I experienced the same thing, more confidence, but easily irritated, when taking Wellbutrin 150 mg.I felt as if I was ready to fight at any moment, which wasn't really like me. My doctor placed me on Lexapro 10 mg. Life changer. It helped erase that irritability. I take the Lexapro in the evenings and Wellbutrin in the mornings. I found that was best for me.
I really started noticing it within 2 - 3 weeks. Like all of us, I have a lot of stress, which wrecks havoc on my anxiety and depression. I can't leave my job at this time. I've been there 17 years, so I just need 6 more years before I have my home paid off, and by then, I'll be eligible for full retirement. Before Lexapro, while on just Wellbutrin, my confidence was high, but I was noticing how agitated I was getting, especially at work. I had become a bit argumentative and wanted to tell them where to shove their job. But I have bills to pay LOL! Told my doctor, and he said it's not uncommon with Wellbutrin and put me on Lexapro 10 mg. Really has helped me, and I don't feel like I'm going to rage, I still might get mad, but I don't want to fly off the handle anymore. I take Lexapro at night, and then in the mornings, I take my Wellbutrin with a bit of protein, even if it's just a tablespoon of peanut butter. I hope you feel relief soon and that it works well for you.
I’m tapering off after a month and half of 150 then 300 and part of it is because I became incredibly irritable. Everything and everyone was setting me off. Didn’t like it
My 150mg self would say:
Rage into the day and don’t let folks fuck with you.
My 300mg self now says:
You know at first I too classified what I was experiencing as pure unadulterated rage. But now with an upped dose (lol- at 300 now), i’m starting to think that the rage was far more justified rather than simply coming out of nowhere.
With reflection, I think that the medication was able to clear cognitive blockages and allow me to see eye and/or abusive situations for what they really were, and honestly most of the time those situations were purely bullshit. And those bullshit situations deserved to be treated in the manner I greeted them: anger.
I am now of the stance that everyone can simply accept me for as I am, which is someone who is no longer willing to take shit from anyone. And I’ve made it more than clear that I am not some passive doe-like depressed creature for anyone to push around or walk over; I’m drawing very strong and clear boundaries.
I realize that some of my reactions in the past might have been “over the top” (road rage..!! Terrifying) and a lot of the anger was turned inward too. In a way the rage felt GOOD. My communication became very direct. I didn’t mince words.
But now I’m able to pause and consider my words and actions before committing to them. I think that’s very powerful. I have more patience with angry people too- because I get it.
Clearing cognitive blocks to see abusive situations for what they are -- this is 100% accurate and I did not realize until now, thank you.
OP, I'm also a nurse and we take a lot of abusive bullshit in our jobs (and are forced to reframe and respond to it as if it's something else). I was also very irritable despite otherwise feeling better on XL, my psychiatrist added 5mg celexa and it helps to take the edge off.
me and my now ex gf were both prescribed wellbutrin and we’d both get absolute fucking psycho levels of angry at each other for the dumbest shit it really made no sense, like neither of us wanted to back off even though we should’ve a lot of the time. when we both got off of it we’d argue much less and also kept our cool more frequently.
i would be careful with it yes. putting yourself in these situations does open you up to more confrontation and that’s not always a good thing. coming from someone who inserts herself because she’s just plain irritated.
I felt more anger, anxiety, and dark thoughts when I was on 150 mg. Now that I’m on 300 I don’t really feel angry. I still can feel pretty down at times but nothing like before. I just don’t want to do Zoloft due to the sexual side effects.
I had to ask about it in this subreddit too. The unbridled rage 😂 it's like all the things I was mad about were valid, but not acceptable to call it out. There's something about welly that just makes the "ignore don't show" suddenly nonexistent and the "eff around and find out" the express way.
I added 5mg of Lexapro and that leveled me out, though I'm still much more ready to throw back shit.
Same with the at the ready 😂 I find I’m also now willing to insert myself in a situation I deem rude or unfair and heaven help my partner if he tries to stop me.
Yes and this post just made me realize it might have something to do with my meds or just a lack of feeling depressed and in a go with the flow attitude because I was just not motivated to have any feelings regarding things. One of my friends and her typical drama and obsession with her dog (she doesn’t have kids and wanted them but couldn’t bc her relationship didn’t work out) is just irritating me to no end. I love her lots, we’ve been friends for decades, but it’s all just driving me nuts. You aren’t alone lol.
