The details are kept up to date to help people with addiction treatment needs get the most full and precise facts about the rehabilitation facility. By Corinne O’Keefe OsbornCorinne Osborn is an award-winning health and wellness journalist with a background in substance abuse, sexual health, and psychology. If you have health insurance, another way to find a therapist is to search your insurance plan’s website. Typically, insurance companies have a list of local providers who accept your insurance. As studies consistently show, a combination of psychotherapy and medication works better for depression and anxiety than medication alone. According to Joseph Glenmullen, M.D., author of The Antidepressant Solution, irritability is a common symptom.
Safety Concerns Around Abrupt Discontinuation
Unlike some other antidepressants, Wellbutrin doesn’t usually cause severe withdrawal symptoms. This is because it works on dopamine and norepinephrine rather than serotonin, which is targeted by many other antidepressants. Always talk to your doctor before stopping the medication so they can guide you on how to wean off Wellbutrin safely.
- You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.
- They’ll evaluate your mental health, current dosage, and determine whether tapering is the right step.
- Wellbutrin comes in several forms, including immediate-release tablets, sustained-release tablets, and extended-release tablets.
- Days 15 to 28- During the third week of withdrawal, the symptoms should improve dramatically.
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These symptoms usually present within the first few days after stopping Wellbutrin and can last 2 weeks. However, not everyone will experience these effects, and the symptoms are manageable. If symptoms become uncomfortable, reach out to a healthcare provider for support. Wellbutrin Withdrawal varies greatly in severity and duration for different people. No, Wellbutrin (bupropion) is not classified as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). It belongs to a different class of antidepressants known as norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRI).
If you or someone you know is in need of help managing Wellbutrin withdrawal, our detox and rehab treatment centers located in Scottsdale is available to guide you. Our clinicians can help educate and guide you about Wellbutrin and other treatment options for you. People can generally tolerate Wellbutrin but as with any medication, it can have side effects. However, not everyone who takes the drug will experience all of these adverse effects. The severity of these effects can also vary from person to person.
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- The fact is, some physicians will regularly reevaluate whether a patient should continue their meds or not while others will take a more conservative approach, Dr. DeYoung says.
- After five half-lives, almost all of the drug will be eliminated from the body.
- Always follow your doctor’s advice when discontinuing Wellbutrin to ensure the safest and smoothest process.
- Wellbutrin, cocaine, and amphetamines are all DRI drugs (dopamine reuptake inhibitors).
The timeline for how long it takes to detox from Wellbutrin can vary from person to person. Wellbutrin is an antidepressant, but it belongs to a category of drugs that is different from other common antidepressants like Prozac and Zoloft. Although the misuse of Wellbutrin isn’t common, this has been reported among certain people with a history of substance abuse or addiction. Detox programs provide a safe and supportive environment to help you stop taking Wellbutrin and begin your recovery journey. Getting help early can make the process of stopping Wellbutrin easier and safer.
Example Schedule to Taper off Wellbutrin
After your Wellbutrin taper, any long-term treatment will be directed toward treating the condition that led you to take Wellbutrin in the first place. If you are struggling with depression, your doctor may want to switch you to an SSRI that you haven’t tried before or suggest other options. Finding the right medication or combination of medications can take several tries.
The Wellbutrin withdrawal side effects are usually mild but can nonetheless be difficult to deal with. The half-life of Wellbutrin can vary depending on the specific formulation of the medication. Wellbutrin is available in different forms, including immediate-release (IR), sustained-release (SR), and extended-release (XL) formulations. Most physical symptoms should start to improve, but mood swings and other mental/emotional symptoms might persist. You may experience exhaustion, sleepiness, depression, and mental confusion.
If you recently quit smoking, your nicotine cravings may return, although they’re likely to be milder than if you hadn’t taken Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin is different in that it doesn’t have a major effect on serotonin. Rather, it affects the levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline. Consequently, the withdrawal symptoms are typically mild, or, more often, nonexistent. Antidepressants are among the top three most commonly prescribed medications in the United States. Not every antidepressant works for every person, however, and many people try several before hitting the right drug or combination thereof.
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As is common with stimulants, fatigue, and depression are common features of this withdrawal. Wellbutrin, or bupropion, is classified as an antidepressant and is usually used to treat depression—though, the drug is also used as a smoking cessation aid under the name Zyban. Since Wellbutrin affects brain chemistry, it should not be stopped without consulting your doctor.
Wellbutrin is an antidepressant commonly used to treat major depressive disorder. Long-term use of this medication can lead to physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms upon quitting. Whether your doctor thinks you’re ready or not, the conversation will be clarifying.
Research for other antidepressants indicates that lowering the dosage every 4 weeks may be a safe strategy to minimize the risk of withdrawal and rebound symptoms. Administering a safe and effective Wellbutrin tapering program must include helping to prevent a person’s symptoms from returning as the medication is being incrementally reduced. The goal is to administer Wellbutrin tapering without these fluctuations, without major or intense Wellbutrin discontinuation symptoms, and without a return of original symptoms as much as possible. ✔️ Wellbutrin is not known to cause severe or dangerous withdrawal symptoms. However, this may not be true for people who abuse Wellbutrin or take it with other drugs. You may not notice withdrawal symptoms until a few days after stopping Wellbutrin.
Bupropion, commonly marketed as Wellbutrin, is used to treat depression and help people stop smoking. 2 Like many medications, your body can become used to Wellbutrin over time. Stopping Wellbutrin cold turkey or reducing your dosage too quickly, you might experience withdrawal symptoms. This happens because your brain and body have adjusted to the medication’s effects, and when it’s no longer present, they need time to readjust.
Our writers and reviewers are experienced professionals in medicine, addiction treatment, and healthcare. AddictionResource fact-checks all the information before publishing and uses only credible and trusted sources when citing any medical data. Yet approximately 20% of patients how to wean off welbutrin experience Wellbutrin withdrawal symptoms when abruptly ceasing or significantly reducing the dosage of an antidepressant they have been taking continuously for one month. Causes of Wellbutrin withdrawal symptoms are either abrupt cessation or significant reduction of dosage of the medication. Dependence on the drug, developed through misuse or abuse, also results in withdrawal symptoms upon stopping Wellbutrin. The safest way to stop taking antidepressants is to slowly taper down your dose.
