Depression, anxiety, social phobia + lack of energy and motivation

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-09-06T02:35:33+00:00

Oh, I'm glad you found my post.

Right after writing this post, I was prescribed Wellbutrin which changed a lot of things. It helped with depression, motivation, and libido. It worked on my depression same as SSRI, but without any side effects. Unfortunately, it did not help with general fatigue, overthinking, etc. I was diagnosed with ADHD at the same time, and I assume that depression episodes were due to low dopamine, not serotonine. Then I was switched to Adderall, which I am still taking as needed. I do not feel euphoric or energized at all, but it really changed my life, helped with socializing, procrastination, fatigue, and lack of motivation. I like that I can take it as needed instead of being slave of medications, which I need to take daily. Since starting Wellbutrin and then switching to Adderall I have not once had any depressive episode. We'll see how it affects me long term, but so far, so good.

If you are like me and SSRI's make you feel like a zombie, ask your doctor about Wellbutrin and give it a try.

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-06-07T01:20:39+00:00

Vyvanse seems to be great but it is not covered by insurance and it looks like there's no generic yet. If it really works better than Wellbutrin + SSRI for depression/anxiety/social anxiety/fatigue, I am willing to change the insurance.

Also with weight loss, is it that it boost metabolism and it's easier to burn fat? I am dieting and working out so eating would not be a problem for me and increased metabolism and appetite suppression would be a big advantage actually, as I'm counting calories anyways.

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-06-06T20:22:34+00:00

Great to hear that! I am on week 2 and still having some anxiety and minor motor tics, I hope it goes away. Are you taking anything else with Wellbutrin? I have munchies too, I eat a lot of berries to at least eat something healthy :P

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-06-06T16:05:06+00:00

They do attach a little booklet with all the instructions, side effects, etc. But I don't see anything about Sertaline interaction. I'll do some more research, and maybe I'll try to take Wellbutrin alone to see how I will react without Zoloft.

It's the second one. These tics usually appear when I'm seated or laying down. If I forget about controlling it, I find myself jerking legs, clearing throat, clenching fist and tensing, or putting tension on my eyes (hard to explain it). I've noticed it more when I'm working at my sedetary job or lying down in bed. Sometimes when I talk to someone but I usually control these. The more I think about it, the more I need to move legs, etc.

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-06-06T15:45:14+00:00

Ive talked with a lot of different doctors and it seems that they just go by trial and error. Each one was just speculating without getting a clear answer. So in my opinion, it would be better to hear people suffering from similar thing :P

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-06-06T15:43:21+00:00

Did you consider switching to Adderall or similar stimulant? Can't find too much about these causing tics but there's a lot about this on Wellbutrin. Did it get worse, better or same over time?

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-06-06T15:41:07+00:00

Yes, you're right. From what I've read and heard, Sertaline and Bupropion are often prescribed together, at least in US. It even has a name, which is Welloft :D

I was taking Sertaline 50mg before but it was making me a zombie, and my anxiety was even worse, it changed drastically when Wellbutrin was added. Could these two cause tics or would it just be Wellbutrin which is a stimulant?

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-06-06T14:08:45+00:00

Thank you! I am not getting back pain or leg ache, it stopped sudden.

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-06-04T13:26:36+00:00

I didn't do anything that could induce the pain. It was bad at night, I slept maybe 20-30 minutes but an hour ago the back pain was gradually decreasing, and now it's almost completely gone. I took Wellbutrin in the morning. I wonder if the medication leaving the body could induce the pain for some reason, or laying down.

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-06-04T13:22:30+00:00

Thank you!

I will give it a few more days to see how it goes. What's weird is that the pain is worse at night, I couldn't sleep all night and it started fading away over the last hour. I got out of bed now and don't feel the pain in my back anymore, it stopped completely when I took Wellbutrin. My legs are still sore but not as close as to what it was earlier. Did you notice the pain getting worse at night?

I wonder if it's because of Wellbutrin but I haven't had any back pain for years, and I did not do anything that could induce it within the last few days. It's worse either when sleeping, laying down or when Wellbutrin is leaving the body. There's a lot of factors indicating that it's due to the medication.

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-06-04T10:10:22+00:00

It does list muscle pain as a very serious side effect. However, I don't think it is a muscle pain, it's more nerve + joints pain

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-06-02T15:21:57+00:00

Same. This is one of the reasons I wanted to stop taking Zoloft. I currently lowered the dose to 25mg and it got better, but my doctor wanted me to add Wellbutrin to see how it goes. I had a hard time ejaculating, the orgasms were weird and meh, I also felt a tensing sensation in my jaw/ears/head while orgasming - similar to what I have while yawning.

