Started Buproprion

**Brazensol** · 10-07-2012, 03:35 PM

Started taking bupropion (wellbutrin) yesterday. Started at 100 mgs SR x 2 day. Taking it to see if it will enhance libido and increase orgasm sensation as well as energy level. Took my third dose this moring and so far I don't feel anything. Kind of disappointing since I have read so many posts where people get an almost immediate response, particularly energy levels. I know it can take several weeks to be effective so I'll give it a chance.

**Bigfoot66** · 10-07-2012, 07:57 PM

It will. Just takes time. I take it with Zoloft daily but only 150 mg. 300 wired me. 150 OK. If I could get more energy I'd be happy? But I'm hesitant to mess w dosage (I'm on 200 mg T wkly).

**Brazensol** · 10-07-2012, 08:03 PM

What kind of T levels you getting with 200 mgs/week?

**Bigfoot66** · 10-07-2012, 08:06 PM

Vicinity of 1000..at the top of Free T too. Am on AI as well.

**lovbyts** · 10-08-2012, 05:48 AM

I'm confused. I though wellbutrin and other anti depressant drugs typically caused ED, not enhanced anything.

Less serious Wellbutrin side effects may include:

headache or migraine;

sleep problems (insomnia);

nausea, vomiting, constipation, dry mouth;

dizziness, tremors (shaking);

appetite changes, weight loss or gain;

mild itching or skin rash, increased sweating; or

loss of interest in sex.

**LevMyshkin** · 10-08-2012, 05:58 AM

Originally Posted by lovbyts

I'm confused. I though wellbutrin and other anti depressant drugs typically caused ED, not enhanced anything.

Wellbutrin (aka Zyban, aka Bupropion) is the only drug in its class approved for use in the US. It's also one of the few antidepressants which actually raise sex drive. Having been on it for several years (not any more, though) I can tell you that it had me practically dry humping my bed in my sleep. So, yes, most antidepressants lower libido significantly, but Wellbutrin is completely different.

Also, though, remember that it takes time to kick in since it has to build up in your system. This ramp up phase typically takes any where from 10 days to a month. Three doses...if you're feeling anything after three days it'll be placebo effect. The good thing is that if the other sides (some people get aggressive, some people get dry mouth, others feel like they're wired on caffeine...most people lose 10-15 lbs on it) it's also one of the easiest antidepressants to come off. Trust me - other antidepressants have some seriously scary sides when trying to come off them. Wellbutrin...eh, not so much. If you have a family history of seizure, curb the alcohol. Otherwise, it's super safe.

Can you look into getting the XL version? It might be easier for you and the XL is also available in generic now as well. It's once a day dosing, so it might be easier for you.

**Brazensol** · 10-08-2012, 07:25 AM

I don't mind the twice a day but can certainly look into the XL version. I would rather have the 'real deal' instead of generic but I have to work within the retired military system so probably only going to get the generic. (I was amazed I managed to get a daily cialis from the sytem)! For some people it will decrease sex drive but they are the minority. Wellbutrin is actually used to counteract SSRI's sex drive side effects. For some people it has neither a positive or negative sex drive attribute. It is also the only anti depressent that does not cause weight gain but again a minority will gain some weight.

I've never wanted a side effect from a drug before but this time I'm hoping!

**lovbyts** · 10-08-2012, 07:39 AM

Hmmm well what to do with the bottle of Wellbutrin I have had sitting in my medicine cabinet for a couple of years? It was actually prescribed to me for add of all things and once I looked up the profile I said No thanks. I dont want to take anything associated with anti depressant due to job classification.

**Brazensol** · 10-08-2012, 08:43 AM

I would check with boss before taking it. If your boss is approachable about such things... Or HR department? I have read several posts on other forums for people using it for ADD. They seemed to have positive results. I was hesitant to try it also but of all the AD's this one seems to be the least likely to have negative sides. So far all I have experienced is a bit of nausea on the first dose and a slight (very slight) feeling similiar (yet different) to caffeine jitters. Hard to describe.

