Wellbutrin Xl Dosage Increase (Page 2)
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I started taking 150 mg of Wellbutrin xl for anxiety. My first two days were tough with increased symptoms, which the pharmacist had already warned me of. The horrible side effects got less and less as the days progressed. By day 8 I was feeling great, anxiety was still lingering, not as bad. On day 13, I started the 300 mg, that was 7 days ago. I take it every morning at 8am. I am feeling good in the morning and every day around 1pm I start feeling horrible. Suddenly I am feeling drugged, dizzy, nauseous and disoriented. I continued to take it hoping these side effects would taper off like they did with the 150 mg, but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I am still feeling as horrible now as I did when I first started the dosage increase. Do I just need to give it some more time? Any advice would be appreciated.

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I've been taking this for several years on various doses and very interested in each of your entries about the side effects. I used to take a 100 or 150mg around noon or 1:00 and finally found out this is also something that kept me awake. I did experience a fog when I was driving into work and sometimes my concentration wasn't as good at work, as well as I really didn't care about things as I usually did. My empathy decreased so much that I felt I was hard and cold. This of course caused my depression to worsen. I've also experienced the anger and the irritability, my patience lessens with family and pets. I'm actually having a hard time convincing myself to go back to that afternoon dose. Can anyone relate? I am 50 years old and going through menopause as well which I'm sure doesn't help.

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I have been on Pristiq for about 6 years. Before that, I was on Paxil. These drugs had moderate side effects that I could live with and then the side effects went away. Bad news is that I gained 20 lbs. Asked Doctor to put me on Wellbutrin because I heard about the weight loss on it. I am very sensitive to drugs and react within a couple of days. Also, this was generic because I am a senior on a fixed income. The first day I felt great but had dizziness and excessive sweating to the point where I had to change my clothes a couple times a day. The second day the dizziness become worse, I work with children and could not bend down to pick up a baby, was afraid to drive. Later that same day, I became very nauseous and started vomiting. Lost 1 day of work and if I don't go, I don't get paid. Tried filing pill down to 75 mg. xl, I felt a little better, the dizziness was manageable and no being sick. The third day, there was no reduction in the side effects and I hate being sick like that. I stopped before the 4th day and went back on Pristiq. I got immediate relief. Has anyone found a way to beat the side effects? I did lose 6 pounds in a matter of a couple of days. Thinking of switching to generic Cymbalta. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

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I know it sounds like I am a spam ad for Wellbutrin, but I'm really not! You can go to another thread on this board that discusses generics (and the lack of reliability thereof) and that is where someone posted about Direct Success.

You don't have to put up with the roller coaster of generics when you can get either brand name Wellbutrin 150XL and 300XL for $50 per month.

I see so many people getting their generics switched without warning, or having unreliable batches. Why suffer! They are NOT equivalent to brand. Name brand is the only one that went through all the tests. It doesn't work for everyone of course but it is certainly worth a try if you are having problems with your generics.

I bought the brand name at CVS for $300+ after the generic my insurance covered made me sicker. I was really in distress because I can't afford that every month. I was searching the internet to find out about the generic I was taking (Global) and saw a post about Direct Sucess pharmacy doing a program with Valeant, who is now the manufacturer of the name brand Wellbutrin, which is manufactured here in the U.S., not in Turkey like the Canadian pharmacy. You just have your doctor fill out the form and fax it to them. What I received from Direct Success in the mail was exactly like the brand I had paid for at CVS. It is the real deal.

If you are having problems with terrible side effects or getting jerked around with the generics changing, it is certainly worth your while to try the brand.

I am honestly not connected with Direct Success in any way, I'm just so glad I found it and if someone hadn't posted on these boards about it, I wouldn't have found it myself. Good luck!

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My pharmacy has decided not to special order Watson 150XL for me after many years which I prefer size and coating and due to allergies to ingredients like yellow dye, etc. Also have Dysphasia from time to time taking 9-10 pills (servings :-D) first thing an hour after LEVOTHYROXIN, which is a separate issue altogether. I found Walmart can't promise same manufacturer from month to month. I have two relatively small pharmacies to choose from in town where I get ten prescriptions and often pick up mothers at the same time... So Walgreen's, Walmart, and other mail order companies are not much help in this either...

Just venting that pharmacy cares more about bottom line after almost 15 years of patronage from Mom and Dad and myself. Then AFTER I called in for refill they waited and I only had a few days to find them! Can't find the other drug manufacturer on label to give you comparisons.

Feeling powerless under the whim of this one stupid pharmacy. I hope you don't have this issue. Evidently Doctor cannot write script for brand specificity anymore.

I'd like to stop everything sometimes see if I'm their lab rat.

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My psychiatrist has me taking 150 mg Wellbutrin upon waking, then the other 150 at noon "to give me a boost." You might float the idea by your doctor.

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Do you know you can get brand name Wellbutrin through Direct Success Pharmacy for $50/ month. Another thread on this site talking about it and I looked into it. It is the real deal. You can google Wellbutrin and it will go to their site. It is the exact same pill and packaging that I got with the brand Wellbutrin from the pharmacy. NOT from Canada, made in the US. If you are having trouble with generics as a lot of people seem to, you can try the brand a lot cheaper now.

