anyone with experience with wellbutrin?

[fizzgig]

my husband just started it to help him stop smoking. he said it's making him grumpy, but he's pretty grumpy anyway, so all i could do was at him tonight. which, of course, makes me feel like an asshole. he's tried to quit a few times before, so i know what to expect as far as the quitting smoking thing goes, but i have no idea what the meds may do.

of course, i'm feeling like more of an asshole because i am in no way, shape or form interested in quitting. my job, which means my life, just got way more complicated and stressful. but the bottom line is that i don't want to quit, i don't know how i can be successful if i'm not ready. i know i have to quit at some point, but that time is not now.

anyway, anything i should be aware of?

edit: he's taken it before but said it's different this time. it might help if i ask how it's different. go me :eyeroll:

[fizzgig]

4. he took the initial doses before bedtime and has been antsy

he's up to two a day now and i'm hoping it tapers off because he usually has to get up early.

as far as the weight loss goes, he's a bigger guy and will likely be happy if that happens.

[elleng]

2. Took it for a while for depression;

was ok, but changed to something else. NO IDEA what its effect on smoking cessation would be. Wiki says: is an atypical antidepressant and smoking cessation aid. It binds selectively to the dopamine transporter, but its behavioural effects have often been attributed to its inhibition of norepinephrine reuptake.[3][4] It also acts as a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist.[5][6]

I guess you know all that. Good luck to him.

[fizzgig]

5. thanks, ellen

[Kali]

3. supposed to help with cravings, impulse, depression

I tried it for about 4 months last year (supposed to be in conjuntion with some behavioral modification/therapy for weight loss, but I got shafted by a shitty agency as all they wanted to do was hand out the pills)

quit both the pills and the group when I still hadn't seen a therapist in that whole time.

[fizzgig]

7. no therapy with this

although he could use it. i do need to ask when he sees a doc next.

[Kali]

9. I meant I was supposed to get it

I think it is very commonly used for smoking cessation and prescribed all the time with or without therapy - it is an old well established drug and has helped a lot of people for smoking and wieght loss (and some OCD symptoms too I guess) if it works it will help, if it doesn't it seems to be fairly harmless most of the time. some of these drugs can be trickier. this is an old standby from what I understand.

[fizzgig]

12. thanks, kali

[mzteris]

6. Meds are different for each individual.

It's really hard to deduce whether or not a drug is going to be ok for someone because it was or was not ok for someone else.

That said, MY experience with welbutron off and on for more years than I'd like to admit has all been pretty side effect free. Pretty amazing since if there is an obscure side effect to a drug to be had, I'll usually have it.

My worst experiences with it have been when I decided I didn't need it and quit either via tapering or (shudder)cold turkey. NOT advisable.

Went back on a year or so ago, I don't plan to ever be stupid enough to try and quit again.

My suggestion is he takes it in the morning if he's having trouble sleeping. But always ask your doctor or pharmacist.

[fizzgig]

13. yeah, going off meds cold turkey is a terrible idea

did it once with effexor and never, ever want to experience that again.

thanks for your input

[mzteris]

17. even tapering off effexor

was one of the worst. ackkk.... zap zap zap. It took quite some time to do gradually, but the withdrawal zaps were still awful.

[2theleft]

10. No personal experience, but several co-workers have tried it

I know 4 coworkers who have taken it to help quit smoking.

It made one of them (young, 25 year old female) VERY agitated and prone to reacting before she thought about things...kind of emotional for a good few months. We all knew what was going on, so we understood and supported her through it. She's has not smoked in about 6 months now. And, now that her personality is back to her usual sweet self, we do tease her about the evil twin that visited us for those first few months.

Another co-worker, mid-40's male used it about 5 years ago. Prior to the meds, he was a VERY laid back guy...while on them, I sometimes wondered if he was asleep with his eyes open. No agitation, just way mellow. Did not help him kick his habit.

Two others, my age - 40-ish, and female. No noticeable personality changes. One was able to quit, one wasn't.

I'm in the same boat as you - I know I need to quit, in theory I want to quit, but the timing is horrid. It is a goal for sometime this year. Still trying to figure out how I'm going to approach it/which method I will use.

Let us know how he does on the meds and if he's successfully able to quit. Tell him good luck from me!! I hope he can do it!

