pqb08186: going off bupropion 100 SR daily after two weeks

[pqb08186]

Hi,

I have been taking bupropion 100 sr one tablet daily for the past two weeks. I have had some of the worst possible symptoms, including severe chest pain and tearing pain in my upper back that took me to my doctor who did not think is serious but I know in my body that the medicine is doing something to my heart and liver because I've never experienced this kind of pain before. 

 

Question: can I stop bupropion 100 sr cold turkey after being on it for two weeks or do I need to tamper the dosage? 

 

Thank you!

Pyotr

[ChessieCat]

Hi pqb and welcome to SA,

 

Firstly, I'm assuming that there are no other drugs involved, either current or in the last couple of years. 

 

Please create your drug signature so we can see your drug history at a glance.  We need details of drug/s, dates of dose changes and doses for the last 2 years.  Anything older than 2 years, just a summary, year, drug and dose if remembered and how you stopped the drug if you are no longer taking it, eg cold turkey, fast taper, slow taper.

 

Instructions:  Withdrawal History Signature

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

I've just checked the side effects for buproprion and this is the results from https://www.drugs.com/sfx/bupropion-side-effects.html:

 

In Summary

Commonly reported side effects of bupropion include: insomnia, nausea, pharyngitis, weight loss, constipation, dizziness, headache, and xerostomia. Other side effects include: abdominal pain, agitation, arthralgia, chest pain, migraine, skin rash, urinary frequency, anxiety, asthenia, confusion, diarrhea, hostility, hypertension, lack of concentration, myalgia*, nervousness, palpitations, pruritus, tinnitus, tremor, vomiting, anorexia, diaphoresis, dysgeusia, flushing, and abnormal dreams.

 

I had to look up myalgia from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myalgia:

 

*Myalgia

In medicine, myalgia, also known as muscle pain or muscle ache

 

 

It would seem that your doctor is not conversant with looking up the side effects of the drug.  You might want to consider changing to a different doctor.

 

I'll post this and continue in the next post.

 

 

[pqb08186]

Thank you ChessieCat,

 

I just added my signature. I have no other medications right now. 

 

I would like to stop my bupropion 100 sr a day today after taking it for two weeks and would appreciate what some of your suggestions are?

 

Thank you! 

 

 

[ChessieCat]

I'm in the process of responding.  Shouldn't be too much longer.

[ChessieCat]

Please note that you have to decide what to do.  All I can do is provide suggestions and information so you can make an informed decision. 

 

 

Generally it takes about 4 weeks for the brain to adapt to taking a psychiatric drug.

 

You basically have 2 options.  Either option may result in you experiencing discomfort.  What discomfort, how much and for how long, nobody can say unfortunately:

 

Stop the drug immediately

 

     OR

 

Do a very quick taper

 

 

Stopping the drug immediately:

 

You may experience withdrawal symptoms.  It can't be known how much adaptation your brain has made since being on the drug.  If you started with a lower dose and increased the dose this may reduce the withdrawal symptoms and the length of time for recovery.

 

Doing a very quick taper:

 

Side effects are usually dose related.  It may be that as you reduce the dose that the side effects may also reduce.

 

Generally SA suggests cutting your dose to 50mg for a few days, then 25mg for a few days, then 12.5mg for a few days and then stop.

[ChessieCat]

8 minutes ago, pqb08186 said:

I just added my signature. I have no other medications right now. 

 

Thank you.

 

Q:  Have you taken psychiatric drugs in the past?

 

If yes, please add these to your drug signature.

 

Q:  Are you currently taking any supplements?  Some supplements can cause issues and/or interactions.

 

 

This is SA's topic about buproprion:

 

tips-for-tapering-off-wellbutrin-sr-xr-xl-zyban-buproprion

 

 

[ChessieCat]

If you decide to do a fast taper, please try to get your doses as accurate as possible.  To get 12.5mg doses you might have to cut the tablet into quarters and then slice the 1/4 in half horizontally, as if you were cutting a cake to put in a layer of filling.

[pqb08186]

Thank you ChassieCat,

 

I have only taken bupropion before in 2018 for two months, no other ones.

