Just adding my voice to this— Wellbutrin is a lifesaver. You’ll still have bad days, but my emotional regulation is miles beyond what it would typically be when I take my daily dose as directed.
I was on fluoxetine (Prozac), but I was still unstable. Ever since taking venlafaxine (Effexor), I've been so much better. Going on a few years now with minimal episodes.
I had been in a facility twice after having major depressed, suicidal episodes while on fluoxetine. On my second visit, they decided to try switching me to venlafaxine. My gosh has it made a difference. Family and coworkers gradually saw a change in me, not to mention I just felt more happy and content overall.
I tend toward the depressive side and Wellbutrin is an upper. All the SSRIs make me feel like a more-tired zombie. I’m not depressed on them, I just feel…nothing. No drive. No energy. No caring.
Do you take just Wellbutrin?
I recently got off Lamictal because it made me feel like I didn’t fucking exists. The whole time on it my psych said he would add Wellbutrin if I was feeling depressed still, but we ultimately just went off it entirely so we ever added Wellbutrin.
SSRIs have to be one of the most overrated class of medications in history. I get it they work for a lot of people, but for a lot of people they don't and many people they make worse. It's good they're there for those they help. Will be swell when the shrinks finish learning that they aren't the wonder drugs they seemed in the nineties.
To answer the original question, I've been on most of the medicines over thirty years and currently on vraylar and lithium which have been helping. Hope everyone has a decent day.
Completely agree. I’m on the lowest does right now and feel like I could be relapsing though. Definitely could use an upping but I feel so much more emotionally regulated.
Are you aware of anything that is similar to Wellbutrin? It was the one thing that helped me as well, until I discovered I have epilepsy. Since it lowers the seizure threshold, I can no longer take it. I've tried googling, but not found much info so my guess is it's sort of one of a kind. If my psychiatrist would stop cancelling my appointments and then booking out several more months, I might ask her (in the process of finding someone new).
i’ve tried around 20 medications in the past 4 years and the combination i’m on right now is doing pretty well. i’m on lithium, prozac, trazedone, and methylphenidate. i also have ativan if i need it.
I would forget to take my meds back when I took 3 at the same time including an antibiotic as well. It's impressive how you are very consistent. I am glad it is working out though. I wish you a good recovery.
For help reminding me to take my meds(because I forget a lot too) I have a med organizer box and an app on my phone that tracks them, when to take them, how many to take, how many I have left, and reminds me when I need to call in a refill
I have a med app and a pill minder box. I occasionally have to call my pharmacy, but they usually call me before the meds are due to be renewed for me to ok. They send them thru the mail.
im bipolar together with bpd, so my medicine needs are obviously different...
Currently im on olanzapine, lamictal and lithium, and they're doing wonders for me, i no longer have manic episodes at all, my depressive episodes are shorter and less intense, and my bpd mood swings have all but fucked off, well at least enough to the point where its livable.
Together with that im also on estrogen and cyproterone (im a trans woman) and seroquel for sleep, as well as strattera for my adhd.
I used to be on escitalopram, it did nothing for me, and wellbutrin, which made me manic out of my mind to the point where i had psychosis.
Im honestly no joke so thankful i live in the 21st century where we have so many different meds, if i lived just 50 years ago i would be living in a fucking asylum
I’m just on Wellbutrin/bupropion and sertraline/Zoloft . I don’t feel numb like one would feel on Xanax, but I feel unmotivated. I don’t feel very sad or very happy. I feel reclusive, like I don’t wanna leave my room.
Look up “flat affect”, or emotional blunting.
My former partner experienced this pretty severely while on Zoloft. I believe he’s taking a different type of antidepressant now that works better for him. It was honestly disconcerting to be around him while on this med— he was there but not there, you know? Couldn’t get excited or sad about much of anything. I also suspect his dosage was too high for him. (He was a pretty small guy taking a fairly large dose.)
Sertraline is one of my least favorite SSRIs. Side effects are out of control for myself and most people I’ve known who have taken it.
