Jump to content
SurvivingAntidepressants.org is temporarily closed to new registrations until 1 April ×

Hellbutrin: Wellbutrin nightmare - advice welcome


Hellbutrin

Recommended Posts

  • Administrator

Yes, we have people here who have had great difficulty going off Wellbutrin.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

Link to comment
On January 8, 2018 at 5:44 PM, Hellbutrin said:

Hi Lex,

 

I missed your post from Saturday for some reason, sorry about that. I do feel like I'm out of the worst of my suicidal depression wave, and I really hope that I NEVER have to feel like that again. I'm starting to get REALLY concerned because I've done a lot of research online and I'm discovering that extreme protracted withdrawal from Wellbutrin alone is REALLY uncommon, and I'm fearful that I was too sensitive to be taking Wellbutrin in the first place and that now I might have permanently messed myself up. I would love to read a recovery story from someone who had protracted withdrawal symptoms from just being on Wellbutrin that was able to eventually recover, but I haven't seen a case like that since I've been in this situation. I'm starting to get really terrified that this is a permanent state for me. 

I know how you feel, but it's not permenant as we see from all the success stories. Thinking this way can only add more stress and despair to your system. We have to keep the faith that we will eventually heal from the damage caused by any of these brain altering meds. Try to read the success stories when you feel hopeless. It helped me keeping going all these years.

Drug free Sep. 23 2017

2009 Mar.: lexapro 10mg for headache for 2 weeks.

2009-2012: on and off 1/4 to 1/3 of 10mg

2012 June--2013 Jan,: 1/4-1/3 of 10mg generic, bad jaw pain

2013 Jan-Mar: 10 mg generic. severe jaw and head pain;

2013 Mar--Aug. started tapering (liquid ever since) from 10 to 5 (one step) then gradually down to 2.25 mg by July. first ever panic attack, severe head/jaw pain

2013 Aug.: back to 2.75 mg; Nov: back to Brand Lex. 2.75mg -- 3mg,

2014 June: stopped PPI, head pressure/numbness. up-dosed 4.5mg, severe reaction mental symptoms added on

2014 Aug--2015 Aug: Micro taper down to 3.2mg, .025mg (<1%) cut holding 2-3 weeks.

2015 Aug 15th, Accidental one dose of 4.2mg. worsening brain non-functional, swollen head, body, coma like, DR

2016 Feb., started dosing 10am through 11 pm everyday 2/13--3.2mg, 3/15-- 2.9mg, 4/19-- 2.6mg, 6/26--2.2mg, 7/22 --1.9mg, 8/16--1.8mg,8/31--1.7m g, 9/13--1.6mg, 9/27--1.5mg, 10/8--1.4mg, 10/14--1.3mg, 11/1--1.2mg, 11/29--1.1mg, 12/12--1mg, 12/22--0.9mg

2017: 1/7--0.8mg, 1/15--0.7mg, 1/17--0.6mg, 1/20--0.52, 1/21--0.4mg, 1/22--0.26, 1/23--0.2, 2/13--0.13mg, 2/20--0.06mg, 3/18--0.13mg, 6/1--0.12mg, 7/6--0.1mg, 7/14--0.08mg, 8/17--0.04mg, 8/20--0.03mg, 8/28--0.02mg, 9/6--0.0205mg, 9/8--0.02mg, 9/17--0.015mg, 9/20--0.01mg, 9/21--0.0048mg, 9/22--0.0001mg,

Link to comment

From my experience DP/DR follows periods of heavy introspection and obsession with symptoms. As we spend more time ruminating internally and less time on taking in the external world, we set up the conditions for DP in particular. I’m 8 months of prozac and DP comes and goes. I find distraction is a good strategy because you can’t think and properly focus on more than one thought at a time. 

 

It is easy to panic about protracted withdrawal and literally scare yourself to death about it. Don’t do that as it adds to the stress that’s already there.

 

I took citalopram from 1 jan 2011 to the end of 2016nat a dose of 40mg. As citalopram was not working I was advised to take another ssri so I went on Effexor in jan 2017 and stopped citalopram. I was on Effexor, 47.5mg for about 3 months but found it too activating. I stopped effexor in March 2017 and went on 20mg prozac on 1 April 2017. I was on prozac until 6 May 2017 when I stopped because I started having intolerable reactions to it. So I went cold turkey and have been off all Ssris from 6 May 2017 so that is 8 months at this point.

 

I realise my CNS is totally sensitised and is the reason why I have multiple symptoms. I at least understand that and I am trying to accept the symptoms for what they are and trying not to dwell on them too much. But it is very hard and a brutal experience. 

Link to comment
2 hours ago, Bobo71 said:

From my experience DP/DR follows periods of heavy introspection and obsession with symptoms. As we spend more time ruminating internally and less time on taking in the external world, we set up the conditions for DP in particular. I’m 8 months of prozac and DP comes and goes. I find distraction is a good strategy because you can’t think and properly focus on more than one thought at a time. 

 

It is easy to panic about protracted withdrawal and literally scare yourself to death about it. Don’t do that as it adds to the stress that’s already there.

