OT: Wellbutrin (& Geodon)

My doctor just called this in for me at my request. I tried zoloft last week and had really bad side effects. 

So I am going to try wellbutrin, I guess. Any experiences with it?

Post Edited (Sara14) : 10/16/2011 8:22:34 AM (GMT-6)

Depression, some obsessive thinking stuff (not ocd though...). I'm glad you are feeling better. I've always been very down as well and I have a lot of anger issues as well. Hoping this will help, but I don't want side effects again.

Sara, I don't think a lot of the members on the UC board use antidepressants. I have noticed there are some people with IBS using antidepressants. There is also a depression board here on HW where you would get more response on Wellbutrin. I've seen topics posted about Wellbutrin and Crohn's on the Crohn's Disease board but I think many of the people there are taking it for Crohn's and not depression/OCD. I think Pristiq has helped me a lot with my OCD thoughts.

I was on Wellbutrin for years. It's definitely an upper and an appetite depressant. Got very thin on it, which was good. Trouble is I'm bipolar and have anxiety and it makes you more bipolar and more anxious. Went on Lexapro, ten pounds overweight, but feeling fine!

I have more energy since starting Pristiq but I have been on it for almost 2 months now. I have heard some people take these meds for IBS and that they can slow down the colon. I have to wonder if mine slowed down because I was beginning to have very severe UC symptoms and after 3 weeks on this medication, I started feeling better and I've been better since. Not sure what else could have caused this.

A shrink who participates in my gastro's IBD support group commented recently at one of our sessions that anti-depressants tend to slow the colon, which can make them doubly helpful to IBDers. So if you're having fewer bms daily, Sara, the W may be starting to work positively. Definitely keep us posted. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)

I started Lexapro 2 weeks ago for anxiety and depression. Waiting on it to kick in too!

I haven't heard of it. I am still on Pristiq and feeling a bit more energetic & my UC is still at bay since starting it.

Since you weren't having improvement, it's better you have a change in meds. The only people I've known to be on Geodon were bipolar....

The Celexa didn't work for me, but my SIL is on it and she does excellent on it. She has more anxiety than depression.

All you can do is try it. When do you go back to the psychiatrist?

q

I agree. You were on other meds in the past as well, so it would depend on the side effects or lack of improvement I would think.

When do you see the doc again? and can you contact him if you have any difficulties?

q

Yes, Sara, I nodded out while driving on Geodon at 60 mg.. I immediately got off of it for that reason. It's an "atypical psychatic." Surprised you are on it if you are not bipolar or schizophrenic. What symptoms was it supposed to work on. I think it's a big gun and I would stay away from it. My pdoc said that fatigue symptom would disapear, but I wasn't willing to wait it out. I had switched to it from Zyprexa which was a great drug but a weight gain magnet. I put on 20 pounds with it. Started it when I needed to gain weight. Anyway worked great otherwise. So when I gained weight, the doc switched me to Geodon because supposedly it doesn't have that problem. The deal with some of these atypical antipsychotics is that it keeps your brain from having swings. It flattens things out. You're more even keeled but I think your mind isn't as sharp. And I didn't like that.

I went on Lexapro and stayed with Lamictal which is a mood stabilizer (for bipolar), then I added wellbutrin (small dose) and it's a perfect combo.

Re: Geodon and sleep. It seems like some people are so low functioning that they don't need to depend on alertness to get by. They just need to keep their neurological symptoms at bay because it's so severe. I need to be high functioning and alert. Geodon cuts into that, in my opinion.

I do have anxiety so maybe that's also why she prescribed it. She didn't really spend as much time talking to me as I would've hoped. She's also having me quit the wellbutrin cold turkey.

Yeah, I'm scared of the whole "flattened emotions" thing. that's why I didn't want to go on meds at all for a long time.

My doctor never mentioned those medications as an option. I really don't know what happened but I am feeling fine these days. I am actually taking pristiq for migraine prevention. I haven't had a migriaine since I started it, it's amazing. I also no longer have UC symptoms, I am less depressed and I have a bit more energy. I don't think I would switch medication because of the migraines. Hopefully I continue to stay well - I know eventually I will flare up, it's unavoidable.