Wellbutrin (Bupropion) Users...

[DaveK22]

I have a question for those using Wellbutrin... what is your experience with drinking alcohol while on Wellbutrin? I ask because almost EVERY prescription drug has a warning to NOT use with alcohol. But I know some family & friends on other meds that have the same warning & they drink with no issues.

Prefer feedback from just actual users with real experience. Thx

 

[DixieWrecked]

The warning is because alcohol can cause seizures especially when going through withdrawals. Just don't drink so much with it. If you are dealing with depression, it's be good to cut back on the booze.

With that said I've done it years ago without having a seizure.

 

[sfjohn]

Wellbutrin worked well for me for 2 years, then just stopped working. While I was on Wellbutrin I had one cocktail ever few months without consequences. But Booz has never been my thing. I was raised by an angry, mean drunk father who hated me & tried to kill me a couple of times. I vowed never to be like him, and I’ve been super successful in that.

 

[Johnny Test]

I have been on Wellbutrin 18 years. No issues ever.

 

[DFL]

I've been on it about 2 years. I drink a significant amount of wine and never had any problems. Alcohol may however decrease the effectiveness.

 

[DixieWrecked]

to all the people in this thread on wellbutrin, how's it helping? libiod? mood? energy?

 

[Marcel]

to all the people in this thread on wellbutrin, how it helping? libiod? mood? energy?

Yes I want to know as well, I've got ptsd and major depression potentially treatment resistant depression.

 

[evansjamesk]

I drink frequently, and it's not unusual to drink to excess. I'm also on Wellbutrin. Haven't had an issue using both. I haven't noticed any effect on libido, mood, or energy, but I've been taking it so long I probably wouldn't notice unless I tapered off and reestablished a baseline mood/libido/energy level.

 

[Jason Sypolt]

I have had zero problems with taking Wellbutrin SR and drinking alcohol.

Perhaps you already know this but Wellbutrin is quite different than your typical antidepressant (SSRI) because instead of increasing Seratonin it increases Dopamine and Norepinephrine (NDRI). There are typically no negative effects to your libido. And instead of making you feel flat and emotionless like some sort of zombie, it is more upward-looking. By that I mean you can still experience pleasure and happiness and positivity, but it doesn’t really let you feel down. Almost like there is this baseline and you can only go up.

When I first took it, I felt differently within a few hours. Like my brain was busy doing too much to have time to bother with anything negative.

Wellbutrin isn’t a sure bet though for depression or PTSD I would say definitely less of a risk of negative side effects vs a SSRI if you are considering trying something to help. For PTSD, dealing with trauma, or treatment-resistant depression I would seriously consider Ketamine therapy. It has a drastically higher success rate than medications and it works very quickly, in as little as an hour.

 

[DaveK22]

Excellent feedback guys! Love this forum

 

[Johnny Test]

Having been on it 18 years I have to say it’s changed my life for the better. What sets it apart from other anti-depressants is three fold for me. No weight gain, no sexual side effects, and its also effectively managed my ADHD. Stimulants we’re too addictive for me and this is an off label use for Wellbutrin. Depression can cripple you. Especially in your formative years (high school, college, beginning your career). This kept me on track and helped me immensely. Own two homes, several cars, have a great career and family. I owe it all to (of course me) but also a centered, and happy “me”. Wellbutrin made that possible.

 

[Marcel]

Does anyone have Any withdraw or tinnitus? Any concerns? I heard that it weakens you a bit in the gym.

 

[Johnny Test]

Have had no issues negatively in the gym. If anything being happy makes you want to go to the gym more and strive to be better. No ear ringing either.

 

[DaveK22]

Here is a podcast which the Dr does a great job explaining things about this drug...especially about the seizures which was a major concern for me
link

 

[Johnny Test]

Honestly it’s been a god send in my life. I have nothing but really great things to say about it. The TRT, Wellbutrin XL, Modafinil, sporadic Ibutamoren combo with occasional Tadalafil is where it’s at!

 

[Marcel]

Awesome, thank you for the replies. You guys are so helpful

 

[DaveK22]

I started Bupropion XL 150mg yesterday. My Dr. said always good to cut back on alcohol and use in moderation...I should be ok. He talked about the black box warnings in general and how why many of these drugs state what they say.

My guess is that over the years I have slowly become reliant on alchohol to deal with stress & depression. Hopefully Bupropion can bring me to a better healthy balance of booze usage. More Heineken Zero's won't be a bad thing lol

 

[Marcel]

How are you doing with the wellbutrin

 

[Nelson Vergel]

I am taking Trintellix (vortioxetine, low dose 5 mg) instead of Wellbutrin since it does not make me anxious or causes teeth grinding for me.

Is Vortioxetine an Advantageous Choice for Erectile Dysfunction? A Case Report​

Background​

Antidepressants tend to worsen erectile dysfunction (ED). Phosphodiesterase inhibitors, the widely accepted choice for the treatment of ED may not be beneficial in certain cases due to adverse effects. The addition of vortioxetine to the existing range of antidepressant medications possibly opens up a new alternative, which is claimed to have minimal sexual adverse effects.1 Vortioxetine has multimodal action on serotonin receptors and better sexual tolerability profile.2 We encountered a unique benefit of vortioxetine in a male patient that helped in restoring ED.

