Running and WELLBUTRIN?

i started taking wellbutrin a few weeks ago for ADHD after little to no benefit of strattera. during this time i have felt much better than i have in years, don't find myself getting short tempered and as easily pissed off as i have in the past, my focus is substantially improved, not forgetting stuff and being absent minded, and it has not seemed to impact my running in any negative way at all.

so far, two thumbs up!!!

bump

So I just did a search and read all the stuff on Wellbutrin, which I was just prescribed today for depression and ADHD. Supposedly, it will take 4-6 weeks for it to kick in... is it really going to take that long? I know I've heard before that it doesn't take that long... what is other people's experience with starting this?

Yes, most antidepressents take a few weeks to kick in.

If an antidepressant makes you manic, you likely have bipolar disorder. Most people do not want to admit or confront this, but ignoring bipolar can have big drawbacks....better to look into it. This is a textbook way to uncover bipolar.

If the side effects or loss of appetite are no good for you on wellbutrin, look into lexapro (the most tolerable SSRI) or cymbalta. Cymbalta give better coverage of symptoms and is as tolerable, but sometimes a little nausea the first few days. Both of these two are better than others because you don't have big side effects when you stop taking them.

I tried Wellbutrin for about three weeks and though I did see some positives, in the end it seemed to make me too anxious, so now I'm trying Zoloft.

At first Wellbutrin made getting to sleep difficult and it made running a lot harder. Not physically, oddly enough, but mentally harder. That side effect went away within a couple of days after starting the med or upping the dose.

I am truly stunned how many runners here on this board are on anti-depressant meds. Holy crap.

And for those of you saying to people like me "how dare you criticize anti-depressant meds in general", why don't YOU back off. People like me are NOT saying that no one should take these drugs and they do not truly help some people. Of course there are people that badly need them.

BUT>......what we are saying is: waaaaay more people are on these drugs then necessary. Big Pharma has convinced America we all need to be on SOMETHING to improve our lives. You do realize that a well-controlled study came out years ago showing that Placebo did as well as Prozac head to head in helping depressed patients, right?? That's right, sugar pill as good as your "wonder drugs". And we are NOT attacking you people for being on these drugs, just saying that the drugs have become so accepted and popular that many of you out there think nothing of hopping on these pills. A little down, not feeling your best, feeling sluggish, a little sad or not running well? Must be some biological disease, hand over the pills.

My best friend was very depressed for awhile. He finally started on wellbutrin. He said it did nothing for him but make him yawn a lot. The talk therapy helped some, and then he looked deep inside himself, quit the meds cold turkey on his own, cut way down on his drinking, got a better job and got a girlfriend. He's still a fairly angry guy, but he's successful and happy enough, and he doesn't take drugs every day. He took the drugs for one month and they did nothing. HE....changed his attitude and life, not some meds.

Happiness is not a quick fix folks. And many of you are CLEARLY looking for that because you are talking about "geez, 10 days into taking this drug, I don't feel much better, but I guess I need to be patient." 10 friggin' days???

And others of you are talking about how you have had all of these other great side effects besides making you feel less depressed. "wonder drug" one guy called it. Are you staying on this because you think you might get depressed again, or are you hooked on this highs you are getting off the drug now?? Time to ask yourself some tough questions people. Any "happy pill" that interferes with my sex life (as many of these do) or that makes me want to kill myself MORE when I come off it (which many do), is not a drug for me thanks. And NO ONE knows the long-term side effects of these drugs.

good luck all in your search for satisfaction and happiness. THere are many ways to achieve that without getting a prescription.

Someone mentioned benzos in association with the phrase "sheer awfulness". Can anyone explain exactly why benzos are awful? I am specifically interested in Lorazepam. Thanks

what do I put here? wrote:

are anti-depressants (the stimulant family) consiered banned substances in athletics?

Antidepressants are not stimulants.

cubert wrote:

i needed to bump this because I recently started up on 150mg of wellbutrin and have noticed changes in running. I felt bad running and just ran with my heart rate monitor and saw it go up to 175 running my normal slow pace. Then after the run it stayed at 130 for a long time which is what I use to do my slow runs at. I have been taking it easy but do I need to take it very easy until I get use to the medicine? i am feeling better, just not running.

I have noticed the same issue. I just started on bupropion xl about 9 days ago. Ive been having light headaches, which come and go, and a loss of appetite, but i still force myself to eat. However the past few days I have struggled to get through my runs. I feel like i can barely breathe getting through 5 or 6 miles, which is bizarre because I am near the end of my marathon training and have Boston in 3 weeks. I should be able to get these runs completed no problem. I don't know if it is a normal side effect or what...and if it will go away in time for the marathon.

This is exactly what I'm experiencing.

I'm a very experienced athlete, and I've always ran - despite feelings of depression.

I'm on day 13 of Wellbutrin and I my workouts are significantly more difficult. Running at an "easy" pace sends my HR sky high. It's upsetting since I compete frequently. I'm not sure if this is a side effect, and if it will subside after a few more weeks.

