WELLBUTRIN XL Reviews (BUPROPION)Average Rating: 3.4 (1462 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare WELLBUTRIN XL with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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More on WELLBUTRIN XL: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR WELLBUTRIN XL | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 5 | depression | Side effect is diminishes my appetite and cravings which I find to be a positive for weight maintenance. I took the Brand for 15 years, switched to generics for the last 5 years and tried all manufacturers. None of them worked like the Brand. I've gone back too the Brand for the last month and it works great. The generics in the XL's are not bioequivalent. Some have been taken off the market over the years. | F | 60 | 20 years 300mg XL 1X day | 12/6/2019 | 5 | Depression | F | 70 | 15 years 300mg 1X day | 12/7/2019 | 5 | I was Just Blue | The side effect is being able to live my life normally. | Hah! You probably think i am hard core for taking that dosage, but I probably would not be alive if not. Fifteen or sixteen years ago, my life became very stressful with sick elderly parents, a brother with cancer and a young son diagnosed with a neurological disorder. Until then, I was on no meds. I first experienced anxiety but Paxil saved me there. I had to go on thyroid medication and I needed estrogen and progesterone. Things were good for a while then I became "Blue". It was severe. I was sad. Yes, I had plenty to be sad about, but life had to go on so off I went to the dr again. I was prescribed 150mg of Wellbutrin XL to start. Not much happened so my dose was changed to 300 mg's. That worked for several years and then I started to get blue again so my doctor bumped me up to 450 mgs. I take a 300 and a 150 per day. This dose continues to work for me several years later. I don't know what I'll do if it stops because this is as high as you can safely go. Any higher can put you at a risk for seizures. I absolutely do not have any bad side effects AS LONG as I stay on the name brand. The GENERIC DOES NOT WORK for most people. The interesting thing is that while I needed a higher dose of Wellbutrin, I am super sensitive to Prozac as just 5 mgs will make me very apathetic. My dose of Paxil cr is 25 mgs and I have found the generic, paroxitine, to work just fine. | F | 55 | 15 years 450 MG 1X day | 10/24/2014 | 5 | depression (bipolar) | Loss of appetite at beginning - lost weight. Tremors, which were worse when I was taking depakote. Still have them but less now that I take lamotrigine (Lamicatal) as a mood stabilizer. | This med has saved my life. Other meds get tweaked occasionally but Wellbutrin has been a constant. I can't tolerate any SSRIs for depression. They totally sedate me. | F | 54 | 15 years 300mg 1X day | 10/31/2014 | 5 | Depression | At the time I started taking Wellbutrin XL I was taking Prozac but felt I needed a little "boost". Psych Dr. added the Wellbutrin XL. I lost 5 to 10 pounds initially and found I wasn't "grazing" all day. Eventually weaned off the Prozac and have continued with the Wellbutrin XL. | My insurance company, UHC, refused to continue paying for the name brand as of January 2016. My Dr. will not prescribe the generic nor would I take it if he did. As someone else suggested, Google the generic. What I've read is pretty frightening and the FDA is irresponsible in their decision to give drug companies the OK to continue providing these useless generics to unsuspecting patients. Direct Success Pharmacy works with the provider of the name brand. It's a very easy process to get the name brand through this avenue. Some patients may not have to pay for the drug while others pay 50 dollars for a months supply. Your Dr. can write a script for up to three months at a time. For what I pay in insurance premiums every month, it's pretty crappy that insurers are allowed to make these decisions for subscribers. It's happening more and more unfortunately and with most insurers. | F | 55 | 15 years 300 mg 1X day | 3/20/2016 | 5 | Bipolar II, depression | headache, metallic taste in mouth, very slight nausea | I have been depressed and moody since I was a small child. The only drug that helps seems to be Wellbutrin. This is a wonder drug for me. I feel energized and happy, I sleep better (contrary to most people's experience), and best of all I don't have the horrible depressed thoughts I tend to have when I don't take meds. I also take lithium 600 mg/day with the Wellbutrin, and I think the lithium helps me not get too hyped up and anxious. When I started this drug 15 years ago I took Wellbutrin (not XL) and it was almost as good. The XL is nicer though, it smooths out the troughs and peaks and seems to be easier on the system. Love, love, love this drug. | F | 57 | 15 years 300 mg 1X day | 3/20/2013 | 4 | ADD | dry mouth, slight muscle twitching, feels like your head is being clamped or weight over the eyes. Can increase situational anxiety. Some insomnia (waking up to early especially). Still feel random bouts of brain fog and being zoned out. | I notice I've taken this medicine longer than anyone else I can find on this site which scares me a little. I've been worried about long term effects because I have obviously changed physiologically in that time. It was the only medicine that helped me focus more but I do find I'm foggy, zoned out, on a semi-consistent basis, I also think it can exacerbates anxiety, slight feelings of twitching, or like your head is being squeezed or clamped. Or like there's a weight over your eyes. i have dry mouth, no sexual side effects. I am going through situation anxiety now and may need to add something different. I literally thought I might die when trying