If you were taking Wellbutrin to quit smoking, you may want to keep a nicotine patch or some nicotine gum on hand. This will help reduce potential nicotine cravings and any associated agitation. If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.
Suicidal feelings are more common among children and young adults age 24 and under, but they can happen to anyone. Seek emergency medical care if you are experiencing:. The risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors is small, but it does happen to some people. Before you stop taking Wellbutrin, discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.
If you decide to stop your dose, a short taper may be the best way to go. The safest way to stop taking antidepressants is to slowly taper down your dose. Wellbutrin tapering schedules are usually fairly short.
Working with your doctor, you can make a schedule to incrementally reduce your dose over the course of one or two weeks.
After your Wellbutrin taper, any long-term treatment will be directed towards treating the condition that led you to take Wellbutrin in the first place. It can take several tries before you find the right medication or combination of medications. Depression is a complex disease that requires a multi-pronged treatment approach. Medication can only do so much on its own. Psychotherapy may be an important part of your recovery from depression. Scientific research has concluded that a combination of psychotherapy and medication works better for depression and anxiety than medication alone.
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is a long-term process in which you work to better understand yourself. You will explore the reasons why you do the things you do and feel the way you feel. Together with a qualified therapist, you will learn how to work towards the life you want by reforming the unhealthy patterns standing in your way. Therapy is an essential part of depression treatment. Typically, insurance companies have a list of local providers who accept your insurance.
Depression is a stubborn disease. Just keep moving forward and try not to lose hope when you bump into walls and trip over your own feet. And if you are not in psychotherapy, find a therapist in the directory and schedule some appointments.
After some time, things will likely feel more hopeful. Everything feels more challenging when you're dealing with depression. Get our free guide when you sign up for our newsletter.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated August 15, Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1. Be aware that Wellbutrin is a unique type of antidepressant, and is not an selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor SSRI and it is not a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor SNRI.
It will not have the same withdrawal symptoms as these common antidepressants. Warnings about discontinuing these other antidepressants may not apply, and discontinuing Wellbutrin has its own side unique effects. Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1. Always consult with your doctor before withdrawing yourself from a substance or medication.
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Know when you should continue to take Wellbutrin. Some reasons you should not discontinue Wellbutrin include: If you have recently past couple months started Wellbutrin, your depression has lifted, and you feel that you no longer need the medication. If you want to switch medications when it is not due to side effects or ineffectiveness. Related wikiHows How to. How to. More References Substance Abuse Treatment Specialist.
Expert Interview. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: August 21, Categories: Antidepressants. Medical Disclaimer The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment.
Article Summary X If you want to stop taking Wellbutrin, discuss the decision with your doctor to determine if you're ready to discontinue medication entirely or if you need to try an alternative therapy. Italiano: Smettere di Assumere il Wellbutrin. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times. My Wellbutrin dose was increased to mg 4 weeks ago, but every morning I have a slight headache and nausea.
These symptoms are getting worse, not better. I can barely swallow the pill without feeling like I will vomit. Rated this article:.
More reader stories Hide reader stories. Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Roberta Briceno May 24, Pam Padgett Apr 18, With the mg xr dose, it's good to know I can taper off by taking it with longer intervals between, like every other day, as opposed to dropping down to a lower dose.
Very helpful information. Jeanne Weber Jan 7, The only real benefit I got from the drug was great energy for about 3 months; insomnia is really bad, it makes me moody, and now after 4 full months, the energy level has dropped as well. Dawn Marie Roach Aug 11, I think I saved myself from serious hassle and pain.
Anonymous May 18, Because bupropion promotes the release of norepinephrine and dopamine in patients brain, some individuals tend to become dependent on this drug. If one is stopping Wellbutrin cold turkey, it can be a real shock to the system. Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, more commonly known as antidepressant withdrawal, tends to produce mild to severe withdrawal symptoms in the body of the person withdrawing.
There are a lot of reasons one may look for quitting Wellbutrin, such as addiction potential of this medicine, adverse reactions like hair loss due to Wellbutrin , tolerance, or one may not feel any need in taking bupropion any more. Although, the longer a person is on a course of antidepressants and the more excessive is the dosage they are prescribed, the more likely it will be not easy to stop taking bupropion. Without proper lowering bupropion dose, a patient may experience withdrawal symptoms when they decide to quit Wellbutrin.
