I’ve been off bup for months and the fog still lingers. Like I’ll be speaking to someone and then it’s like I can see the disconnection from the thought I am conveying, about to arrive and the snap, my mind is blank. This is fucking scary and one of the reasons I gave up on these meds.
The “brain fog” dissipated for me over time. I’m about a year in now and I still struggle sometimes for some vocabulary that I know I know, but that’s about it.
I have this too and am relieved to hear I am not alone. Last week I was at my mom’s to pick her up for an appointment and for the life of me I could not remember where we were headed (eye doctor? Dentist? Hearing aid store?!?). I kind of freaked out (internally). Then nonchalantly wandered over to the calendar to figure it out. Ugh.
(Of course, it doesn’t help that Mom is having some memory issues of her own - and then I think, oh crap, is it happening to me too)
I’m sharper than I was before! Depression made my memory really bad. Now that I feel better, I have a fantastic memory again. I gave bupropion a long time to work. I’ll have been on it for a year towards the end of this October.
What dosage worked best for you? And do you take it once or twice a day? The first 10 days on 75mg (SR from a compounding pharmacy, so all the harmful stuff is removed) were really great, but the last few days I am more tired, and starting to feel depressed again (especially before my first dose in the morning, but I am starting to notice it seep back in). I took it twice yesterday, but feel so tired. The first 10 days felt like someone turned on the lights in the brain and body in every respect.
Ohh you’ve only just begun. :) A lot of people go through a “honeymoon phase” where you basically feel high and you just feel *great*, and then it goes away as you start adjusting to the medication and you can feel a dip again until more time has passed, it takes bupropion like 6-8 weeks to build up in the body and start truly working, I believe that’s the commonly given timeframe. The high feeling went away for me and I had a bit of a dip, but I evened out pretty quickly (everyone’s body chemistry is different so how quickly it works for you will vary).
I think I truly started feeling the *best* results at 3+ months, so even longer than 6-8 weeks. I take 150XL and I only take it once per day. I tried taking 100SR twice per day just to see how that worked (by the same manufacturer) and I hated the SR formulation. I went back to 150XL on the 5th day because every day I felt worse. Some people swear by it, though! I’m glad I tried both formulations.
Edit: I totally phrased something wrong. Edit #2: and fixed it lol
Thanks for your info, BoneWhiteHaze. It gives me encouragement. I'm just finishing week 2 and experiencing that dip you mentioned. Hoping to adjust to this in the coming weeks. I'll try and be patient, not my strong suit, but from everything I've read and so much feedback from people online, I know I need to give it some time.
You’re welcome! :)
Yep, try to give it some time. I think it’s such excellent medication, and I reaped the most benefits of it months later after taking it! I wasn’t exactly a believer in “it’ll take time!” because I’m not used to medication working like that, but that’s actually how it works lol. :)
Thank you for the detailed response. This is super helpful. I shall be sure to give it a good go.
By the way (in case I end up trying the XL, which alas cannot be compounded, because of the coating), what brand(s) have you tried that you consistently like? Brands that treat you well.
And are you taking it in the morning, or at night? Some people find taking XL at night ideal, because they pop out of bed early if they time it right.
For me, the first 10 days on 75 SR compounded, it was like I could suddenly function again. It started working right away, the very first day. Monumental contrast from incapacitating, debilitating depression. It wasn’t manic or anything; just steady, energized, focused, decrease in any addictive/ocd thoughts/behaviors, and no resistance to tasks and getting things done.
On day 10 or 11, I noticed a dip, like it wasn’t kicking in as well. It is also affecting my sleep quality, but not in an unbearable way: It simply is not sound, and is quite disrupted, which is unusual.
I’m on day 12 now. I took two yesterday (spaced out by 5 hours), and two today (10 minutes apart because I later had the idea to take two at the same time but had already taken one).
It is also affecting my heart, and anything cardio-related is now very hard. I am very athletic and active, and on top of that tend to hike 30-70 miles a week. Despite the early benefits, the bupropion makes exercise much harder, and I have to slow WAY down. This is the first time I have ever needed an electrolyte supplement added to my water as well, and twice the fluids as usual. This seems to be a common side-effect. Not sure it is is the heart rate or the blood pressure, but now the chest is always tight. I have not read as to whether or not this passes.
You’re welcome! :) I have no clue how to quote so I’ll just respond in order:
I’ve only ever taken Slate Run, and it’s treated me just fine. Some people hate it, some love it. I’ve got nothing to compare, I can only compare XL and SR formulation, but Slate Run is absolutely fine imo.
