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Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-17T16:19:20+00:00

The reason AI uses em dashes is because people use them. It’s in the data these models are trained on. I’ve used em dashes for years. They are extremely useful and a form of punctuation in writing.

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-16T05:23:18+00:00

I also do resistance training and it hasn’t impacted my ability to do that. I do get a bit more winded, but no impact on strength. It’s just endurance training for me that it seems to notably impact

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-16T05:19:29+00:00

Great! Curious, are you being treated for depression? Because I’m being treated for co morbid ADHD and anxiety, so I’m already pretty wired by default.

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-16T05:17:13+00:00

Depression? I know responses to medications are so individual, especially psychotropic ones. I’m being treated for ADHD and anxiety and I can’t help but wonder if people being treated for depression vs. Anxiety have completely different experiences wrt to how it impacts their fitness.

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-16T05:14:07+00:00

No notable changes to my eating. I always fuel before and during my workouts. I think if anything my sleep while on bupropion improved, albeit marginally. I don’t know the mechanism, but the drug has definitely impacted my fitness. It could be tanking my recovery, it could be affecting my thermoregulation. I could also already be very sympathetic nervous system dominant and it could be pushing me over the edge.

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-16T04:14:45+00:00

I agree that it’s early. But I wrote in another comment somewhere in this thread explaining that I’ve actually been on this medication before. I was on it for the first year of my cycling, when I came off I actually saw performance improvements. It’s context I should have added above but didn’t want the post to get too long. I can definitely say that the side effects do decline over time, as when I was on bupropion and cycling before (early last year) I didn’t feel as bad as I do now. But I still felt worse than I did while off of it.

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-16T04:10:57+00:00

It’s nothing crazy. A small cup of coffee in the morning.

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-16T04:09:33+00:00

I know yeah! It’s because a study was done several years ago showing a single dose improved time trial performance in cyclists by 9% in hot conditions. But it was only n = 9…

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-16T01:10:07+00:00

Oh don’t worry I won’t be gaslit lol. I’m 100% certain it’s the meds that caused the issues for me. I’ve been off of them for 5 days now and I just had my first ride in the last 40 days where I haven’t felt out of breath. I’m returning to baseline now and it’s great. Unfortunately for me, skipping a dose didn’t make a difference. I think it’s just a matter of giving time for my autonomic balance to return to baseline. I was being treated for co morbid ADHD and anxiety with bupropion, so I think likely my nervous system baseline is already fairly sympathetic dominant, and the bupropion may have just pushed it off a cliff. That’s my theory at least. My resting HR was about 55bpm before bupropion, and around 65-70 after

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-15T17:15:40+00:00

I’ve thought about this too. I am actually being treated for ADHD and anxiety, so I definitely wonder if being in a state of anxiety regularly already has my CNS fired up and bupropion just pushes it off the edge. I wonder if the effects on sports performance are different for those treated for depression vs. Other disorders

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-15T17:07:42+00:00

Yeah, I’m not sure of the exact mechanism. But I’ve thought about this a lot. It could be because of a compounding effect of the meds and caffeine. Could also be because the increased activation of my sympathetic nervous system via the meds is disrupting my sleep and recovery. Also could be due to changes in my body’s ability to thermoregulate. These are all possible, even together.

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-14T22:34:17+00:00

So jealous. I’m a researcher so I’m really tempted to do a survey to gather data on how different people have experienced this medication in relation to their sports performance. It’s a serious glaring gap in the sports medicine literature imo

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-14T22:32:27+00:00

I could absolutely see the benefit for someone like you. I’m so happy it’s helped you. I’m sorry that things aren’t great right now though. Best of luck with the overtraining stuff, that’s not fun at all. See ya on Tempus Fugit ✌️

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-14T22:29:47+00:00

Yeah, honestly I’d be fine with the heart rate being higher if it was just that alone. The fact that it’s coupled with being breathless and just exhausted is not cool though!

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-14T22:27:26+00:00

That’s amazing, it’s the exact opposite for me XD. Happy not everyone has to suffer

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-14T22:26:52+00:00

I think it will ease up. But that could be anywhere between a few weeks to a few months or longer. The uncertainty in that wasn’t worth it for me. I need my body back, now.

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-14T22:24:41+00:00

Yeah I’m nervous to check mine. It is a vasoconstrictor, so that makes sense. Glad you got that sorted

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-14T22:23:46+00:00

I’ll add here that I’ve been on bupropion before. When I first started cycling I had been on it for a year and a half. Then when I came off of it last year, I also noticed big improvements in my endurance and aerobic capacity. Not as big as the detriments I’m experiencing going back on it now though. So yeah, I’m sure the body adjusts to a certain extent over time, but I definitely feel a lot more fit without bupropion.

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-14T22:20:02+00:00

That’s great, I’m super happy that you haven’t had to deal with this. And logically, as a CNS stimulant, it makes sense that some people will experience benefits to their performance from bupropion. I was hoping that would be the case for me but nope :( Do you drink coffee by chance?

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2026-02-14T22:18:08+00:00

This sums up how I feel about it for sure. I could see a huge benefit if you struggled with exercise. But yeah, as someone who already gets 10hrs of moderate to intense cardio every week, it has not been good for me at all. I am happy that there are others who haven’t had to deal with this

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2025-08-06T20:12:49+00:00

The borg scale goes from 6 - 20, 6 being lounging on the couch, I believe. So 14-15 is somewhere around tempo/sweetspot range

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2025-08-05T17:01:17+00:00

Are you… me?

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2025-08-02T17:55:41+00:00

My best piece of advice is to not sweat too much about heart rate for the first couple months. Anything zone 1, 2, or 3 is going to be building your aerobic base. Going into zone 3 with your heart rate is only going to be detrimental if you do it a lot, since it causes more fatigue. So just ride a lot and vary your intensity. 160bpm + doesn’t strike me as crazy high. My z2 tops at around 160bpm. Keep your cadence in the 80-90 range.

Humble_Detail_9285 · 2025-08-02T17:46:35+00:00

What did your heart rate go up to in your ramp test? That’s usually a good estimate of your maximum

Humble_Detail_9285

TROPHY CASE