**juice2012** · 10-08-2012, 05:11 PM

Welbutrin increases sex drive instead of lowers it because it's a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor. Most anti-depressants are SSRIs which work on serotonin.

**Brazensol** · 10-08-2012, 08:30 PM

From what I've read Wellbutrin is given to people who use SSRI's for depression to counter act the SSRI's libido reducing side effects.

**Phased** · 10-08-2012, 08:38 PM

I takes me forever to go as well and not in a good way, I have to work my ass off to get there and sometimes don't make it. I don't know if I will start taking pills for it, just life I guess and getting older. If I had the stamina I had now when I was 21 I would have been considered a god by the high school girls. Life has a weird way of sticking it to you. This too is something I will never understand.

**Hackamaniac** · 10-08-2012, 08:57 PM

I take wellbutrin xl 150 mg a day...It has never increased my libido or made orgasms better..My libido was alot higher before wellburtrin..I definitely wouldn't take it just for libido.... Unless you have a panic disorder, ocd, or depression, I don't understand why you'd take it.... And yes, it can have side effects also, tends to make me more irritable.

**Phased** · 10-08-2012, 08:59 PM

Good post, Brenz maybe rethink taking it? Sounds like its gonna make it worse not better brother.

**Brazensol** · 10-08-2012, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by Hackamaniac

I take wellbutrin xl 150 mg a day...It has never increased my libido or made orgasms better..My libido was alot higher before wellburtrin..I definitely wouldn't take it just for libido.... Unless you have a panic disorder, ocd, or depression, I don't understand why you'd take it.... And yes, it can have side effects also, tends to make me more irritable.

Because for many people it makes libido stronger. Also, sometimes, it increases orgasm sensation. I won't know if I don't try.

**Brazensol** · 10-08-2012, 09:13 PM

Originally Posted by Phased

I takes me forever to go as well and not in a good way, I have to work my ass off to get there and sometimes don't make it. I don't know if I will start taking pills for it, just life I guess and getting older. If I had the stamina I had now when I was 21 I would have been considered a god by the high school girls. Life has a weird way of sticking it to you. This too is something I will never understand.

Perhaps God has a wicked sense of humor...

**Brazensol** · 10-08-2012, 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by Phased

Good post, Brenz maybe rethink taking it? Sounds like its gonna make it worse not better brother.

Hard to say how I will respond to it. I'll give it 8 weeks and see what happens.

**reporich** · 10-08-2012, 11:24 PM

I recently stopped taking wellbutrin XL 300mg after 10 years of taking it. It never helped libido or orgasm, I also have ADD and didn't notice it help that at all. Thanks to TRT I felt like walking away from it and I never noticed a difference without it?

**TheSpoonyBard** · 10-09-2012, 10:23 AM

I've been on Wellbutrin XL 150mgX2/Day for a long time now. It's been one of the best AD's I've used out of MANY over the years. As far as "increasing sex drive" I can dispell that notion for you. What it DOES do is helps the depression without as many of the typical sexually depressive qualities of most other AD's. it a good med and there is no correlation between its use and T levels so far as I know or have researched. If that was the case I would've dumped that shit as soon as I found out how low my T levels were after my initial BW when starting TRT back in July. It will typically take a minimum of 2 weeks to start feeling ANY difference in mood though. Takes time. Hope my real world experience with bupropion has helped. Good luck, bro. -Spoon

**Brazensol** · 10-09-2012, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by TheSpoonyBard

I've been on Wellbutrin XL 150mgX2/Day for a long time now. It's been one of the best AD's I've used out of MANY over the years. As far as "increasing sex drive" I can dispell that notion for you. What it DOES do is helps the depression without as many of the typical sexually depressive qualities of most other AD's. it a good med and there is no correlation between its use and T levels so far as I know or have researched. If that was the case I would've dumped that shit as soon as I found out how low my T levels were after my initial BW when starting TRT back in July. It will typically take a minimum of 2 weeks to start feeling ANY difference in mood though. Takes time. Hope my real world experience with bupropion has helped. Good luck, bro. -Spoon

All that dispells is that it didn't work for you as a libido booster. I know it doesn/t work for everyone (very few things do) but it will for some. I am 100% sure my issues are not depression driven and I am beginning to wonder, like you mentioned, if it is mostly beneficial to individuals suffering depression.