 

I have added the three supplements that I take daily in my signature. 

 

I think I might just stop taking the medicine cold turkey as I worry is doing more physical harm to my body that is helping out. At this point I am less worries about the psychological withrdrawal symptoms and more about the physical ones.

 

Thank you again!

[ChessieCat]

3 minutes ago, pqb08186 said:

I have only taken bupropion before in 2018 for two months, no other ones.

 

Sorry, I missed seeing that in your drug signature.  I was so busy trying to respond to you.

 

 

Sept-Dec 2018 Bupropion sr 100 mg quit cold turkey 

August 17 Bupropion sr 100 mg trying to quit

 

Please add 2020 to the recent usage.

 

 

Q:  Did you have a bad reaction to taking buproprion in 2018?

 

If not, then it might be that you are taking something now that you weren't then that has interacted with it.

[ChessieCat]

Q:  How long have you been taking zinc for?

 

If it is recently, I suggest you check the possible side effects.

 

Q:  How long have you been taking catalese extreme for?

 

Please put the dates in your signature.  Thanks.

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2020 by ChessieCat

[ChessieCat]

I suggest you read the following:

 

But I only took it for a Week

 

Cold Turkey and Too-Fast Tapers

 

And this might be helpful too:

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

 

[ChessieCat]

Please let us know how you are doing.

[pqb08186]

Thank you ChessieCat,

 

I just added the dates for the supplements and read the suggested reading.

 

I now see that even relatively low dose for a two week period can result in bad withdrawal symptoms. 

 

I was struck by this "However, like cold turkey, a fast taper may be justified by a serious medical reason, something like liver damage, severe allergic reaction, or other life-threatening conditions, but not just ordinary adverse effects.  In these situations, the risk of withdrawal symptoms may be equal to the problems being caused by the drug."

 

If I understand that correctly, since English is not my native language, does that mean that quitting cold turkey may make physycal symtoms worst? I am worries because I also read this online where a person on buproprion had an acute myocardial infarction after three days of quitting: https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/95/1/58/1505179

 

 

[ChessieCat]

Unfortunately you're between a rock and a hard place.  That's an expression which means:  being faced with a dilemma that only affords a choice between two unpleasant alternatives.

 

I'm unable to read the article because I'm very tired.  Sorry.

 

But yes, that is very concerning.

 

It think it would be best to go and see a different doctor and get checked out ASAP.  If the doctor doesn't take your concerns seriously then see another doctor.  Or even go to a hospital emergency room.

[pqb08186]

Thank you ChessieCat!

Is the weekend here but will go first thing on Monday.

Cheers,

p

[ChessieCat]

I strongly suggest that you see a different doctor.  It is very concerning that the prescribing doctor did not take your symptoms seriously.

 

Please update as soon as you can.  Thanks.

[ChessieCat]

Part of SA's mission is to educate the medical profession about psychiatric drugs and their effects.  The member Introduction topics are case studies.

 

Please look after yourself now and you can answer these questions when you are feeling a bit better.  We will really appreciate it if could tell us about your experience taking buproprion in 2018 and a bit more about 2020.  I've asked the questions at the bottom of the post.

 

About Surviving Antidepressants:

 

On 5/15/2011 at 5:22 AM, Altostrata said:

 

This site is also a research project. The personal stories on this site are documentation of an iatrogenic condition -- suffering caused by medical treatment -- that is almost always ignored, misdiagnosed, or denied by the medical establishment. Given the widespread prescription of antidepressants to tens of millions of people worldwide, withdrawal syndrome probably affects hundreds of thousands if not millions -- including newborns and children.

...

With our documentation of antidepressant withdrawal syndrome, we hope to educate the medical establishment about this problem. Case studies are essential; they are evidence understood by doctors, the psychiatric industry, and government regulatory agencies. The have already informed numerous articles in major publications and scientific papers.

Our hope is, eventually, antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs will be prescribed rarely, and only in cases of extremely severe mental illness after less invasive treatments have been tried.

