I was diagnosed with depression and have been taking 200 mg of Wellbutrin a day, starting dose. Seems I have started itching, quite uncontrollably. No rash, just an intense itch...which gets more severe about two hours after each Wellbutrin pill. It stays for a while, abates for a while, comes back....
This med was slightly starting to work and I had few other problems so I hate to stop taking it. The pharmacist told me to stop to see if the Wellbutrin was the culprit, something about it being one of the dyes they use in the pill. The only other things I take are BCP's and Bactrim DS, which have never caused itching before.
Do I need to quit taking it? Is this a common side effect of Wellbutrin? What are my options? Being depressed and starting nursing school next week.....this is NOT what I had in mind!
Maybe itching is just a reaction milder than hives Jen.??
Interesting comment about the generic causing the itching. I am on generic. I suppose I could try brand name but how much would that cost. Ouch. I am a poor student over here! :)
I am on 100 mg, twice per day. I doubt that 100 mg a day will do anything since I was wondering if 200 mg was doing anything. I took it for about a month...stopped taking the pills (forgot) and ceased taking it for another couple weeks...had some sort of mental breakdown, figured out it was from withdrawal, started again, been taking it now about two weeks and here comes the itching. For me, if the itching doesn't abate, it really isn't tolerable. I'd rather do talk therapy!:rotfl:
I took Effexor XR ONLY ONCE. It was so powerful! I could tell it could really mess you up, I had horrible scary side effects. So, when doc put me on Wellbutrin, I was so pleasantly suprised due to what I had read here about other anti depressants. Maybe I'll just have to get generic.
Do you think it is a big deal if I just wait until beginning July and go to a psych provider? But, I am not going to take the Wellbutrin till then. I really would rather get a mental health provider's opinion of my mental state. Maybe I don't need drugs at all??
I was diagnosed with depression and have been taking 200 mg of Wellbutrin a day, starting dose. Seems I have started itching, quite uncontrollably. No rash, just an intense itch...which gets more severe about two hours after each Wellbutrin pill. It stays for a while, abates for a while, comes back....
This med was slightly starting to work and I had few other problems so I hate to stop taking it. The pharmacist told me to stop to see if the Wellbutrin was the culprit, something about it being one of the dyes they use in the pill. The only other things I take are BCP's and Bactrim DS, which have never caused itching before.
Do I need to quit taking it? Is this a common side effect of Wellbutrin? What are my options? Being depressed and starting nursing school next week.....this is NOT what I had in mind!
Thank you!:)
I always thought I was a freak when I was taking Welbutrin because of the itching. Then I found a medical forum and others were complaining about the same thing. Try going to Yahoo or Google and typing in "Welbutrin/ itchy hands and feet" and see what comes up. I'm so glad to see that I'm not alone. I had HORRIBLE itching on my hands and FEET. It lasted for about 2 months and then all of a sudden went away. I never had a rash, but the itching was enough to make me want to cut my hands and feet off.
Also, I noticed that I would sweat a lot more than normal. That too eventually went away. Give it some time.
Maybe itching is just a reaction milder than hives Jen.??
Interesting comment about the generic causing the itching. I am on generic. I suppose I could try brand name but how much would that cost. Ouch. I am a poor student over here! :)
I am on 100 mg, twice per day. I doubt that 100 mg a day will do anything since I was wondering if 200 mg was doing anything. I took it for about a month...stopped taking the pills (forgot) and ceased taking it for another couple weeks...had some sort of mental breakdown, figured out it was from withdrawal, started again, been taking it now about two weeks and here comes the itching. For me, if the itching doesn't abate, it really isn't tolerable. I'd rather do talk therapy!:rotfl:
I took Effexor XR ONLY ONCE. It was so powerful! I could tell it could really mess you up, I had horrible scary side effects. So, when doc put me on Wellbutrin, I was so pleasantly suprised due to what I had read here about other anti depressants. Maybe I'll just have to get generic.
Do you think it is a big deal if I just wait until beginning July and go to a psych provider? But, I am not going to take the Wellbutrin till then. I really would rather get a mental health provider's opinion of my mental state. Maybe I don't need drugs at all??
Yeah, I'm sure its quite possible the itch is a milder reaction. Hives is more of an allergic reaction, that's why my mom was taken off. But the itch could just be a weird side effect. I think its good to see a specialist for the meds. I've always believed you should go to the people who do it everyday (I'd never let my PCP give me a pap!) You may just need a different drug, or possibly a cocktail. I take 150mg Wellbutrin along with 10mg Celexa. The Celexa gives a little extra kick to the Wellbutrin. I've been doing this for about 6 years now and it works wonders. Since July is just a week or so away you'll probably be fine waiting, but do get in as soon as you can. :)
You know, reading this thread is making me wonder if the Wellbutrin might also be contributing to my benign fasciculation; I've had it since my teens, but in recent years, it has gotten significantly more frequent. The other day, the whole side of my face twitched for like a minute; I was in a meeting at the time and can only imagine what everyone thought might be going on.
I had the twitching too! Oh, I'm so glad to see that others experienced this stuff too! I have been anti-depressant free for over a year now, but Welbutrin was the only anti-depressant that actually worked for me, despite the itching and twitching. Effexor XR was the WORST for me.
I took Effexor XR ONLY ONCE. It was so powerful! I could tell it could really mess you up, I had horrible scary side effects. So, when doc put me on Wellbutrin, I was so pleasantly suprised due to what I had read here about other anti depressants. Maybe I'll just have to get generic.
Effexor XR affected me the same way. I was like a zombie on that stuff. It was horrible. I couldn't even be a mother to my kids. I would just sit and stare at them while they asked my hubby "Daddy, What's wrong with mommy?" It took me 3 MONTHS to wean off it. I now know what drug addicts go through when they go through withdrawl. The withdrawl caused me to hallucinate, thoughts of depression, mood swings, etc. I HATE that pill.
Curious1alwys, BSN, RN
1,310 Posts
Maybe itching is just a reaction milder than hives Jen.??
Interesting comment about the generic causing the itching. I am on generic. I suppose I could try brand name but how much would that cost. Ouch. I am a poor student over here! :)
I am on 100 mg, twice per day. I doubt that 100 mg a day will do anything since I was wondering if 200 mg was doing anything. I took it for about a month...stopped taking the pills (forgot) and ceased taking it for another couple weeks...had some sort of mental breakdown, figured out it was from withdrawal, started again, been taking it now about two weeks and here comes the itching. For me, if the itching doesn't abate, it really isn't tolerable. I'd rather do talk therapy!:rotfl:
I took Effexor XR ONLY ONCE. It was so powerful! I could tell it could really mess you up, I had horrible scary side effects. So, when doc put me on Wellbutrin, I was so pleasantly suprised due to what I had read here about other anti depressants. Maybe I'll just have to get generic.
Do you think it is a big deal if I just wait until beginning July and go to a psych provider? But, I am not going to take the Wellbutrin till then. I really would rather get a mental health provider's opinion of my mental state. Maybe I don't need drugs at all??