to ween off of it... I was so dizzy and felt massively sedated. Also what felt like small electrical shocks zapping at my brain convinced me to not ween off of it. I figured being on it for 15 years maybe I'm completely chemically dependent on it. I do wonder what I'd be like off this drug. I cannot remember. If you have weening off advice im interested. | M | 34 | 15 years 300mg XL 1X day | 2/11/2011 | 4 | Depression | It's been several years since I started this anti depressant but the side effect that still stands out is a weight loss of between 5 and 7 pounds. | My insurance company, Oxford, had been covering name brand Wellbutrin XL until last year. I then started receiving the drug through the patient assistance program at Direct Success. The program was great; I was able to get 90 tablets through a script from my doctor costing 150 dollars. Last week at my appointment my Doctor mentioned that he had faxed a new script to DS. Usually DS would get in touch with me shortly thereafter to let me know when I could expect my order to arrive. I waited a few days and finally called them. It seems the drug company, Valeant, has now dropped the program! DS still covers WBXL through Valeant's discount coupons but will only fill 60 tablets at a time and only as long as the coupons don't expire. If you google Valeant you can find numerous articles as to why they are no longer working with DS. That being said DS NEVER advised me of this change which took place back in October. No phone call, no email. I suspect in the very near future DS will no longer be able to supply Wellbutrin XL at all. The generics don't work for me and at 1600 dollars for 30 tablets of name brand it's not a consideration to pay out of pocket. When the time comes I will be forced to stop taking WBXL. Sure there are other antidepressants but after 15+ years on this med I'm not anxious to start a trial and error with other meds. | F | 54 | 15 years 300 mg 1X day | 12/20/2016 | 5 | Depression | None known. | Since starting this medication in 1993 I have stopped taking it a couple of times, once for 6 months, I always came back to it. I've tried SSRI's like Lexapro, zoloft, etc. & they knock me out. I do have some OCPD like thinking patterns but that's okay. The final thing is I have other addictions that aren't being helped by this but I am not depressed. | M | 51 | 13 years | 3/15/2006 | 5 | depression | The only side effects i've had is when I tried to take the generic of Wellbutrin. I've tried the generic twice... XL once a day then 100mg twice a day. Within a week I was could tell I was going back where I didn't want to be. IT DOES NOT WORK!!! | The makers of the brand Wellbutrin have made it impossible for me to continue taking it after 10 years. My copay is up to $400.00 for 3 months. I can't afford that. Its a shame that Americans are having to pay such high copays to make up for what the rest of the world is getting free or almost free. If I lived in Canada I could this same medication for $90.00 / 3 months. | F | 53 | 10 years 150mg 1X day | 3/5/2011 | 5 | depression | none | I want to thank the person who suggested the web site for obtaining my medication at a VERY reasonable price. THANK YOU!! I can not afford the $400.00 co-pay my insurance company was asking. And to the person who suggested the 'tier option".. been there- done that..NO go... NO exceptions. | 53 | 10 years 150mg 1X day | 4/22/2011 | 5 | anxiety, OCD, depression | Nausea, fatigue-briefly | I hope everyone that reads these reviews realizes that EVERYONE is made up differently and has completely different reactions to medications. What works for me may not work for you. In my experience, this is the only medication that works for me 100%. I have been on it for at least 10 years and was off during my pregnancy in 09. A week after I had my son, I had a severe postpartum episode and my doc told me to take my Wellbutrin right away. I was hoping to stay off of the meds for good. By the next day, I felt a little better and within a week, I was back to myself. I owe a lot to Wellbutrin. I would not have been able to care for my own child if I didn't have it. On the other hand, when I went to 300 mg, I had severe rage. It was unreal! I know my limit now but won't give up the Wellbutrin b/c I've seen first-hand how it has helped me. I've also seen it do the exact opposite to others. I feel the need to review the medication b/c of how well it works for me but I hope that everyone 'googling' medications realizes that it's trial and error if you're at the point where you need medication. GOOD LUCK! | F | 36 | 10 years 150 1X day | 2/5/2012 | 5 | Depression | When I started I had severe headaches for the first seven weeks. At week 7 the headaches subsided and have never had any more side effects | I have been taking brand Wellbutrin for 30 years and it has been a life saver. When the generic came out my pharmacist changed me from brand to generic and my depression symptoms returned. I called my doctor and he said what took you so long to realize. He said many of his patients were having similar problems. All these years my insurance supplied me with the brand drug. My drug plan notified me that January 1st they will no longer supply me with the brand name. If I want the brand name it will cost me thousands of dollars. I do not understand how a drug plan has the authority to switch a person to generic when the generic does not work. All antidepressants work for me but they all make me physically ill. Wellbutrin was the only drug that resolved my depression with no physical side effects. | M | 70 | 10 years 450 mg | 11/5/2015 | 5 | Depression | I take bupropion SR 100mg so it is slow release. The only side effect was mildly increased anxiety. So I had to increase my dose of