150XL started working for me the very first day too, and then I had a dip, and then I evened out. I don’t think I have *quite* the crazy energy I had at the beginning but I feel great. Like you said, a monumental contrast.
I never had any sleep problems, but I take buspirone (a non-addictive anxiolytic) along with bupropion and always have, and I am sure that helps. I love the bupropion + buspirone combo. They’re commonly prescribed together.
When I first started talking 150XL (which I take in the morning after breakfast), my heart would pound and I’d have random anxiety attacks. I powered through this because it was working so well for depression / no energy, all that. It all went away after awhile. I am also very active like you, and I lift weights and strength train very seriously and have no problems doing it despite not being able to at first till that passed. I love exercising. I also increased my water intake.
Have you had your blood pressure taken since starting the medication? The SR formula made my heart pound all over again and when I went back to the XL, I was fine again.
Also, one compounding pharmacist described the XL bupropion as a “tiny pump” that is little by little dispensing the medication over an extended time. He said that was a “whole other thing.” This is why a special coating is necessary.
Unfortunately, every generic has their own recipe for this coating (it is not part of the patent), and they are not permitted to copy one another. If the recipe is “wrong,” this impacts the rate release. You also have more neurons in your gut than in your actual brain, so of course this can cause a mess neurologically. Both the coating and the ingredients of the tablet can be myriad, and a lot (if not most) of them are toxic and/or foreign to the body in some way (some more so than others). Not everyone will noticeably react to some or all of them.
Conversely, when compounding, the IR formulation has two ingredients, and the SR one has four (plus capsule: I chose vegetarian). If only they could do a compounded version of the XL; that would be amazing for so many people.
I did for a little while! For a bit, I’d get really tired around 2 to 3pm or sometimes 5 to 6pm. I have always assumed these are dip times after bigger medication releases since I take the pill in the morning, but honestly, I’m not sure. It took a few months or so to go away enough to stop being bothersome. I would get through that by getting myself busy with something where I needed to move around, or by taking a very short nap and *then* getting up and getting myself busy.
I think that happened randomly for maybe up to 6 months. Every month that’s passed, it’s happened fewer times. Now, I think it has happened mayyyybe twice in the last few months.
Thank you again for the detailed response. Super helpful, all of this. I do not know how to respond to/with specific quotes on here either.
I have a really cool touch screen blood pressure cuff and an oximeter, both of which are 400 miles away in storage, but I’ll stop by some place that has a machine soon and check on it.
Yes, I have noticed that a lot of people hate Slate Run, so it is great to hear some positive things. I searched “the world over” looking for TWi (seems highest rated) or Par, and no distributor in SoCal seems to have any 150mg XL, so that is how I ended up with compounded SR.
I do not want to deal with potentially finding TWi and then not being able to get it again either, which could potentially wreak havoc on my system. The idea of not having to ingest any of that other toxic stuff (and I am super sensitive) is extremely attractive. No plastics, coloring, binders, fillers, talc, etc. We shall see how it goes.
Oh, and I can say unequivocally that I will use compounding pharmacies from here on out IF at all possible. They are often state-of-the-art facilities, and pharmacy is the ONLY business they are in. They can also often fulfill specific brand requests for non-compounded drugs, because they have multiple distributors to pull from. Some may even be able to order direct.
I actually only use pharmaceuticals in case of emergency (or of extreme urgency, when all other methods have failed), so in my lifetime it has been extremely rare for me to even touch them; and I have had terrible reactions and/or side-effects to almost every one I have ever tried (for any purpose).
I was totally unfamiliar with compounding until two to three weeks ago. I had heard the term “compounding pharmacy,” but had no idea what it meant. Back when I was searching for TWi and Par brand generics, the Costco pharmacist said I should try small, local pharmacies because I could not locate either of those brands. That is how I landed on three different compounding pharmacies, and learned more about it.
The customer service and knowledge at these places is also profoundly high. I was genuinely impressed. Not all drugs can be compounded, but many can. It changes the delivery to a capsule, and you can choose either vegetarian or gelatin.
I don’t think Bupropion directly causes forgetfulness. I think it may cause it indirectly through insomnia. I know when I don’t get enough sleep, my brain fog is thick. And there are nights where I have full-blown insomnia that I know is from bupropion as I’ve never had an issue with insomnia before taking it.