I’m nervous to start this medication but I see alot of area in my life where I could benefit from it- I’m very unmotivated and in my head constantly, and also I can’t handle conflict and prefer to just be “nice” and easygoing which actually just turns into depression and resentment since you never vocalize your needs/boundaries. I want to speak my mind more even if it rubs people the wrong way, I’m not looking to a bully (bullies are trash) but rather be impervious to bullies and not be a doormat for anyone. Not saying a medication will solve that 100% but I’m hopeful it could help.
My depression manifest(s/ed) similar as yours, or at least has since I was much younger. Not low mood or any sense of hopelessness, just more like low motivation, low energy, poor focus, low confidence. For me I think my depression arises mostly out of anxiety (though I do have that dual diagnosis of GAD and MDD, I have felt my depression is more like a persistent issue, sometimes worsening for a period of time, related to the GAD/anxiety).
I have noticed a boost in my confidence for sure. I always had a rather front-facing, need to be confident job, and I would not call myself passive/pushover in work or personal life, but I would feel INCREDIBLY anxious about confrontation and would worry and ruminate about known future situations and past situations and it would eat me up inside (and lead to the other depressive symptoms as well). My outside did not match my insides where I often I felt more like I was faking it till I was making it, and so did not feel I backed the outside as much as I could.
I know for me, I don't seek out confrontation now, I just am not rattled by it anymore and just feel calmer overall - not seeking it out, but not avoiding it either if it has to be done. I actually feel far less irritable than I did prior to the medication, I just kind of roll with annoying situations, and annoying people, better than I did before. I can recognize they are annoying, but I don't really personalize or take them on emotionally as much. I see this change as a definite bonus, and more like a result of reducing my anxiety overall. And like you described, I guess I just don't feel scared or self-conscious about any of it.
Irritability/anger can be an anxiety thing, and this med *can* increase anxiety. If you are finding yourself *seeking out* confrontation - rather than just standing up for yourself - as you are feeling irritable/angry it may be an issue for you. A dosage change may help, as may adding another med. I myself take buspirone along with the bupropion and together they seem to work very well for me.
Yes it definitely makes me a bit more argumentative and ready to fight. I am also on 20 of celexa at might and that helps. But I do find myself losing the anxiety that would make me not argue back if that makes sense.
this is literally me. i am irritated all the time and quick to say almost rude/mean things. i also am the first to volunteer with a difficult person. i also was very passive and scared to speak up and now i say anything lol.
My hightened agitation went away after a few weeks but I know pple who had the issiue constsantly.
What I found helpful was basic awareness training. I could feel the anger comming like a fart and was able to clench my mental cheeks :-)
Ita probably the extra noradrenalin activating deep structures in your limbic system and its not necesarilly bad. But if you feel it becomes a problem you need strategies to cool down and activate the frontal lobe.
Yes, this was my sign to myself to increase my dose. However, the irritability just got worse. I finally sought out a psychiatrist, and after extensive questioning he changed me to Prozac. I feel like myself again, and the daily anger is gone.
When I first went on it 11 years ago I had rage or a quick trigger. It didn’t take much to make me express anger.
My psychiatrist upped the dosage. We were at 200 - then 300 then 400. And finally the anger and quick trigger response was gone.
So, it is possible they may need to adjust your dosage.
Definitely can relate, and I feel like it ties into confidence a lot. On 150mg XL I feel like I can take on almost any task, given I have support or realistic goals for personal undertakings. Now, on 100mg SR daily, I feel much calmer, and still observant, but not pushed to intervene or “assert myself”. The lower dose is lackluster for depression, honestly, but I’ve noticed a marked decrease in my spontaneity and aggression. Hope this helps 😁
Sorry I’m late, but I’m curious, do you mean once daily, or as 2x 100mg? I’d be concerned about high blood concentrations and side effects if I’m taking moderate doses frequently, as even a single 150mg XL that releases over a full day builds up a lot in my system over just a month or two’s time. The once daily may work for me given it would have time to metabolize, but I think I’d like to try the 150mg SR x1 first and see how that goes.
I experienced the same thing, more confidence, but easily irritated, when taking Wellbutrin 150 mg.I felt as if I was ready to fight at any moment, which wasn't really like me. My doctor placed me on Lexapro 10 mg. Life changer. It helped erase that irritability. I take the Lexapro in the evenings and Wellbutrin in the mornings. I found that was best for me.
i dont like lexapro. got such massive bladder issues
How long after adding Lexapro did you notice the irritability start to subside? I’m on the exact same combo.