 

Hi bobo71 I would agree with your opinion on DP/DR.

On Tuesday I was doing some work during a very strong brain fog and strong anxiety wave ,I was practicing mindfulness and kept pulling my focus onto what I was doing and away from the panic  ,the work I was doing took me a while but I got it done to a quality standard but the evening and next day I had strong DP I noticed .

introspection is also an obsession I struggle to drop in withdrawl ,I was doing it before withdrawl so its stuck in me but I try to actively distract when It gets over the top .

I will  add that I was able to have a strong feeling of achievement getting  the job done in the end thus building confidence ,witch can only help .

Alcohol free since February 2015 

1MG diazepam

4.5MG PROZAC.

 

 

 

Link to comment

I have a urgent question that I was hoping someone might be able to answer. Is it common to have more than one acute wave when you're going through withdrawal? I had an acute wave after my initial C/T and then I had a terrible acute wave at the beginning of November, and now I feel like I'm starting to go into another one. Is this common in withdrawal? Is it unusual to have more than one severe wave? Someone please give me feedback! I'm terrified of feeling that way again. I'm doing my best to float through it so that it doesn't get too bad for me to handle. But the morning nausea and cortisol surges are getting to be too much for me to handle. 

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment

I was a disaster zone at 5 months. Total basket case. Windows starting kicking in at 8 months. Still no picnic but manageable. If you can, just loosen your body and just observe the symptoms but don’t react to them. It sounds incredibly trivial but find a hobby to absorb your thoughts. Don’t panic and add more fear to the picture.

I took citalopram from 1 jan 2011 to the end of 2016nat a dose of 40mg. As citalopram was not working I was advised to take another ssri so I went on Effexor in jan 2017 and stopped citalopram. I was on Effexor, 47.5mg for about 3 months but found it too activating. I stopped effexor in March 2017 and went on 20mg prozac on 1 April 2017. I was on prozac until 6 May 2017 when I stopped because I started having intolerable reactions to it. So I went cold turkey and have been off all Ssris from 6 May 2017 so that is 8 months at this point.

 

I realise my CNS is totally sensitised and is the reason why I have multiple symptoms. I at least understand that and I am trying to accept the symptoms for what they are and trying not to dwell on them too much. But it is very hard and a brutal experience. 

Link to comment
On 1/12/2018 at 5:16 PM, Bobo71 said:

I was a disaster zone at 5 months. Total basket case. Windows starting kicking in at 8 months. Still no picnic but manageable. If you can, just loosen your body and just observe the symptoms but don’t react to them. It sounds incredibly trivial but find a hobby to absorb your thoughts. Don’t panic and add more fear to the picture.

Thank you for the reassurance Bobo, I pray that I can make it to 8 months. I'm trying really badly not to panic and make my waves worse and I think it is helping slightly. But I also know that when my waves start intensifying I can go DAYS without sleeping at all, and at that point I start getting really symptomatic. During my last wave I even resulted to taking a .25 mg klonopin after my third consecutive day with no sleep, and I really didn't want to have to do that but I was starting to fear for my own safety. I had my first night of not sleeping last night and I'm concerned because I know I really need to be able to sleep in order to function and get through this. I'm thinking about trying to take a benadryl tonight to help me sleep if I get really desperate. I know this is not recommended, but I'm not really sure what else to do. I take 50 mg of magnesium daily, but it doesn't do a lot to help with my insomnia. 

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus
13 minutes ago, Hellbutrin said:

I take 50 mg of magnesium daily

 

It is better to take magnesium throughout the day, not in one dose (if that is what you are doing).  You might also be able to increase the amount you take.  I take magnesium 150mg in total daily (1/2 tablet morning and night) bottle says: from magnesium citrate 927.64mg.  It definitely helps reduce my anxiety.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

Link to comment

I’m sorry you feel so dreadful Hellbutrin. I also just had a bad night where I felt my mind was simply falling to pieces. It’s very unsettling and quickly escalates to despair. But it does break up with short windows in between. At these times, have a good cry, have a long shower, keep calm and carry on. 

I took citalopram from 1 jan 2011 to the end of 2016nat a dose of 40mg. As citalopram was not working I was advised to take another ssri so I went on Effexor in jan 2017 and stopped citalopram. I was on Effexor, 47.5mg for about 3 months but found it too activating. I stopped effexor in March 2017 and went on 20mg prozac on 1 April 2017. I was on prozac until 6 May 2017 when I stopped because I started having intolerable reactions to it. So I went cold turkey and have been off all Ssris from 6 May 2017 so that is 8 months at this point.

 

I realise my CNS is totally sensitised and is the reason why I have multiple symptoms. I at least understand that and I am trying to accept the symptoms for what they are and trying not to dwell on them too much. But it is very hard and a brutal experience. 

Link to comment
22 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

 

It is better to take magnesium throughout the day, not in one dose (if that is what you are doing).  You might also be able to increase the amount you take.  I take magnesium 150mg in total daily (1/2 tablet morning and night) bottle says: from magnesium citrate 927.64mg.  It definitely helps reduce my anxiety.