Hi, I have taken wellbutrin before. Because of the effects it has on your autonomic nervous system, the medicine will raise your blood pressure and increase yor heart rate even in the relaxed state. It also decreases appetite which makes it a good medication for losing weight, but bad for running. My blood pressure didn't stabilize until my psychiatrist took me off of the medication, so I don't thik the side effects will go away in time for a big race.

I am on Wellbutrin. Today is the first day. In the morning, I spent an hour at the gym lifting weights. I felt no effect.

8 hours later I went for a run. My route is uphill with about 300 stairs. This is what I noticed:

1) The uphill warm-up to the stairs felt disappointingly easy. It should have been much tougher after a big (non-medicated) workout yesterday that left me exhausted.

2) My usual routine on this day of the week (happens to be Sunday) is 4 reps. I did 10 today but I had the energy to do 5 more. I stopped to prevent an overuse injury. I had the energy and motivation to do tons more!

3) I was tired at the end of the day. I snacked on fruit as I made dinner but in the middle of making dinner I realized I was already full... (appetite suppressant?) I made myself eat a small amount anyway.

I am a 32 year old female. I train hard.

Fall in a hole and die.

thomas wrote:

Fall in a hole and die.

Thomas, I read your post (the last of the thread) before reading any previous to you and my first thought was "Wow, Thomas is a huge jerk, the internet sucks." Then I read orange's post and now I think "Wow some people have too much time on their hands to dig this thread out of the grave and then post that about it. The internet sucks Also, I agree with Thomas on this one now."

Bump

Want to read more about others' experience with wellbutrin and running

First I will start off with why I’m taking the Bubropion. Two major intermediate family deaths, in addition to financial woes caused by the pandemic of 2020, we have to learn how to become stay at home teachers for our kids as all the schools are closed in our state.

It was becoming way too overwhelming to the point where I couldn’t get out of bed constantly feeling like a piece of s***. Dragging my butt all over the house in one bad mood all day.

I knew something had to change being an avid runner for my whole life this was the first time running seemed impossible as I could barely move to begin with from feeling so terrible. Going from 5 miles + per day to zero miles for the last 9 months really tore me down physically and mentally. I didn’t gain much weight as we are vegan household. But mentally running just seemed to be way too much. I would wake up like normal get dressed get my shoes on then sit on the couch crying for about an hour then go back to bed for a couple hours. I never made it out the front door.

Now that the back story is set on how bad of shape I was in.

I thought I would share my experience as I’m in my 6th week of Wellbutrin XL (started at 150mg once a day) after two weeks with no response to the medication my doctor wanted to up my dose. Which at this point in my life, I needed something to work for me. So we went up 300mg Wellbutrin and 37.5 Efexxor to offset the extra anxiety it may cause by upping my dose.

Fast forward another 4 weeks and I’m back to running. Very labored running but none the less I’m back at it. Heart rate stays about 165-180 at a decent pace but can only make it about 2 miles before I feel like jello.

One thing I can say confidently is that after 6 weeks I finally feel like I’m getting back to myself. This drug is NOT a miracle drug. The side effects can be terrible and almost unbearable for the first two weeks of MY upped dose of Bupropion(300mg XL) : Excessive sweating doing ANYTHING, major decreased appetite, delayed ejactulation during sex (very frustrating) , and major anxiety. From my understanding effects can be different for everybody. There are scary side effects that I didn’t consider and that I HAVE NOT experienced...yet. The scary one that has me on the fence if I want to continue is potential for Seizures. These are random and very rare but still it’s a fear I think about for the future as I continue to put this in my body. The Effexor is also helping tremendously with the anger and anxiety the bupropion causes. If you are naturally an angry person DO NOT take this medication it will make you a mad man. I say this because I’m a very chill person by nature and I was losing my s*** on everything and everyone...it sucked. 4 weeks of Effexor and I am finding my patience and calmness coming back slowly.

Stuff I tried before medication:

Medical marijuana

Acupuncture therapy

Therapy

Alcohol (binge drinking in my room alone)

Wreckless driving (to get an adrenaline rush)

Massages

Trust me fellow runners it takes a lot of courage to admit something is wrong. I’m getting better everyday. And it’s not just because of medication it’s an entire life change to make everything work well together. As soon as I noticed I had just a tad bit more motivation and energy I started out walking then a light jog then running all within the last week. I would say it’s working for now. But, while running WATCH your temperature and stay hydrated, if you don’t you are preparing yourself for a seizure indefinitely. DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL OF ANY KIND. Alcohol raises the concentration of the bupropion in your blood stream and yes, you guessed it, you will have a seizure if it gets too high.

That’s my story. Hope it helps someone looking for any answers.

I just want to chime in with another perspective. I have been on Bipropion for the last two years and tapering off it now. The last poster seems quite dramatic. I experienced no side effects and honestly I'm not sure if it did anything. My life has gotten better but I cannot say for sure if it had anything to do with th medication. I have cut my dosage in half for the last month or so, and still I don't notice much difference. I plan to completely stop in a few weeks. I've never had a problem with alcohol.

Running us my wellbutrin