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Lisa I take Wellbutrion 150mg and I have water weight gain and I have high blood pressure and heart trouble when my feetlegs,hands and face swell up from water weight my chest hurts so bad I have to take a xanaxx or use my nitro spray to get rid of chest pain then lay down and put my feet above my heart and that takes days I feel so bad when all the water weight comes and it is because of wellbutrion I really do not think that the drs know the side affects that.I hope you feel betterIhave stopped them on my own and had no bad side affects and since I have ttken them so long seems like they don't wrk as well as before.But ask your dr befate you quit.

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It took about 3 or so weeks after the increase to 300XL but I stuck with it and those horrible afternoon crashes subsided. Once the Dizziness, nausea and disoriented feeling started going away, in came exhaustion in the afternoon. I was told this drug is a stimulant and i am ready for a 2 hour nap at exactly 2pm every day, but I didn't give in, I kept busy and guess what? That too went away.

This is the first time I have taken anything for my anxiety issues. If I have learned anything at all about this drug it is that you have to be patient and persistent. Of course everyone is different but after the horrible side effects starting the drug @150 Xl and the even worse side effects with the dosage increase to 300 there was no way after 5 and a half weeks of suffering, so to speak, that I was giving up before the suggested 8 week break in period and I'm really happy I stuck with it. Through all the side effects, I could feel what the drug was supposed to potentially be doing for me and just hoped it would do what I thought it would.

One of my original symptoms before I started taking Wellbutrine was dizziness, a sinking feeling in the floor, nausea and trouble breathing, very aware of every breath I took. I am now in my approx 12th week and I just noticed that the only original symptom I still have, is that sometimes, not all the time like it was, I become aware of my breathing and get a little anxious. I am guessing this tiny bit will maybe go away after being on the drug a little longer. Maybe I need a slight dosage increase to get rid of it, I don't know, will figure that out later. Not worried about it right now as I feel good enough.

Like I said, I don't have any experience with these types of drugs except for Wellbutrine and it has only been 12 weeks. I didn't realize that two 150XL is not really equivalent to one 300XL in terms of time release, if I read what Kristen said correctly.

I guess there's no guarantee Kristen as to whether or not these side effects will go away like they did for me. If the two 150XL is more expensive that the 300XL (another way the two are not equivalent that I wouldn't have though) and it's going to be tough, I would try the 300 just a little longer to see if the side effects at least start going away even a little, then maybe there's hope for the 300. On the other hand, if the side effects are too unbearable, I would just pay the extra cash for the two 150's.

David, I appreciate your response. I found out what a half life is but the way I read it, it suggested that the Wellbutrine would be at its strongest at that time, especially by the 2nd or 3rd day, which is when my problems started with the 300XL. You're probably right though about it being the weakest part of the day, I was never much of a mathematician.

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@Lisa (post #2),

My apologizes for not getting back to you sooner!

Regarding your last question, I was referring to "1pm" being the weakest point of the medication's half life; when the drug begins to leave your system at a more noticeable rate.

It sounds like Kristin (post #3) can also confirm that this is the case. The "time-release pill" releases its contents way too early within a 24hr period to have any lasting effect.

That said, taking two of the 150mg appears to be the only reliable way to go until the manufacturer does some maintenance on their time-release capsules.

Hope this helps! :)

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I too have the same reaction to the 300...and we take at same time. With issues exactly at 1!!!

Just over a month ago I started 150 xl watson generic for a week. Then two of 150 mg xl in am for for rest of month. The last week, I noticed the euphoria lessened.

Doc said ok to fill the script for a single 300 mg.
I have been on the 300 for 3 or 4 days now. I take at 8 am and by 1, I started feeling dizzy. Today, two times, while sitting. Felt panic setting in. Chest by stomach tight. Anxiety issues. Yawning to catch breath. Then, sadness and depressed for rest of day. Tired, no energy, irritable, angry...

I've been reading online about 300 mg generic not releasing steadily, like the 150 mg. I understand FDA pulled one generic and asked the other companies to do there own study.

I do plan on calling doc Monday am!

After feeling so well on the 2 pills of 150 (total 300), I am really concerned.
I had alot of energy. My aches and pains 90% gone. Was happy! No worrisome thoughts. Focused alot better. Slept way better all night. Less angry and irritable. I finally realized I was truly depressed for quite sometime and thrilled to be feeling so good again.

Its dissapointing to me that a single dose pill can release way too much, way too early in a 24 hr time released pill. This must be why I'm having side effects after 5 hours.

Will be much more costly if I have to go back to taking the two of 150 ....but worth it. Just hope the pharmacist will take my next two months worth back! I already paid the $60 copay for three months worth.

Hoping that this switch back will be a solution.

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Seeing as these side effects are not subsiding, I guess the 350 mg is too big of a jump.
I didn't quite understand what what you were saying though, at 1pm would the drug be at it's weakest or strongest point?

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Hi Lisa,

From my perspective on what you mentioned about your dosing schedule, I think the side effects are reoccurring around 1pm because that's when the half life of the drug begins to take effect and your body may just be in shock from the "come-down".

Do you feel like 300mg might've been too much of a jump from the 150mg?

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