Thanks ChessieCat, I'm only taking 100mg per day of magnesium and I've been taking it at night because I usually take my fish oil supplement in the morning and I thought that it wasn't a good idea to take fish oil with magnesium at the same time. Do you have any feedback about this? Should I be switching the time that I take it or take more?

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
17 hours ago, Bobo71 said:

I’m sorry you feel so dreadful Hellbutrin. I also just had a bad night where I felt my mind was simply falling to pieces. It’s very unsettling and quickly escalates to despair. But it does break up with short windows in between. At these times, have a good cry, have a long shower, keep calm and carry on. 

Thanks Bobo, I appreciate that. I've been crying a lot lately which is kind of a change for me from the beginning of withdrawal, I had only cried twice in four months even though I was miserable constantly. I'm scared that when my emotions start coming back that I'm going to be even more of a mess than I am now. 

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

I take fish oil and magnesium together, morning and night.

 

Not sure if you have seen SA's topics:

 

Magnesium

Omega-3 Fish Oil

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

Link to comment

How are you Hellbutrin?

I took citalopram from 1 jan 2011 to the end of 2016nat a dose of 40mg. As citalopram was not working I was advised to take another ssri so I went on Effexor in jan 2017 and stopped citalopram. I was on Effexor, 47.5mg for about 3 months but found it too activating. I stopped effexor in March 2017 and went on 20mg prozac on 1 April 2017. I was on prozac until 6 May 2017 when I stopped because I started having intolerable reactions to it. So I went cold turkey and have been off all Ssris from 6 May 2017 so that is 8 months at this point.

 

I realise my CNS is totally sensitised and is the reason why I have multiple symptoms. I at least understand that and I am trying to accept the symptoms for what they are and trying not to dwell on them too much. But it is very hard and a brutal experience. 

Link to comment
4 hours ago, Bobo71 said:

How are you Hellbutrin?

I've been better Bobo, thanks for checking on me. I'm continuing to have some pretty extreme depression and I've started having a lot of lethargy and fatigue lately. I'm not sure what is causing this and it's really distressing because it's making my concentration even worse off than it already was. I hope that this is one symptoms that dissipates after a while. I'm 6 months off and I would say that I'm still struggling as much if not more than I was in the beginning of withdrawal. But some days are worse than others. How are you doing?

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
On 1/14/2018 at 7:47 PM, ChessieCat said:

I take fish oil and magnesium together, morning and night.

 

Not sure if you have seen SA's topics:

 

Magnesium

Omega-3 Fish Oil

Does this intensify anxiety/ depression when they are taken together?

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment

I ask myself how I am doing all the time. This week has been an ordeal but I had a few bright moments today. I’m not yet feeling any consistency or stabilisation. Anyway, congratulations on getting to 6 months without being tempted to reinstate. You can bank that time and it’s an important milestone. I’m focused on just getting through this year a day at a time. Its clearly not easy but each day that passes is a day closer to getting some serious distance between myself and the day I stopped the pills. It’s so like a marathon in that it’s very painful and exhausting but you feel like you are travelling as the miles clock up. Time is the only solution.

I took citalopram from 1 jan 2011 to the end of 2016nat a dose of 40mg. As citalopram was not working I was advised to take another ssri so I went on Effexor in jan 2017 and stopped citalopram. I was on Effexor, 47.5mg for about 3 months but found it too activating. I stopped effexor in March 2017 and went on 20mg prozac on 1 April 2017. I was on prozac until 6 May 2017 when I stopped because I started having intolerable reactions to it. So I went cold turkey and have been off all Ssris from 6 May 2017 so that is 8 months at this point.

 

I realise my CNS is totally sensitised and is the reason why I have multiple symptoms. I at least understand that and I am trying to accept the symptoms for what they are and trying not to dwell on them too much. But it is very hard and a brutal experience. 

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
  • Mentor

Hi Hellbutrin,

I wanted to answer your over all concerns about recovery.  I am in a slightly different situation than you though.  You went off you medication with a more rapid taper and I am doing a slower taper.  I still suffer from symptoms, especially with every new taper.  I do however plan to be a success story. As of this writing to you I am currently down to 4.75mg of Setraline (Zoloft) and I am at the moment very functional after going through h*ll. From what I have been reading about various timelines of healing it sounds as 6 months off is sort of the peak zone for your situation. I do believe you will heal and like I said, I do plan of being a success story myself. I am thinking of you and hope you get your relief soon. 

RS

 

I am not a health professional in any way.  I do not give medical advice.   Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a professional medical practitioner.

 

NEW INFORMATION FOR GABAPENTIN TAPER

April 29, 2022 900 mg to 800 mg (11%), May 29, 2022 800 to 700 mg (12.5%), June 20, 2022 700 to 650mg (8%), July 20, 2022 650 to 575 (12%), August 20,  575 to 500 (13%),  Sept 20, 2020 500 to 475mg (5%) Nov 7, 2022 475 to 425 (11%), Nov 21, 2022 500mg

Medications: Gabapentin, Prednisone 1.5mg a day, Cortisol Inhaler daily. 