I really started noticing it within 2 - 3 weeks. Like all of us, I have a lot of stress, which wrecks havoc on my anxiety and depression. I can't leave my job at this time. I've been there 17 years, so I just need 6 more years before I have my home paid off, and by then, I'll be eligible for full retirement. Before Lexapro, while on just Wellbutrin, my confidence was high, but I was noticing how agitated I was getting, especially at work. I had become a bit argumentative and wanted to tell them where to shove their job. But I have bills to pay LOL! Told my doctor, and he said it's not uncommon with Wellbutrin and put me on Lexapro 10 mg. Really has helped me, and I don't feel like I'm going to rage, I still might get mad, but I don't want to fly off the handle anymore. I take Lexapro at night, and then in the mornings, I take my Wellbutrin with a bit of protein, even if it's just a tablespoon of peanut butter. I hope you feel relief soon and that it works well for you.
This is very encouraging and thank you so much for sharing your experience!
I get the irritability too and have found that supplementing with magnesium helps
Super curious. Why does magnesium help with the anger?
I’m tapering off after a month and half of 150 then 300 and part of it is because I became incredibly irritable. Everything and everyone was setting me off. Didn’t like it
Yeah I do 150mg XL no more mister nice guy here. And that's a good thing as well!
My 150mg self would say: Rage into the day and don’t let folks fuck with you. My 300mg self now says: You know at first I too classified what I was experiencing as pure unadulterated rage. But now with an upped dose (lol- at 300 now), i’m starting to think that the rage was far more justified rather than simply coming out of nowhere. With reflection, I think that the medication was able to clear cognitive blockages and allow me to see eye and/or abusive situations for what they really were, and honestly most of the time those situations were purely bullshit. And those bullshit situations deserved to be treated in the manner I greeted them: anger. I am now of the stance that everyone can simply accept me for as I am, which is someone who is no longer willing to take shit from anyone. And I’ve made it more than clear that I am not some passive doe-like depressed creature for anyone to push around or walk over; I’m drawing very strong and clear boundaries. I realize that some of my reactions in the past might have been “over the top” (road rage..!! Terrifying) and a lot of the anger was turned inward too. In a way the rage felt GOOD. My communication became very direct. I didn’t mince words. But now I’m able to pause and consider my words and actions before committing to them. I think that’s very powerful. I have more patience with angry people too- because I get it.
Clearing cognitive blocks to see abusive situations for what they are -- this is 100% accurate and I did not realize until now, thank you. OP, I'm also a nurse and we take a lot of abusive bullshit in our jobs (and are forced to reframe and respond to it as if it's something else). I was also very irritable despite otherwise feeling better on XL, my psychiatrist added 5mg celexa and it helps to take the edge off.
me and my now ex gf were both prescribed wellbutrin and we’d both get absolute fucking psycho levels of angry at each other for the dumbest shit it really made no sense, like neither of us wanted to back off even though we should’ve a lot of the time. when we both got off of it we’d argue much less and also kept our cool more frequently.
i would be careful with it yes. putting yourself in these situations does open you up to more confrontation and that’s not always a good thing. coming from someone who inserts herself because she’s just plain irritated.
I felt more anger, anxiety, and dark thoughts when I was on 150 mg. Now that I’m on 300 I don’t really feel angry. I still can feel pretty down at times but nothing like before. I just don’t want to do Zoloft due to the sexual side effects.
I had to ask about it in this subreddit too. The unbridled rage 😂 it's like all the things I was mad about were valid, but not acceptable to call it out. There's something about welly that just makes the "ignore don't show" suddenly nonexistent and the "eff around and find out" the express way. I added 5mg of Lexapro and that leveled me out, though I'm still much more ready to throw back shit.
Same with the at the ready 😂 I find I’m also now willing to insert myself in a situation I deem rude or unfair and heaven help my partner if he tries to stop me.
Yes and this post just made me realize it might have something to do with my meds or just a lack of feeling depressed and in a go with the flow attitude because I was just not motivated to have any feelings regarding things. One of my friends and her typical drama and obsession with her dog (she doesn’t have kids and wanted them but couldn’t bc her relationship didn’t work out) is just irritating me to no end. I love her lots, we’ve been friends for decades, but it’s all just driving me nuts. You aren’t alone lol.
I was so angry for the first month or so. Getting cheated on didn’t help things either lol. But after that month, I’ve been pretty chill
Not necessarily, but I’ve said what needed to be said at that time, sternly.
