Wednesday 23 January 2013

Should the Wellbutrin Side Effects Keep it From Being an Option for the Treatment of Depression?

By Brian Sloan


Unless you have experienced it, there is no way to describe the fear, sadness, loneliness, and sometimes physical pain of depression. Those who go through major depressive episodes live in a reality where it seems that happiness is unattainable. However, many suffers have welcomed the number of antidepressants have been developed through the years. One medication, Wellbutrin, that has been around for quite a while, has continued to be prescribed for depression and other conditions. However, as with other antidepressants, there are Wellbutrin side effects as well.

We shall take a closer look at those in a bit. There are several classes of antidepressants on the market today. The very popular and effective SSRIs (Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors) are prescribed frequently. Some of these are Paxil, Lexapro, and Celexa. The SSRIs would have to be considered among the most popular antidepressants today. In these SSRIs the side effects are fairly mild. Are you getting fired up? Well, this may not be such exciting news for the average person, but for depression sufferers, it actually is.

Seratonin and norepinephrine are chemicals in the brain that need to be balanced. This is what the class of antidepressants known as SSRIs do for a person. These types of medications are found in the name brands of Pristiq, Cymbalta, and Effexor, as well as others. I, personally have been affected by depression in my life and the SNRIs have been helpful to me. Panic Disorder, General Anxiety Disorder, and Diabetic Neuropathy are some conditions for which the SSRIs have been approved. As for my thoughts, I hope that the sufferers of depression, as well as sufferers of other mental conditions will continue to have as many medical options as possible.

Let's now take a quick look at another class of antidepressants. These are calle MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors). Unfortunately, although these guys have been proven effective, they have also proven to have adverse reactions when combined with certain other medications and some types of foods. Panic disorder, mixed anxiety and depression, agoraphobia, and bulimia are some of the conditions for which the MAOIs have been effective. But unfortunately, because of some of the adverse reactions, these are not usually prescribed until some of the other treatments have been exhausted.

Well, there is a much older class of medications that the doctor prescribed me during my first episode of severe depression. These meds began to be developed in the early 1950s (although it was much, much later when I was prescribed one of those...:). These are the Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs). Imipramine, the generic for Tofranil is the one I took. Although really effective in their time, and still can be at times now, most people will opt for the newer class of antidepressants today.

Although there are a few other miscellaneous types of antidepressants, NDRIs take a big place in the remainder of the equation. These include Wellbutrin, a fascinating drug. The generic is called Bupropion, and marketed as Wellbutrin, Voxra, Budeprion, and others. Its well known brand name as a stop smoking aid is Zyban. NDRIs affect specific chemicals within the brain, known as norepinephrine and dopamine. Wellbutrin and those meds like it help block the reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine so that more remains in the space between the brain's nerve cells. This gives the chemicals a better chance of activating the receptors on the next nerve cell. Wellbutrin has proven effective in many cases in which people have not responded to SSRIs. Side effects for Wellbutrin include restlessness, dry mouth, abnormal dreams, dizziness, trouble sleeping, head aches, weight loss, diarrhea, stomach cramps, anxiety. Infrequent side effects include high blood pressure, abnormally low blood pressure, hives, infection, and confusion. Other infrequent side effects are migraine headaches, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, joint pain, drowsiness, fever, rash, indigestion, bronchitis, loss of appetite, increased hunger, frequent urination, difficulty swallowing, gas nervousness, feeling weak, altered interest in sexual intercourse, although some report heightened interest in sexual activity (I'm 54 so I'm not sure which of those are worse)! But seriously depression is to be dealt with ASAP. Talk with your doctor and agree on the proper choice to treat depression. Don't fight it alone. There are many options. Blessings to you. You can win!




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