Wellbutrin® Withdrawal
(800) 889-9248
Some patients who stop taking Wellbutrin® might experience withdrawal symptoms.
Taking Wellbutrin® for Anxiety
Wellbutrin® is not generally used to treat anxiety. Research on Wellbutrin®'s effectiveness for treating anxiety disorders is scanty. A variety of pilot studies have been done to study the efficacy of Wellbutrin® for treating anxiety, and the results are inconclusive. Some studies have shown it to be as effective as many SSRIs (sustained release serotonin reuptake inhibitors), while others have shown it to be less effective.
Evidence does exist however that Wellbutrin® may well increase anxiety in some patients. The results also depend upon the definition of anxiety. If defined as mere nervousness, Wellbutrin® in one study caused less anxiety than the antidepressants Prozac® and Effexor®, about the same degree of anxiety as Paxil®, and greater anxiety than antidepressant medications Zoloft®, Remeron®, and Celexa®.
When anxiety is defined as more than simple nervousness, and instead is shown to be a combination of anxiety, agitation, sense of being unsettled, and hostility, Wellbutrin® performed worse than other antidepressants. In fact, the same study showed Wellbutrin® caused those symptoms in 13.9 percent of the people taking it, or three times the number of people on Paxil® and Zoloft®.
The Best Way to Quit Using Wellbutrin®
When stopping Wellbutrin®, it is important to:
- do so under a doctor's care
- reduce the dosage gradually over time
Wellbutrin®Withdrawal Symptoms
When stopping Wellbutrin®, the following flu-like symptoms occur in as many as 30 percent of patients and last for a week or two:
- muscle aches
- headaches
- nausea
- malaise
Withdrawal symptoms can last as long as a couple of months, however, and the following additional side effects have been reported:
- anxiety
- dizziness
- fatigue
- tingling sensations
- dizziness
- problems walking
- tremors
- restlessness
- visual hallucinations
- insomnia
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- blurred vision
- sweating
- fever
- stomach pain
- nightmares
- loss of appetite
- irritability
- confusion
- inability to focus and concentrate
- chills
- thoughts of suicide
- weakness
For more information, contact our Wellbutrin® attorneys today.
