smspaugy: Currently taking Bupropion HCL XL 300mg tablet for 4+ years and want to reduce to 150mg

[smspaugy]

I am brand new to this website.  Here is my history and what I am looking for...sorry for the run on sentences - trying to get it all out!  Let me know if you have any questions.

 

I have been taking bupropion HCL XL 300 MG tablets for about 4 years.  I was prescribed Wellbutrin 150 xl about 12 years ago.  I had tried Zoloft and Lexapro but both left me feeling emotionally numb, then my doctor tried wellbutrin .  Wellbutrin seemed to help with my "sad" feelings but the low sex drive was still a factor so my doctor increased my dosage to 300 mg.  At one time, she introduced Cymbalta to be taken with Wellbutrin but I have since stopped taking this medication over 2 years ago due to the sexual side effects.  In my past, like between 6 and 8 years ago, I tried to stop taking the Wellbutrin completely, thinking I was feeling fine and didn't need it... but after 1 - 2 weeks I would experience high anxiety and decide I needed to make some kind of life changing event like leave my husband...this happened a few times.   As it turns out, I did need to leave that husband and I did.  I have been happily married for over 3 years and have been taking my buPROPrion HCL XL 300 MG without fail since early 2014.  Around that same time (2014) I was also taking clonazePAM 0.5 mg tablets for anxiety (as needed, not daily) but gradually tapered off on those and haven't taken any since JAN of 2018 . 

 

I think it is a good time to reduce my Wellbutrin to 150 mg but want to do it in a healthy way.  I do not have insurance so can't go in to the doctor but think she would be okay with reducing my dosage if I show I have a plan of how to progressively get there...suggestions? 

 

Also, regarding withdrawal history - I don't know if this info helps but I used to take oxycodone 15mg twice a day back in 2015 / 2016 but started to taper off of that in AUG 2016 to 1 - 15 mg per day then 15 - 15 mg per month and stopped taking them all together as of January 2017.  I do not take any pain medication at all.  I am prescribed GABAPENTIN 300 MG CAPSULES 3 times per day but only take 1 - 2 a day and I also am prescribed ibuprofen 800 mg but rarely take them.  There was a withdrawal period end of 2016 beginning of 2017 but it was brief and was controlled with short term use of clonidine.

[Petunia]

Welcome Smspaugy,

I'm happy you found this site and decided to ask for help, by tapering safely when reducing our medication, we are less likely to experience withdrawal symptoms.

 

We suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising. Please read through this which will explain why:

  

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?  (The general philosophy of gradual tapering)

 

And here is our tapering topic specific to Wellbutrin:  Tips for tapering off Wellbutrin, SR, XR, XL (buproprion)

 

We ask members to put their drug and withdrawal history in the signature section. It appears below each of your posts and helps us to help you. Here are instructions for how to do it:

 

Please put your withdrawal history in your signature

 

You can use this thread as your ongoing journal to track progress, ask questions and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want. Its a good idea to bookmark it or follow it, so its easy to find again.

 

Please stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.

 

Petunia.