Can I stop taking Wellbutrin suddenly or should I taper off?
Remember to talk to your doctor first, though, as some herbal supplements can interact poorly with certain medications or health conditions. Be prepared for Wellbutrin withdrawal to be a rollercoaster. Stay in touch with your doctor if symptoms concern you or make functioning difficult.
Step 1: Talk to Your Doctor
As an antidepressant that’s prescribed for major depressive disorder and for seasonal affective disorder, it can help you finally feel like yourself again after a long struggle with depression. It’s also a smoking cessation aid, so you might use it to finally kick cigarettes or nicotine to the curb and free yourself from the costs and complications of smoking. But Wellbutrin can cause a dependence of its own, and when you choose to stop taking it, you may experience withdrawals. Do not stop taking Wellbutrin without first speaking to your doctor.
Unlike the others, however, it carries a much lower risk of withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms of Wellbutrin may include excessive perspiration, digestive problems, insomnia, and others that are outlined in this article. If you are experiencing Wellbutrin withdrawal symptoms after stopping this antidepressant, make sure you alert your therapist or doctor so they can support you during this uncomfortable time. You may need extra therapy sessions to help you manage for a while. If you start to experience withdrawal symptoms, let your doctor know.
Wellbutrin Withdrawal
Tapering is essential for both physical safety and mental wellbeing. Whether you or someone you know is struggling with Wellbutrin addiction, taking the step to connect with Transcend could be your first step toward lasting recovery. It’s also important to remember recovery from addiction is a personal journey, and the path to recovery can vary for each individual. What works best will depend on the person’s unique circumstances, the extent of their addiction, and their commitment to change. Prolonged drug abuse can cause dependency, making it harder to go through Wellbutrin withdrawal and might lead to a cycle of continued use.
Help at Alternative to Meds for Safe and Comfortable Wellbutrin Withdrawal
As a leader in the sober living community, Transcend Recovery Community aims to shed light on this issue and help those suffering from Wellbutrin withdrawal. If you are in need of support regarding withdrawal and recovery assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Scroll on to learn more about Wellbutrin withdrawal and its effects. When used as a meth-like or cocaine-like stimulant, the drug is snorted or injected, releasing the drug into the bloodstream nearly instantly.31 These effects can lead to repeated use and addiction. The stimulant effects of Wellbutrin were overlooked in early research, but researchers have more closely studied these in recent years.
Wellbutrin Withdrawal Symptoms: Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome
According to Joseph Glenmullen, M.D., author of The Antidepressant Solution, irritability is a common symptom. In Glenmullen’s experience, patients quitting Wellbutrin often feel symptoms like those quitting nicotine do, such as extreme agitation and uncharacteristically hostile, rude, or aggressive behavior. Boca Recovery Center is here to provide the best quality care in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction. You live at the detox facility during Wellbutrin withdrawal but there is limited access to medical care. Take over-the-counter herbal supplements such as St. John’s Wort.
Some symptoms like depression and fatigue can last for weeks or months after quitting. Quitting Wellbutrin suddenly instead of tapering off slowly can cause significant withdrawal symptoms. Wellbutrin works differently than SSRIs and other common antidepressants.
Combining alcohol with Wellbutrin is strongly discouraged and can lead to various problems. Both substances impact the central nervous system, and their combination increases the risk of seizures, dizziness, impaired coordination, and other adverse effects. It is highly advisable to avoid alcohol while taking Wellbutrin to ensure your safety and well-being. Generally, research indicates that antidepressants could offer assistance to mothers dealing with perinatal depression. While the majority of findings appear reassuring and raise few concerns, it’s important to note that there may be potential adverse outcomes for fetuses.
- Do not attempt to stop bupropion or any antidepressant drug suddenly, or too quickly.
- The stimulant effects of Wellbutrin were overlooked in early research, but researchers have more closely studied these in recent years.
- There’s a specific timeline that individuals go through when overcoming Wellbutrin addiction.
- After you stop taking Wellbutrin, if you have withdrawal symptoms at all, they could last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
It’s important to commit to attending therapy on an ongoing basis so you can work through various issues, address mental health symptoms, and work through problems together. Wellbutrin, or bupropion, is classified as an antidepressant and is usually used to treat depression—though, the drug is also used as a smoking cessation aid under the name Zyban. Since Wellbutrin affects brain chemistry, it should not be stopped without consulting your doctor.
Related support groups
He graduated with an MD at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and did a residency in psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. He has also been an inpatient adult psychiatrist at Kaweah Delta Mental Health Hospital and the primary attending geriatric psychiatrist at the Auerbach Inpatient Psychiatric Jewish Home Hospital. In addition, he served as the general adult outpatient psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente. He is board-certified in psychiatry and neurology and has a B.A. His specialty is in natural healing techniques that promote the body’s innate ability to heal itself.
When you stop taking the medication, these neurotransmitter levels can drop significantly, leading to withdrawal symptoms. The severity of these symptoms depends on the dose and duration of treatment. Your ideal tapering regimen will depend on factors like your health and mental health, your dosage, how long you’ve been taking bupropion, and more. For this reason, you should work with the doctor who’s prescribing your medication and they can make a plan for you to taper your dosage safely. Wellbutrin is thought to treat depression by changing chemicals in the brain. As a result, it can sometimes cause uncomfortable symptoms for a while when you stop taking it.
- It’s crucial to stress that Wellbutrin should never be mixed with any other substance, regardless of the quantity.
- Rather, it affects the levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline.
- If you start to experience withdrawal symptoms, let your doctor know.
Treatment for MDD typically includes antidepressants, lifestyle modifications, and talk therapy, all aimed at enabling people to function effectively in daily life and minimizing the risk of relapse. There are also various resources available to help aid in recovery as well. Although can you stop wellbutrin cold turkey severe Wellbutrin withdrawal symptoms can be challenging and uncomfortable, they don’t typically occur suddenly.
Although Wellbutrin is most commonly used to treat depressive disorders, some people may misuse it in order to get high. They may abuse bupropion by crushing the pills and snorting the powder, although some people also inject this antidepressant too 5. How long will you have symptoms from Wellbutrin withdrawal, if you have them at all?