How Long Does It Take For Wellbutrin To Start Working

In this brief guide, we will look at the question "How long does it take Wellbutrin to start working?", as well as other related subjects like Wellbutrin for anxiety, signs Wellbutrin is working and Wellbutrin Side effects.

How Long Does it Take for Wellbutrin to Kick In?

It may usually take about 1-2 weeks for Wellbutrin to kick in when taken for depression, but in this phase of the treatment, it may have bigger effects on somatic symptoms like sleep, appetite or tiredness, and the psychological symptoms like mood may take slightly longer to start getting better.

Usually, Wellbutrin may kick in about 1-2 weeks after start of treatment, and the full effects, including physical and psychological, may kick in about 1 month later.

In case the Wellbutrin is taking longer to kick in than this and the person is not seeing any effects even after about 6 weeks of starting the medication, the doctor may change the dosage and give the person a slightly stronger one after confirming that they don't have any other problems that may interact with this medication, especially an increased dose of the medicine.

Some people report feeling tremendous improvement on the 2nd or 3rd day itself, after taking Wellbutrin, but one needs to remember that the medicine works differently for everyone and the experiences of one person may not translate exactly for you.

Another thing to remember is that Wellbutrin is prescribed for different types of depression, it can be mild or moderate or severe, and without correctly assessing the severity of the illness the other person is going through, one may not be able to make a proper assessment of how well it is working.

Wellbutrin Weight Loss

Wellbutrin weight loss is one of the most commonly reported effects, and this effect is something that makes Wellbutrin a drug of choice for many people, and why many people also want to use it for nicotine cessation.

When someone is trying to quit smoking, they may often experience weight gain as a symptom, because nicotine suppresses appetite, and when it is reduced or removed from the lifestyle it can cause the person's appetite to spring back, causing weight gain.

In fact, many smokers say that the weight gain is often something that causes them to start smoking again because they also experience gastrointestinal effects along with the weight gain.

However, when Wellbutrin is prescribed for the smoking cessation, it can lead to some great effects like weight loss as well, which makes the weight related withdrawal symptom of nicotine withdrawal next to none.

Another reason why the Wellbutrin weight loss is quite desirable as a side effect to most people who take it is that most antidepressants have been known to cause weight gain, and it is in fact one of the primary reasons why people don't want to take antidepressants.

When the patient is made aware of how this drug can keep the weight off while helping them with their depression, it can be very much in favor of the drug.

Signs Wellbutrin is Working

Some signs Wellbutrin is working are:

Your sleep is returning to premorbid levels
Your appetite is returning and you feel like eating
Your energy level feels a bit better
You don't feel quite so fatigued all the time
You don't feel as low all the time, even if you are not yet out of the worst yet
You don't feel like your depression is worse at any one time of the day
Your sex drive is better than before, at least marginally.

Wellbutrin Side Effects

Some of the common Wellbutrin Side effects include:

Headache
Weight loss
Dry mouth
Trouble sleeping
Nausea
Dizziness
Constipation
Fast heartbeat
Sore throat.

Some more serious Wellbutrin side effects (and rare) include:

Skin rash
Sweating
Ringing in the ears
Shakiness
Stomach pain
Muscle pain
Thought disturbances
Anxiety
Angle closure glaucoma

How long does it take for Wellbutrin to kick in? (Reviews)

Here are some of the real people who have taken Wellbutrin, who weigh in on how long it takes for Wellbutrin to kick in:

"I take Wellbutrin and Zoloft. They work great for me. I agree with everyone else..it takes 4-6 weeks to really start working because it has to build up in your system. I see you posted this in June… how are you feeling now?"

"The first time I took it: 4-6 weeks before full effect

More motivation to do things such as workout, go out with friends, talk to people, pursue hobbies.

I felt less anxiety and felt a bit better. I had started taking it before a big break-up and at first I felt super depressed. After three or so weeks, I felt much better.

For me, it helped control my appetite. Before I was eating a lot and was overweight. After it took effect, I would feel fuller faster. I probably cut down half of what I was eating. With my motivation to workout, I was back at a healthy weight and maintaining it quite easily. It's not something that happens with everybody though.

I lapsed and am taking it again now for smoking cessation. After two weeks, a bit of motivation has come back. I feel slightly less anxious. My mood is lifted a bit. It's helping with my eating, but not quite there yet.

Basically I can see most of everything I felt before coming back. Hoping it will come back fully soon. I quit smoking on my own for over a week, but had an anxiety attack and smoked. Ruined my progress. Just after that week and a half I felt great. Almost like taking these meds. Hopefully the meds help me quit. The great feeling I had after quitting for that time mixed with the effects of the meds should make me feel super great. That's my hope anyways."