**Hackamaniac** · 10-09-2012, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by Brazensol

All that dispells is that it didn't work for you as a libido booster. I know it doesn/t work for everyone (very few things do) but it will for some. I am 100% sure my issues are not depression driven and I am beginning to wonder, like you mentioned, if it is mostly beneficial to individuals suffering depression.

Then why would it help you?? It's definitely more likely to help someones libido if they are deprressed....Taking an antidepressant for libido and orgasms seems a bit strange.....You could take something else that would probably work better...Going off antidepressants also can be very hard...Have to ween off or can have terrible withdrawals.... Good luck!

**Brazensol** · 10-09-2012, 06:41 PM

Because it is a side effect of the medication. Therefore a doctor can prescribe it for off label use. Getting of wellbutrin is not like other SSRI's and is not habit forming. Simply cutting the dose down over a period of a few weeks will be sufficient to cease use and no drama. Below are a couple of things I have found while researching the libido effect.

---bupropion does not cause weight gain or sexual dysfunction; in most studies, groups placed on bupropion showed statistically significant increases in sexual functioning (libido), and mild to moderate weight loss.

---Several studies have indicated that bupropion also relieves sexual dysfunction in people who do not have depression. In a mixed-gender double-blind study, 63% of subjects on a 12-week course of bupropion rated their condition as improved or much improved, versus 3% of subjects on placebo.

I think giving this a try is reasonable. If it works GREAT! If not then nothing lost.

**Hackamaniac** · 10-09-2012, 07:00 PM

[QUOTE=Brazensol;6204343]Because it is a side effect of the medication. Therefore a doctor can prescribe it for off label use. Getting of wellbutrin is not like other SSRI's and is not habit forming. Simply cutting the dose down over a period of a few weeks will be sufficient to cease use and no drama. Below are a couple of things I have found while researching the libido effect.

---bupropion does not cause weight gain or sexual dysfunction; in most studies, groups placed on bupropion showed statistically significant increases in sexual functioning (libido), and mild to moderate weight loss.

---Several studies have indicated that bupropion also relieves sexual dysfunction in people who do not have depression. In a mixed-gender double-blind study, 63% of subjects on a 12-week course of bupropion rated their condition as improved or much improved, versus 3% of subjects on placebo.

I think giving this a try is reasonable. If it works GREAT! If not then nothing lost.[/QUOTE

That's one study..Yes, wellbutrin can have side effects..And if you are on it very long, a couple weeks of tapering down is not near enough time...I say this from experience, not from a study. You can also get brain zaps trying to go off of it, a very strange feeling... It might not be habit forming persay, but if you quit cold turkey you'd feel terrible.

**Brazensol** · 10-09-2012, 07:34 PM

Any drug can have sides. It's the nature of the beast. Those comments were actually from two seperate studies. Granted there aren't many out there as of yet but more may be in the works. I won't have been on it very long because if by 8 weeks (or sooner) nothing is happening then I will stop taking it and, at least as of now, I am on a low dose. I haven't found any references anywhere of people having trouble getting off of it. SSRI's yes, but bupropion is in a class all it's own and was the major reason I decided to give it a try. If this was an SSRI I would have said no. Thanks for wishing me good luck by the way!

**reporich** · 10-09-2012, 09:17 PM

I didn't taper down, I just stopped taking 300mg a day. I didn't notice anything different, Im not suggesting others do it the way I did it just worked out for me.

**TheSpoonyBard** · 10-09-2012, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by reporich

I didn't taper down, I just stopped taking 300mg a day. I didn't notice anything different, Im not suggesting others do it the way I did it just worked out for me.