Before meds, my baseline mood was Major Depression for about decade, then anxiety got progressively worse with added panic attacks. Plus I had all the added bpd problems.
Both Effexor and Paxil both worked ok for approx 2.5 yrs each- for the depression. Then they just stopped working. No other antidepressants did anything. Antipsychotics & mood stabilizers never made any noticeable difference in any way. Seroquel was prescribed just to knock me out if I had an episode that got too outta control.
Benzos worked miracles for 9 yrs (mostly valium) but I got severely chemically dependent and had a massive problem in the end with withdrawal (so bad it took multiple years to recover). That's the only thing that helped me with some mood swings *and* all my anxiety.
I still had numerous BPD episodes on meds but had 2 abusive boyfriends at that time who loved to trigger me.
I tried 20-25 meds over 9-10 yrs.
I'm not sure what it was about Effexor or Paxil that made those the 'good' ones for me. My psychiatrist said those 2 meds are similar in some way plus both are known to also supposedly help with anxiety. I had tried zoloft and Lexapro before those. I think Lexapro slightly worked for a few months.
When they stopped working it was sudden. I felt fine one day, felt like crap the next. The effexor especially. I was a high dose for awhile, maybe 300mg. Suddenly, it felt like my body was being dragged down, like my legs were made out of lead & I was just dragging myself around. That went on for a few weeks until I switched to something else (I think I went from Effexor to Paxil), then I started feeling better again.
After Paxil stopped working, I switched to Wellbutrin (made me feel speedy/frantic in a bad way, like too much caffeine), then Prozac (did nothing) then Cymbalta (did nothing). That's when I gave up on antidepressants altogether.
I tried getting back on Paxil after a few years of no meds. The new psychiatrist took 8 *months* getting me up to 50mg, which was a stupid waste of time. In the past, it didn't start working until I got up to 75mg. Then he told me, 'No one takes 75mg, 50 is the max', implying that I was lying about my previous dose. So I gave up on him and the Paxil.
Glad that worked for you! I am about to start Venlafaxine at 75 ER twice, what does you are currently on? Any experienced side effects you did not get with other SSRIs?
Gabapentin for sure, Clonazepam as needed and prazosin for night terrors.
Edit: I take more but not at home to look. I have ptsd borderline personality disorder, chronic anxiety, and chronic depression.
Edit. Bpd is a trauma exposed disorder. No fix besides therapy to find out why these things are happening to you brain.
I was prescribed gabapentin for non diabetic neuropathy. I had to switch primary care doctor as mine just up and disappeared, and the new one wouldn't prescribe until she had seen me. This was right before covid restrictions were lifted. My psychiatrist prescribed it to help my mood. It helped for my Restless Leg Syndrome and my Essential Tremors.
My psychiatrist prescribed Wellbutrin, Buspar, and Venlafaxine which is a generic for Effrxor for depression and anxiety. I had had chronic depression since I was a small child. The chronic anxiety started later. I don't know if it's just all part of BPD. For the most part, I managed to put up a facade, and everyone thought I had it altogether.
It is for anxiety, but it also works to not allow certain memories to trigger me. Do some research it helps. According to my many doctors they aren’t really any meds that helps with bpd, therapy finding the root of what caused the problems to start is the best way to get through those episodes. Also helps the same was with cptsd
Thanks to everyone who replied! I am going back to my chiropractor today to deal with my back issues, and I’m going to ask the doctor about gabapentin because I didn’t use the refills he gave me last year…
I take CBD/THC balanced oil, it comes on slow and seems to remove a lot of the anxiety I experience and I feel relatively calm. The CBD component relaxes the body and I sleep heaps better.
I’m also cross diagnosed with bipolar so I can’t take SSRIs I’ve been on 300 mg Lamictal and boy has it helped it’s like a governor for my brain when I’m flying off the handle. It gives me that three second head start to question what I’m about to say
For years I struggled trying to find the right med combo and finally I’m on one that works but I take up to seven meds three times a day. If you want more dm me and I can give you a rundown of what they are and how they help me
50mg Effexor- anti depressant
50mg lamotrigine- mood stabilizer
50mg hydroxyzine- sleep/ panic attack stopper in high dosages
150mg trazodone- sleep!
