Lactalose and Flare. Wellbutrin as a TNF inhibitor

My daughter has been on welbutrin as a TNF inhibitor for 7 years with great results, she recently went to a new doctor who put her on lactalose for a unrelated issue, one of the side effects of lactalose is severe diarrhea which put my daughter in the worst flare in over six years. She ended up on Entocort which got thing under control but resulted in 20 pounds of fluid gain this was her only time on steroids. At 19 people were asking her if she was pregnant which was devastating to her. Shes off the Entocort after two weeks and the wellbutrin is keeping things under control.
We have just seen the 5th crohns patient that we know go on wellbutrin and after two weeks shes in remission as well. Its a great drug but at $15-30 per month the drug companies would rather sell remicade.

The most important thing to be aware of is that the sustained release does not seem to work. My daughter and the patients who have success with it typically take the immediate release at 100mg 3x/day. The difference may be the same as the difference between asicol and pentasa, the same drug but released in different areas of the gut. If you google buproprian and crohns you will find some information.

This topic was widely discussed on the forum a few years ago. Some of the old posts have probably disappeared (we had a big server crash and some posts were lost), but you might still get some fine results if you do a forum search.

Other uses(Wellbutrin)
Bupropion has been approved by the FDA[56] for the prevention of seasonal affective disorder.[57] According to several case studies and a pilot study, bupropion lowers the level of an inflammatory mediator TNF-alpha[58] and may be useful in autoinflammatory conditions such as Crohn's disease[58][59] and psoriasis.[60][61]

No properly controlled double-blind studies of bupropion for Parkinson's disease have been conducted. A small 1984 study funded by bupropion's manufacturer found that addition of bupropion to carbidopa or levodopa improved Parkinson's symptoms in ten out of twenty patients; however, the side effects, particularly nausea and vomiting, were frequent.[62] The American Psychiatric Association notes that, "there is no evidence favoring any particular antidepressant medication from the standpoint of therapeutic efficacy in patients with Parkinson’s disease complicated by major depressive disorder".[63]

There is considerable disagreement regarding whether it is useful to add an antidepressant, including bupropion, to a mood stabilizer in patients with bipolar depression.[64][65][66]

Bupropion, similarly to other antidepressants, is not efficacious in chronic low back pain.[67][68] However, it has been found to have surprisingly high efficacy in the treatment of neuropathic pain.[69][70][71]

Contraindications
GlaxoSmithKline advises that bupropion should not be prescribed to individuals with epilepsy or other conditions that lower the seizure threshold, such as alcohol withdrawal or benzodiazepine discontinuation, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or active brain tumors. It should be avoided in individuals who are also taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). When switching from MAOIs to bupropion, it is important to include a washout period of about two weeks between the medications.[72] The prescribing information approved by the FDA recommends that caution should be exercised when treating patients with liver damage, severe kidney disease, and severe hypertension, as well as in pediatric patients, adolescents and young adults due to the increased risk of suicidal ideation.[72]

According to a retrospective case series published in 1993, bupropion treatment may exacerbate tics in children with co-occurring ADHD and Tourette syndrome.[73] No further research of this side effect has been conducted


From Wikipedia

Clarification: The total for the day is 300 mg. That is 100 mg - 3 X day! Just wanted to make sure I didn't confuse anyone.

ubob or shiloah,

Have either of your daughters noticed any effects of taking an antidepressant for taking for something besides depression? Good or bad? Or just any side effects they have noticed at all?

Thank you for all your info, it really has been helpful!

Cupcakespinklgal The most significant side effect that my daughter had is that the wellbutrin had somewhat of a stimulative effect and she had difficulty sleeping for the a couple of months, that being said she didn't have any fatigue during the day. I asked her doctor when it would make her a more pleasant teenager and he laughed, he indicated that if she wasnt depressed it wouldnt have any effect on her mood.

Notsosicklygirl

All of my experience has been with crohns disease, that being said the treatments are the same and I would expect the results to be the same; as my daughters doctor said its a free lottery ticket and you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. you've got your whole life to try the other meds. I cant think of a drug that has so few side effects and is so inexpensive. Wellbutrin causes no long term damage that Im aware of and is safe to use during pregnancy. Let me know if you have any more questions.

UBOB

The dose is typically 100mg 3x/day, it is extremely important that you use the immediate release as the sustained release may actually have a negative effect. Im glad to hear that your going to try it it, so far the six people I have seen go on the wellbutrin have all gone in to remission. Keep us updated.

Ubob

We get generic buproprian and see no difference; as far as insurance goes we dont have any drug coverage which doesnt matter any way as it is inexpensive. Shiloah told me that she pays $15 a month and I pay less that $30. Its a little bit less expensive than remicade or humara. Let me know if you have any more questions.

UBOB

Hi Walrus

Yes this is legit, google buproprian and crohns disease and you will find many references, the question is do the drugs companies have any desire for there to be a safe and effective TNF inhibitor out there that is under $30. The answer is no. Wellbutrin will never be allowed to become a standard treatment for crohns when you have drugs like remicade that cost $6000 per treatment. These are my personal beliefs. Wellbutrin have been miraculous for my daughter and if she stays on her meds she stays in remission. If you need someone elses opinion ask shiloah whos daughter started on wellbutrin approx 3 months ago and is in remission. As Ive said before to date I have seen six crohns patients start and gain remission on wellbutrin

God Bless
UBOB

UBOB, have you found anything on Wellbutrin, or bupropion that says that this medication is suppressing the immune system? I have searched and I can't find it any place.
Remicade, Humira is biologics, but still anti TNF, and as far as I know, they do suppress the immune system.

Gumart1 You indicated that when you dont get enough sleep you flare, wellbutrin does act as a slight stimulant and may make sleep somewhat more difficult for shrCome people, however acting as a TNF inhibitor it should put the crohns in remission. I believe that you stated you want to hear from more people who tried this, I can only tell you that the six people that I have helped start on this have all gained remission and that I have not seen anyone who has not gained remission. Others have asked if it acts as a immune suppresent and I can only tell you that I have not seen a increase in illness in the people that I know who have used this therapy. I truly believe that with this therapy you have nothing to lose and everything to gain .

Good luck UBOB

Beesting I'm curios as to whether you've had the opportunity to try the wellbutrin, If you have Id like to hear your results goo or bad!

UBOB