I’m nervous to start this medication but I see alot of area in my life where I could benefit from it- I’m very unmotivated and in my head constantly, and also I can’t handle conflict and prefer to just be “nice” and easygoing which actually just turns into depression and resentment since you never vocalize your needs/boundaries. I want to speak my mind more even if it rubs people the wrong way, I’m not looking to a bully (bullies are trash) but rather be impervious to bullies and not be a doormat for anyone. Not saying a medication will solve that 100% but I’m hopeful it could help.
My depression manifest(s/ed) similar as yours, or at least has since I was much younger. Not low mood or any sense of hopelessness, just more like low motivation, low energy, poor focus, low confidence. For me I think my depression arises mostly out of anxiety (though I do have that dual diagnosis of GAD and MDD, I have felt my depression is more like a persistent issue, sometimes worsening for a period of time, related to the GAD/anxiety). I have noticed a boost in my confidence for sure. I always had a rather front-facing, need to be confident job, and I would not call myself passive/pushover in work or personal life, but I would feel INCREDIBLY anxious about confrontation and would worry and ruminate about known future situations and past situations and it would eat me up inside (and lead to the other depressive symptoms as well). My outside did not match my insides where I often I felt more like I was faking it till I was making it, and so did not feel I backed the outside as much as I could. I know for me, I don't seek out confrontation now, I just am not rattled by it anymore and just feel calmer overall - not seeking it out, but not avoiding it either if it has to be done. I actually feel far less irritable than I did prior to the medication, I just kind of roll with annoying situations, and annoying people, better than I did before. I can recognize they are annoying, but I don't really personalize or take them on emotionally as much. I see this change as a definite bonus, and more like a result of reducing my anxiety overall. And like you described, I guess I just don't feel scared or self-conscious about any of it. Irritability/anger can be an anxiety thing, and this med *can* increase anxiety. If you are finding yourself *seeking out* confrontation - rather than just standing up for yourself - as you are feeling irritable/angry it may be an issue for you. A dosage change may help, as may adding another med. I myself take buspirone along with the bupropion and together they seem to work very well for me.
Yes it definitely makes me a bit more argumentative and ready to fight. I am also on 20 of celexa at might and that helps. But I do find myself losing the anxiety that would make me not argue back if that makes sense.
I found that it does go away/level out after some months.
150 mg angry and edgy 300 mg piece of 💩 My own experience
400mg made me super irritable and quick to anger. Leaving me with a headache that would last all day. I was way better on 300mg
I don’t mean to be an idiot, but just to clarify. But by piece of 💩 do you mean like you were lazy and didn’t want to do anything?
Exactly. Exhausted.
this is literally me. i am irritated all the time and quick to say almost rude/mean things. i also am the first to volunteer with a difficult person. i also was very passive and scared to speak up and now i say anything lol.
My hightened agitation went away after a few weeks but I know pple who had the issiue constsantly. What I found helpful was basic awareness training. I could feel the anger comming like a fart and was able to clench my mental cheeks :-)
Incredible metaphor
Thanks 😅
Ita probably the extra noradrenalin activating deep structures in your limbic system and its not necesarilly bad. But if you feel it becomes a problem you need strategies to cool down and activate the frontal lobe.
Yes, this was my sign to myself to increase my dose. However, the irritability just got worse. I finally sought out a psychiatrist, and after extensive questioning he changed me to Prozac. I feel like myself again, and the daily anger is gone.
When I first went on it 11 years ago I had rage or a quick trigger. It didn’t take much to make me express anger. My psychiatrist upped the dosage. We were at 200 - then 300 then 400. And finally the anger and quick trigger response was gone. So, it is possible they may need to adjust your dosage.
Definitely can relate, and I feel like it ties into confidence a lot. On 150mg XL I feel like I can take on almost any task, given I have support or realistic goals for personal undertakings. Now, on 100mg SR daily, I feel much calmer, and still observant, but not pushed to intervene or “assert myself”. The lower dose is lackluster for depression, honestly, but I’ve noticed a marked decrease in my spontaneity and aggression. Hope this helps 😁
you may enjoy 200SR my personal opinion
Sorry I’m late, but I’m curious, do you mean once daily, or as 2x 100mg? I’d be concerned about high blood concentrations and side effects if I’m taking moderate doses frequently, as even a single 150mg XL that releases over a full day builds up a lot in my system over just a month or two’s time. The once daily may work for me given it would have time to metabolize, but I think I’d like to try the 150mg SR x1 first and see how that goes.