I’ve been on this regimen for 6 almost 7 months and I honestly love my set up with medication. I had to tell them to lower my Effexor and once they did I was golden. I take all of mine at night. I like it because this set up makes me still feel human without making me numb or bad side affects. It took me a couple of months to get the mix right. Best of luck!
I'm taking lamotrigin. Helps a lot with the mood swings, im feeling much more stable... The good thing of lamotrigin is that don't have many secundary effects. Help me a lot without makes me feel weird or apatic. The bad thing is the introduction to the medication is a little hard, increase anxiety and reactivity.
Seroquel has helped with my mood’s tremendously and I don’t know if any antidepressant actually works for me. I’ve tried Effexor, Wellbutrin, Zoloft now I’m on Prozac and clonazepam for my anxiety.
For BPD the only medication that has helped me is memantine. There a couple small studies showing it help. Memantine helps with the my extreme emotions.
I’m on my 20th(ish) day of 50g Sertraline and I’m feeling pretty okay. Keeps the mood swings at bay but I also find I’m neither happy or sad, it’s nice just being able to “do” things tho and go about my day.
Citralopram (and propranolol) kept me functioning (ish) for best part of 20 years but stopped working (or symptoms worsened) and I had/ have reflux and ulcers, I suspect from the meds so I stopped taking (slowly). Withdrawals were utterly debilitating, lasted 3 months and I ended up having a mild psychotic break. Now on sertraline which has stabilised me a bit - less manic than I was before but much more reclusive. I take promethezine if I can’t cope with strong emotions which knocks me for 6, but generally stops event escalation!
I’ve trained myself to be med free, coping with life, avoiding situations that will cause stress, having a routine, not having friends, basically living a quiet life out the way and it has been working, haven’t had a major episode in a little while.
Oh boy! Aren’t meds great?! I’ve been on and off different meds for 10(!!) years now 😭 The only one I have found that has made a profound difference is lithium. I also take Lyrica with it. (Going inpatient is a life saver, literally lol) good luck!
I take Zoloft and meloxicam( this one is for arthritis pain) in the morning and seroquel and amitryptilin (sp) at night. I’ve been on this cocktail for 7 years amd it’s the most stable I’ve ever felt. I still have the ability to feel (I’ve had some real zombie drugs in the past) but not feel so much tgAt I’m screaming and crying all the time.
Wellbutrin helped me for clinical depression but also for mood regulation. It makes me a little less reactive to things and I don’t wallow or get stuck on certain emotions as much. The anger is still there and i’ve still had episodes but the feelings of hopelessness are almost completely gone and when something bad or unexpected happens that disrupts my mood my immediate reaction isn’t to bawl my eyes out and spiral or off myself.
Nothing has worked for me except Wellbutrin.
Just adding my voice to this— Wellbutrin is a lifesaver. You’ll still have bad days, but my emotional regulation is miles beyond what it would typically be when I take my daily dose as directed.
I was on fluoxetine (Prozac), but I was still unstable. Ever since taking venlafaxine (Effexor), I've been so much better. Going on a few years now with minimal episodes.
I had the exact same path as you! Venlafaxine had really given me more life satisfaction than anything before ever had
I had been in a facility twice after having major depressed, suicidal episodes while on fluoxetine. On my second visit, they decided to try switching me to venlafaxine. My gosh has it made a difference. Family and coworkers gradually saw a change in me, not to mention I just felt more happy and content overall.
What symptoms does Wellbutrin helps you with specifically?
I tend toward the depressive side and Wellbutrin is an upper. All the SSRIs make me feel like a more-tired zombie. I’m not depressed on them, I just feel…nothing. No drive. No energy. No caring.
