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BEWARE: Adderall and Wellbutrin?


adderallornothing

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Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to warn people of a possible side-effect from taking Wellbutrin and quitting without tapering (possibly coupled with extreme Adderall consumption?).

I used to be hopelessly addicted to Adderall (taking hundreds of mgs a day, 40 mg at a time - at the time I weighed maybe 95lbs and am 5'2") and my reprehensible doctor told me I should take Wellbutrin too - "It will make the Adderall even better!" he claimed. (Note: He didn't know I was abusing Adderall, although he would have been able to see this had he ever looked at his records.)

Initially I turned it down, but then a month or so later I took him up on it. I didn't notice any difference after two months and decided to stop. (It actually was great for quitting smoking - I totally stopped while I was on it, but didn't want to become addicted to two prescription. Since I didn't notice any other benefits I thought I should just stop taking it.) My doctor actually LAUGHED at me and almost taunted me, saying, "Fine it's your decision, but you're going to be so depressed next week!" I assured him I wouldn't be and discontinued that prescription.

So I stopped taking Wellbutrin without any tapering off, and at some point after that (I'm sorry, my memory is really hazy during this period in my life) I was walking down the street in midtown (I live in NYC) and apparently had a seizure.

It was raining, I was by myself, and I had JUST come from picking up all my valuables (laptop, ipad, 2 ipods, iphone, hard drive) from a friend's place where I was crashing (at the time I was technically homeless, thanks to my love of Adderall!). The next thing I knew I was lying on the ground, a cop was standing over me along with a group of people who seemed like tourists. I don't really remember what happened, but I know the tourists were being so good to me and tried to tell me that I had a seizure. I am SO grateful that they were there, and that none of my stuff was stolen, it didn't happen in the middle of the street/dark alley etc. Anyway, the cop was asking me why I was lying on the ground, and I just instinctively said "Nothing's wrong, I just felt like lying down!" At the time I had no idea how ridiculous that sounded given the situation. They had called an ambulance and made me go in it - it was only after driving for five minutes that I realized my head was pounding and I had a huge bump where I had hit it on the sidewalk.

Anyway - point 1 of the story is that I REALLY think the seizure was from stopping Wellbutrin all of a sudden, which could have been exacerbated by my crazy Adderall use - I don't really know. The doctors at the hospital didn't have any answers - I told them I took Adderall (but did not say I abused it or was crazy addicted to it), and they didn't seem to be concerned about that. They told me these things just happen sometimes, did a CAT scan, and sent me on my way. They were all really good to me though - I'm not sure if they were supposed to do anything else. Note that I'm basing this conclusion on intuition alone and not any professional advice or even any legitimate research of my own.

That being said, point 2 of the story is that if you are taking Wellbutrin and are also addicted to Adderall, PLEASE be careful! Don't stop Wellbutrin cold turkey - I believe it's important to taper off when you stop. Talk to your doctor before you stop or at least do your research! Also, I didn't take the Wellbutrin at regular intervals - some days I may have missed it. I have no idea if this could also have contributed to the seizure, so please talk to a doctor that you trust!

I'm sorry this ended up being longer than I expected! Also I'm not going to read over it again or else I know I'll never end up posting it! Just wanted to get this warning out there!

P.S. The story has a happy ending :) I've been off Adderall since January 2012. My mind is still jumpy and "ADD-ish", but I feel like I've been able to restart my life - WE ALL CAN!

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  • 9 months later...

I realize this is an older post and my hearties out to you for suffering such an experience - adderall is often even over used if as Rx'd - it's too easy to burn out your body's energy levels (fuel) by using this turbo-boost (as I like to call it).

Emergency rooms will stabilize you - they do not treat or manage Heath problems - you suffered trauma and they put you back on your feet; quality of care will vary.

That aside, it is my understanding that Wellbutrin, adderall, alcohol - and other substances taken individually or together have reduce seizure threshold - meaning - it reduces your body's resistance to seize. It is more likely that the levels of both drugs in your system at that time contributed to the seizure. Had you not quit the Wellbutrin, there's a chance it simply would have happened sooner.

I understand addictions - it's important to take drug holidays (if approved by your dr for your condition) so your body can rest and achieve it's natural balances without needing medicines to survive the day (ie; being able to stay awake and get out of bed without stimulants)......

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