold brew in the morning. I stay pretty hydrated, but I guess I could do better. Having some detox tea too, nothing intense just herbal stuff. 

I know enough about my psychological makeup and myself that things like coping skills and mindfulness aren't really an issue for me. What I'm wondering is how long I'm going to feel drained of energy, and have an achy feeling in my body. There really isn't as much literature on NDRI withdrawal as there is with other AD's, so I'm hoping this site will at the very least bring a bit of light to that. 

Cheers. 

 

Edited December 8, 2020 by manymoretodays
added name to title

[Gridley]

Welcome to SA, Sven.

 

To give members the best information, we ask them to summarize their medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly.

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

As you know, we don't recommend cold turkey of psychiatric drugs.  The decision is yours, of course, but just for your information we recommend tapering by no more than 10% of your current dose every four weeks.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Wellbutrin is one of the few drugs that sometimes can be tapered more quickly, if done carefully.  The following link, which is one of our most popular threads, is specifically about tapering Wellbutrin.

 

Tips for tapering off buproprion (Wellbutrin, SR, XR, XL)

 

Wellbutrin is one of the few psychiatric drugs that sometimes can be tapered more quickly than 10% every four weeks, as discussed in the previous link.

 

17 hours ago, Sven said:

I take Quetiapine(Seroquel generic) 12.5mg–25mg (depending on how much I need to sleep) nightly,

We recommend taking the same dosage of psychiatric drugs like Seroquel every day, unless you're tapering.  These drugs are very strong and varying the dosage can be destabilizing to the nervous system.

 

Here is a link so you can read about other members' experiences with pseudoephedrine.

 

Psuedoephedrine (Sudafed) - Symptoms and self-care ...

 

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems. Get supplements that are single ingredient (not mixed with other types of supplements).

 

17 hours ago, Sven said:

Having some detox tea too

We don't recommend detox during withdrawal as it puts an additional strain on an already sensitized nervous system.

 

This is your Introduction topic, where you can complete your drug signature, ask questions and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.