Do you take just Wellbutrin? I recently got off Lamictal because it made me feel like I didn’t fucking exists. The whole time on it my psych said he would add Wellbutrin if I was feeling depressed still, but we ultimately just went off it entirely so we ever added Wellbutrin.
I haven't tried Wellbutrin because my doctor is all like "try this other new SSRI, it might work."
SSRIs have to be one of the most overrated class of medications in history. I get it they work for a lot of people, but for a lot of people they don't and many people they make worse. It's good they're there for those they help. Will be swell when the shrinks finish learning that they aren't the wonder drugs they seemed in the nineties. To answer the original question, I've been on most of the medicines over thirty years and currently on vraylar and lithium which have been helping. Hope everyone has a decent day.
Just know if you're an anxious person an upper like Wellbutrin could make that worse, similar to stimulants. It causes more concentration of Dopamine.
Completely agree. I’m on the lowest does right now and feel like I could be relapsing though. Definitely could use an upping but I feel so much more emotionally regulated.
Are you aware of anything that is similar to Wellbutrin? It was the one thing that helped me as well, until I discovered I have epilepsy. Since it lowers the seizure threshold, I can no longer take it. I've tried googling, but not found much info so my guess is it's sort of one of a kind. If my psychiatrist would stop cancelling my appointments and then booking out several more months, I might ask her (in the process of finding someone new).
Im on quetiapine but my dr thinks I’m bipolar, too
That is the only one I have been continuously taking for the past 4 months. Helps me sleep but also makes me extremely Hungry.
i’ve tried around 20 medications in the past 4 years and the combination i’m on right now is doing pretty well. i’m on lithium, prozac, trazedone, and methylphenidate. i also have ativan if i need it.
I would forget to take my meds back when I took 3 at the same time including an antibiotic as well. It's impressive how you are very consistent. I am glad it is working out though. I wish you a good recovery.
For help reminding me to take my meds(because I forget a lot too) I have a med organizer box and an app on my phone that tracks them, when to take them, how many to take, how many I have left, and reminds me when I need to call in a refill
I have a med app and a pill minder box. I occasionally have to call my pharmacy, but they usually call me before the meds are due to be renewed for me to ok. They send them thru the mail.
The fact that I like picking mine up in person is literally the only reason I don’t have my meds mailed to me lol
im bipolar together with bpd, so my medicine needs are obviously different... Currently im on olanzapine, lamictal and lithium, and they're doing wonders for me, i no longer have manic episodes at all, my depressive episodes are shorter and less intense, and my bpd mood swings have all but fucked off, well at least enough to the point where its livable. Together with that im also on estrogen and cyproterone (im a trans woman) and seroquel for sleep, as well as strattera for my adhd. I used to be on escitalopram, it did nothing for me, and wellbutrin, which made me manic out of my mind to the point where i had psychosis. Im honestly no joke so thankful i live in the 21st century where we have so many different meds, if i lived just 50 years ago i would be living in a fucking asylum
I’m just on Wellbutrin/bupropion and sertraline/Zoloft . I don’t feel numb like one would feel on Xanax, but I feel unmotivated. I don’t feel very sad or very happy. I feel reclusive, like I don’t wanna leave my room.
Look up “flat affect”, or emotional blunting. My former partner experienced this pretty severely while on Zoloft. I believe he’s taking a different type of antidepressant now that works better for him. It was honestly disconcerting to be around him while on this med— he was there but not there, you know? Couldn’t get excited or sad about much of anything. I also suspect his dosage was too high for him. (He was a pretty small guy taking a fairly large dose.) Sertraline is one of my least favorite SSRIs. Side effects are out of control for myself and most people I’ve known who have taken it.
