Drug info - wellbutrin/bupropion as a stimulant?

[seeingred]

Is it possible to use wellbutrin as a stimulant and not as an anti-depressant. SWIM has no depression but has had been having trouble with writing long essays and coming up with imaginative ideas. Feeling bland. Would there be a way to potentiate wellbutrin to make it more effective or somehow get it to work right?
The stimulants like Concerta and Ritalin make SWIM nasious and strange. Compulsive like having a caffeine overdose. And when mixed with caffeine there is hightened alertness but too much...it's overwhelming on top of causes anxiety.
Haven't tried wellbutrin to counteract symptoms of fatigue and dumbness.

[fnord]

maybe 5-htp would increse it but i doubt youll be able to get rid of the antidepressant effects.also combining 5-htp with welbutrin might be dangerous so look into it first.

[seeingred]

Originally Posted by fnord

maybe 5-htp would increse it but i doubt youll be able to get rid of the antidepressant effects.also combining 5-htp with welbutrin might be dangerous so look into it first.

Good idea.

[Yoshi]

Absolutely do not use Welbutrin if you're having problems with imagination and blandness.

First of all, for the drug to function in the way it was designed, you have to gradually introduce it to your body in regular doses over extended periods of time; when used over a short period of time with no period of acclimation, the brain reacts in almost the exact opposite way. Suicidal tendencies and aggravated depression have been observed in people just introduced to the drug, especially adolescents.

Second of all, when it is working in the way its designed to, it would be totally and completely useless for SWIMS hoped purposes.
My friend Princess Peach took Welbutrin for depression, and was subsequently turned into a totally different person. She became withdrawn, unfocused, and overall DULL. She wasn't depressed, but felt content to the point that she didn't create any new goals or strive for new social interaction. She just sort of... existed. Needless to say, she's off it now.

[Here's more information on Wellbutrin:
http://www.iguard.org/drugs/Wellbutrin.html
Source selected for the testimonial comments at the bottom]

The solution:

She does say that its possible water will solve SWIM's nausea problem, since she and some of her friends have had the same problem; she says to try taking low doses of adderall and drinking LOTS of water, and SWIM shouldn't feel nauseous. If the low dose and water works, so will a high dose and a proportionate amount of water.

SWIM shouldn't take delayed release adderall (XR) for bursts of energy and inspiration, though, but the generic stuff, if possible. Adderall XR lasts 12 hours, but a low dose of a crushed generic (especially snorted) would give him exactly the effect he's looking for.

Sorry for the novel -
Princess Peach snorted a lot of Adderall earlier, as you certainly have already guessed. 35mg and two bottles of water, and she says she feels pretty fantastic.
Since, of course, I am not Princess Peach or any related persona, this is not why I didn't notice that the last post was a year ago until just now. I justify posting it by saying that if I found it, so can others who may potentially find it useful.

[tryptamaster]

swim has been on wellbutrin and absolutely hated it. its stimulant propoerties paled in comparison to adderall or dex. and for creativity swim will jsut light u some green. Swim has also tried snorting it, this led to mild stimulation, which siwm felt wasnt worth it.

[fiveleggedrat]

Swim has been hearing about how this drug is being used intranasally.

He has heard comparisons to big name stimulants too, and more than just a handful of accounts.

Someone needs to do a definitive study

[MrG]

Bupropion or Wellbutrin has no recreational use and, where it has been taken in quantity in the mistaken belief of getting a stimulant high, death has been the result.

[ShawnD]

I started taking Wellbutrin back in February, so maybe I can give some first hand anecdotes. I'm still taking it because I enjoy it, but results will vary.

Originally Posted by seeingred

Is it possible to use wellbutrin as a stimulant and not as an anti-depressant.

First off, the term "antidepressant" is bullshit; it's so vague that it means nothing. Wellbutrin is a stimulant drug, no more, no less. It's a very weak stimulant, but yes it's a stimulant. I sleep less while taking Wellbutrin, but it's nothing compared to a real stimulant like caffeine or amphetamine.

