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