I've gone "cold turkey" with Wellbutrin many times in the past as well after extended periods of usage either due to financial, or insurance issues, not being able to get to a doc in time and running out of refills. Hell, I've quit before just because I was sick of taking it and wanted to see if it really was making a difference. I noticed that as I age, like with most everything else as we age, it becomes increasingly hard to up and quit without some sort of side effect now. The absolute worst time I ever had with an ssri, as far as quitting outright without any taper was with Effexor. Bad news bears there. That's one little bastard you don't want to mess with. Anyways, I hope the Wellbutrin helps and gets you horny as hell to boot. I thought I'd share my long time personal experience.

**Brazensol** · 10-10-2012, 06:49 AM

I figure it's worth a try with minimal sides effects. I am hoping for good results. Thanks!

**Brazensol** · 10-11-2012, 07:10 PM

Temporarily stopped the bupropion! I have another thread here talking about my blood pressure creeping up to what I can only attribute to the T cyp. Wife took my bp Tuesday and it was 142/102. Increased bp is a side of bupropion (as well as exogenous test) and I have stopped taking it and will wait for it to clear my system and reaccess my bp. I can accept increased bp for the test but I don't need the bupropion that bad. A few other sides I noticed from the bupropion is slight constant headache (now gone) and a noticable increased ringing in my ears. Also I seemed a bit more agitated the last few days before stopping (last dose was Tuesday night). Ringing in ears seems back to normal, agitation gone and so is the low grade headache.

**Hackamaniac** · 10-11-2012, 09:34 PM

Originally Posted by Brazensol

Temporarily stopped the bupropion! I have another thread here talking about my blood pressure creeping up to what I can only attribute to the T cyp. Wife took my bp Tuesday and it was 142/102. Increased bp is a side of bupropion (as well as exogenous test) and I have stopped taking it and will wait for it to clear my system and reaccess my bp. I can accept increased bp for the test but I don't need the bupropion that bad. A few other sides I noticed from the bupropion is slight constant headache (now gone) and a noticable increased ringing in my ears. Also I seemed a bit more agitated the last few days before stopping (last dose was Tuesday night). Ringing in ears seems back to normal, agitation gone and so is the low grade headache.

I've never had any bp problems on Wellbutrin

I have had increased bp on test cyp though.. Good luck coming off..

I have had trouble coming off wellbutrin, but I'm very sensitive to all meds.

**Brazensol** · 10-12-2012, 11:48 AM

On my third day now an now problems at all. Only thing is the sides are diminished or gone. Wife took bp last night and it is back down to where it was before the bupropion 130/90. I think this is being driven by the T cyp.

**Hackamaniac** · 10-12-2012, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by Brazensol

On my third day now an now problems at all. Only thing is the sides are diminished or gone. Wife took bp last night and it is back down to where it was before the bupropion 130/90. I think this is being driven by the T cyp.

Good to hear! Have you donated blood since you've started trt??? That might help with blood pressure.

**Brazensol** · 10-12-2012, 04:16 PM

I had blood drawn today and will see how the blood panels look. I naturally run kind of high with the hematocrit (suspect some degree of sleep apnea) but it has so far gone down with trt! Weird. Still, even if all looks well, blood donation might be an option.

**Chief N~** · 10-12-2012, 05:25 PM

I used wellbutrin a couple years back for 2 days. Killed my libido, would never do again.

**Hackamaniac** · 10-12-2012, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by Chief N~

I used wellbutrin a couple years back for 2 days. Killed my libido, would never do again.

2 days is not long enough to tell.. All the side effects usually start early and most go away.

**Brazensol** · 10-12-2012, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by Chief N~

I used wellbutrin a couple years back for 2 days. Killed my libido, would never do again.

Er, different strokes for different folks? lol. Two days might be enough to get the sides but not the benefits. That said it may very well have killed your libido as all medications react differently to each individual. From what I can find it's a roughly 50/50 shot as to whether it will help libido or not.