Wellbutrin: Should I Really Add it?

Will try to keep this short. 27 year old guy. Pretty healthy shape. Was diagnosed with GAD last year. Taking only 5mg of Lexapro at this time. Was on a higher dose but asked to be knocked down due to sleep issues and foggy head.

I've added in a lot of exercise. Gym 3-4 days a week.
Most days are pretty good! Most...not all.

Have been going to a new doctor! Good guy.
Last visit I told him I was doing "alright". He said he wants me doing better than just that. He suggested adding in 150mg of Wellbutrin.

As is, I'm very nervous about medicine. I just don't know that I want something else controlling my brain.

I do still get "weird" feeling every so often. Moments of lacking motivation (but maybe that's just who I am). Out of nowhere I will have an anxiety spell that overcomes me. Real deep thoughts and obsessive worry. Nervous of little things. A bit of depersonalization. After taking a Xanax and a good sleep it usually is gone. Do not like taking benzos....it's my last resort if I just can't cope.
***I will note that I somewhat obsessively think if today will be the day I just crack up. On most days I find myself thinking, "when will the anxiety be back".

Thoughts/Opinions?
While I respect the doctor I just think it's crazy for someone to write you a brain altering pill prescription after spending 15 mins with you.

Thoughts on adding Wellbutrin?

Post Edited (pooldrops5) : 4/25/2015 11:24:18 AM (GMT-6)

Decisions about taking medications are always the patient's when you are out patient. However, sometimes we tend to avoid medications when they can really help! If it's a choice between Wellbutrin all the time and Xanax sometimes, I would take the Wellbutrin. It's up to you, and I wish you luck whichever way you go.

(excuse lack of cap's...fingers aren't as nimble as the were once and it takes forever to do more than just click letter keys)

i won't retype what others have said but consider all the comments posted as excellent thoughts and that i agree with them all. that said, you also might wan't to truly understand what taking the "drugs" or "chemicals" is all about.

it seems from what you wrote that you are treating symptoms and using drugs and sleep to alleviate uncomfortable feelings. like one might do with a headache. also the idea of anything controlling you would be NOT okay for most of us.

you are living with something that is messing up your well-being enough for you to have gone to at least two different doctors and to be seeking relief. after a good sleep you may feel good, but is it going to return? you wrote that you believe it will and that fear of cracking is crowding your thoughts. this is what you want to live without. the fear and the anxious worry that you will worry/panic.

you will still be the master of your thoughts in any given situation, but these medicines your doctor is wanting to try are designed to create a chemical balance inside of you that can support your ability to think and judge before you get to fear and anxious. it sounds like you also may want to discuss how you should take the prescribed drugs to get the full benefit from them. for my daughter and myself, our doctor says to take them every 24 hours. otherwise that delicate balance we are thankful to be living with would tilt.

wellbutrin may be a good choice for him to add for you because, reportedly, it doesn't mess with your sex life as some anti-depressants can, and it's not prone to causing so many of the side effects that throw many off in the first week of a new prescription.

it seems that lexapro is often the first choice for GAD, but for my daughter the 5 mg's did little but reassure her that she was taking something. after the "yeah! i am cured" idea and hope wore off, all was the same. it's scary and very disruptive to living your daily life, to have to worry about anxiety and whether or not you will get through whatever is next without panicking.

when you get to a good balance of the drugs that work for you, you will feel good. not just ok. i am not encouraging drug use, and i would want everyone who can to study their drugs and how others feel about them and assess themselves to decide if they are on the right track. your doctor seems to believe that your emotional well being "regulators" or "chemicals" are out of balance. if you think of the drugs as striving to correct this and to fix the balance you need, you might be able to feel more positively working to find your best balance solution.

say to your dr what you said here. judge his response.
does he make you feel ignorant or naive? if so please find yet another doctor.
if he listens and asks ?'s and seems to want to find solutions with you, then work with him. you should not have to worry about GAD all the time. it should become something you used to worry about but are pleased to live without because you found the right drug/chemical combination for you.

when you are not in the midst of it we found that my daughter was much more able to learn behavior modifying techniques and to learn to change her basic daily flow to allow her to transition calmly and other things. honestly for her, she couldn't work through any therapy until she felt better.

see your dr again and discuss starting with low dosages to add to slowly if you are really nervous, but wellbutrin is said to be less difficult to wean off of and less problematic with side effects. he didn't choose it randomly. it won't control your brain. it won't make you feel weird, high, not yourself, or different. if they do it's perhaps not the drug for you.

it may make the worry and fear just not be happening right now. you might get used to that and kind of like it. :)

you know how it feels to be you now. your goal is probably sustainable, dependable balance.

we are each unique, and none of us have the exact same imbalances. so, it's not an exact science.

you could see all this as your own personal quest with your doctor, who is also your guide, resource, adviser, and teacher.



being able to say you feel pretty good and finding a real impromptu smile on your face is a really good indicator that what you two have found is working for you.

good luck.
~eirie~

I have a friend that takes welbutrin and had very delightful side effects, no they are not disruptive or any
thing like that, i just want to asure you it's a good drug. Peace

Larry ***