lorazepam but then my anxiety and depression was under good control with no side effects. | For me this decreased the depression and increased my energy and motivation. Did not seem to cause weight gain and did not have any negative sexual side effects. After 7 years, I did have to eventually go on Zoloft to treat my depression which had increased. Then the depression was under good control but Zoloft did have moderate side effects. | F | 45 | 10 years 100mg 1X day | 4/27/2022 | 4 | depression | hair loss, weight loss, nervousness if taken too late at night. If you miss a couple of doses I became really dizzy (spinning effect) | like it b/c you only have to remember to take it one time a day. This med did not make me gain weight (weight neutral drug) | F | 46 | 10 years | 4/8/2008 | 5 | Dysthymia | No negative side effects, only positives. However, more than one doctor has told me Wellbutrin XL could be playing a role in my insomnia. And, it stopped working after 7 years. | I started Wellbutrin SR in 2000 & switched to XL in 2003. It was a miracle drug for me; it helped my mood, energy level, outlook on life, motivation, social interaction, aches & pains, & brain fog almost immediately. And for the first time in my adult life, I had a normal libido! I not only desired sex, but completely enjoyed it! I lost 30 pounds & noticed no alcohol interaction. After 3 years on it, I was able to leave an unsatisfying marriage & an unsatisfying job. My insurance switched me to the generic in January 2007. About 4 months later, I realized I was starting to feel like I did before I started Wellbutrin in 2000: apathetic, cynical, unmotivated, aches & pains, physical & mental fatigue, word retrieval difficulty, 'brain fog', low sex drive, unsociable & irritable. Through research, I learned that many people were not responding to the generic as well as the name-brand drug. I never even thought about the fact that the generic had a diffe | F | 46 | 9 years | 1/17/2009 | 5 | Severe chronic depression | ringing in ears, trembling in my hands, weight loss (which I needed), constipation, occasional dry mouth, (on the SR-->) terrible stomach pains so I was put on XL to alleviate that and it worked | I was on and off Wellbutrin for 9 years. I had treatment resistent depression and tried Zoloft, Paxil, Remeron, Depakote...so many I've forgotten now and the first time I was put on Wellbutrin I would say it saved my life. I weighed 240 pounds and ended up at 160. When it reached it's plateau I went off of it and tried another drug I gained 30 pounds. When that new drug didn't help me I was off all drugs for 2 awful years and finally went back on Wellbutrin 1 year ago and have lost those 30 pounds. My main complaint with the SR was the stomach pains but the XL is heaven sent as far as I am concerned. I dread the next plateau because that means 1 year+ of possible depression again. But I will ONLY come back to Wellbutrin for the rest of my life. P.S. All other anti-depressants killed my libido however Wellbutrin has solved that problem. | F | 33 | 9 years | 4/16/2005 | 5 | Adult ADD, Clinical Depression | Dry Mouth | Almost immediately after starting this medication I experienced a lifting of the fog that had covered my mind for my entire life.It gives me energy,a relief from depressive thoughts and the ability to focus. What a godsend! | F | 47 | 8 years | 8/2/2005 | 5 | depression / bi-polar | The first month or so of taking wellbutrin SR (300mg) made me experience dry mouth, insomnia, loss of appitite and a strange feeling every time I swallowed. It was like the timing of my swallowing was off and each time I swallowed, I swallowed air. Obviously some bloating accompanied it. | After the initial side effects went away, I experienced great relief from my depression. However I was more irratable than ever. It was paired with Depakote (made my hair fall out) and then Tegretol. That second combination has made my life so much better for the last 8 years. I still have dry mouth and my eyes feel dry often, and sitting in a windy area for an extended time will give me a headache. But that discomfort is so worth the stability and patience I now have. | F | 30 | 8 years | 7/15/2005 | 5 | Depression | Modest weight loss, renewed interest in sex | This drug has truly saved my life more than once. I cannot tolerate SSRIs or MAOIs, and Wellbutrin literally gets me out of bed in the morning. It has brought back motivation I had lost due to depression, and I am able to view problems more realistically. Have never had a thought of suicide while on this medicine, because it lifts me up so much: it makes me ME again. No other antidepressant has been able to match Wellbutrin XL's lifesaving effects. My doctor mentioned that I should never try the generic because studies have shown that it doesn't work as well as the name brand, so now that the generic is often substituted in American pharmacies I buy this from a pharmacy in Canada. Canadian cost is 1/3 the price of how much I pay with insurance in the US! Every once in a while when the medication at 300mg is too much, my doctor reduces the amount to 150mg and vice versa if I'm needing more medication. I could not live without this medicine, and I truly believe that I am still alive t | F | 27 | 8 years | 5/11/2008 |
WELLBUTRIN XL (BUPROPION): This medication is used to treat depression. It may also be used to prevent seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that occurs each year at the same time (for example, during winter). This medication can improve your mood and feelings of well-being. It may work by restoring the balance of certain natural substances (dopamine, norepinephrine) in the brain. FDA Approval Date: 2003-08-28 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)