"And for anyone else I am on day 14. I am still depressed. On average would you think it takes longer than that? I have already tried lexapro and Prozac. After upping the Prozac I felt it was starting to work but I didn't like the sexual side effects and that's why I changed to Wellbutrin."

How long does it take Wellbutrin to kick in? Reddit User Experiences

Given below are some reddit user experiences on how long it takes for Wellbutrin to kick in.

"I instantly had more energy and motivation, but the true AD effects were about 8 weeks in."

"Do you have plans to go up to the recommended 300mg dosage? I was put on 150 for a few days and then up to 300 which is what really made the difference. After taking it a year it became too much and i went back down to 150 though so who knows. I would talk to your doctor about raising the dosage.

Also it didn't take me 4 to 6 weeks to notice results like another commenter mentioned, more like one or 2 for me"

"Me too, which also gives you less side effects (i started on immediate release) i had postpartum depression and needed the full 300mg xl but i did have more side effects now that i'm at 150mg xl I don't notice any side effects-still have appetite etc and feel "normal" to where i can't really tell im taking it even unless i miss it if that makes sense"

"I'm on 300mg a day but it hit me like a truck on day four but also I took dayquil and didn't realize wellbutrin would increase the effects of the dayquil"

"It usually kicks in much faster than SSRIs"

Conclusion

In this brief guide, we looked at the question "How long does it take Wellbutrin to start working?", as well as other related subjects like Wellbutrin for anxiety, signs that Wellbutrin is working and Wellbutrin Side effects.

Wellbutrin is a commonly prescribed medication for depression, and it can have some very significant effects on anxiety as well, in some cases, particularly where the somatic symptoms are quite intense.

Wellbutrin may also be prescribed for other problems such as smoking cessation as well, and there are some reports that it may also cause weight loss, which is something that is not commonly seen in antidepressants.

If you have any more questions or comments similar to "how long does it take for wellbutrin to kick in?", please feel free to reach out to us.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): How Long Does it take for Wellbutrin to kick in?

How does Wellbutrin make you feel?

Wellbutrin can make you feel great if you are suffering from depression, but it also has some side effects, and many people report feeling anxious, restless and/or agitated when they take wellbutrin..

Does Wellbutrin help with anxiety?

Some studies suggest that Wellbutrin, or bupropion, may in fact decrease anxiety, but one needs to bear in mind that these are very small studies and there is not much peer reviewed literature available for this particular use of wellbutrin.

If someone is suffering from anxiety as well as comorbid depression, wellbutrin would likely not be the first choice that a physician would use as it is not FDA-approved to treat anxiety disorders, or even comorbid depression and anxiety.

What to expect when you start taking Wellbutrin?

When you first start taking Wellbutrin, you may expect to see some improvements in the somatic symptoms of depression like sleep, energy, or appetite, and these may start within the first 1-2 weeks itself.

The more intense psychological symptoms like depressed mood or motivation may take up to about 6-8 weeks to fully improve, and wellbutrin also decreases nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms but effects for this problem may take about one to two weeks to develop.

Is Wellbutrin supposed to make you sleepy?

No, wellbutrin is not supposed to make you sleepy, and you should consult your doctor if you continue to experience too much drowsiness from Wellbutrin.

Does Wellbutrin make you hornier?

Yes, Wellbutrin can make you hornier, as increased sexual drive or appetite is one of Wellbutrin's side effects, or effcets, considering it is given for depression and reduced sex drive is one of Depression's symptoms.

Wellbutrin was touted as a drug that was supposed to make people "happy, hornier and skinny," and it has also been shown to have great promise in helping people quit smoking, but beyond all that there are also some bad side effects that can deeply hurt the body.

Citations

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-antidepressant-diet/201503/if-antidepressant-makes-you-thin-while-you-are-taking-it#:~:text=Bupropion%20is%20a%20medication%20prescribed,the%20weight-loss%20drug%20Contrave.

https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Treatments/Mental-Health-Medications/Types-of-Medication/Bupropion-(Wellbutrin)#:~:text=How%20Long%20Does%20It%20Take,the%20first%201-2%20weeks.

https://www.drugs.com/answers/bupropion-long-effect-2821729.html

https://www.drugs.com/tips/bupropion-patient-tips

https://www.rxlist.com/script/main/rxlist_view_comments.asp?drug=wellbutrin&questionid=fdb13509_pem

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