Wellbutrin Withdrawal: Overview, Symptoms & Coping

A close friend or family member may also be able to recognize signs of recurring depression that you might not perceive. Zoloft is an antidepressant used to treat major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic … Do not withdrawal symptoms from wellbutrin use Wellbutrin if you have used an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days. MAO inhibitors include isocarboxazid, linezolid, methylene blue injection, phenelzine, rasagiline, selegiline, tranylcypromine, and others.

Wellbutrin withdrawal symptoms aren’t common, but those who experience them may become agitated and irritable. If you recently quit smoking, your nicotine cravings may return, although they’re likely to be milder than if you hadn’t taken Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin is different in that it doesn’t have a major effect on serotonin. Rather, it affects the levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline.

Depression & Anxiety: Are They Hereditary?

• They may suggest a tapering schedule or alternative medication to minimize withdrawal symptoms.
• A tapering schedule designed by a healthcare provider typically considers the duration of use and dosage level, helping to ease withdrawal symptoms incrementally.
• This article explores bupropion withdrawal symptoms, provides an overview of the withdrawal timeline, and offers practical advice on safely overcoming antidepressant withdrawal.
• Antidepressants with a longer half-life, chiefly fluoxetine, cause fewer problems on discontinuation.
• If the symptoms are mild, you’ll probably be reassured that they’re just temporary, the result of the medication clearing your system.
• Wellbutrin is an antidepressant, but it belongs to a category of drugs that is different from other common antidepressants like Prozac and Zoloft.

Not all possible interactions are listed in this medication guide. Wellbutrin is an antidepressant medicine that is thought to work in the brain and nerves on the chemical messengers norepinephrine and dopamine. Wellbutrin XL  is used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) and seasonal affective disorder, and Wellbutrin SR is only used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD).

Wellbutrin Withdrawal: Overview, Symptoms & Coping

Medical detox provides a controlled and supervised environment where individuals undergoing Wellbutrin withdrawal receive 24/7 care to manage physical and psychological symptoms. This includes medical monitoring, supportive therapies, and sometimes medications to stabilize withdrawal symptoms such as severe anxiety or mood swings. In the process, many experience antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, also known as withdrawal. This is a particular risk with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which affect a brain neurotransmitter called serotonin. Besides easing the transition, tapering the dose decreases the risk that depression will recur. In a Harvard Medical School study, nearly 400 patients (two-thirds of them women) were followed for more than a year after they stopped taking antidepressants prescribed for mood and anxiety disorders.

Antidepressant withdrawal can look like depression

Start at John Wayne Airport, Airport Way, Santa Ana, CA 92707.Head southeast for about 0.2 miles.Keep left at the fork and follow signs for Rental Car Return. Continue for 0.7 miles.Use the left lane to turn slightly left onto N Airport Way. Continue for 0.2 miles.Use the left lane to turn slightly left to stay on N Airport Way and proceed for 0.1 miles.Use the left 2 lanes to turn left onto MacArthur Blvd.

Going off antidepressants safely can be a long process — you have to slowly reduce the dose over time. The common treatments for Wellbutrin withdrawal are medical detox, tapering, and behavioral therapies. Medical detox provides supervised care to manage symptoms while tapering gradually reduces the dose to minimize withdrawal effects.

Eating more fruit at midlife may help ward off later-life depression

• Exercise makes serotonin more available for binding to receptor sites on nerve cells, so it can compensate for changes in serotonin levels as you taper off SSRIs and other medications that target the serotonin system.
• It is common for people who take them to eventually change medications or stop using antidepressants altogether.
• To cope with Wellbutrin withdrawal, get exercise, eat healthy, get adequate sleep, spend time with family, and talk with a therapist.
• Drinking alcohol with bupropion may increase your risk of seizures.
• The physician should then consider restarting the antidepressant medication with a slow dose taper or providing support if the patient desires not to restart the antidepressant.
• Each type of antidepressant is different, so your provider will be the best guide to help you go off of the medication.
• You may still have some symptoms, but they won’t be as uncomfortable if you taper your dose gradually.

Participants who discontinued rapidly (over one to seven days) were more likely to relapse within a few months than those who reduced the dose gradually over two or more weeks. If bupropion was prescribed for depression, other antidepressants, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), might be considered by your healthcare provider. SSRIs work differently but can serve as an antidepressant solution during the transition. Antidepressants help boost your levels of naturally occurring, mood-regulating substances in your brain, called neurotransmitters, including serotonin and norepinephrine. Researchers don’t know exactly what causes the symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal. But they think it may be because serotonin drops quickly when you stop taking a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI).

Wellbutrin is an antidepressant, but it belongs to a category of drugs that is different from other common antidepressants like Prozac and Zoloft. Prozac (fluoxetine) is used to treat major depressive disorder, bulimia, obsessive-compulsive … Cymbalta (duloxetine) is used to treat major depressive disorder, general anxiety disorder and … Some people taking Wellbutrin have had high blood pressure that is severe, especially when also using a nicotine replacement product (patch or gum).

Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome

Talk to your clinician about the benefits and risks of antidepressants in your particular situation, and work with her or him in deciding whether (and when) to stop using them. Before discontinuing, you should feel confident that you’re functioning well, that your life circumstances are stable, and that you can cope with any negative thoughts that might emerge. Don’t try to quit while you’re under stress or undergoing a significant change in your life, such as a new job or an illness. You may be tempted to stop taking antidepressants as soon as your symptoms ease, but depression can return if you quit too soon. Clinicians generally recommend staying on the medication for six to nine months before considering going off antidepressants.

Follow any instructions from your healthcare provider regarding slowly decreasing the medication dose. It is common for people who take them to eventually change medications or stop using antidepressants altogether. In this article, I’ll discuss Wellbutrin, antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, potential symptoms, and helpful ways to cope with Wellbutrin withdrawal. Though typically mild, it’s best to know what may happen so you can work with your healthcare provider to create a plan to cope with these symptoms if they do occur. Consistent sleep patterns are key to overcoming sleep-related withdrawal symptoms. Techniques such as limiting screen time and practicing relaxation can aid in better sleep.

Drug and Alcohol Detox Center

They can help you taper your doses down to help you avoid or minimize symptoms. You may still have some symptoms, but they won’t be as uncomfortable if you taper your dose gradually. Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome (ADS) can be unpleasant.