HISTORY FOR ZOLOFT TAPER

Feb. 2016 to June 2016  - Was on 150mg Zoloft.  Put on Gabapentin at 900mg a day in 2016 due to antidepressant withdrawal. 

Quit Zoloft (Sertraline) June  2016,  reinstated 50mg of Zoloft July 2016.  From July 2016  to October 2016 went from 50 mg down 2.3 mg. I up-dosed in November 2016 to 12.5 mg. Held there until January 2017 when I started a much slower taper.

STARTING SENSIBLE  ZOLOFT TAPERING USING GUIDELINES FROM THIS SITE

Dec. 10 2016  - switched to Liquid Zoloft (Sertraline) @ 12.5 mg.   Jan. 4, 2020 1.875 mg (6.3%). Jan. 25, 2020 1.75 mgFeb. 29, 2020 1.625mg (7.10%).  Apr. 4, 2020 1.5 mg.  May 9, 2020 1.375 mg.  June 6, 2020 1.25 mg. (9.10%).  July 4, 2020 1.125 mg. (10%).  August 15, 2020 1.0 mg.  Oct 24, 2020 .875 mg.  Nov. 28, 2020 .75mgJan 16, 2021 .685mg (8.7%).  Feb 13, 2021 .62mg. March 12, 2021 .56mg.  May 1, 2021 .375mg.  May 29, 2021 .25mg. June 26, 2021 .0125mg. July 25, 2021 .065mg. August 22, 2021 .048mg.  October 2, 2021 .043mg.  October 10, 2021 .038mg.  October 23, 2021 .035mg.  October 30, 2021 .032mg.  Nov. 13, 2021 .030 mg.  Dec 4, 2021 .0285 mg.  Dec 11, 2021 .0265 mg. Dec 18, 2021 .0246 mg. Dec 25, 2021 .023mg. Jan 1, 2022. 0 mg. OFF COMPLETELY

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...

Emotional blunting and lack of positive emotions has been my %100 most persistent symptoms throughout this whole process and I was just wanting to get some feedback to see if this does eventually resolve itself. I can't imagine a life where I will feel like this forever, it seems kind of pointless. 

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Each member has only 1 Intro topic.  Please do not create any more Intro topics.  Please use your existing topic.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

Link to comment

Hello Hellbutrin,

 

I hope my own experience will be motivation for you. I recently completed a 4+ year taper from 10mg of paxil and the waves you have gone through were similar to what I experienced. Since your taper was so rapid I believe that is a cause of the stronger emotion or lack there of. The blunt emotions and lack of positivity was also very prevalent during my taper course. I didn't want to talk to anyone, do anything , appetite was horrible and found joy in relatively little if anything at all. 

 

The key drivers for me was that I wanted to get better no matter what,  I had to do whatever it took to get back to who I was. I saw people on here getting better albeit with varying degrees of waves but they were on a path to normalcy. For me at least I found two things that helped: going to the gym (or some kind of physical activity) no matter how much I didn't want to go or do it and kept telling myself" I will get better this is just a test and nothing more!" As soon as I started getting into a rhythm at the gym I felt I didn't even think about my symptoms because I guess i was "in the zone." The other thing was mindfulness meditation as I'm sure you've heard already. This basically helped me accept my current situation as not something bad but kind of took it and numbed the sensation. Kind of like saying, "ok withdrawl, you're here so what, I'm still here, breathing, living my life..." Kinda of hard to explain but it did calm things down quite a bit for me. 

 

Bottom line is never, ever, give up hope. All this will pass with time, how much time is different for everyone but it will pass you can bet on it.

Taken paxil for over 15 years probably closer to 20.

Tapering since Oct 2013 from 10mg Gemini 20 scale thanks to BrassMonkey!

Oct 6, 2013 9.2 mg Nov 27 8.6mg Feb 2 2014 7.8mg March 16 7.4mg March 30 7.0mg May 18 6.2mg July 6 5.8mg Sept 7 5.4 Oct 19 4.8 Dec 14 4.6 Feb 8th 2015 4.2mg Mar 22 3.8mg May 10 3.4mg July 19 3.2mg Sept 6 2.8mg Nov 8 2.5 mg Dec 27 2.3 Feb 14 2016 2.0 Mar 19 updosed to 2.5mg May 4 2.4 June 12 2.2mg July 31 2.0 Sept 11 1.7mg Nov 13 1.5mg Jan 22 2017 1.3mg Mar 19 1.0mg April 20 0.8 June 0.7 Aug 0.6 Sept 0.5 Oct 0.4 Nov 0.3 Dec too low to weigh so I'm eyeballing it the rest of the way!!  2018 Feb 10 finally stopped !!!!! Keeping fingers crossed!!!!!!

Its' 2022 now and feeling good after 4 years of being off Paxil. Continue to stay active with a positive attitude and getting plenty of sun.

 

Current Supplements: Multi-Vitamin, D with occasional K2, C, Super B Complex, Magnesium, Zinc, Fish OIl, Lecithin, E, and probiotics.