IMO, Wellbutrin by itself is a piece of shit, but it stacks very well with other drugs that I take anyway. For example, caffeine very strongly affects me when I'm not taking Wellbutrin, but if I am on Wellbutrin, caffeine has a much milder effect and it lasts for a much longer period of time. Ephedrine, while taking wellbutrin, is easily 10x as strong. Wellbutrin is like the clamato juice of drugs - everything mixes with it (I'm not responsible if you mix stuff and die)

SWIM has no depression but has had been having trouble with writing long essays and coming up with imaginative ideas. Feeling bland. Would there be a way to potentiate wellbutrin to make it more effective or somehow get it to work right?

I don't think this would work. This is just my experience, but Wellbutrin makes me space out really hard. I started university classes last week, and it's actually a bit of a challenge to pay attention. I'll be watching the board, then suddenly I'm day dreaming, and before I know it, I've lost a good 5 minutes. I've never had this problem before. I'm very certain that Wellbutrin is causing this.

The stimulants like Concerta and Ritalin make SWIM nasious and strange. Compulsive like having a caffeine overdose. And when mixed with caffeine there is hightened alertness but too much...it's overwhelming on top of causes anxiety.

You're probably just taking too much. A lot of shitty doctors are jumpy, and they'll start off with ridiculous prescriptions that are obviously too high a dosage. Ask for a lower dose. Maybe do a google search and compare your dosage to what the lowest dosage is. If low is 5mg, and you're taking 20mg, then there's no mystery as to why it isn't working.

Haven't tried wellbutrin to counteract symptoms of fatigue and dumbness.

I don't think Wellbutrin by itself reduces fatigue all that much, but it makes caffeine and ephedrine a lot better, so I guess that counts. You could probably skip all that bullshit by getting Adderall or Dexedrine instead of trying to mix drugs and work out the right combination. I tried that, and I'm still trying that, but I have yet to convince a doctor to give me either of those.
If you can get a nice low dosage Adderall or Dexedrine, you won't need Wellbutrin.

Princess Peach took Welbutrin for depression, and was subsequently turned into a totally different person. She became withdrawn, unfocused, and overall DULL. She wasn't depressed, but felt content to the point that she didn't create any new goals or strive for new social interaction. She just sort of... existed.

My reaction was very different from this, but then again I'm not the same as Peach. I'm naturally withdrawn most of the time, and I'm usually scared of new situations and large social gatherings (this is why I withdraw all the time). Wellbutrin has dulled a lot of that down so I'm not really scared/anxious all the time. I'm a lot more relaxed, as if smoking a cigarette. In fact, Wellbutrin (Zyban) is often prescribed as a replacement for smoking because it has a very similar response in some people, like me. For someone like the OP who seems to already be a relaxed person, Wellbutrin would probably be a bad idea.

Bupropion or Wellbutrin has no recreational use and, where it has been taken in quantity in the mistaken belief of getting a stimulant high, death has been the result.

I became enraged when I first read this in an article about Wellbutrin. I specifically asked my doctor for Adderall, and he ended up giving me something that is way more dangerous and way less effective. What a douche.

[Junkiebaddypowder]

swim is not totally certain about wellbutrin (sp?) but swim does remember when swim was orginaally put on paxil which is another form of antidepressant. swim was very speedy. swim also felt like swim was rolling without the sensitivity to touch. when swim was a teeneager swim enjoyed it. Swim actually feels that paxil may be responsible for sparking swims interest in speed and coke. swim went on to later have a 4 year coke addiction.


in a nutshell....

when swim took paxil for the first few times before swims body was used to it and when swim wouild take double and triple doses swim would get very speedy


swim actually stayed up for almost a week ( 5 days) because of paxil... now since swim has long since kicked swims coke habit swim hates that swims therapist keeps ( or tries to keep) swim on paxil... swim can no longer stand speed...



hope this helps....