 

 

 

1. How soon after you started taking buproprion in 2020 did you start to notice the side effects?
2. Did you/are you now using buproprion to stop smoking? 
3. If no, what was the reason you started taking buproprion 2018 and 2020?
4. Did you experience any side effects in 2018? 
5. If yes, what were they?
6. If you didn't experience side effects in 2018 why did you stop taking it?

 

Thank you.

[pqb08186]

1. How soon after you started taking buproprion in 2020 did you start to notice the side effects?
2. Did you/are you now using buproprion to stop smoking? 
3. If no, what was the reason you started taking buproprion 2018 and 2020?
4. Did you experience any side effects in 2018? 
5. If yes, what were they?
6. If you didn't experience side effects in 2018 why did you stop taking it?

[pqb08186]

Hi ChessieCat,

 

Thank you for your email. 

 

1. How soon after you started taking buproprion in 2020 did you start to notice the side effects?

I think I started noticing pain in my left upper back a couple of days after I started them, I also noticed my index finger twitching by its own and an overall sense of anxiety, irritation and anger. 

 

2. Did you/are you now using buproprion to stop smoking? 

Yes, I am using buproprion to stop smoking.

 

3. If no, what was the reason you started taking buproprion 2018 and 2020?

I also used buproprion in 2018 to stop smoking.

 

4. Did you experience any side effects in 2018? 

None, maybe some irritability but no physical symptoms.

 

6. If you didn't experience side effects in 2018 why did you stop taking it?

I stopped smoking within the first two weeks of taking it and then I continued for another month and two weeks just to make sure that I don't fall back into smoking.

 

[pqb08186]

Just a quick update,

 

I took half a buproprion sr yesterday i.e. 50mg and another half today. Tomorrow, I will take 12.5mg and the following day the same and on Wed I think I will stop.

 

Thank you for your support! I will keep you posted how things progress. 

[ChessieCat]

Your welcome.  I hope you start feeling better soon.

 

Thank you for answering my questions.

 

Q:  Can you remember if you experienced any withdrawal symptoms when you stopped bupoprion in 2018?  You might have felt unwell and thought it was from giving up smoking, when it may have been withdrawal symptoms.

 

It's interesting that you added in several things after 2018 and then had the bad reaction to buproprion in 2020.  It could be a drug interaction.

 

I've done an interaction check for Vitamin D, zinc and buproprion and they didn't seem to be an issue.  It might possibly be the catalese extreme.  Unless there is something else that is different this time that you haven't mentioned or thought about.

 

It may be that quitting the buproprion in 2018 sensitised your nervous system.  When members have cold turkeyed a drug and reinstate we suggest starting with a low dose to see how it affects them.  And the longer someone has been off a drug the less drug they reinstate.

 

From the reinstatement topic:

  

On 10/9/2012 at 10:17 AM, Altostrata said:

 

Additional reasons to reinstate only a low dose
Reinstating at a low dose reduces the risk of severe adverse reactions, such as kindling.

• Experiencing withdrawal may have sensitized you to drugs and a larger dose may cause an outsized adverse reaction.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2020 by ChessieCat

[Altostrata]

Hello, pqb.

 

7 hours ago, pqb08186 said:

Just a quick update,

 

I took half a buproprion sr yesterday i.e. 50mg and another half today. Tomorrow, I will take 12.5mg and the following day the same and on Wed I think I will stop.

 

Thank you for your support! I will keep you posted how things progress. 

 

This seems like a reasonable plan. Please let us know how you're doing.

[ChessieCat]

@pqb08186

 

Would would really like to know how your are.  Please drop in and update use.  Thank you.

[pqb08186]

Hi, I'm doing well thanks. There's some residual pain and some irritability the first week but I think I am fine now, thanks for checking in!

[ChessieCat]

Thanks pqb.  That's really good to hear. 

 

Could you please update your drug signature with the dates and doses and last dose you took?  Thanks.

 

Just be aware that you might get windows and waves, and this might happen for a while, especially if you experience stress or sickness.  And it's a good idea to stay away from alcohol too, and antibiotics if possible.  And Chinese food and other foods which contain MSG because MSG is a neurotoxin.

[pqb08186]

Thank you, really appreciate your support!