OT: Wellbutrin (& Geodon)

You have to consider what can work with YOUR life situation....if you're tired, you can't function.
To me, that's plain and simple, I couldn't take it.

Regarding your anger issues...have you seen a therapist?

Maybe the Celexa on its own would help....try that alone.

Sara, this is your thread....

q

Wow, yes...the therapist was a creep and definitely crossed boundaries on a sexual nature. Attractive and HOT with that inflection are more "intimate" terms with meaning that actually can insult self-esteem rather than help it. To be forced into a defensive in from those statements has unprofessional written all over it......OMG!

It's good you're seeing another one...make sure you bring up how creepy that therapist made you feel.

I'm not a good patient regarding meds and how the make me feel....If I can't function, it makes me more distressed and I won't continue the medication. There are other options. I think she should have started you on one med and increased...then added another or changed it if it wasn't giving the right response.

Remember, this is only my perception, but based on some experience with antidepressants and side effects.

The right therapist will empower you to see different perspectives and have you realise the whys of what you think and feel and do. That, in itself, improves your self-esteem.

Some of us will always be on the edge emotionally/mentally....but we have to work harder at learning the tools to function. Ups and downs are part of the functioning way we are. I am so grateful for the therapist I had who was male and 10 years older than I. I never felt threatened and that made it safe for me.
He didn't do confrontational stuff often, but when he did, the impact was pivitol.

q

Thanks for the clarification regarding the Geodon/Celexa. I was thinking both but didn't read your post over again.

Keep us updated about how you're feeling on the Geodon.

q

I was told the Geodon sleepiness would go away but I wasn't willing to stick it out. Geodon is what they give psychotic patients in hospitals sometimes. It's a major drug for schizophrenia, with an atypical use for bipolar. Functioning is key for me. Lamictal, Lexapro plus wellbutrin for weight stability.

My UC has never been better and I'm wondering if the Wellbutrin has anything to do with it. I can't see it having any effect on rectal inflammation, but yuou never know.

Yeah, I know, and that does make me a little leery of taking it. I've done a lot of research online and I guess it's used off-label for a lot of things, including depression, OCD and anxiety. I'm not taking as high of a dose as they would give psychotic patients. .

That's awesome your UC is doing so well. I've definitely noticed fewer BMs since being on Wellbutrin. I'm a little scared to stop even though I wasn't flaring before.

I just increased to 40 mg twice a day today. I took 20 mg twice a day for the first 6 days. Time for bed again. lol. How long did you take it?

Just an update: I'm tired as heck on this dosage (40 mg 2xday) and have a call in to the psychiatrist to ask if I can go back down to my starting dose of 20 mg 2xday; I seemed to be doing great at that dose. I took 5-hour naps both yesterday and today and still felt tired afterward.

I stopped the wellbutrin about 4 days ago because it didn't have any noticeable effect on me, and my BMs are still fabulous.

Post Edited (Sara14) : 10/11/2011 5:09:22 PM (GMT-6)

Sorry...quincy said "keep us updated" so I was just giving an update. I said I had a call in to my psychiatrist to discuss lowering the dose so I don't have to take 5 hour naps...obviously, yes, that is not an acceptable side effect. Mods, feel free to delete this if it is too off topic. And Wellbutrin did absolutely nothing for me so it just goes to show we are all different. And I don't like the side effects that go along with SSRIs such as Lexapro. 

I was accomplishing very little before I was on any meds because I was constantly obsessing over stupid crap, so I have to weigh the pros and cons here.

journey - Is there any other reason you hate geodon so much or just because it made you fall asleep at the wheel? Feel free to email me. You're just really scaring me about taking this...that's why I ask.

Post Edited (Sara14) : 10/11/2011 6:14:15 PM (GMT-6)

Thanks, q. I am going to talk to the doctor tomorrow about my options. She was out of the office today. Maybe if I lower the dose back to the original dose it will work without the extreme fatigue. If not, I will have to try something else, but this helps SO much other than the crappy tiredness. I'm glad the Effexor works for you...that would be another I could look into.

Sara, I fell asleep at the wheel and almost crashed my car - just missed a telephone pole. So yeah, I'm a little anti-geodon. What can I say? I only think I could handle 20mg. a day. As far as obsessing, that's stressful and that can impact your UC symptoms. The absolute best for me was Zyprexa, which is like Geodon without the side effects except huge weight gain. There is a newer atypical or second genreation anti-psychotic that you might want to look into. It's called Saphris.

Saphris cuts the ravenous appetite from Zyprexa, and may not help you lose weight but it keeps you from gaining supposedly. The side effect is weird. I think you have to put it under your tongue and it tastes terrible even in the new "Black Cherry" flavor. My shrink said that people who take it don't experience the sleepiness of Geodon or the apathy of Zyprexa. Apparently, you have lots of energy.

Online I read these side effects: numbs the end of the tongue so you can no longer taste salt. Bad taste with a burning/ At first, it can make you dizzy and unsteady but that wore off after 2 or 3 days. At first a little anxiety and trouble sleeping, but those problems go away.

This was the alternative recommended to me when the weight gain of Zyprexa because very rapid. I decided against it and tried Lexapro. Ask your psychiatrist about it.

Oh wow!!! scary stuff when meds affect us so negatively. Sarah, you definitely need to get to the doc sooner than later and enforce what you don't want.

I know that having certain feelings is a most difficult thing to deal with....but the cost of not having them can affect you more negatively in other ways.

It's good Ellen has had experience with some of the meds to relate and share....what you're having now doesn't seem like you should wait until they do their thing.

There are so many meds that target our moods and ultimately our guts....the balance to feel "normal" can be so confusing and desperate.

I hope your doc listens to your needs. I only want the edge off, not for things to be annihilated. But...to feel like me and not like a zombie. That, in itself, creates more distress.

Keep us updated for sure.
q

There's no fatigue with Zyprexa. It's the perfect drug except it WILL make you overweight even in small doses.

Lexapro is what I'm using with wellbutrin, which is countering the food cravings I get on Lexapro. The wellbutrin does kick you up though.

Listen, Sara, how bad off are you that you need to take a drug that's going to make you so tired. It's been awhile now. Does your doc think this fatigue is going to wear off?

I'm very interested in the Saphris. You should learn more about it.

Don't put up with a fatigue side effect. Life is too short.