Question:
Want some feedback on Wellbutrin & post op blues
Hello All. I am 9 mos post op and although I would NOT be any means, call myself "depressed" my Dr did query me as to just not feeling "Normal." Kinda blah, not motivated to finish projects I start, low libido, yes, low energy even (go figure, 120 lbs gone! where's my energy??!! LOL!). So, she recommended Wellbutrin. I've been on it for about two wks and it seems to be helping somewhat. . .I'm just wondering about side effects. . .I read thru the library and most people sounded like they like Wellbutrin, but I am wondering if it has weight gain as a side effect or not. Anyone out there, post op, on it, loving it, hating it, etc etc?? Will this be something I have to take forever or just a short period of time until my body "catches up" (or maybe it's the mind/brain that needs to catch up!)=) PS, I've never taken any meds on any kind of regular basis, so I am totally new to this experience! Thanks for your indulgence! Blessings, — ChristiMNB (posted on March 15, 2002)
March 15, 2002
HI Christi,
I'm also on wellbrutin.I haven't had my surgery yet but i thought
i could share my experience with the medication.My gyn doctor prescribed it
to me about a year ago.I take 150mgs twice a day for depression.But it is
also given to patients who are trying to quit smoking.It is helping me with
what they say are mood swings due to pre-menopause.I am feeling
100%better.I'm not the crappy person i use to be!!!I have had no side
effects and it is not addicting.I guess i can be on it indefinitely.I hope
i've answered your question for you.Just glad to help.God Bless
— Lora B.
March 15, 2002
Wellbutrin is associated with weight loss. You have many of the physical
symptoms of depression: anhedonia (difficulty enjoying things), anergy (low
energy), amotivation (lack of motivation), decreased libido. Some other
symptoms are: insomnia (difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or
waking early in the morning and not being able to go back to sleep);
decreased concentration; intrusive thoughts; decreased memory; feeling
overwhelmed; feelings of helpless; decreased self-image.
I'm a psychiatrist and prescribe quite a bit of Wellbutrin because it tends
to work fairly quickly, ie within one to two weeks!
— Pamela B.
March 15, 2002
I'm pre-op, and I've taken Wellbutrin SR for depression on and off for
several years. I've been on many antidepressants in my life, and it's by
far my favorite. It decreases appetite (I lost 60 pounds almost without
trying the first time I went on it), increases energy, and enhances sexual
response (not just libido, but stronger/longer orgasms and multiple
orgasms). The not-so-great side effects that I've experienced are that it
interferes with my sleep and can cause mild constipation and headaches at
high doses. There is also an increased risk of seizure, especially in
patients who have ever been anorexic or bulimic -- both of which are
contraindications for taking Wellbutrin. The risk is very small, but it's
there, and I thought I'd mention it just in case that applies to you and
your doctor didn't realize. The risk of seizure if also higher with the
"regular" version of Wellbutrin, as opposed to the
SR/sustained-release version. (Can we even take sustained-release meds
after WLS??) Overall though, I think it's a great medication, mostly
because its side effect profile is so much better than the SSRIs (e.g.,
Prozac, Zoloft). If you don't have a history of chronic or severe
depression, I doubt that your doctors will keep you on it indefinitely. The
usual approach is to stay on an antidepressant for six months or so after
you feel better, and then gradually taper off. If you relapse and become
depressed again, that's when they start thinking about prescribing
antidepressants on a permanent basis. Good luck, and I hope you're back to
feeling like "yourself" again soon!
— Tally
March 15, 2002
I've been on a lot of antidepressants over the years. I quit Celexa because
it made me dizzy, as did Prozac and Zoloft. Those are in a different class
than Wellbutrin. I asked my PCP to try something new for me, but told him
that it absolutely could not have weight gain as a side effect. He gave me
samples of Wellbutrin and I love it!
— Cinna G.
March 15, 2002
The first time I took Wellbutrin, was in the form of "Zyban"
which is what they call it when it is used to help someone stop smoking. I
had to quit cigs for surgery!!! I had tried everything! The dr suggested
Zyban, and I thought "ok, I know it won't work, nothing
does........I'll just die with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth!"
But I tried it......... Ohhhhhhhhhhhh my god!!! I not only quit smoking,
it curbed my appetite and made me very "happy" and
"horney". LoL forgive me, but you wanted honest answers. I
also found out it is given to "binge eaters" to help stop the
binges. Well I quit the Zyban 3 months after starting it, because that is
how long the prescription for quitting smoking lasts. Two months after
surger, October, I got my usual yearly "light depravation
depression" I get it every year during the winter BLAH months, then I
pick up in the sunny spring. I was on the Wellbutrin SR for two weeks and
noticed that it was not working like it did before I had my surgery!! I
was so disappointed.............then someone on here said that the SR is
the time released pill, and we RNY ers can't take time released meds.
They go through us before they are even released, so my dr. prescribed the
regular ones. Instead of 2 150 mgs a day of the SR. I take 3 regular ones
100 mgs, 8 hours apart.
I'm happy, healthy, horney, and losing weight. Love it!
— Phiddy B.
March 16, 2002
Just want to thank you all for your answers, and those I got privately as
well! It sounds like I'll be just fine on it, and more like my old self!
=) Thanks again and Many Blessings,
— ChristiMNB
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