[fizzgig]

14. thanks for sharing your experience

i'm hoping it will help him quit because i know that's what he wants. the agitation is probably my biggest concern, but mostly because i am not in a place right now to be able to deal with it.

last time i quit, i just did it cold turkey and stayed quit for a couple of years, then just smoked socially on occasion for a few more years. i picked it back up fully about nine years ago.

i hope it helps him quit because i know that's what he wants.

good luck to you too

[Tobin S.]

11. I've taken it for almost ten years

Last edited Sun Jan 20, 2013, 04:21 PM - Edit history (1)

It was originally prescribed to treat the depressive aspects of my illness. I haven't had any trouble with it. The only side affect I've noticed was increased libido, which for most people isn't a bad thing.

I quit smoking 6 months ago cold turkey. I don't if the Wellbutrin helped me or not. I had a pretty rough time of it, but it's all been worth it. I rarely think about smoking anymore.

[fizzgig]

15. six months no smoking is wonderful

he just started the meds but is just tapering off the smokes right now. i know the agitation that comes naturally when you quit, i'm hoping it isn't compound that what i'm already seeing.

thanks for sharing your experiences with me, this is beyond mine.

[Tobin S.]

16. I'm thinking that he's abnormally grumpy because of nicotine withdrawal

Last edited Sun Jan 20, 2013, 04:22 PM - Edit history (1)

You still experience that with Wellbutrin. I guess you just feel better about it.

[fizzgig]

21. he's naturally grumpy

and it's his birthday, which is making him all the grumpier.

i hope he starts feeling better about the grumpy soon

[libodem]

18. I took it to quit smoking

And stayed on it for a while for the depression. I did quit but with patches and gum. Wellbutrin is an old night time antidepressant, reworked into a new brand name and capabilities. It is really practically worthless as to having any effect. I liked it because I had almost no side effects and very mild to almost imperceivable theraputic effect.

About the quitting smoking... what I noticed about myself, was how emotionally tied I was to them, if I was angry about anything, smoking took it away. I was a real grumpy quitter, and that isn't my normal style. I'm calm and level headed. But not without those cigs. I watched myself get worked up and crabby, during my quit phases, that in my mind entitled me to a smoke, to calm down. I didn't realize until that point how intertwined the process was. Good luck to your husband, and you. He might try and unconsciously take it out on you, but remember it is not personal, it really is HIM, ( and those fucking cigarettes)

[2theleft]

19. You are so right - the emotional tie...

that is the hardest part to get over. The old friend, the one that makes you feel calm, or awake, or whatever it is you need to feel at the time. The psychological tie to smoking is huge.

I was a crabby quitter in the many times I've tried (unsuccessfully so far) to quit. You know it's bad when you can't even stand to be around yourself because you are so grumpy!

Congrats to you on quitting!

[libodem]

20. Thanks

I tried to fake it but if you are a suspected smoker, the medical community, has zero mercy on you for any condition related or unrelated to smoking. Before I had my last back surgery, I knew I had to be totally over it, so my fusion would heal, correctly. Yep, it turned me in to a surly bitch on wheels, but the wheels, fell off, some time ago. Now, I'm just a regular bitch.

[fizzgig]

22. it really is an emotional thing

and probably the biggest thing that makes me not want to quit myself because work has gotten a lot more stressful. stepping out for a smoke makes it easier to deal with.

he's got some gum, too, so i'm hoping that will help with the withdrawal.

the taking it personally thing is going to be the biggest challenge as i can be sensitive at times, especially if i'm stressed out.

the next few months are going to be very entertaining.

[libodem]

23. Keep your sense of humor

And know you will be blamed irrationally for his bad mood, which is his craving seeking an excuse to be satisfied.
I hate being blamed for stuff that is not my fault, because 'it is not fair'. That's when I want to go to pieces, because my sense of fair play is violated. I can't stand injustice. So hopefully both of you can be aware and take responsibility for your own emotional stuff.

Don't buy in, remember who's problem it is, and stay supportive and loving.

The longer he goes, the more he will be able to use distraction, to counter the obcession.

Hope he has a 'something', for a substitute, carrot sticks, candies, gum, knitting, rubix cube.....punching bag, xanax,