Why did my doctor prescribe me Wellbutrin?

Question

I have had trouble concentrating in school my whole life, but now as I enter college it is becoming harder and harder to concentrate! I talked to my doctor and he prescribed me Wellbutrin, Ive been on it for a month and a half and I find no positive effects on helping me concentrate. For some reason the Wellbutrin...

Answer 1

I assume you have ADHD and Wellbutrin is used off-label (it i not FDA approved) for ADHD. It can be beneficial to some people alone or with other medications (Adderall and Wellbutrin for example). Wellbutin acts on dopamine, one of the neurotransmitters stimulants acts on. The vast majority of people with ADHD respond well to stimulants, only a few do well on Wellbutrin. Normally people who take stimulants and don't get better tend to have a good response to Wellbutrin or Strattera, an FDA approved non stimulant medication.

People on Wellbutrin commonly have twitches and movements like your hands. In some people they can have seizures. And if he is fine prescribing Wellbutrin even though you have a tremor and he won't do anything I would say that is improper.

What should you do? Get a new doctor. Doctors do have personal opinions and most have some self imposed policies (like not prescribing certain things). That is fine and it is appropriate for a dermatologist to decide never to prescribe Adderall because that would be VERY inappropriate. But a doctor treating ADHD (ideally you are going to a psychiatrist) really needs to be willing to prescribe the FDA approved treatments like Adderall. If he won't then move on. If doctors are not willing to prescribe multiple types of treatments then what is the point? Or his "not believing in it" could be a way of saying Adderall is addictive and there is no way in hell you are getting it.

Adderall might be great for you or it might not be. You need to see a doctor say what your symptoms are, answer their questions, and NOT say "I want Adderall" or "can I have Adderall." You might mention the medication but you need to let the doctors do their job and figure out a good treatment. So what you need is a doctor who will try multiple things and does "believe" in other treatments besides Wellbutrin.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

The reason it takes the time to work is it has to "build up" in your system. For some reason, that is common with antidepressants. Wellbutrin will help with the depression, and will also help you to be more alert. Be sure to take it in the morning, if you take it in the afternoon or evening it will mess up your sleep. You should not have any bad side effects with that dose, I've been taking it for a long time with no noticeable side effects. Best of luck to you :-) .

Answer 4

Every doctor has their own opinion. Go to another doc and explain the situation. Just be prepared for a 'No' or 'Yes' from him/her too. A lot of docs don't like the internet because they feel you really need a medical background to make diagnoses no matter how much free info floats around on the internet. It's most important to be truthful about the symptoms and what products you're currently taking and why.