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...
On 3/1/2018 at 11:22 PM, DrugfreeProf said:

Hellbutrin, Lex1002, my daughter, had emotional blunting accompanied by severe DP/DR with paranoia and emotional flatness. She spent months in silence with mostly no emotion. She is now about two years since originally discontinuing Lexapro, which she did in Feb. 2016 after a gradual taper; she then had a failed reinstatement, about a year and a half ago, followed by forced drugging, which ended about 17 months ago. So technically around 17 months off of all drugs. AND during just in the last month or so, she is showing a normal range of emotions again, including laughing and joking and showing the same sense of humor she had pre-WD! So yes, from my experience with her, normal emotions DO return. Have faith, you will definitely improve!

Oh that’s encouraging!

 

2001 Remeron , Celexa, prozac a week on lithium. 

2014 went off effexor and trazadone in 3 weeks. 

2014 zoloft (hyper reaction) put on effexor 75 mg. Was stable until 2017 

2017  Trazadone 50 mg (June) Effexor to 113 mg (2 weeks) Effexor 150 mg for a month . Took 75 mg until November. . Lithium 10 days, Lamactil 10 day  aug-nov15 ativan

October : Prozac bridge to get off 75 mg of effexor Used 10 mg of prozac. Stopped prozac 3 wk 

Dec 6, 7 Upped trazadone from 50 to 100 mg Did it for 3 days Stopped it

Dec 7 , Dec 8 Took prozac again 0.1 , 0.1, 0.6 stopped it

Dec 11 and Dec 12 upped it to 100 again

Dec 15 , 16,17 went back to 50 mg of trazadone

December 18 Began 3 beads of effexor  Dec 25 began 5 beads of effexor take 10 mg of omneprazole daily

 

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...
On 2/25/2018 at 12:49 PM, mirage said:

Wellbutrin 300xl for 8 years. Went off CT in May 2017. Had no knowledge I needed to tapper. I was put on it by my obgyn. I was having some slight stress at the time because I had just lost my mom to cancer and was left to help take care of my dad and an elderly aunt that my mom cared for. Had no anxiety or depression. My dr, said it would help with the overwhelming feelings. My fault for not looking into it before I started it.

 

My symptoms did not start until around 4 weeks off. So, early June 2017. Started with severe vertigo that lasted about 4 days and then came the severe anxiety. Heart pounding, non stop. High cortisol. Intense sensitivity to light, sound, anything scary or sad. Always dizzy and terrible nausea. My internist said it was severe anxiety and that it is common during menopause. Hmm...I believed that. Was put back on Wellbutrin 150xl. It took away a few symptoms but didn't do much. My weight was dropping fast and I am already small, 115lbs, so I couldn't afford to lose any. Because of that and not being able to sleep, 30mgs of Remeron was added in early September. 

 

Was having too many symptoms from the Remeron so I decided to wean off of it. Started the wean first week of January. Took a month to wean but it was too fast. Ended up re-instating at 3.25mgs a couple of nights ago. I'm not sure that helped. No benzos. I have not weaned off of the Wellbutrin 150xl yet. My system is just too fragile to do any more. 

 

The dizziness is just awful and I think that is causing me to have more problems with the nausea. I have never been a fan of carnival rides or spinning so this is no fun! I have not been on any car trips longer than a couple of hours. I do okay. Haven't noticed a difference between that and shorter rides. 

Hi Mirage,

 

I’m also having a hellish time getting off of Wellbutrin. I C/T withdrew from it 9 months ago after taking it for 2 years. Have you seen any difference in your symptoms? I still experience a total lack of memory, emotional bluntness, intrusive thoughts, severe depression and anxiety. I’m scared that I might have been to sensitive to be taking the medication in the first place and that I might have permanently damaged myself from it. Like you, I felt great while I was on it, but I didn’t do any research to see how it would effect me long term. I was originally taking it to help with some minor anxiety that I had from school. But it caused me to start feeling panicky again when I decided to quit taking it C/T. I would have tapered if I had know I’d still be in hell 9 months later. How are you doing now? Any change? 

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment

It's the most bizarre thing. I haven't had a menstrual cycle for the last three months in a row and I've been in withdrawal for 9 months. I'm wondering if this is normal and if this is just one of the many areas of my body's biological clock that has been ravaged by withdrawal. It's frustrating not knowing if I should worry about this or not, I'm only 28 so there's no reason that my cycles should have stopped all of a sudden..

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment

Does anyone know why we get intrusive thoughts in withdrawal and how to make them go away. I'm 9 months into withdrawal and they are as bad as ever!

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Hellbutrin,

I went ahead and moved your post about menstrual irregularity from Success Stories back to here on your Introduction.  It's not TMI........as far as I'm concerned.  However, we reserve the  Success Stories area for posts where members feel that they have made a complete recovery.   

 

We do have a discussion about menstrual irregularities here:

http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/8142-pms-and-menstrual-cycle-issues-during-withdrawal/

 

And I'm also assuming you have no worries about pregnancy?  You can.......... of course........ do a broader web search on the topic of hormonal disruption during W/D or use of A/D's.

 

Okay.....mainly......I just wanted to explain the whys of moving your topic for now....

