Obviously I can’t say with certainty what will happen with your experience, but I’ve taken 300 xl bupropion with a 24 hour dose of pseudoephedrine without knowing the risk of possible interactions when i had a gnarly cold.
Apparently that’s not exactly recommended. I felt a little on edge but no seizures.
Bupropion can cause bad anxiety attacks in general. I had to stop taking it after only 4 days because I felt so drugged while driving and it gave me terrible anxiety from feeling that way while driving. I couldn't believe how it made me feel in only a matter of 4 days
The risk of seizure from Bupropion is widely overstated. I get that it is something that can cause fear and anxiety in people, but the actual risk is rare.
If it makes you feel better, I've been on bupropion for a year and a half, taking 300mg daily, and i used to have seizures as a kid, and I've never had an issue.
I was really nervous about this too. But I read a lot about it and the risk of seizures is strongly correlated with dose and other stuff that predisposes you to it (history of seizures or close family with seizures, withdrawal/addiction, binge drinking). An FDA article says the incidence was 4/1000 in people taking 450mg or less which is the max dose now.
Also anecdotally I’ve definitely been drunk while on 300mg many times and no seizures. Obviously I don’t recommend that though.
I’m not a doctor and I have no qualifications but I would guess that you’ll read more about seizure & negative side effect experiences on this subreddit just like you see more negative restaurant experiences on yelp. If Wellbutrin is working well or is at least unremarkable to a person, they’re probably less likely to seek out a place to write about that.
FDA link: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2009/018644s039s040.pdf
Cafer’s Psychopharmacology reports “Convulsant effects of standard doses of extended-release bupropion is minimal.”
Myth #1: Bupropion is the antidepressant with the highest risk of seizures: No. It’s likely that the instant release version does, because the risk is dose-dependent so when it’s dosed three times a day patients might accidentally take their tablets too close together, raising the blood level and the seizure risk. With the SR, XL, Aplenzin, and Forfivo varieties, the risk of seizures has gone down. In a meta-analysis of 164 articles from 2018, it was clomipramine that came out with the highest seizure risk, and bupropion was not even at the top.1 A separate study from 2018 of over 5,000 elderly patients with new onset seizures found that escitalopram (Lexapro) and citalopram (Celexa) had the highest seizure risk, while the risk for bupropion was about the same as the other antidepressants they looked at.” https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/3-myths-about-bupropion
UpToDate Risk Factors:
• Abrupt discontinuation of ethanol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, or antiseizure drugs
• Concurrent electrolyte/metabolic disturbances (eg, hypoglycemia, hyponatremia, severe hepatic impairment, hypoxia)
• Concurrent use of drugs that lower the seizure threshold (eg, antipsychotics, antidepressants, theophylline, systemic corticosteroids, stimulants [including cocaine], anorexiants, hypoglycemic agents)
• Conditions with high seizure risk (eg, arteriovenous malformation, severe head injury, severe stroke, CNS tumor, CNS infection)
• Excessive use of ethanol, benzodiazepines, sedative/hypnotics, or opioids
• Higher doses/overdoses (especially >400 mg/day)
• History of anorexia or bulimia
• History of seizures
• Use of immediate-release formulations (Ref)
Very unlikely youd get a seizure but the fear of it might be common when starting, I was a little bit anxious when first started, and also got a few episodes of panic attacks. It’s been 2 years, a lot of it on 300mg and guess what? No seizures :) Give your brain time to adapt to the meds, it will take few weeks.
I worried like this the first couple weeks too, but it’s really highly unlikely, unless you’ve had seizures before or have family history (still unlikely, but less so). I take 3 different meds that lower the seizure threshold and haven’t had one and I’ve been on them all long enough now that I stopped worrying about it, if that’s any consolation.
Highly unlikely to get seizures from it unless you have a health history with seizures, overdose on bupropion (doses greater than 450mg/day), or stop your meds cold turkey after being on it for a long time. Your body is resilient— it knows how to get used to the meds gradually. Talk to your doctors about any risks if you are concerned. Anxiety over new psych meds is normal but in reality, you most likely will not experience seizures… mainly the pharmaceutical manufacturers have to put all these warnings on the label to protect their asses from lawsuits and to let doctors know what types of patients to avoid prescribing these meds to.
If there are no other factors that predispose you to seizure like other drugs/ diseases/ head trauma/ (and your doctor probably checked this before prescribing) then it is very unlikely and your fear of seizures does more harm (panic attacks). Talk to your doctor.
Hi, I am also on Euthyrox and 300mg Wellbutrin, and I was on SSRIs in the past as well. I also take Seroquel for sleeping.
You will be fine! Like someone said, if you don't have history or family history of seizures, it's very unlikely that it will happen.
Avoid alcohol. I do occasionally get drunk, but if you want to minimize the risks, avoid it altogether
It's only likely to cause seizures when they are already present. In most cases, if you don't have seizures now, you won't with bupropion
Obviously I can’t say with certainty what will happen with your experience, but I’ve taken 300 xl bupropion with a 24 hour dose of pseudoephedrine without knowing the risk of possible interactions when i had a gnarly cold. Apparently that’s not exactly recommended. I felt a little on edge but no seizures.