[dark12]

Lots of strange posts in this thread.
ShawnD, what do SWIy get bupropion prescribed for? Asking a doctor to change a script from bupropion to amphetamine really doesn't make much sense to me. Unless SWIy get bupropion for ADHD I really can't see how those two drugs are interchangable.
Yoshi, everyone reacts differently to certain anti-depressants. To tell someone to steer clear of bupropion because of SWIyour isolated incident is not a good idea.
SWIM has gone through 5 different AD's and bupropion is by far the best one with the least side effects.
When SWIM first began taking bupropion he did notice he had more energy during the day, but that may have been because he was spending less time moping around. In the nearly two years SWIM has been taking bupropion he has yet to use it recreationally. It seems like a sudden surge of bupropion to the brain will most likely increase the chance of a seizure by a dangerous margin.

[ShawnD]

Originally Posted by dark12

ShawnD, what do SWIy get bupropion prescribed for? Asking a doctor to change a script from bupropion to amphetamine really doesn't make much sense to me.

I said I had ADD. He thought my vague description sounded more like depression. Technically he's correct, but what an asshole. Dexedrine is orders of magnitude stronger than Wellbutrin, but he wouldn't give it to me, so now I still need to drink coffee all the time to feel energized to an acceptable level. I think I need a new doctor.

[dark12]

If SWIy don't mind my asking, how old are SWIy?
I rarely see people under the age of 30 getting scripts for methamphetamine.

[jungle]

Originally Posted by dark12

If SWIy don't mind my asking, how old are SWIy?
I rarely see people under the age of 30 getting scripts for methamphetamine.

i'm surprised that most of you guys don'T know the difference between amphetamine and methamphetamine

"dexedrine"(dextroamphetamine) is NOT methamphetamine. "adderal" for example contains dextroamphetamine.(besides other amphetamnie salts)

actually it is possible to get methamphetamine for ad(h)d in the u.s. .
it's called "desoxyn"

[ShawnD]

Originally Posted by dark12

If SWIy don't mind my asking, how old are SWIy?
I rarely see people under the age of 30 getting scripts for methamphetamine.

Other way around. Most people on ADD medication are kids or young adults. I'm 28 (too old to be taking amphetamine). If I was 12 years old and had a weight problem, doctors would be throwing amphetamine at me nonstop, even if I didn't have a problem.

Healthcare is one fucked up system. You need to find a "pill pusher" in order to get proper treatment for anything. If not, they'll just say the same old garbage about get a proper diet and exercise. I've changed my diet multiple times and I'm a very active person, but as soon as I'm not doing anything, my energy level drops like a rock.

[dark12]

Originally Posted by jungle

i'm surprised that most of you guys don'T know the difference between amphetamine and methamphetamine

"dexedrine"(dextroamphetamine) is NOT methamphetamine. "adderal" for example contains dextroamphetamine.(besides other amphetamnie salts)

actually it is possible to get methamphetamine for ad(h)d in the u.s. .
it's called "desoxyn"

Dang I was actually referring to Desoxyn, my bad.

[Sloop]

ShawnD
ADHD (ADD) is unfortunately experienced by many adults (past 28 yrs) and many of us are prescribed dexedrine etc. in my country ritalin is more often prescribed to children and dex to adults. I would imagine that many here on these forums actually are ADHD without realising it (okay everybody has ADHD symptoms from time to time particularly if your low on sleep), and their use of drugs is really an attempt to self medicate, this could be said of depression, bipolar and other conditions as well.

There use to be a misconception that a person will grow out of ADHD at adulthood but it appears most ADHD people unfortunately dont

I would go to a different doctor if you are being told that bullshit, if you are really ADHD (ie spect imaging or an ADHD specialist) it is useful to find a head doc that specialises in it (they often specialise in addictions as well). It may be useful to explore stimulants as therapeutic agents, for some of us it can be like turning the on switch in our brain, even after 40 years of non medication and missed diagnosis.

Women particularly missed out on diagnosis as girls, it is usually only the overt hyper boys that get picked out, but ADHD has more dreamy spaced out forms as well and these kids missed diagnosis. That is why you really do need a ADHD specialist as some of the hyper boys were just eating too many empty calories and living in poisoned households, but were misdiagnosed as ADHD.