 

Love, peace, healing/inrecovery, and growth,

manymoretodays

Edited by manymoretodays
remove excess white space

Late 2023- gone to emeritus status, inactive, don't @ me, I can check who I've posted on, and I'm not really here like I used to be......thanks.

Started with psycho meds/psychiatric care circa 1988.  In retrospect, and on contemplation, situational overwhelm.

Rounding up to 30 years of medications(30 medication trials, poly-pharmacy maximum was 3 at one time).

5/28/2015-off Adderal salts 2.5mg. (I had been on that since hospital 10/2014)

12/2015---just holding, holding, holding, with trileptal/oxcarb at 75 mg. 1/2 tab at hs.  My last psycho med ever!  Tapered @ 10% every 4 weeks, sometimes 2 weeks to

2016 Dec 16 medication free!!

Longer signature post here, with current supplements.

Herb and alcohol free since 5/15/2016.  And.....I quit smoking 11/2021. Lapsed.  Redo of quit smoking 9/28/2022.  Can you say Hallelujah?(took me long enough)💜

None of my posts are intended as medical advice.  Please discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical provider.  My success story:  Blue skies ahead, clear sailing

 

Link to comment
10 hours ago, Hellbutrin said:

It's the most bizarre thing. I haven't had a menstrual cycle for the last three months in a row and I've been in withdrawal for 9 months. I'm wondering if this is normal and if this is just one of the many areas of my body's biological clock that has been ravaged by withdrawal. It's frustrating not knowing if I should worry about this or not, I'm only 28 so there's no reason that my cycles should have stopped all of a sudden..

 

Hi Hellbutrin,  came by to see how you were and I noticed this, I had that happen too. If I recall properly at the time I was on Propranolol, and I cut it back and then it came back.  I'm not sure if that was a coincidence or not.   

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

Link to comment
4 hours ago, UnfoldingSky said:

 

Hi Hellbutrin,  came by to see how you were and I noticed this, I had that happen too. If I recall properly at the time I was on Propranolol, and I cut it back and then it came back.  I'm not sure if that was a coincidence or not.   

I'm totally off my medications though, and have been for the last 9 months and for some reason I haven't had a cycle for the last three months in a row

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
4 hours ago, Hellbutrin said:

I'm totally off my medications though, and have been for the last 9 months and for some reason I haven't had a cycle for the last three months in a row

 

Hi Hell, It could be the stress of withdrawal alone is doing it...stress is a potential way to have this happen I believe.  In my situation I was in withdrawal already from two drugs, but still on Propranolol when it disappeared.  However as I'd been on the higher dose for a while, and it disappeared maybe a year into that dose, then, it may well have had nothing to do with Propranolol, and my lowering the dose might have seemed like it fixed it when it could have been a coincidence. 

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

Link to comment
On 2018-04-16 at 6:18 PM, Hellbutrin said:

Does anyone know why we get intrusive thoughts in withdrawal and how to make them go away. I'm 9 months into withdrawal and they are as bad as ever!

 

Hey Hellbutrin,

 

I get those often. For me, when I tried to forcibly kick them out, they came right back, sometimes even stronger. What I started doing is this visual thing in my head where I hold onto the thoughts and breathe into them a few times with deep breaths. It's hard to explain, but so far it's been the most helpful thing for me. Definitely not perfect, but takes the edge off. I'm also trying to figure out where they are coming from. In my case they are mostly self-criticisms and doubts which are strengthened by certain people in my life, so another thing I'm experimenting with is not talking to those people, just for a couple months, and instead trying to believe in myself more. I'll bet the "why" part is different for everyone though. 

 

Have you tried or thought about trying anything for yours?

 

Take care,

Marmot

2004: Clonazepam and Celexa. 2005 - 2006: Effexor, then increased to high dose, then switched to Valproate and Seroquel. 2007: Wellbutrin + Strattera + Celexa. 2007 - 2008: Wellbutrin + Adderall + Paxil. 2008 - 2012: Wellbutrin + occasional SSRIs when I had worsened "depression", which happened around 4 times, usually after CT of WB. 2012 - 2014: WB + Sertraline, then WB + Pristiq (awful W/D) then WB + rTMS, then ketamine. 2014 - 2016: Wellbutrin 200 mg + Abilify 4 mg + Adderall 20-40 mg + Cipralex 20 mg. Oct 2016: "Tapered" Cipralex, felt outrageously anxious, irritable. Dec 2016: "Tapered" Adderall, then felt depressed, hopeless, fatigued.  Feb 6 2017: reinstated 20 mg Adderall. Mar 2017: switched to Vyvanse, upped to 30 mg. May - Aug 2017: "Tapered" Vyvanse + Abilify to zero. Oct 25, 2017: Wellbutrin from 200 to 100 mg. Sep 10, 2018:  Wellbutrin from 90 to 60 mg. Oct 29, 2018: WB from 60 to 50 mg. Dec 19, 2018: WB from 50 to 45 mg. Apr 15, 2019: WB 41 mg. May 14, 2019: WB 37 mg. Jun 8, 2019: WB 33 mg. Jul 22: WB 30 mg, then down by around 10% per month. Aug 2020: 0

 

Working hard to take my life back. Anything I say here is as a friend or peer supporter; it is not medical advice.