Bupropion can cause bad anxiety attacks in general. I had to stop taking it after only 4 days because I felt so drugged while driving and it gave me terrible anxiety from feeling that way while driving. I couldn't believe how it made me feel in only a matter of 4 days
The risk of seizure from Bupropion is widely overstated. I get that it is something that can cause fear and anxiety in people, but the actual risk is rare.
If it makes you feel better, I've been on bupropion for a year and a half, taking 300mg daily, and i used to have seizures as a kid, and I've never had an issue.
You don’t have a personal history of bulimia, do you, OP?
no? why are you asking?
Because people with a history of bulimia are especially likely to seize on bupropion.
I was really nervous about this too. But I read a lot about it and the risk of seizures is strongly correlated with dose and other stuff that predisposes you to it (history of seizures or close family with seizures, withdrawal/addiction, binge drinking). An FDA article says the incidence was 4/1000 in people taking 450mg or less which is the max dose now. Also anecdotally I’ve definitely been drunk while on 300mg many times and no seizures. Obviously I don’t recommend that though. I’m not a doctor and I have no qualifications but I would guess that you’ll read more about seizure & negative side effect experiences on this subreddit just like you see more negative restaurant experiences on yelp. If Wellbutrin is working well or is at least unremarkable to a person, they’re probably less likely to seek out a place to write about that. FDA link: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2009/018644s039s040.pdf
Cafer’s Psychopharmacology reports “Convulsant effects of standard doses of extended-release bupropion is minimal.” Myth #1: Bupropion is the antidepressant with the highest risk of seizures: No. It’s likely that the instant release version does, because the risk is dose-dependent so when it’s dosed three times a day patients might accidentally take their tablets too close together, raising the blood level and the seizure risk. With the SR, XL, Aplenzin, and Forfivo varieties, the risk of seizures has gone down. In a meta-analysis of 164 articles from 2018, it was clomipramine that came out with the highest seizure risk, and bupropion was not even at the top.1 A separate study from 2018 of over 5,000 elderly patients with new onset seizures found that escitalopram (Lexapro) and citalopram (Celexa) had the highest seizure risk, while the risk for bupropion was about the same as the other antidepressants they looked at.” https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/3-myths-about-bupropion UpToDate Risk Factors: • Abrupt discontinuation of ethanol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, or antiseizure drugs • Concurrent electrolyte/metabolic disturbances (eg, hypoglycemia, hyponatremia, severe hepatic impairment, hypoxia) • Concurrent use of drugs that lower the seizure threshold (eg, antipsychotics, antidepressants, theophylline, systemic corticosteroids, stimulants [including cocaine], anorexiants, hypoglycemic agents) • Conditions with high seizure risk (eg, arteriovenous malformation, severe head injury, severe stroke, CNS tumor, CNS infection) • Excessive use of ethanol, benzodiazepines, sedative/hypnotics, or opioids • Higher doses/overdoses (especially >400 mg/day) • History of anorexia or bulimia • History of seizures • Use of immediate-release formulations (Ref)
You will not get seizures from it. Except it’s common in your family. The anxiety fade away soon for most people after a few days.
Anyone can get a seizure from bupropion. Especially if they have a history of bulimia.
Very unlikely youd get a seizure but the fear of it might be common when starting, I was a little bit anxious when first started, and also got a few episodes of panic attacks. It’s been 2 years, a lot of it on 300mg and guess what? No seizures :) Give your brain time to adapt to the meds, it will take few weeks.
I worried like this the first couple weeks too, but it’s really highly unlikely, unless you’ve had seizures before or have family history (still unlikely, but less so). I take 3 different meds that lower the seizure threshold and haven’t had one and I’ve been on them all long enough now that I stopped worrying about it, if that’s any consolation.
Highly unlikely to get seizures from it unless you have a health history with seizures, overdose on bupropion (doses greater than 450mg/day), or stop your meds cold turkey after being on it for a long time. Your body is resilient— it knows how to get used to the meds gradually. Talk to your doctors about any risks if you are concerned. Anxiety over new psych meds is normal but in reality, you most likely will not experience seizures… mainly the pharmaceutical manufacturers have to put all these warnings on the label to protect their asses from lawsuits and to let doctors know what types of patients to avoid prescribing these meds to.
As long as your not withdrawing a from a benzodiazepine or alcohol and don’t have a history of seizures you’ll be fine.
If there are no other factors that predispose you to seizure like other drugs/ diseases/ head trauma/ (and your doctor probably checked this before prescribing) then it is very unlikely and your fear of seizures does more harm (panic attacks). Talk to your doctor.
Thanks. I‘m just on Paroxetine and Euthyrox other than that
Hi, I am also on Euthyrox and 300mg Wellbutrin, and I was on SSRIs in the past as well. I also take Seroquel for sleeping. You will be fine! Like someone said, if you don't have history or family history of seizures, it's very unlikely that it will happen. Avoid alcohol. I do occasionally get drunk, but if you want to minimize the risks, avoid it altogether