Case Report​

A 32-year-old, Mr M, a married businessman with poor erection and a dissatisfying sexual relationship with a wife for 4 years. The couple has been staying in a joint family of 6 members including parents and brothers in their own house with separate bedrooms for all. On evaluation, it was found that the patient had a heterosexual orientation and a monogamous relationship with his wife presented with a depressive episode for the past 1 year characterized by anhedonia, the sadness of mood, nonrefreshing sleep, and depressive ruminations. The patient was treated with sertraline 200 mg/day for 2 months and mirtazapine 30 mg/day for 3 months. On both occasions, his depressive symptoms remitted completely but continued to have ED. He has been prescribed sildenafil 50 mg and tadalafil 20 mg (phosphodiesterase inhibitors-PDE-5i), which failed to correct ED at the cost of an adverse effect of headache. The patient and spouse reported the persistence of ED even before the depressive symptoms began. All the necessary investigations carried out in the past including serum lipid profile, serum prolactin, serum testosterone, and penile Doppler were within normal limits. There were infrequent reports of early morning erections. Further history revealed no extramarital relationships, no exposure to drugs, surgery or trauma, and no medical ailments. No history of tobacco and alcohol consumption was noted. Premorbid personality was well adjusted. Physical examination was noted to have a body mass index of 24 and an associated history of involvement in regular physical activities since his graduation. Mental status examination revealed a depressed mood and worries about the ED. Routine investigations were within normal limits. There was nothing suggestive of marital disharmony before the beginning of ED. However, the marital conflicts were noted to have begun in the aftermath of ED and were revolving predominantly around sexual dissatisfaction. The patient had not benefitted from individual therapy including environmental modifications for ED in earlier consultations. He was diagnosed to have ED and moderate depressive episode with somatic symptoms. The couple was referred to the psychologist for addressing marital conflicts and reassessing sex therapy needs as one of the nonpharmacological management of ED while putting a serious consideration to start a novel antidepressant with the least sexual adverse effects. On a separate interview with a spouse, it was noted that both find their partner sexually attractive and get aroused adequately during intimacy. Besides, there was no discrepancy found between the sexual desires of both.
Considering the partial response to previous treatment, he was started on tablet vortioxetine 5 mg/day to 15 mg/day. Arizona sexual experience scale (ASEX) and Hamilton depression rating scale (HAM-D) was applied at baseline, day 7, and day 14. After 2 weeks of treatment with vortioxetine, the patient reported a strong sense of optimism in sexual functioning with surprisingly regular morning erections in the absence of any hypomanic symptoms. ASEX scores on day 1, 7, and 14 were noted to drop as 26, 15, and 5 while HAM-D scores were noted to improve as 18, 14, and 12. The patient was noted under remission from MDD as well as ED during the next 4 months of the follow-up period.

Discussion​

ED is a very common and concurrent presence of MDD worsens ED twofold.3 PDE-5i is chosen as the first step in the management of ED but it has limitations as seen in our case. The use of antidepressants is challenging especially in a case like ours where ED predated the onset of MDD.3,4 Vortioxetine is an antagonist at 5-HT3 and 5-HT7 receptors, a partial agonist at 5-HT1B, and an agonist at 5-HT1A receptors.5 Vortioxetine is equally efficacious to existing antidepressants without causing sexual dysfunction.2 The most common adverse effect of vortioxetine leading to discontinuation is nausea, which was not reported in our case.6 There are no isolated trials or reports to implicate the use of vortioxetine in ED without associated MDD. It has been claimed that vortioxetine may be safer in subjects with sexual dysfunction as compared to traditional antidepressants.7 In a recent study, it was reported that vortioxetine uniquely appears safe and effective treatment as well as an effective add on alternative for ED associated with MDD.1 Another review conducted on 2 years of published papers, revealed that vortioxetine was comparable to placebo and favorable over other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors in terms of causing sexual dysfunction.8 Recent evidence also favors norepinephrine dopamine reuptake inhibitor (Bupropion)9 and 5-HT1A receptor agonists (vortioxetine and vilazodone) in facilitating sexual performance among patients with MDD. However, no research data are available to suggest the possible role of vortioxetine to improve ED independently. The mechanism of vortioxetine in humans is yet to be uncovered fully10; however, an additional 5-HT7 activity could potentially be implicated in restoring sexual dysfunction supported by data from animal studies.11-13 In our case, MDD improved on 3 different classes of antidepressants but ED seems to have responded uniquely and exclusively to vortioxetine. Possible improvement of ED with MDD cannot be ruled out completely. However subjective as well as objective improvement of ED on vortioxetine without other medications, the clear-cut difference in duration of ED and MDD, previously failed response to sertraline and mirtazapine (without 5-HT 7 activity) and a trail of improvement of ED faster than MDD suggests the possible independent role of vortioxetine in improving ED. Further research is required to study the role of vortioxetine in ED.

​

 

[DaveK22]

How are you doing with the wellbutrin

Well I'm 2 weeks & 3 days in so far on 150mg XR. Honestly not sure I feel any difference yet mentally. Anxiety & sleep seem same too. However, I do feel like my libido has increased a bit particularly in the mornings which is always welcome lol. The Doc said takes 3 weeks to start feeling anything so we'll see. Next Dr apt is the 24th so maybe we'll be discussing going to 300mg.