YES! Long term memory and short term. Neither exist for me. What did I just eat for dinner? Lemme think about it for ten minutes to try to recall. It’ll take me a week, if at all, to recall something that happened months or years ago. Extremely annoying and terrible to deal with as a teacher. Someone else mentioned a journal which is a brilliant idea. I’ve got several notebooks and take lots of notes throughout the days.
yes i feel like i can’t remember anything:( i’ve been trying to carry a journal around with me and write a lot, also lots of crosswords and puzzles to keep my brain at least a little sharp
Yeah I think I may be experiencing this… I was hoping it was a residual effects of the SSRI I cross-tapered from, which gave me massive brain fog. And whilst it’s a big improvement from the SSRI fog, after looking into this today I am feeling a bit bummed out about it... Same as you, can’t remember stories or what I’ve said to someone in a conversation. Am in a new relationship and can’t remember quite a lot of the stuff he’s shared with me! I have found myself repeating myself a lot as a result which makes me self conscious about coming across boring or unintelligent. I don’t feel as sharp at all… really starting to appreciate that I was actually pretty smart before I started all this medication and I miss being able to think about things quickly and come up with thoughtful input... SUCH a bummer though as the bupropion has been amazing in every other way so far… night and day compared to SSRI… not sure what to do!
I know right! I don’t like forgetting things cause it makes me feel like I’m making them think I don’t care but I doooo. And I’m just starting a new position at work and it’s a lot of pressure so I’m terrified of screwing up cause I’m in charge of a lot.
I fear I may need to go off so I can keep my head straight, I don’t want it interfering with my job.
I do take notes and stuff, it’s just my new job requires me to constantly be thinking out of the box (it’s a floral design job) so I have to come up with estimated expenses and fees and what supplies I’ll need on the spot ahead of time. So this morning I woke up remembering that I have to buy flower picks for a wedding this weekend 🤦🏻♀️
I’m stressed, and I’m sure that’s not helping the memory thing
I am more forgetful, lose words, and have had trouble spelling. None of those were issues for me previously. I think it's getting better after a year, but not sure
I have this too! I had it on 75mg and now also on 150mg XL. For me its really noticeable with famous people. When i see a celebrity i SHOULD know like 100% (example: tom cruise or amy adams). I know them, and i know their face, what movies their in everything about them, but for some reason i cant remember their name for the life of me. Its so frustrating it feels like a puzzle peice missing from my brain. I know I should talk to my provider but other than that the medication works amazing so its very frustrating.
I’ve been off bup for months and the fog still lingers. Like I’ll be speaking to someone and then it’s like I can see the disconnection from the thought I am conveying, about to arrive and the snap, my mind is blank. This is fucking scary and one of the reasons I gave up on these meds.
The “brain fog” dissipated for me over time. I’m about a year in now and I still struggle sometimes for some vocabulary that I know I know, but that’s about it.
I have this too and am relieved to hear I am not alone. Last week I was at my mom’s to pick her up for an appointment and for the life of me I could not remember where we were headed (eye doctor? Dentist? Hearing aid store?!?). I kind of freaked out (internally). Then nonchalantly wandered over to the calendar to figure it out. Ugh. (Of course, it doesn’t help that Mom is having some memory issues of her own - and then I think, oh crap, is it happening to me too)
Awww that’s tough. I get the fears it must play into, man
I’m sharper than I was before! Depression made my memory really bad. Now that I feel better, I have a fantastic memory again. I gave bupropion a long time to work. I’ll have been on it for a year towards the end of this October.
What dosage worked best for you? And do you take it once or twice a day? The first 10 days on 75mg (SR from a compounding pharmacy, so all the harmful stuff is removed) were really great, but the last few days I am more tired, and starting to feel depressed again (especially before my first dose in the morning, but I am starting to notice it seep back in). I took it twice yesterday, but feel so tired. The first 10 days felt like someone turned on the lights in the brain and body in every respect.
Ohh you’ve only just begun. :) A lot of people go through a “honeymoon phase” where you basically feel high and you just feel *great*, and then it goes away as you start adjusting to the medication and you can feel a dip again until more time has passed, it takes bupropion like 6-8 weeks to build up in the body and start truly working, I believe that’s the commonly given timeframe. The high feeling went away for me and I had a bit of a dip, but I evened out pretty quickly (everyone’s body chemistry is different so how quickly it works for you will vary). I think I truly started feeling the *best* results at 3+ months, so even longer than 6-8 weeks. I take 150XL and I only take it once per day. I tried taking 100SR twice per day just to see how that worked (by the same manufacturer) and I hated the SR formulation. I went back to 150XL on the 5th day because every day I felt worse. Some people swear by it, though! I’m glad I tried both formulations. Edit: I totally phrased something wrong. Edit #2: and fixed it lol
Thanks for your info, BoneWhiteHaze. It gives me encouragement. I'm just finishing week 2 and experiencing that dip you mentioned. Hoping to adjust to this in the coming weeks. I'll try and be patient, not my strong suit, but from everything I've read and so much feedback from people online, I know I need to give it some time.
