Now its wellbutrin, not pristiq

I called Hain’s…two prescription’s were called in. Turns out they want me to start Wellbutrin?!? My info got passed to a few drs and got mixed up. Any info on Wellbutrin?

Nance

That’s a strange choice. Wellbutrin is an NDRI – that is, a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor. It’s about twice as strong on dopamine as it is on the other one.

What’s strange to me is that Hain says (when discussing Abilify), “Dopamine agonism would be expected to worsen migraine.” And here’s what he says of Wellbutrin: “Wellbutrin (buproprion) has been reported useful in small studies for migraine, cluster and chronic daily headaches. Wellbutrin has no clinically significant effect on serotonin neurotransmission. We have not had much success with this drug.

You could, if you wanted, e-mail Dr. Cherchi (Hain doesn’t respond nearly as quickly – and is much more terse) and ask him why they would give you Wellbutrin.

I would suggest speaking to your doctor, Hain, directly. Every pt has a right to understand why a doc gives a specific med. keep us posted

Nance,

I just responded to your PM. Based solely on my personal experience, I would be much more comfortable trying Wellbutrin than Pristiq for anxiety and your other symptoms. I have quite a bit of experience with Wellbutrin and have never experienced any side effects or problems starting or stopping it. I tried Effexor (a similar predecessor to Pristiq) for a short time last year and couldn’t tolerate the side effects. I didn’t get MAV symptom relief from either drug, but Wellbutrin worked well for depression and anxiety. I didn’t take Effexor long enough to know what it would do.

Of course I know our bodies often respond differently to medications, but I thought maybe my experience would give a little peace of mind about trying Wellbutrin.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Marci :smiley:

Hi Nance,
I am glad to hear your MAV symptoms are under better control, but your struggle with anxiety is disheartening. I would definitely check in with Dr. Hain as I too am confused with his choice of med. If he is trying to treat anxiety, from my knowledge, first line treatment is usually one of the SSRI’s. Wellbutrin is not known for it’s anxiolytic properties. It is more useful to treat depression in general.
Plus, I cannot see how it would help MAV in any way either!? Please keep us posted.
Keep your chin up best you can.
All the best,
lisa