can i start taking my prozac while weaning off of wellbutrin?

[amanda3110]

i have been taking well butrin for a month and a half and it is not working for me. it seems to be having the opposite effect. i am more depressed and anxious than i was before. i just want to discontinue  the wellbutrin and go back to taking my prozac, but the last dr i saw said that i had to wean off the wellbutrin comletely before i can even start my prozac..so that means it will be atleast ten days before i can START  to get back to normal. i wanted to know can i go ahead and start my prozac while weaning off the wellbutrin and are there gonna be side effects if i were to just stop taking the wellbutrtin without weaning?

[Satsong13]

Many psych's use different approaches.  Since Wellbutrin is purely a dopamine agonist there is no threat of serotonin syndrome.  Often what a psych will do is add Zoloft if Wellbutrin is too stimulating.  It tends to cut the anxiety and is considered a potent combination for treatment resistant depression (i'm on it) Of course, everyone is different but If I was suffering morbidly and didn't want to go through a terribly long drawn out switching of meds, I would consider another a second psychiatric opinion on this..

[Paxiled]

This isn't true.  Wellbutrin inhibits the breakdown both of dopamine and norepinephrine.  The latter is also done by the SNRI class of drugs and is a lot of why this drug is so stimulating for so many people and why it's not generally used for people whose primary problem is anxiety.  It's pretty close to being a pure antidepressant, though it's no more effective statistically than any other antidepressant (or less effective).  It is often combined with an ssri, which are better for treating anxiety for most people because they don't target norepinephrine, also called noradrenaline, to minimize sexual side effects or weight gain, not the other way around.  But what confuses most people is that probably most people who suffer anxiety are suffering depression first and anxiety as a result.  It's often hard for us sufferers to know what's what, but one way to know is if you take a stimulating antidepressant and it makes you less anxious -- that's a possible sign your main problem is depression, not anxiety.  But individuals react in individual ways, so no generalization is going to fit a particular individual.

[Shoutc]

I would follow your doctors orders. I do want to let you know that I was taking 300 mg of Wellbutrin. My doctor changed my medicine to Prozac. I am to take 150mg of Wellbutrin for 7 days and then discontinue. I am to start taking my Prozac on the first day of the 7 days. So I will be taking both for 7 days and then just the Prozac 20mg.

[LALEAH]

I have been on Wellbutrin for 20 years.  I was on Prozac for 5 years at the same time.  Returned to Prozac a short while back but didn't stay on it as it wasn't working.  Everytime I have switched medication, my doctor made sure I was gradually starting the new med while reducing the old. I never had a problem being on them, or any other medication at the same time.  Do some research on different forums 'reducing wellbutrin while starting prozac'.  I agree all meds act differently for each person.  But watch your symptoms carefully.  Once you finish your Wellbutrin medication, it will be in your system for a couple weeks, gradually reducing.  Maybe this is what your doctor is working with when you start the prozac.  Ask your doctor WHY he/she is doing it this way.  Always ask question and do research on your own.  

[mammo]

Wellbutrin is a stimulating antidepressant.  You should only follow your doctor's advice, because he knows these medications and is your best resource.  Playing around with these types of medications can cause some serious issues.

[rxlynn]

Amanda,
I can offer what the medical literature says.  Prozac, as you probably know, is called an SSRI antidepressant, which basically means it helps increase serotonin communication between neurons in the brain, which can improve mood.  Effexor affects other neurochemicals, including serotonin.  
Unfortunately, if you have too much serotonin (which could happen if on both meds) there can be side effects.  And it is true for some people Wellbutrin can make some people too anxious.  Generally, it takes about 5 -7 days for Wellbutrin to leave your system.
Please follow your doctor's advice...if you have additional concerns, your pharmacist might

be able to help you as well.  But the most important advice is to stay in touch with your
doctor (or at least his staff) and don't try to go it alone.  Please also know every individual reacts to medicines differently, which is why you want to work with your own doctor and not base your treatment on what other people do.  What is ok for one person might not be helpful for another.  Best regards.