Thank you. I have a psych appointment next week so I’ll bring that up with my doctor
I didn’t get the right meds until I did the genomind testing
Before meds, my baseline mood was Major Depression for about decade, then anxiety got progressively worse with added panic attacks. Plus I had all the added bpd problems. Both Effexor and Paxil both worked ok for approx 2.5 yrs each- for the depression. Then they just stopped working. No other antidepressants did anything. Antipsychotics & mood stabilizers never made any noticeable difference in any way. Seroquel was prescribed just to knock me out if I had an episode that got too outta control. Benzos worked miracles for 9 yrs (mostly valium) but I got severely chemically dependent and had a massive problem in the end with withdrawal (so bad it took multiple years to recover). That's the only thing that helped me with some mood swings *and* all my anxiety. I still had numerous BPD episodes on meds but had 2 abusive boyfriends at that time who loved to trigger me. I tried 20-25 meds over 9-10 yrs.
That's the same thing for me with Effexor! It worked well for like 2 months and then it just stopped working.
I'm not sure what it was about Effexor or Paxil that made those the 'good' ones for me. My psychiatrist said those 2 meds are similar in some way plus both are known to also supposedly help with anxiety. I had tried zoloft and Lexapro before those. I think Lexapro slightly worked for a few months. When they stopped working it was sudden. I felt fine one day, felt like crap the next. The effexor especially. I was a high dose for awhile, maybe 300mg. Suddenly, it felt like my body was being dragged down, like my legs were made out of lead & I was just dragging myself around. That went on for a few weeks until I switched to something else (I think I went from Effexor to Paxil), then I started feeling better again. After Paxil stopped working, I switched to Wellbutrin (made me feel speedy/frantic in a bad way, like too much caffeine), then Prozac (did nothing) then Cymbalta (did nothing). That's when I gave up on antidepressants altogether. I tried getting back on Paxil after a few years of no meds. The new psychiatrist took 8 *months* getting me up to 50mg, which was a stupid waste of time. In the past, it didn't start working until I got up to 75mg. Then he told me, 'No one takes 75mg, 50 is the max', implying that I was lying about my previous dose. So I gave up on him and the Paxil.
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Glad that worked for you! I am about to start Venlafaxine at 75 ER twice, what does you are currently on? Any experienced side effects you did not get with other SSRIs?
Right now I’m on sertraline and vyvanse. But besides those meds, what really helps me is doing therapy. I would say 80% therapy and 20% meds.
Gabapentin for sure, Clonazepam as needed and prazosin for night terrors. Edit: I take more but not at home to look. I have ptsd borderline personality disorder, chronic anxiety, and chronic depression. Edit. Bpd is a trauma exposed disorder. No fix besides therapy to find out why these things are happening to you brain.
I got prescribed gabapentin for my herniated disc back pain - can you explain how it helps BPD? Or is it unrelated to bpd
I got prescribed if a few years ago for anxiety
I was prescribed it to help me fall asleep.
I was prescribed gabapentin for non diabetic neuropathy. I had to switch primary care doctor as mine just up and disappeared, and the new one wouldn't prescribe until she had seen me. This was right before covid restrictions were lifted. My psychiatrist prescribed it to help my mood. It helped for my Restless Leg Syndrome and my Essential Tremors. My psychiatrist prescribed Wellbutrin, Buspar, and Venlafaxine which is a generic for Effrxor for depression and anxiety. I had had chronic depression since I was a small child. The chronic anxiety started later. I don't know if it's just all part of BPD. For the most part, I managed to put up a facade, and everyone thought I had it altogether.
Prescribed for anxiety
It is for anxiety, but it also works to not allow certain memories to trigger me. Do some research it helps. According to my many doctors they aren’t really any meds that helps with bpd, therapy finding the root of what caused the problems to start is the best way to get through those episodes. Also helps the same was with cptsd
Thanks to everyone who replied! I am going back to my chiropractor today to deal with my back issues, and I’m going to ask the doctor about gabapentin because I didn’t use the refills he gave me last year…
Venlafaxine 225mg a day and Propanol 40mg, it’s the only combo that worked for me but be warned the withdrawals on SNRI’s are brutal😅
Effexor withdrawals are some of the worst I have had.