Link to comment
3 hours ago, Marmot said:

 

Hey Hellbutrin,

 

I get those often. For me, when I tried to forcibly kick them out, they came right back, sometimes even stronger. What I started doing is this visual thing in my head where I hold onto the thoughts and breathe into them a few times with deep breaths. It's hard to explain, but so far it's been the most helpful thing for me. Definitely not perfect, but takes the edge off. I'm also trying to figure out where they are coming from. In my case they are mostly self-criticisms and doubts which are strengthened by certain people in my life, so another thing I'm experimenting with is not talking to those people, just for a couple months, and instead trying to believe in myself more. I'll bet the "why" part is different for everyone though. 

 

Have you tried or thought about trying anything for yours?

 

Take care,

Marmot

Yeah, a lot of mine perpetuate my lack of self confidence at work. I’m in a position where I’m responsible for assisting with employment goals for individuals with disabilities (ironic right?). So my job puts a lot of stress on me to try to be the source of confidence for a lot of my clients. This is hard to do when I constantly feel like I’m losing my mind. I get intrusive thoughts that my coworkers think I’m inadequate and that I’m going to have a wave that’s going to cause me to lose my job and my source of financial support. I’ve never been the most confident person, but I feel like my self esteem/confidence has totally plummeted lately. I also have seen a worsening of my symptoms the last couple weeks, so I’m scared that this withdrawal process is going to go on for so long that I’m eventually not going to have any choice but to leave my job. I’ve also been really struggling with my memory lately. I can hardly remember what I did 5 minutes ago much less what my boss asked me to do yesterday. I can’t imagine that I would wake up and any of these symptoms would suddenly be gone. So that makes me think that I’m likely one of the slow healers that going to be stuck in this nightmare for years. At this point I would try reinstatement if I didn’t think it would make me worse... 

 

thanks for your feedback, I really do appreciate it. 

 

I used to be such a positive person so it really disappoints me that this is what I’ve been reduced to. 

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
3 minutes ago, Hellbutrin said:

Yeah, a lot of mine perpetuate my lack of self confidence at work. I’m in a position where I’m responsible for assisting with employment goals for individuals with disabilities (ironic right?).

If only your clients knew what you are going through and despite all of that you are still there helping them - they would be inspired.

 

I too get a lot of intrusive thoughts.  I wish I knew physiologically why this happens in withdrawal but I don't, to me it just seems like an indication of how our brains are misfiring or whatever is happening that isn't working quite right.  I do know how distressing these thoughts can be.  I try to just acknowledge the thought and think something like "there was another one of those weird thoughts" or "another withdrawal thought" and try to move on with whatever I am doing at the time or purposefully think about something else. 

-1/06 - 3/07 Cymbalta. Fast taper (essentially CT); withdrawal symptoms after 4 mos (didn't realize was WD)

-10/07: 100 mg Zoloft; 1 mg Klonopin - tapered off Klonopin after 4 mos. Several unsuccessful slow tapers of Zoloft; went up and down in dose a lot

-Spring 2013 back on 1 mg Klonopin to counter WD symptoms; switched over 5-6 mos from Zoloft to 35 mg citalopram
-Two attempts at slow tapering citalopram, always increased dose due to WD; also increased Klonopin to 1.25 mg in 2014, then to 1.5 mg in 2015

-8/17-9/17: After holding one year at 20 mg, feeling withdrawal symptoms due to stress - slowly increased to 25 mg. No change in symptoms after 6 months (? tolerance ?)  - decided to start citalopram taper February 2018 (still on Klonopin 1.5 mg).

Supplements: fish oil; magnesium; vitamin D3; curcumin

Citalopram taper:  2/2018 - 12/2019: 25 mg - 11.03 mg I 2020: 10.89 mg - 7.9 mg I 2021: 7.8 mg - 5.26 mg I 2022: 5.2 mg - 3.36 mg I 2023: 3.3 mg - 1.47 mg 2024: 1/5/24: 1.44 mg; 1/19/24: 1.40 mg; 1/26/24: 1.37 mg; 2/2/24: 1.34 mg; 2/9/24: 1.31 mg; 2/23/24: 1.28 mg; 3/1/24: 1.25 mg; 3/8/24: 1.22 mg; 3/15/24: 1.19 mg

 

 

Link to comment
9 hours ago, Hellbutrin said:

So my job puts a lot of stress on me to try to be the source of confidence for a lot of my clients. This is hard to do when I constantly feel like I’m losing my mind. I get intrusive thoughts that my coworkers think I’m inadequate and that I’m going to have a wave that’s going to cause me to lose my job and my source of financial support.

 

Ya, that sounds like a lot of pressure. I know what it feels like too to be totally maxed out when it comes to abilities and cognition in withdrawal. It's possible that your co-workers and clients don't notice though. I think that it's really incredible that you have been working during this. Are they cool with you taking a "medical leave" if you ever happen to need it?

