• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Mental Health Resources
    • Depression Resources
  • Blog
    • Coping
    • Medication
    • Self Care
    • Stress and Anxiety
    • Unhelpful thinking
      • Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda
      • Fortune-Telling
      • Guilt and Shame
      • Time Travel
    • Sleep Issues
    • Depression
    • Covid19
    • Suicide & Self-Harm
    • Wellness Tools
      • SMART – Self Management And Recovery Training
      • WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan)
      • Change Triangle
  • Contact

End Child Anxiety

“I Live With Depression.” Here’s What I Am Learning About It.

You are here: Home / Medication / Day Four of Wellbutrin Alone – Doing the Drugs Part VI

Day Four of Wellbutrin Alone – Doing the Drugs Part VI

July 13, 2020 by Depression Is Not My Boss Leave a Comment

After 4 days on Wellbutrin XL 150 mg, I am worried it may not work

Statistically, day 4 is way too early to form an opinion about my change in medicine.

I have done nothing but sing the praises of Wellbutrin XL 150 mg. Within a week of beginning the new medication regimen, I was getting out of bed without a struggle. And for the first two weeks, I was experiencing one of the side effects, appetite suppression. Losing my pandemic pounds was exciting.

Wellbutrin XL has been a huge success in living with my depression.

Does Wellbutrin work immediately?

Searching for answers online, here is what I found:

How Long Does It Take for Bupropion to Work? While depressed mood and lack of interest in activities may need up to 4-6 weeks to improve, disturbances in sleep, energy, or appetite may show some improvement within the first 1-2 weeks.

The most exciting thing about beginning Wellbutrin was I was able to get out of bed again without incident.

It took over 6 months to figure out why I was struggling with getting out of bed in the morning. And switching to Wellbutrin solved it within 5 days. You can’t imagine how wonderful that feeling is.  I was a kid again, sneaking down the stairs on Christmas morning, to discover that Santa Claus had been there.

READ: I bumped into my old self this morning

Up until last Thursday, my new drug has helped immensely.

Until my Psychiatrist appointment last Thursday, I was continuing to take Prozac. She had reduced the dosage from 30 mg to 20 mg daily, but this was part of my daily medication along with the Wellbutrin. And the combination seemed to be the ultimate answer to living a balanced life with depression.

Now Wellbutrin XL is flying solo in my system.

Yes, it is true, Prozac has a long ½ life in a person’s system. I will most likely have traces of it interacting with my depression for the next 30 days. And that is when I have my next appointment for medication management. So, while the daily jolt of new Prozac is not entering my body, the residual effects are still actively participating in my mental health.

Sunday, I slept in.

Having worked 4 hectic days in a row, getting home near 1 AM, I attributed my sleeping in too this. When I did awake, there was no judgement on my part, and I was still able to get out of bed without incident. Today was a little less dramatic, but I did find myself rolling over once before arising.

READ: I just want to get out of bed

Even as I write this, I am feeling silly for worrying about it

It has only been four days. Its as if I planted a sunflower seed in my garden. Now I am digging it up four days later to see if it is growing. I need to relax and give the Wellbutrin time to do its job. I am getting anxious and seeing myself circling the drain. Here I go into unhelpful thinking. I am catastrophizing two days of less than ideal waking up.

Then I am projecting this worry into the future, and deciding, with depressions help, that it will always be this way.

Worse, I am minimizing the past 32 days’ worth of relief from my daily struggle with myself to arise from bed. This was often a nightmare, I was awake but not out of bed. I would recite nursery rhymes to help me decide whether to get up or stay in bed longer. “Eni, meanie, minny, Moe …. Or my mother told me to pick this very one.” The outcome was never in doubt. Even if I chose to get up, I could flip it to mean I should stay in bed.

Once I finally got out of bed, lethargy took over.

This would last 1 to 3 hours before I could feel productive and ready to meet the day’s challenges.  And did I mention that this went on for over 6 months? Advocating for myself, it took what felt like an eternity to get to where I am today.

That said, I should be happy about where I am.

With a second day off from my day job, I should be enjoying the difference instead of lamenting a possible circling of the drain. Even sleeping in just a little, I did not experience the lack of focus when I got out of bed.  There was no cloud of confusion hanging over me, making it hard to focus. I am just me, starting my day.

Depression is doing all it can to keep me from living a balanced life.

I can see that this unhelpful thinking about my change in medication is not true. It is way too early to pass judgment on the effectiveness of just Wellbutrin XL 150 mg. I need to give it until my next appointment and then assess its effectiveness. So I am putting depression on notice that I will not be spearheading any witch hunts about Wellbutrin’s performance.

And I will stay off the internet and speak with my Doctor about my medication.

Now, how will I spend my day?

My concealed depression is written under the alias “Depression is not my boss.” I have certifications in SMART Recovery and am a Global Career Development Facilitator.

Diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder last year, I am sharing what I learn. If you know someone who might benefit from reading this, please share. 

I very much appreciate your comments.

Filed Under: Covid19, Featured Home, Medication, Self Care, Sleep Issues, therapy, Unhelpful thinking Tagged With: concealed depression, depression, depression and anxiety, depression is not my boss, depression treatment, depressionisreal, four, mental health, prozac, prozac 40mg, prozac20mg, Psychiatrist, Wellbutrin XL

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

I write My Concealed Depression to create Mental Health AwarenessHello, I am Joel. I have Major Depressive Disorder.  I am genuinely determined to figure out my personal relationship with depression. With 40+ years of living with concealed depression, I write my blog to find answers. 

I once got so carried away searching for answers that I even earned a  certification in  SMART Recovery. 

https://myconcealeddepression.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/my-concealed-depression-intro.mp4

Get my latest posts, (your email is never sold or rented)

I developed a 38 Page Mental Health Tools Flipbook. Complete the Form and Get Your Free Copy Now.

Privacy Policy

Discover Self-Care, Coping Strategies, Understand Anxiety, Track your Triggers, Mood, and Sleep; Recap Therapy Sessions, and more.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

More to See

The startling truth about coping statements for anxiety and depression

The Startling Truth About Coping Statements For Anxiety and Depression

October 28, 2020 By Depression Is Not My Boss

My 101 Coping Strategies for Anxiety

My 101 Best Coping Statements For Anxiety and Depression

October 18, 2020 By Depression Is Not My Boss

Am I asking the right questions about my depression or am I using unhelpful thinking to avoid taking responsibilty for my deprssion and its actions

I Should Ask Better Questions So I’m Not a Fortune-Teller

May 28, 2023 By Depression Is Not My Boss

Depression is not the cause of my road rage

Has It Been Three Years Since I Was Pulled Over? – Road Rage Part 5

May 23, 2023 By Depression Is Not My Boss

You Never Pay More, Yet Clicking These Links And Making a Purchase Helps Fund My Blog

PureFormulas.com-Pure Healthy Goodness, Highest-Grade Natural Supplements! Fast, Free Shipping!
Mosaic 250x250
Blog Meets Brand
Best Self Improvement & Personal Development Blogs - OnToplist.com
RSS Search

Blog posts that go back to my 5 East time almost 4 years ago

  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019

Footer

Contact

Email:  my.concealed.depression@gmail.com

Privacy Policy

Recent

  • Today Is Memorial Day in the US
  • I Should Ask Better Questions So I’m Not a Fortune-Teller
  • Has It Been Three Years Since I Was Pulled Over? – Road Rage Part 5
  • Is My Medicine Right? Should I Be Happier?
  • I Love Technology, But Does Technology Love Me?

Search

© Copyright 2020 · My Concealed Depression · All Rights Reserved · Designed by The Marketing Momma