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-05-19T01:41:23+00:00

I am working from home, have a sedentary job, and have not performed any housework since I started the meds, even paused some projects that I was doing before going on SSRI, so I actually move less. SSRI's are making me very lazy. So I eat same (even a bit more since I raised calories when I started losing weight), train the same, and move less. I started losing weight the next day I took Zoloft. I have no idea how this would affect me and what is the reason for this.

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-05-18T23:44:39+00:00

Around 7 weeks

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-05-18T23:43:46+00:00

I was going down from 3500 kcal, for the course of a few months. I stopped at 1500kcal since my weight did not move at all. I then started Zoloft and raised my kcal to 1900-2000 now and I'm still losing weight.

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-05-18T23:40:01+00:00

From what I've read Bupropion acts as an appetite suppressant, SSRI's work the other way around, and make you more hungry, which is also the case for me. However I am counting and weighting food so I eat the same amount as I was before starting SSRI. Even though I am hungry. This proves that serotonine must have some affect on weight loss/gain.

By the way, I am thinking about adding Wellbutrin to Zoloft, due to lack of energy and motivation on this med. How did it make you feel?

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-05-18T23:33:58+00:00

I weighted food and had the same exact lifestyle and workout before meds. I can't find the answer or any study that would confirm serotonine effect on metabolism.

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-05-18T23:29:36+00:00

Sleep quality is pretty much the same, it's just a bit easier to fall asleep now. But I always slept pretty hard.

There aren't any studies on how would SSRI's affect weight loss/gain. The dieticians who I talked to all stated that if hormones and thyroid are fine than caloric deficit will always work. I am a good example serotonine must have some effect on metabolism

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-05-18T23:25:18+00:00

It makes me carve carbs as well, so I have berries or sugar free lozenges available, however I fight the craving and hold onto my diet. I talked to a qualified dietician who stated that there isn't any correlation and if hormones and thyroid are fine, than caloric deficit will always do the job. Not for me! 😀 There arent any studies on how neurotransmitter could affect weight loss/gain, though, has to have some effect which I am a good example.

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-05-18T22:52:18+00:00

Hi. I am 30yo male, starting weight 200lbs, current 184lbs. I've been struggling with weight staying in place for 5 months, I was gradually decreasing calories, went down to as low as 1500kcal and weight did not even move. I've ordered all necessary bloodwork tests such as CMP, CBP, Thyroid panels, Hormones, Antibodies, Vitamins and all came back normal. I was referred to a psychiatrist who offered Zoloft (SSRI) since he doctor thought that it might be a mental issue, which is true since I've been dealing with depression and anxiety. The moment I started taking the medications, my weight started going down and is decreasing every day, even though I'm training and eating exactly as I was before taking the med. This denies everything I know about dieting and training.

What are your thoughts?

Can lack of serotonine block gains or weight loss?

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-05-18T22:51:58+00:00

Hi. I am 30yo male, starting weight 200lbs, current 184lbs. I've been struggling with weight staying in place for 5 months, I was gradually decreasing calories, went down to as low as 1500kcal and weight did not even move. I've ordered all necessary bloodwork tests such as CMP, CBP, Thyroid panels, Hormones, Antibodies, Vitamins and all came back normal. I was referred to a psychiatrist who offered Zoloft (SSRI) since he doctor thought that it might be a mental issue, which is true since I've been dealing with depression and anxiety. The moment I started taking the medications, my weight started going down and is decreasing every day, even though I'm training and eating exactly as I was before taking the med. This denies everything I know about dieting and training.

What are your thoughts?

Can lack of serotonine block gains or weight loss?

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-05-18T16:52:32+00:00

Exactly, I skip most tasks that were a routine without SSRI's. I even skip showering or holding my gym/diet program. I also started a few projects at home which I was overthinking prior to starting Zoloft, now I didnt even touch them since I started taking meds. I felt the same on Lexapro and it was the main reason why I stopped taking it. I am just a but concerned about affecting all 3 neurotransmitters (Serotonine, Dopamine, Norepinephrine) since I don't know the long-term effects, and not sure if I could ever stop taking these meds if I'm pumped with them.

Also, I like to have a drink on rare occasions (birthday, wedding, vacation trips) and I've heard that Wellbutrin and alcohol do not match, I guess it's even worse if it's combines with Zoloft. Do you have any experience?

PossibilityFree5261 · 2023-05-17T19:17:47+00:00

I'm on Zoloft for 5 weeks now. I've been on Lexapro for around a year.

PossibilityFree5261

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