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Quanyin tapering off bupropion


Quanyin

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I'm on 3 150mg pills of bupropion HCL XL, and would like to eventually stop taking it. I know it's best to go very slow, but I'm still a bit nervous. I've tapered off citalopram and gabapention previously, but the bupropion is a bigger dose and I worry about withdrawal.

2003 - lorazepam, 0.5 mg

2004 - citalopram 20 mg > 40 mg

2004 - rimmeron, citalopram, trazedone - 50 mg > 100mg

2005 - bupropion 40 mg, citalopram, trazedone

2006 - bupropion 40 mg (dr. advised), citalopram, trazedone

2007 - lyrica (6 months), citalopram > 60 mg, trazedone

2008 - adderall 5 mg, citalopram < 40 mg, trazedone, gabapentin 100 mg > 300 mg

2010 - adderall, citalopram, trazedone, gabapentin

2012 - adderall, citalopram 40 mg, trazedone, gabapentin, bupropion 20 mg > 40 mg

2013 - adderall, citalopram (taper in 11/13), trazedone, gabapentin (taper in 12/13), buproprion 40 mg > HCL XL > 150 mg x3

2014 - adderallcitalopramgabapentin, trazedone (taper in 2/14 50 to 25 mg), buproprion HCL XL 150mg x3

 
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  • Moderator Emeritus

Welcome Quanyin, thank you for posting.  Well done for getting off your previous drugs, that's quite an accomplishment, how did you taper off them?

 

Wellbutrin (buproprion) is a relatively weak antidepressant and has a low reported rate of withdrawal syndrome compared to the SSRIs and SNRIs such as Paxil, Effexor, or Cymbalta.

However, patients have reported withdrawal symptoms, sometimes severe, from too-short tapering, but if you take it slowly, you should be fine.

 

See our specific wellbutrin tapering tips here:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/877-tips-for-tapering-off-wellbutrin-sr-xr-xl-buproprion/?hl=bupropion

 

We will be here to help if you run into any problems, when you get a chance, please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature, instructions are here:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

You will find a lot of friendly help and support here

 

Petu.

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the links. 

 

For the citalopram, I was taking 40 mg every day. I spent 3 weeks taking a half pill every day, and then went to half a pill every other day for another few weeks, and then stopped. That one was a bit easier than the others, since I had come off of it before when I did a med change some years back.

 

The gabapentin, I took 300 mg, went down to 200 mg per day for two weeks and didn't see any difference so I dropped to 100 mg. After two weeks with no noticeable side effects, I dropped to 100 mg every other day. I did the tapering mostly by pill doses -- 3 pills to 2 to 1, and then every other day because they weren't tablets I could cut in half. (Although doing some reading here, it looks like there are ways to do it from capsules.)

 

Will update my signature.

2003 - lorazepam, 0.5 mg

2004 - citalopram 20 mg > 40 mg

2004 - rimmeron, citalopram, trazedone - 50 mg > 100mg

2005 - bupropion 40 mg, citalopram, trazedone

2006 - bupropion 40 mg (dr. advised), citalopram, trazedone

2007 - lyrica (6 months), citalopram > 60 mg, trazedone

2008 - adderall 5 mg, citalopram < 40 mg, trazedone, gabapentin 100 mg > 300 mg

2010 - adderall, citalopram, trazedone, gabapentin

2012 - adderall, citalopram 40 mg, trazedone, gabapentin, bupropion 20 mg > 40 mg

2013 - adderall, citalopram (taper in 11/13), trazedone, gabapentin (taper in 12/13), buproprion 40 mg > HCL XL > 150 mg x3

2014 - adderallcitalopramgabapentin, trazedone (taper in 2/14 50 to 25 mg), buproprion HCL XL 150mg x3

 
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  • Administrator

Good to hear you did well going off those drugs in that manner.

 

Please do NOT skip doses to taper in the future. We've seen this triggers terrible withdrawal symptoms. You were fortunate this did not happen before, but that is no guarantee it can't happen in the future.

 

Please let us know how you're doing.

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

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