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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Anyuser on March 8, 2002, at 9:08:54
Does Wellbutrin cause the apathy and "flattening" that SSRIs can cause?
Posted by fachad on March 8, 2002, at 11:16:04
In reply to Wellbutrin and apathy, posted by Anyuser on March 8, 2002, at 9:08:54
I don't know if it causes it, but for me it did not cure it.
I took it after a yr of Prozac, and after two months of Wellbutrin, I still felt apathetic and lethargic.
> Does Wellbutrin cause the apathy and "flattening" that SSRIs can cause?
Posted by Raga on March 8, 2002, at 17:18:14
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and apathy » Anyuser, posted by fachad on March 8, 2002, at 11:16:04
I too have been on Wellbutrin and it has done zero for apathy and lethargy. In fact, I feel quite a bit mellower. It has, however, helped with my focus a bit (I'm ADD).
Fachad, how did you treat your apathy and lethargy?
Posted by fachad on March 8, 2002, at 21:59:43
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and apathy » fachad, posted by Raga on March 8, 2002, at 17:18:14
Methylphenedate (Ritalin) cured the apathy.
Two especially interesting things emerged from my successful Ritalin treatment of SSRI induced apathy.
First, it was (or seemed to me) to be actually curative. By this I mean that I went a long time in severe post-SSRI apathy, then I took Ritalin, then when I quit Ritalin, I returned to my pre-SSRI, not my post-SSRI, level of functioning.
Ritalin had really seemed to "cure" the severe anergia induced by SSRIs, independent of continuing to take it to manage the symptoms. I did go back on Ritalin because I did better on it than off it. But even if I had not re-initated it, I would have been better off than if I'd never taken it.
Second, Ritalin remained effective for a subset of my depressive symptoms even after I had developed complete tolerance to the stimulant effects. Ritalin seems to have (for me anyway)some AD properties that persist long (7 yrs) after tolerance to the stimulant effects develop.
I quit Ritalin for a Provigil trial last year, but after a few months it (PV) was doing no good. I'm not sure it ever did that much good for me but I am easier on a drug for a month or two to give it a fair chance.
Currently I'm on Dexadrine. I asked my pdoc if I could switch, mostly from curosity and the fact that I had been taking Ritalin for about 7 yrs straight except for the Provigil trial and I wanted to see if there was anything better out there.
I'm giving Dexadrine a chance, but as much as I wanted it to work, and was excited about trying it, I'm starting to suspect that Ritalin is a better choice for me.
Just my experience. Others may respond differently.
> I too have been on Wellbutrin and it has done zero for apathy and lethargy. In fact, I feel quite a bit mellower. It has, however, helped with my focus a bit (I'm ADD).
>
> Fachad, how did you treat your apathy and lethargy?
Posted by Waterlily on March 9, 2002, at 8:31:18
In reply to Wellbutrin and apathy, posted by Anyuser on March 8, 2002, at 9:08:54
I was on Zoloft for two years before I switched to Wellbutrin, which I have been on for 5 years. I have noticed a definite lessening of apathy and flatness of personality. Now I worry about everything all the time, not even close to apathetic. I'm trying to find a medication besides Ativan that will help with the anxiety. Currently I'm trying Serzone, but it has only been a week so I can't really tell if it's going to work. Wellbutrin clearly works for my depression and I have no side effects except anxiety, which I'm not even sure is caused by Wellbutrin or was part of me all along. I'm going to stick with it as long as it works.
Posted by katekite on May 16, 2002, at 11:55:49
In reply to Ritalin for SSRI Induced Apathy Anergia » Raga, posted by fachad on March 8, 2002, at 21:59:43
I wanted to second this person's experience.
I'm taking a week off of stimulants in order to flush my system out for some medical tests.
I started ritalin about 6 weeks ago for ADD, disorganization, lack of ability to focus. I had not really felt like I was ADD as a kid, more in the last few years... I have taken a lot of ssris in the past and wonder if that may be a contributing issue. ADD runs in my family though, and if I lost sleep etc when younger it would be an issue -- so maybe I am susceptible.
Ritalin allowed me to focus, decreased my impulsivity a lot.
I expected rebound of at least some days of lethargy or even worse focus etc during this week off. But I think I am slightly better than before I ever started the ritalin, in terms of mood and energy. Focus and impulsiveness are back to pre-ritalin levels (so that is still a problem for me).
I'm not sure about 'curative' but my mood and energy are better than they were a couple months ago.
Of course -- disclaimer -- people's mood and energy vary anyways... but I saw this post and thought it was interesting I feel a similar effect as far as energy went.
Specifically I feel more like starting projects, more interested in my environment, than 2 months ago...
kate
This is the end of the thread.
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