my new psychiatrist gradually took me off of ritalin+venlafaxin and introduced bupropion, first 150mg while cutting the venlafaxin dosage in half, and now 300mg of bup alone, completely removing venlafaxin
it’s been 4 days i think since this last update and it’s been fucking rough. i’m not sure if it’s just the venlafaxin withdrawal or if the bupropion is contributing to it, but i feel like shit, i’m getting constant brain zaps unless i remain completely still with as little stimulation as possible, been having nightmares every single day, am extremely irritable and im not even sure the bupropion is even helping at all
is anyone else under the same treatment? it feels like a fringe/experimental treatment, but id like to confirm this from other adhders
thanks
edit: thank you so much for all the answers! they helped me to calm down and reassured me a bit. the symptoms are starting to wear off, so that also halped.
very late update: the venlafaxin withdrawal waned off and now i’m feeling so much better than before. this is working way better than ritalin
It was really effective (increase in focus & motivation, large decrease in depressive symptoms) for both my depression and for my ADHD when combined with my normal meds, but I couldn’t help but notice wild hormone fluctuations (that were absolutely as a result of the bupropion and couldn’t be attributed to anything else) that only got worse as my dosage increased. These hormone fluctuations caused a whole span of other issues, everything from emotional instability to cramping and my period going really out of whack. It was very reminiscent of going through puberty, honestly. And all of that went away when I switched to something else instead. Shame, really, as the replacement meds aren’t as effective, but they also don’t make me feel like I’m 13 again either, so ultimately it’s a win