[ShawnD]

Originally Posted by Sloop

ShawnD....

I would go to a different doctor if you are being told that bullshit, if you are really ADHD (ie spect imaging or an ADHD specialist) it is useful to find a head doc that specialises in it (they often specialise in addictions as well).

I'm well educated and I graduated with very little effort, so I probably don't have ADHD. The reason I asked for ADHD medication is because the medication for ADHD is amphetamine, a powerful stimulant. Almost every physical problem I have can be fixed with stimulant medication. I keep posting all over this forum about how awesome ephedrine is and why everyone should take ephedrine because ephedrine (a mild amphetamine) helps with so many problems that I have. I have cold hands and feet; ephedrine fixes that. My sinuses close easily and ephedrine fixes that; I was diagnosed as being asthmatic because I had so many problems with my breathing. I often get tired after being awake for about 10 hours; ephedrine fixes that.
If I was able to get prescription amphetamine, I would get the same effects in a much more controlled dosage. I wouldn't need to have ephedrine bottles with me all the time.

betsym you are probably right. I've done the standard knowitall approach of going to wikipedia to figure out what my condition is called. Regardless of which condition it is, basically every condition with the symptoms I've described always comes back to being a thyroid problem in one way or another.

Anyway, my dosage of Wellbutrin has been doubled. The OP asked if Wellbutrin is a good stimulant, and the answer is yes. Now that I'm taking 300mg, I'm energized all the time. Blood flow is way up, my feet don't get cold anymore, and I think a lot faster. I would describe it as being sort of like the energy amphetamine gives. It doesn't cause any emotional stress like caffeine, and it doesn't make my heart pound the way ephedrine does. Also, my sinuses are very clear and I no longer have any breathing problems. I no longer have any drug cravings (such as asking if Wellbutrin will get you high), and my mood is a lot better. I'm a bit shocked by how harsh my language was in my previous posts, back when my dosage was only 150mg. I don't really talk that way anymore.

[seeingred]

Thankyou ShawnD for the informative post. Swim is currently on an ssri, but is wondering now that maybe wellbutrin would be milder, but the ssri seems to have worked for awhile, then stops and swim needs more. Wellbutrin might be worth looking into to help with depression which ties into low motivation and focus. Swim would get intense chest pains and was constantly weepy until the ssri zoloft, but after awhile the zoloft seemed to stop working, so swim stopped taking it....swim might get on a higher dose....it doesn't cause withdrawel it seems.

[e4rolls]

Originally Posted by seeingred

Is it possible to use wellbutrin as a stimulant and not as an anti-depressant. SWIM has no depression but has had been having trouble with writing long essays and coming up with imaginative ideas. Feeling bland. Would there be a way to potentiate wellbutrin to make it more effective or somehow get it to work right?
The stimulants like Concerta and Ritalin make SWIM nasious and strange. Compulsive like having a caffeine overdose. And when mixed with caffeine there is hightened alertness but too much...it's overwhelming on top of causes anxiety.
Haven't tried wellbutrin to counteract symptoms of fatigue and dumbness.

SWIM thinks bupropion is pure garbage. He tried 600+mg and got no effect but a headache.

[Adrasteia]

Swim has been on 150 mg Bupropion for a few months. The doctor tried to up it to 300 mgs for more antidepressant effect, but this resulted in Swim constantly collapsing and when standing on her feet being very aggressive.
She also got high blood pressure when on 300 mgs.
Swim is now combining the Bupropion with Citalopram 20 mgs, and this was ok for a while.
The spacing out and losing time thing mentioned above, Swim also experienced. This resembles a lot the effect dexamphetamine had on Swim, she used to be busy doing something, sit down to continue at it, and not being able to move herself to continue her task for sometimes hours, like she was daydreaming. Very weird.

[Abider]

swim knows these pills...
They are retarded ..
Swim made retardation inactive...
so Bupropion got active

it was good as methylphenidate for SWIM ...
But SWIM gets Methylphenidate for free...
and SWIM must pay for Buproprion..
and so why pay for the same..when getting it for free ?