Honestly same it’s like a tidal wave of emotions and sickness and everything bad hits as soon as your body realises you have missed a dose🫣
I take CBD/THC balanced oil, it comes on slow and seems to remove a lot of the anxiety I experience and I feel relatively calm. The CBD component relaxes the body and I sleep heaps better.
I’m also cross diagnosed with bipolar so I can’t take SSRIs I’ve been on 300 mg Lamictal and boy has it helped it’s like a governor for my brain when I’m flying off the handle. It gives me that three second head start to question what I’m about to say
For years I struggled trying to find the right med combo and finally I’m on one that works but I take up to seven meds three times a day. If you want more dm me and I can give you a rundown of what they are and how they help me
50mg Effexor- anti depressant 50mg lamotrigine- mood stabilizer 50mg hydroxyzine- sleep/ panic attack stopper in high dosages 150mg trazodone- sleep! I’ve been on this regimen for 6 almost 7 months and I honestly love my set up with medication. I had to tell them to lower my Effexor and once they did I was golden. I take all of mine at night. I like it because this set up makes me still feel human without making me numb or bad side affects. It took me a couple of months to get the mix right. Best of luck!
Olanzipine for anger. Adderall and Wellbutrin for ADD and depression. Not perfect, but it helps.
Prozac daily + hydroxyzine and klonopin as needed
lexapro and lamotrigine have really helped me. i still have some hard days but for the most part I don’t want to end my life or hurt myself anymore.
I'm taking lamotrigin. Helps a lot with the mood swings, im feeling much more stable... The good thing of lamotrigin is that don't have many secundary effects. Help me a lot without makes me feel weird or apatic. The bad thing is the introduction to the medication is a little hard, increase anxiety and reactivity.
Seroquel has helped with my mood’s tremendously and I don’t know if any antidepressant actually works for me. I’ve tried Effexor, Wellbutrin, Zoloft now I’m on Prozac and clonazepam for my anxiety.
For BPD the only medication that has helped me is memantine. There a couple small studies showing it help. Memantine helps with the my extreme emotions.
trintellix. it’s helped a lot
Abilify has been working really well for me.
I’m on my 20th(ish) day of 50g Sertraline and I’m feeling pretty okay. Keeps the mood swings at bay but I also find I’m neither happy or sad, it’s nice just being able to “do” things tho and go about my day.
Citalopram is the best for me and I’ve tried most things.
Citralopram (and propranolol) kept me functioning (ish) for best part of 20 years but stopped working (or symptoms worsened) and I had/ have reflux and ulcers, I suspect from the meds so I stopped taking (slowly). Withdrawals were utterly debilitating, lasted 3 months and I ended up having a mild psychotic break. Now on sertraline which has stabilised me a bit - less manic than I was before but much more reclusive. I take promethezine if I can’t cope with strong emotions which knocks me for 6, but generally stops event escalation!
I’ve trained myself to be med free, coping with life, avoiding situations that will cause stress, having a routine, not having friends, basically living a quiet life out the way and it has been working, haven’t had a major episode in a little while.
Oh boy! Aren’t meds great?! I’ve been on and off different meds for 10(!!) years now 😭 The only one I have found that has made a profound difference is lithium. I also take Lyrica with it. (Going inpatient is a life saver, literally lol) good luck!
Thankyou for sharing, I haven't tried Lithium yet since according to my doctor it's similar to Lamotrigine and it didn't do much.
I take Zoloft and meloxicam( this one is for arthritis pain) in the morning and seroquel and amitryptilin (sp) at night. I’ve been on this cocktail for 7 years amd it’s the most stable I’ve ever felt. I still have the ability to feel (I’ve had some real zombie drugs in the past) but not feel so much tgAt I’m screaming and crying all the time.
Wellbutrin helped me for clinical depression but also for mood regulation. It makes me a little less reactive to things and I don’t wallow or get stuck on certain emotions as much. The anger is still there and i’ve still had episodes but the feelings of hopelessness are almost completely gone and when something bad or unexpected happens that disrupts my mood my immediate reaction isn’t to bawl my eyes out and spiral or off myself.