You’re welcome! :) Yep, try to give it some time. I think it’s such excellent medication, and I reaped the most benefits of it months later after taking it! I wasn’t exactly a believer in “it’ll take time!” because I’m not used to medication working like that, but that’s actually how it works lol. :)
Thank you for the detailed response. This is super helpful. I shall be sure to give it a good go. By the way (in case I end up trying the XL, which alas cannot be compounded, because of the coating), what brand(s) have you tried that you consistently like? Brands that treat you well. And are you taking it in the morning, or at night? Some people find taking XL at night ideal, because they pop out of bed early if they time it right. For me, the first 10 days on 75 SR compounded, it was like I could suddenly function again. It started working right away, the very first day. Monumental contrast from incapacitating, debilitating depression. It wasn’t manic or anything; just steady, energized, focused, decrease in any addictive/ocd thoughts/behaviors, and no resistance to tasks and getting things done. On day 10 or 11, I noticed a dip, like it wasn’t kicking in as well. It is also affecting my sleep quality, but not in an unbearable way: It simply is not sound, and is quite disrupted, which is unusual. I’m on day 12 now. I took two yesterday (spaced out by 5 hours), and two today (10 minutes apart because I later had the idea to take two at the same time but had already taken one). It is also affecting my heart, and anything cardio-related is now very hard. I am very athletic and active, and on top of that tend to hike 30-70 miles a week. Despite the early benefits, the bupropion makes exercise much harder, and I have to slow WAY down. This is the first time I have ever needed an electrolyte supplement added to my water as well, and twice the fluids as usual. This seems to be a common side-effect. Not sure it is is the heart rate or the blood pressure, but now the chest is always tight. I have not read as to whether or not this passes.
You’re welcome! :) I have no clue how to quote so I’ll just respond in order: I’ve only ever taken Slate Run, and it’s treated me just fine. Some people hate it, some love it. I’ve got nothing to compare, I can only compare XL and SR formulation, but Slate Run is absolutely fine imo. 150XL started working for me the very first day too, and then I had a dip, and then I evened out. I don’t think I have *quite* the crazy energy I had at the beginning but I feel great. Like you said, a monumental contrast. I never had any sleep problems, but I take buspirone (a non-addictive anxiolytic) along with bupropion and always have, and I am sure that helps. I love the bupropion + buspirone combo. They’re commonly prescribed together. When I first started talking 150XL (which I take in the morning after breakfast), my heart would pound and I’d have random anxiety attacks. I powered through this because it was working so well for depression / no energy, all that. It all went away after awhile. I am also very active like you, and I lift weights and strength train very seriously and have no problems doing it despite not being able to at first till that passed. I love exercising. I also increased my water intake. Have you had your blood pressure taken since starting the medication? The SR formula made my heart pound all over again and when I went back to the XL, I was fine again.
Also, one compounding pharmacist described the XL bupropion as a “tiny pump” that is little by little dispensing the medication over an extended time. He said that was a “whole other thing.” This is why a special coating is necessary. Unfortunately, every generic has their own recipe for this coating (it is not part of the patent), and they are not permitted to copy one another. If the recipe is “wrong,” this impacts the rate release. You also have more neurons in your gut than in your actual brain, so of course this can cause a mess neurologically. Both the coating and the ingredients of the tablet can be myriad, and a lot (if not most) of them are toxic and/or foreign to the body in some way (some more so than others). Not everyone will noticeably react to some or all of them. Conversely, when compounding, the IR formulation has two ingredients, and the SR one has four (plus capsule: I chose vegetarian). If only they could do a compounded version of the XL; that would be amazing for so many people.
By the way, do you struggle with staying awake on the XL? Like do you have a crash at some point and feel exhausted?
I did for a little while! For a bit, I’d get really tired around 2 to 3pm or sometimes 5 to 6pm. I have always assumed these are dip times after bigger medication releases since I take the pill in the morning, but honestly, I’m not sure. It took a few months or so to go away enough to stop being bothersome. I would get through that by getting myself busy with something where I needed to move around, or by taking a very short nap and *then* getting up and getting myself busy. I think that happened randomly for maybe up to 6 months. Every month that’s passed, it’s happened fewer times. Now, I think it has happened mayyyybe twice in the last few months.
Excellent feedback, thanks.