If someone who has been taking bupropion for their depression for a while now is thinking about discontinuing their treatment, it is essential to note that the worst way to go about it would be going off Wellbutrin cold turkey. Going off Wellbutrin abruptly can result in several Wellbutrin xl side effects. Therefore it is NOT recommended by almost all medical experts. The most secure approach to get off Wellbutrin is a very gradual tapering of the Wellbutrin doses.
This method is considered the most safely because it minimizes any withdrawal symptoms while stopping bupropion cold turkey may allow symptoms of depression to return at any time. It is also recommended that a healthcare professional should guide an individual through the entire process of withdrawing from Wellbutrin, alongside screening and keeping track of patients advancement.
When prescribing the medication, patients usually start on low Wellbutrin doses and increase it until the ideal dosage is achieved, and the symptoms of the illness are either controlled or minimized. It is believed that the full effect of the medication may not be felt for up to four weeks. The same steps should be followed, when someone wishes to get off Wellbutrin, doctors may tell them to taper doses downward for two weeks before complete termination.
It is generally advised to decrease the dosage to avoid any severe withdrawal symptoms gradually. For patients taking the standard mg, the first reduction should be to mg , followed by 50 mg reductions subsequently. Antidepressants work by altering the levels of neurotransmitters — chemical messengers that attach to receptors on neurons nerve cells throughout the body and influence their activity.
Neurons eventually adapt to the current level of neurotransmitters, and symptoms that range from mild to distressing may arise if the level changes too much too fast — for example, because you've suddenly stopped taking your antidepressant. They're generally not medically dangerous but may be uncomfortable. Among the newer antidepressants, those that influence the serotonin system — selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs, now commonly known as SRIs and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors SNRIs — are associated with a number of withdrawal symptoms, often called antidepressant or SRI discontinuation syndrome.
Stopping antidepressants such as bupropion Wellbutrin that do not affect serotonin systems — dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors — seems less troublesome over all, although some patients develop extreme irritability. Having discontinuation symptoms doesn't mean you're addicted to your antidepressant. A person who is addicted craves the drug and often needs increasingly higher doses. Few people who take antidepressants develop a craving or feel a need to increase the dose. Sometimes an SRI will stop working — a phenomenon called "Prozac poop-out" — which may necessitate increasing the dose or adding another drug.
Discontinuation symptoms can include anxiety and depression. Since these may be the reason you were prescribed antidepressants in the first place, their reappearance may suggest that you're having a relapse and need ongoing treatment. Here's how to distinguish discontinuation symptoms from relapse:. Discontinuation symptoms emerge within days to weeks of stopping the medication or lowering the dose, whereas relapse symptoms develop later and more gradually.
Discontinuation symptoms often include physical complaints that aren't commonly found in depression, such as dizziness, flulike symptoms, and abnormal sensations.
Discontinuation symptoms disappear quickly if you take a dose of the antidepressant, while drug treatment of depression itself takes weeks to work. Discontinuation symptoms resolve as the body readjusts, while recurrent depression continues and may get worse.
If symptoms last more than a month and are worsening, it's worth considering whether you're having a relapse of depression. Neurotransmitters act throughout the body, and you may experience physical as well as mental effects when you stop taking antidepressants or lower the dose too fast. Common complaints include the following:. As dire as some of these symptoms may sound, you shouldn't let them discourage you if you want to go off your antidepressant.
Many of the symptoms of SRI discontinuation syndrome can be minimized or prevented by gradually lowering, or tapering, the dose over weeks to months, sometimes substituting longer-acting drugs such as fluoxetine Prozac for shorter-acting medications.
The antidepressants most likely to cause troublesome symptoms are those that have a short half-life — that is, they break down and leave the body quickly. See the chart "Antidepressant drugs and their half-lives. Extended-release versions of these drugs enter the body more slowly but leave it just as fast. Antidepressants with a longer half-life, chiefly fluoxetine, cause fewer problems on discontinuation.
Besides easing the transition, tapering the dose decreases the risk that depression will recur.
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