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.