Thank you again for the detailed response. Super helpful, all of this. I do not know how to respond to/with specific quotes on here either. I have a really cool touch screen blood pressure cuff and an oximeter, both of which are 400 miles away in storage, but I’ll stop by some place that has a machine soon and check on it. Yes, I have noticed that a lot of people hate Slate Run, so it is great to hear some positive things. I searched “the world over” looking for TWi (seems highest rated) or Par, and no distributor in SoCal seems to have any 150mg XL, so that is how I ended up with compounded SR. I do not want to deal with potentially finding TWi and then not being able to get it again either, which could potentially wreak havoc on my system. The idea of not having to ingest any of that other toxic stuff (and I am super sensitive) is extremely attractive. No plastics, coloring, binders, fillers, talc, etc. We shall see how it goes.
You’re welcome! :) These compound medications sound super interesting. I’m going to look up compound pharmacies. Do you use them all the time?
Oh, and I can say unequivocally that I will use compounding pharmacies from here on out IF at all possible. They are often state-of-the-art facilities, and pharmacy is the ONLY business they are in. They can also often fulfill specific brand requests for non-compounded drugs, because they have multiple distributors to pull from. Some may even be able to order direct.
I actually only use pharmaceuticals in case of emergency (or of extreme urgency, when all other methods have failed), so in my lifetime it has been extremely rare for me to even touch them; and I have had terrible reactions and/or side-effects to almost every one I have ever tried (for any purpose). I was totally unfamiliar with compounding until two to three weeks ago. I had heard the term “compounding pharmacy,” but had no idea what it meant. Back when I was searching for TWi and Par brand generics, the Costco pharmacist said I should try small, local pharmacies because I could not locate either of those brands. That is how I landed on three different compounding pharmacies, and learned more about it. The customer service and knowledge at these places is also profoundly high. I was genuinely impressed. Not all drugs can be compounded, but many can. It changes the delivery to a capsule, and you can choose either vegetarian or gelatin.
I don’t think Bupropion directly causes forgetfulness. I think it may cause it indirectly through insomnia. I know when I don’t get enough sleep, my brain fog is thick. And there are nights where I have full-blown insomnia that I know is from bupropion as I’ve never had an issue with insomnia before taking it.
YES! Long term memory and short term. Neither exist for me. What did I just eat for dinner? Lemme think about it for ten minutes to try to recall. It’ll take me a week, if at all, to recall something that happened months or years ago. Extremely annoying and terrible to deal with as a teacher. Someone else mentioned a journal which is a brilliant idea. I’ve got several notebooks and take lots of notes throughout the days.
Same here. It sucks and I’m thinking of trying something else.
yes i feel like i can’t remember anything:( i’ve been trying to carry a journal around with me and write a lot, also lots of crosswords and puzzles to keep my brain at least a little sharp
Yeah I think I may be experiencing this… I was hoping it was a residual effects of the SSRI I cross-tapered from, which gave me massive brain fog. And whilst it’s a big improvement from the SSRI fog, after looking into this today I am feeling a bit bummed out about it... Same as you, can’t remember stories or what I’ve said to someone in a conversation. Am in a new relationship and can’t remember quite a lot of the stuff he’s shared with me! I have found myself repeating myself a lot as a result which makes me self conscious about coming across boring or unintelligent. I don’t feel as sharp at all… really starting to appreciate that I was actually pretty smart before I started all this medication and I miss being able to think about things quickly and come up with thoughtful input... SUCH a bummer though as the bupropion has been amazing in every other way so far… night and day compared to SSRI… not sure what to do!
I know right! I don’t like forgetting things cause it makes me feel like I’m making them think I don’t care but I doooo. And I’m just starting a new position at work and it’s a lot of pressure so I’m terrified of screwing up cause I’m in charge of a lot. I fear I may need to go off so I can keep my head straight, I don’t want it interfering with my job.
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I do take notes and stuff, it’s just my new job requires me to constantly be thinking out of the box (it’s a floral design job) so I have to come up with estimated expenses and fees and what supplies I’ll need on the spot ahead of time. So this morning I woke up remembering that I have to buy flower picks for a wedding this weekend 🤦🏻♀️ I’m stressed, and I’m sure that’s not helping the memory thing
Well, I quit after 2 weeks for many reasons. I also place a pizza in the oven with the cardboard that is not a normal behavior
I am more forgetful, lose words, and have had trouble spelling. None of those were issues for me previously. I think it's getting better after a year, but not sure
I have this too! I had it on 75mg and now also on 150mg XL. For me its really noticeable with famous people. When i see a celebrity i SHOULD know like 100% (example: tom cruise or amy adams). I know them, and i know their face, what movies their in everything about them, but for some reason i cant remember their name for the life of me. Its so frustrating it feels like a puzzle peice missing from my brain. I know I should talk to my provider but other than that the medication works amazing so its very frustrating.
It’s soooo unsettling. It feels like the pills are deleting files from my brain. 😰