As a doctor, I can tell you that even if you don’t have anxiety, it’s possible to develop some while taking bupropion/welbutrin. I used it personally and experienced the most severe anxiety I’ve ever had. It is also associated with a higher chance of seizures, and if you daydream a lot, it may make them worse. However, on the positive side, it often decreases inattention. Generally i like the drug , but it is not a first-line treatment for depression, and for good reasons.
The wikipedia side-effect page says that the rate of seizures is between 0.01-0.1%, for comparison about 0.68% of the population has epilepsy, so I’m skeptical this ought to be such a concern. Am I reading these numbers incorrectly?
I can definitely believe the anxiety bit. It is a stimulant, and anxiety & depression are very very correlated.
People with a history of seizures are usually excluded from these kinds of clinical trials, so it is not an apple to apple comparison. the problem is that bupropion interacts with a lot of drugs. seizure rates are also highly dose dependent(10 times higher if taking more than 450 mg daily). Generally, if you’re not taking any interacting medications, are on the 150–300 mg slow-release version, and have no history of seizures, then the risk is low.
Could you elaborate on the daydreaming? I think it might have gotten worse for me, although it was already pretty bad. I was hoping Bupropion would reduce it but if it has the opposite effect it might have been a bad idea to start taking it...
As a doctor, I can tell you that even if you don’t have anxiety, it’s possible to develop some while taking bupropion/welbutrin. I used it personally and experienced the most severe anxiety I’ve ever had. It is also associated with a higher chance of seizures, and if you daydream a lot, it may make them worse. However, on the positive side, it often decreases inattention. Generally i like the drug , but it is not a first-line treatment for depression, and for good reasons.
The wikipedia side-effect page says that the rate of seizures is between 0.01-0.1%, for comparison about 0.68% of the population has epilepsy, so I’m skeptical this ought to be such a concern. Am I reading these numbers incorrectly?
I can definitely believe the anxiety bit. It is a stimulant, and anxiety & depression are very very correlated.
People with a history of seizures are usually excluded from these kinds of clinical trials, so it is not an apple to apple comparison. the problem is that bupropion interacts with a lot of drugs. seizure rates are also highly dose dependent(10 times higher if taking more than 450 mg daily). Generally, if you’re not taking any interacting medications, are on the 150–300 mg slow-release version, and have no history of seizures, then the risk is low.
Yeah, I figured something like that would be going on if I was wrong, thanks!
Could you elaborate on the daydreaming? I think it might have gotten worse for me, although it was already pretty bad. I was hoping Bupropion would reduce it but if it has the opposite effect it might have been a bad idea to start taking it...