2004: Clonazepam and Celexa. 2005 - 2006: Effexor, then increased to high dose, then switched to Valproate and Seroquel. 2007: Wellbutrin + Strattera + Celexa. 2007 - 2008: Wellbutrin + Adderall + Paxil. 2008 - 2012: Wellbutrin + occasional SSRIs when I had worsened "depression", which happened around 4 times, usually after CT of WB. 2012 - 2014: WB + Sertraline, then WB + Pristiq (awful W/D) then WB + rTMS, then ketamine. 2014 - 2016: Wellbutrin 200 mg + Abilify 4 mg + Adderall 20-40 mg + Cipralex 20 mg. Oct 2016: "Tapered" Cipralex, felt outrageously anxious, irritable. Dec 2016: "Tapered" Adderall, then felt depressed, hopeless, fatigued.  Feb 6 2017: reinstated 20 mg Adderall. Mar 2017: switched to Vyvanse, upped to 30 mg. May - Aug 2017: "Tapered" Vyvanse + Abilify to zero. Oct 25, 2017: Wellbutrin from 200 to 100 mg. Sep 10, 2018:  Wellbutrin from 90 to 60 mg. Oct 29, 2018: WB from 60 to 50 mg. Dec 19, 2018: WB from 50 to 45 mg. Apr 15, 2019: WB 41 mg. May 14, 2019: WB 37 mg. Jun 8, 2019: WB 33 mg. Jul 22: WB 30 mg, then down by around 10% per month. Aug 2020: 0

 

Working hard to take my life back. Anything I say here is as a friend or peer supporter; it is not medical advice.

Link to comment
On 1/10/2018 at 5:53 PM, Altostrata said:

Yes, we have people here who have had great difficulty going off Wellbutrin.

Hi Altostrata,

 

What would you recommend for people that are in my situation?

 

I tried to taper off of Wellbutrin 9 months ago by skipping days for three weeks, obviously this was not nearly long enough for a "taper" and my doctor told me to taper by skipping doses, which obviously made my situation worse. I'm terrified that I might have permanently destabilized my nervous system. I haven't had ANY windows in the 9 months since I quit taking the medication. On bay days I'm suicidal and on good days I feel like hell. I still have all of the classic withdrawal symptoms such as anhedonia, memory loss, lack of ability to concentrate on anything, depression and anxiety, head pressure, muscle burning and intrusive thoughts. None of which did I have prior to quitting the medication, I started taking Wellbutrin for some mild anxiety that I was having at school, and now I'm here. I've been seeing frequent reports of individuals who end up in protracted withdrawal for years, and in some cases permanently. I know that typically these are cases of individuals who had been taking the medication at high doses for decades, and I was only taking the lowest dosage of mine for less than two years. But I feel like with how extreme my reactions have been so far, that I could end up being one of those lucky few that gets stuck like this. I know that this is a negative way to think, but I want to be prepared for how I'm going to handle this. I don't want to reinstate, and I don't want to ever take another psychiatric drug ever again. But I'm starting to wonder if I need to start thinking about some other options since I'm this far into withdrawal and I feel like I'm getting worse. 

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment
1 hour ago, Hellbutrin said:

Hi Altostrata,

 

What would you recommend for people that are in my situation?

 

I tried to taper off of Wellbutrin 9 months ago by skipping days for three weeks, obviously this was not nearly long enough for a "taper" and my doctor told me to taper by skipping doses, which obviously made my situation worse. I'm terrified that I might have permanently destabilized my nervous system. I haven't had ANY windows in the 9 months since I quit taking the medication. On bay days I'm suicidal and on good days I feel like hell. I still have all of the classic withdrawal symptoms such as anhedonia, memory loss, lack of ability to concentrate on anything, depression and anxiety, head pressure, muscle burning and intrusive thoughts. None of which did I have prior to quitting the medication, I started taking Wellbutrin for some mild anxiety that I was having at school, and now I'm here. I've been seeing frequent reports of individuals who end up in protracted withdrawal for years, and in some cases permanently. I know that typically these are cases of individuals who had been taking the medication at high doses for decades, and I was only taking the lowest dosage of mine for less than two years. But I feel like with how extreme my reactions have been so far, that I could end up being one of those lucky few that gets stuck like this. I know that this is a negative way to think, but I want to be prepared for how I'm going to handle this. I don't want to reinstate, and I don't want to ever take another psychiatric drug ever again. But I'm starting to wonder if I need to start thinking about some other options since I'm this far into withdrawal and I feel like I'm getting worse. 

Just realize that you are almost guaranteed to feel vastly improved given enough time to heal.

2005-2015 sertaline, 2015 to November 2018 escatalopram. Used liquid titration to drop doses. By 0.5mg at first then drops as small as 0.01mg at end of taper. Jumped of at 0.02mg

Link to comment
3 minutes ago, Itzakadoozee said:

Just realize that you are almost guaranteed to feel vastly improved given enough time to heal.

Do you think given my current state that i would be better off reinstating and tapering slowly off over a number of years?

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
Link to comment

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy