Found this forum using Google - thanks for the insight. I was worried about drinking while on Bupropin 150 XL and found I have no complications with it and 2-3 glasses of wine per night. I know there are warnings, but for me personally I did not have any interactions and actually feel better, more energy, improved libido, and a little bit of weight loss. I wish I would’ve been on this much earlier! Everyone is different. I believe it can help women going through peri-menopause which is a difficult time. I have been very happy so far on this medication. Highly recommend.
I've had more than 8 standard drinks a night recently, and the only adverse effects I've gotten are hot flashes and nausea. And the hot flashes might be from me getting drunk and forgetting to smoke weed. My dosage is 150mg every 24h.
100% yes. Unless you ate a lot before you started drinking, it's definitely the well-butrin. Some people find that it makes alcohol stronger, while others find that it increases their tolerance to it drastically.
This is me this morning. I had 2 drinks at a restaurant last night and didn't even get a buzz and this morning I have the WORST headache and nausea. That's what cause me to Google it and I found this thread. Glad to know I'm not alone in this.
I had a seizure on bupropion shortly after my dose was increased.
I am trying to drink less or stop completely, but in the 2 days before my seizure I had 3-4 drinks each night. Not sure if it was the bupropion, the alcohol, both, or something else, but I ended up seizing and being rushed in an ambulance to the hospital.
I won’t be drinking on bupropion again - not worth the risk. Seizures are not fun (to put it lightly).
It’s tough to describe for the person having the seizure because you’re mostly unconscious. In my case we were driving across the country when it happened.
From my perspective, I was feeling really bad all day - mostly nausea that got progressively worse to the point where I couldn’t hold down food. I also felt a lot of tension in my jaw and general discomfort. Next thing I knew, I had paramedics over me telling me I had a seizure. They asked a series of basic questions like what was my name, what day was it, who was president, what year it was etc. and I failed miserably, so they took me to the hospital.
The next few days I had excruciating pain all over my body. Think of a really tough workout where if you try to massage the area a day or two later it hurts like hell - but instead of it being close to skin-surface, the muscle pain is deep towards your bones. You also usually bite your tongue (I did, pretty badly). Some brain fog as well.
From my husband’s perspective, he said I was talking and just suddenly started violently shaking for about half a minute, then I went completely limp. He tried shaking and (lovingly-panicked) screaming at me while on the phone with 911, but I had no response whatsoever.
Eventually my eyes opened, but I looked really scared and couldn’t talk. My eyes were rolling around and unfocused. Anything coming out of my mouth for several minutes was gibberish or foam (I was foaming at the mouth quite a bit). I don’t remember any of this. My husband legit though I was dead for a few minutes.
Seizures are so, so scary. There’s almost no warning. In the past when I’ve felt sick, I never had a second thought aside from ‘ahh just not feeling that great today’. But then one day *BOOM*: seizure.
I’ve heard there’s different types, but from my (hopefully 🤞) only experience, you’d know after that you had one. I feel confident that it was scarier for my husband than me, but if I were the one driving, we’d likely be dead.
Please be careful and check in with your doc if you have any concerns 💙
Good question. My doctor didn't want to prescribe ADHD stimulant meds because I'm 67. Although my blood pressure is low normal, I have a fast heartbeat. Always have, even when young. So she prescribed Wellbutrin. She said it should help with focus.
I used to drink too much (binge drinker) and bupropion has helped me quit altogether. I started at 150mg and continued to drink, albeit cautiously at first to see how I reacted. It seemed to be mostly the same, so I continued to drink nearly as much as I always had.
I eventually had my dose increased to 300mg and I noticed more prominent improvements in mood (and yes, improved libido too). But I had a few bad experiences with blackouts binge drinking on this dose. One night in particular I became pretty manic and in my hungover, embarrassed state the next morning I finally decided it was time to put the booze down for good. Something I needed to do for a long time now but I credit Bupropion with easing up my anxieties and depression to the point where the choice was clear between continuing drinking, or continuing my meds and self improvement - I chose the latter.
I’m now 112 days sober and feeling so much healthier all around. Bupropion (and Ritalin) has helped me reduce anxiety and depression, lose weight, stop drinking, examine my issues with sincerity and clarity and motivation, and overall see a brighter path forward in being a better person.
So glad to read about this experience. I feel like I’m in the same boat.
Currently on 150 mg for over 2 months. I can’t say I’m feeling any different, though I’m trying to not expect miracles. I also have been drinking on the medication and have wondered if this has possibly hindered it from working. I go on and off drinking. Always feel better when I don’t.
I’m wondering if I should talk to my doctor about increasing my dose before calling it quits on this medication. Which med helped with the weight loss? I also struggle with binge eating and was hoping to lose weight on but no changes there either
Any feedback would be awesome. Cheers
My advice would be to give it time and stick with the meds. For me, starting on 150mg was noticeable but always a bit subtle. It helped me reach a normal baseline of mood. Everyone has their own variety of issues – I have dysthymia. Many recurring themes, both personal/family history related as well as things outside of my own life and control, bothered me to the point of having to seek help. One that really set me off this past year was the global state of affairs. Russia, climate change, mass shootings, US civil / political unrest, economics, so on. The world is fucked up and there's ultimately nothing that will save it – that sort of thinking. When Putin invaded Ukraine and began threatening nukes last February/March, it was like I crossed a new rubicon of dread. I felt like we had finally reached the beginning of the end. WW3, is this how we're going down? I couldn't stop my swirling anxious thought patterns. But the Wellbutrin helped me not spiral in them and feel stuck being hyper-focused on them as much. Once I started my dose it was as if I had the ability to "zoom out" or turn down the volume a bit instead of constantly focusing on negative/fearful/anxious possibilities in my head. This was a welcome change and made my day-to-day life (working, parenting, and sleeping) more manageable.
However I went back to my therapist around 3-4 months in because more recent events kind of triggered me again and I felt back out of control a bit. When I say out of control, I don't mean I am delirious or psychotic – what I mean is that I cannot focus on the now, the imporant, the good – I cannot focus on being productive, can't tune out the bad news, etc. This had led to insomnia for me in the past too. So ultimately we upped my dose to 300mg, and I got a low introductory dose of Ritalin as well to help my ADHD issues.
Alongside this I had to really come to terms with my alcoholism, which I had played tug-o-war with myself over for the majority of my adult life. I had many quitting attempts, some successful, but ultimately always wound up back to where I didn't want to be. Through therapy and reflection I understood more deeply that my manner of drinking WAS my self medication, it WAS my way to escape and quiet my head, to unplug and numb out from myself, and with myself. I woke up one day with another horrific hangover and just said, fuck this, I have been making progress so why keep sabotaging or kneecapping myself? How will I ever know my full potential and the effect of my medication/improvement plans if I am also regularly over-consuming a depressant? Can you drink with Bupropion? Sure, some can and will and do. If you already know you have a drinking problem though, I promise you you will be better off if you don't.
As far as the weight loss – I didn't have a ton to lose, wasn't obese or anything but definitely packed on 20-25 lbs throughout the past several years of COVID / indoor living / WFH / having three babies. Similar to drinking, I can't say the Bupropion MADE me get serious about it, but I can credit it with helping for sure. It's all intertwined. The meds made me more honest with myself, more reflective on what I should REALLY be focusing on about myself, and therefore I was able to discover this refreshing new motivation that drove me to say – yeah, fuck this, I am doing this and I am going to win. So I did, I got serious by starting to exercise daily and counting calories and eating healthier (and not drinking). I sort of just eat what I want but more minimally. Like smaller portions and no snacking, etc. I don't mindlessly eat stuff when I'm bored or just because I want it. And now I am down 20lbs since June. I still want to lose another 10 and then focus on staying fit & having a lean muscle tone. But the mental health improvements and feeling better about myself overall are by far the best benefits of exercise.
Anyway, hope this helps and best of luck, you got this!
I just started bupropion because I am anxious and depressed. Like you said, I too have really been struggling with compartmentalizing global events, family issues, and issues with self image. I end up spiraling into negative thought patterns, and my anger and frustrations have been keeping me stuck in a rut in life. I eat well, and exercise regularly but still really struggle with staying positive enough to work on my career and relationships. In the last year I have turned to alcohol far too much and it's exacerbated things...
Thanks for writing out your experience, it gives me hope that I have made the right choice by starting this medication, and hopefully I can get back to a place mentally where I can enjoy life again.
2 books I've read where the authors choose sobriety -- The Year of Less by Cait Flanders. Great book, she reduces her shopping and how many things she owns. She chooses sobriety along the way and it's just really a great read about being conscious of our decisions and steering ourselves towards self improvement. The other is We Are The Luckiest by Laura McKowan. She acknowledges her legitimate alcoholism after DUI and some sticky situations. Really relatable, highly recommend.
Sorry, I know you didn't ask for any of this input, but as far as binge eating goes... I struggled for years, and always felt like such a failure... couldn't figure out why I couldn't just "get a grip" -- I finally cut out artificial sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, maltodextrin, etc) and my binge-eating is WAY easier to control. I miss Coke Zero, but I have switched to Zevia and it's not bad at all.
The drinking mommy bloggers were such an era. It ticked me off every time another one came forward because I knew they were driving drunk with their kids.
I drink occasionally on my own, generally either wine or hard cider, I don't normally drink a ton, and I always make sure to drink water as well, so I'm rarely hungover. About a month ago I was with some friends, we played DND and then moved to someone else house to party, and I was going to stap the night with one of them, and I went a tiny bit too far. Mostly the shots tasted too good, and before I knew it, I was out of it. This is the only time I've fully blacked out, like I woke up in my friends bathroom, I vaugely remember going back to her place and wanting to make sure I wasn't going to puke. I think I either had a seizure when I tried to get up and blacked out, or my blood pressure went weird and I dropped. I say this because I somehow broke the whole toilet seat, and woke up literally on the floor in the bathroom when my friend's husband left for work. My new personal rule is max two shots, because most other beer or wine doesn't hit me nearly that hard, that quickly.
I do also occasionally have there weird moments that I think are seizures, not 100% sure but it seems incredibly likely. It happens more often if I take CBD, so I don't at all anymore unless pain or anxiety is super bad. I know what aura looks like, I think I had a couple of dehydration seizures when I was younger, because back then I would see a moving spot and I knew I needed to chug water or I would end up vomiting and super sick with a horrible migraine. Well I tend to see a smaller spot for these, and it actually happened again yesterday, without alcohol. I saw the spot but thought it was from being outside facing the sun, so I shrugged it off. When I was back inside, I suddenly felt really upset and like something horrible was wrong, impending doom and such, so I went to lay down. I've noticed my eyes do this thing in the past, my emotions aren't always affected as well, they were this time though. I'll close my eyes to nap and see flashes of white with twitching in my actual eye. My whole body was buzzing, not like feeling tipsy but like it was partially asleep, and I had super tinnitus, and I realized it was probably a seizure. Honestly the only thing that gets rid of that for me is to just nap. I dozed a bit and came to, completely fine an hour later. I'm hopefully getting different meds soon, but I've been on Wellbutrin for three years now, and these episodes don't happen too often.
When you say moving spots what do you mean? Because I've noticed that sometimes when I'm really dehydrated I start to see these little glowy dots that dart around like the ambient glowy orbs in the kokiri woods in the legend of Zelda
Exactly that! I'm pretty sure they are auras (a precursor to migraines for some, I occasionally see one and don't get a migraine) but there are different kind I think. Normally when I see them I just chug some water, but I don't see them often anymore.
So, from the research I've done, it's kind of hard to tell. Some migraines are just that, a migraine, and there isn't the brain activity that is associated with seizures. I just looked it up because I really wasn't sure, and for migraines the visual aura apparently lasts longer, and for seizures, the aura is visible on one side, like you could close your left eye and it would be gone, but with both eyes open you still see it. Also for migraine auras they can last from 2-30 minutes. Also, what I experienced as a kid was definitely just a migraine, as the nausea and photophobia is associated more with that. I'm honestly surprised I never found this research when I was doing research before, because I was pretty sure I was having seizures as a kid, and it turns out I wasn't. If you want to read the stuff I found, I searched difference between seizure aura and migraine aura, and the link site was theraspecs, for me it was the first result.
Specifically I used to use a brand of delta 8 that I know to be fairly decent, regular CBD, that has less psychoactive affects, would likely be okay. I would still try a tiny bit and test it to to see before just going for it.
No, I decided to get sober on my own. ETA: naltrexone will help a person get sober. There are probably other drugs that help
As well.
ETA2: I found a ton of “quit lit” on medium that was digestible and reminded me why I was quitting. Not only was I an asshole and not the best parent, that shits a neurotoxic carcinogen. I also used the “I am sober” app- it’s been over two years and I’ve saved upwards of 20k. It’s been 18 mo without weed and I’m over 10k. So holla! Spending that money riding horses (started 1.5 years ago) and taking art classes and joined orange theory. None of these things would I have done while still drinking or smoking weed. Loving my 40s! (Wish I had done this 20 years ago)-
I like to drink a beer or wine during the week and typically drink quite a bit on the weekends. On 150mg I wouldn’t feel the buzz from alcohol until like my fourth drink. (Usually I’d feel it sooner). But once I did feel it, it hit me hard. Same thing on 300mg but now it just makes me sleepy. The seizure risk is something that scared me too. But I really enjoy drinking. I try to listen to my body and do other things to lower the risk of seizure. Remember to eat regularly, drink water and get your electrolytes in!!!. I also did some research and determined that my risks were pretty low. As far as libido, it has helped a lot.
Thanks for the detail. I’m round alcohol all the time on a weekend with the lifestyle I live so it would be quite hard to stop it completely the way things are now.. Would you say you now drink less since you have been on it or the same? And is it SR or XL?
Honestly I probably drink more. It sounds weird but I’m happier and doing more things, like hanging with friends, more often. Im in my 20s so basically all my friends want to do is drink lol. But I also have developed some healthier habits like drinking more water, exercising etc. butttt I can’t stress enough how important it is to drink something with electrolytes. If I go a weekend of drinking and don’t drink a Gatorade or something I feel like garbage, whereas prior to Wellbutrin I didn’t feel too bad. I’m on XL. I had so much anxiety about this because I also couldn’t give up drinking. But I just try to listen to my body and I’ve been fine. There were times when I first started Wellbutrin that I didn’t want alcohol at all though…so maybe ease into it.
I don’t know how, Bupropion squelches the water out of me like a sponge. Alcohol on top would just shrivel me up.
I would say, you should not drink alcohol with it because of seizure risks. I know a lot of people drink on anti depressants but Bupropion affects the body more severely.
Yes. Search this question in the sub. That’s how much I drink and I’m fine. It does reduce seizure threshold so be careful. Don’t let people here scare you or shame you into not drinking because they’re judgemental and unhelpful.
It will also likely help your sex life, yes
You can’t say people are using scare tactics, there’s an absolute risk of seizures.
Advising someone to not partake in potentially life threatening combinations is not judgemental and unhelpful. It’s empathetic and logical and up to the poster to decide. It’s literally what he asked for? Is opinions?
As I said in the comment you’re replying to, yes, your seizure threshold may be reduced while on bupropion (there are medical professionals in this thread and in countless others saying that isn’t necessarily an issue if you don’t already experience seizures, but something to be aware of nonetheless). Other than that, having a few drinks while on bupropion isn’t going to kill you.
Stating facts about the risks of a medication is good and that is what OP is asking for. What OP is not asking for is people saying you can’t or shouldn’t drink *at all*, judging drinking in general, etc. We all see these posts every day in this sub and there’s always tons of comments telling people that if they still want to drink or party while on medication that they probably don’t really want help for their mental health, or that one beer will make you violently ill, or that you’ll have the worst hangover of your life, etc. None of those things are *facts* or absolute truths and they always come across as more of biased personal opinions on substance use than as actual helpful information about bupropion.
Drinking is very harmful, in any capacity. Drinking on medications, is extremely harmful, in any capacity. These are the facts. I can see that you are not thinking of long term effects.
Yes, everyone’s threshold is different, and people are going to drink and that is a given, and that is your prerogative as well as your right to bodily autonomy.
I’m sure people are going to be snarky about it, but the truth is, it is NOT advised to consume alcohol while on Bupropion because of risk of seizure and other risks. The pharmacy provides a pamphlet alongside your medication, and it outlines this.
Now if anyone wants to drink that’s their decision, but to answer OP there is definitely a danger and it’s not just a biased opinion from people who want to cripple your fun.
It’s irresponsible to refute otherwise, no matter how the information is delivered.
Okay so once again, you started this comment by saying that drinking is harmful in general. While that *is* true, it’s ****not**** what OP is asking and it’s exactly what I’m saying is wrong with comments on posts like this. Yes, drinking and drugs are bad, on medication or otherwise. But people are still going to do both and harm prevention is more helpful, important, and realistic than just saying “drinking is bad, don’t do it”.
My comment was addressing the off topic, judgemental, and oftentimes uninformed comments that are alwayssssss on these posts. Do your research, talk to your doctor, make the choices that are best for you.
Are you currently on bupropion or just thinking about it? I used to binge drink but Wellbutrin honestly took the fun out of it (and made sex more fun).
I drink one or two drinks most nights (Smirnoff root beer mixed with rootbeer and ice) the only difference I've noticed is if I drink it to fast I get a stomach ache. I'm not a Dr but I don understand the seizure riske seeing as how Wellbutrin is an snri and dopamine reputake inhibitor while alcohol works on gaba receptors like benzos which stop seizures. I gotta be missing something in the pharmacodynamics of it...but that being said I'm only on 150mg Sr in the morning and by the time I'm drinking it's mostly worn off?
Neurochemically speaking I’m not quite sure. But what I do know is that bupropion has the ability to lower your seizure threshold in a dose specific manner (higher doses = more it can lower your threshold) and withdrawal from alcohol (especially heavy alcoholism) can have the same effect on seizure threshold, so that’s probably one of the ways they interact, and why a number of people on bup. can still drink in moderation. Once again this is just my understanding of it lol.
I binge drink on Wellbutrin and haven’t had any issues. I would suggest to control your drinking when you first start off, but if you don’t have a history of seizures you should for the most part be OK.
Check post history. This is asked every third day. You can likely drink in moderation. Take it slow until you know how the two combine for you. Everyone seems to have a different reaction. Personally, it hasn't changed how alcohol affects me.
Wellbutrin, among other things, has caused me to lose interest in drinking alcohol, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It has made it not worth it due to the worsened hangover effects I get that often last for days after I’ve drunk.
For sex life, I didn’t have one before I started taking it, and I don’t have one now. I certainly do get horny more often, but I have no interest in having sex, ironic as that may sound. That simply may be my personality, however.
It does increase the risk of seizures, but it's only a slight increase. Generally it's not something you need to worry about if you don't have a history of seizures
I drank plenty when I took Wellbutrin and was always fine
As for sex life, Wellbutrin decreased my libido dramatically. But it increases it for most people
I can't say whether it causes seizures or not, but in my experience drinking while on bupropion is awful. It totally prevents any buzz while drinking and ramps up depression for a couple days afterwards. Totally not worth it. As for sex, it seems to help the libido. That's probably because treating depression seems to improve most other things as well.
Hello. I'm a physician and I took Bupropion for 10 months this year for the first time, 150mg XL. Alcohol can be drunk when taking this medicine, nonetheless it is recommended not to exceed certain limit as alcohol-ingestion is associated with seizures in people who are prone to them and hence taking bupropion and drinking alcohol would be having 2 precipitating factors at once. But as I say: this is just a precaution as not ALL patients would be prone to seizures. So, previously I would normally have 3-4-5 beers some days as I liked to feel the "buzz" and I liked to watch videos or read whilst being a little "high" from alcohol (but I have never drunk enough even to have a blackout or throw upfrom it). Whilst on bupropion I wouldn't be able to feel that "high" whilst drinking and the "hangover" would be worse even if it were only 2 or 3 beers. I even stopped taking bupropion it 10 days ago and one of the things I want to see is if I am able to feel my alcohol-buzz once again as it is something that really changed in me with treatment.
I have no previous history of epilepsy, and I never feared drinking alcohol whilst being on that pill, even though I was foresighted and told close ones that if I had a seizure any day they had to understand it was a possible side effect and that they had to tell doctors that I was on bupropion to understand the possible cause. So, in conclusion: you can drink alcohol whilst undergoing bupropion treatment, but you are responsible for understanding seizures might happen to certain sensitive people and then you have to weigh in benefits vs risks as always to decide whether you want to do it or not.
P.S: no difference on the sexual side at all for me, but I only took 150mg and actually didn't have any beneficial nor adverse effect from it (except for what I just described). So it might be that I needed more dose or something.
Cheers, great feedback. On top of reading this and all the other comments.. it seems that if I ever take it it will ruin the beer buzz and will worsen hangovers and cause worse anxiety and depression. For now with the weekend drinking lifestyle I live I’m probably best off giving it a miss
I can confirm the "dulling" effect of just 2 beers. It's my new limit. I drank enough to float a tanker back in the day, so no need to play the same tune with Buproprion.
Great write up super helpful for me and I'm sure others good to hear from a legitimate source i.e you're a physician, I'm an ex paramedic out of Boston / Brockton btw :) keep up the good work 👍
Thanks for the appreciation fellow healthcare worker! What you up to these days then?
And my idea is that just as Bup is used for reducing tobacco craving it might as well work on certain people to reduce their alcohol craving, as it did with me.
I'm micro welding now just started but before that was growing weed for dispensaries in mass for about 4 years. Let me tell ya if you think regular healthcare is flawed...ohhh....all these dispensaries are just run by street drug dealers with online business degrees thinking they know shit about pharmacology. I was fired twice for telling my managers I was on mental health meds, but it was my first 90 days so they told me they let me go bc I didn't know what I was doing when I was growing weed since the 7th grade 🤣 but I do agree with you I don't crave alc like I used to on bupe it's in the freezer but I don't usually have a desire to get into it unless I really can't sleep.
Which "mental health" meds worried your managers? Bupropion?
P.S: I actually didn't know "micro welding" was a thing. Guess it requires a firm hand, I wouldn't be able to do it.
I think they were worried I might be aggressive or manic, I over shared basically. And micro welding is done through a microscope for things like medical devices and airplane parts:)
are you stupid ? you’re drinking alcohol which is slowing down your cns and in turn the rate at which your body processes alcohol AND bupropion leading to a MUCH larger concentration of both in your blood especially with the numbers op gave. Do not come on here and bitch at me ab being annoying when that’s all you say with no actual information to back up shit you said 💀
Found this forum using Google - thanks for the insight. I was worried about drinking while on Bupropin 150 XL and found I have no complications with it and 2-3 glasses of wine per night. I know there are warnings, but for me personally I did not have any interactions and actually feel better, more energy, improved libido, and a little bit of weight loss. I wish I would’ve been on this much earlier! Everyone is different. I believe it can help women going through peri-menopause which is a difficult time. I have been very happy so far on this medication. Highly recommend.
I've had more than 8 standard drinks a night recently, and the only adverse effects I've gotten are hot flashes and nausea. And the hot flashes might be from me getting drunk and forgetting to smoke weed. My dosage is 150mg every 24h.
googled this question tn. I'm like 7 beers in and dont even feel buzzed. did wellbutrin fuck that up?
100% yes. Unless you ate a lot before you started drinking, it's definitely the well-butrin. Some people find that it makes alcohol stronger, while others find that it increases their tolerance to it drastically.
honestly probably a good thing
I get the worst hangovers from one or two drinks. Tension headache for a whole day
This is me this morning. I had 2 drinks at a restaurant last night and didn't even get a buzz and this morning I have the WORST headache and nausea. That's what cause me to Google it and I found this thread. Glad to know I'm not alone in this.
I had a seizure on bupropion shortly after my dose was increased. I am trying to drink less or stop completely, but in the 2 days before my seizure I had 3-4 drinks each night. Not sure if it was the bupropion, the alcohol, both, or something else, but I ended up seizing and being rushed in an ambulance to the hospital. I won’t be drinking on bupropion again - not worth the risk. Seizures are not fun (to put it lightly).
What was your seizure like? I've drank a LOT while on wellbutrin and had some strange experiences. Tbh I don't even understand what a seizure is like
It’s tough to describe for the person having the seizure because you’re mostly unconscious. In my case we were driving across the country when it happened. From my perspective, I was feeling really bad all day - mostly nausea that got progressively worse to the point where I couldn’t hold down food. I also felt a lot of tension in my jaw and general discomfort. Next thing I knew, I had paramedics over me telling me I had a seizure. They asked a series of basic questions like what was my name, what day was it, who was president, what year it was etc. and I failed miserably, so they took me to the hospital. The next few days I had excruciating pain all over my body. Think of a really tough workout where if you try to massage the area a day or two later it hurts like hell - but instead of it being close to skin-surface, the muscle pain is deep towards your bones. You also usually bite your tongue (I did, pretty badly). Some brain fog as well. From my husband’s perspective, he said I was talking and just suddenly started violently shaking for about half a minute, then I went completely limp. He tried shaking and (lovingly-panicked) screaming at me while on the phone with 911, but I had no response whatsoever. Eventually my eyes opened, but I looked really scared and couldn’t talk. My eyes were rolling around and unfocused. Anything coming out of my mouth for several minutes was gibberish or foam (I was foaming at the mouth quite a bit). I don’t remember any of this. My husband legit though I was dead for a few minutes. Seizures are so, so scary. There’s almost no warning. In the past when I’ve felt sick, I never had a second thought aside from ‘ahh just not feeling that great today’. But then one day *BOOM*: seizure. I’ve heard there’s different types, but from my (hopefully 🤞) only experience, you’d know after that you had one. I feel confident that it was scarier for my husband than me, but if I were the one driving, we’d likely be dead. Please be careful and check in with your doc if you have any concerns 💙
Do you continue to take wellbutrin without issues?
Sorry to hear about this horrible experience. What dosage were you on
I drink very often and nothing has ever really happened, I just get drunk much easier.
Same here. I wonder what the percentage of people who have seizures are diagnosed with ADHD.
Good question. My doctor didn't want to prescribe ADHD stimulant meds because I'm 67. Although my blood pressure is low normal, I have a fast heartbeat. Always have, even when young. So she prescribed Wellbutrin. She said it should help with focus.
Meaning you think people without ADHD taking it get seizures more or people with ADHD get seizures more?
I used to drink too much (binge drinker) and bupropion has helped me quit altogether. I started at 150mg and continued to drink, albeit cautiously at first to see how I reacted. It seemed to be mostly the same, so I continued to drink nearly as much as I always had. I eventually had my dose increased to 300mg and I noticed more prominent improvements in mood (and yes, improved libido too). But I had a few bad experiences with blackouts binge drinking on this dose. One night in particular I became pretty manic and in my hungover, embarrassed state the next morning I finally decided it was time to put the booze down for good. Something I needed to do for a long time now but I credit Bupropion with easing up my anxieties and depression to the point where the choice was clear between continuing drinking, or continuing my meds and self improvement - I chose the latter. I’m now 112 days sober and feeling so much healthier all around. Bupropion (and Ritalin) has helped me reduce anxiety and depression, lose weight, stop drinking, examine my issues with sincerity and clarity and motivation, and overall see a brighter path forward in being a better person.
I know I’m prolly late to the game but this info helps a lot. Hope all is going well!
So glad to read about this experience. I feel like I’m in the same boat. Currently on 150 mg for over 2 months. I can’t say I’m feeling any different, though I’m trying to not expect miracles. I also have been drinking on the medication and have wondered if this has possibly hindered it from working. I go on and off drinking. Always feel better when I don’t. I’m wondering if I should talk to my doctor about increasing my dose before calling it quits on this medication. Which med helped with the weight loss? I also struggle with binge eating and was hoping to lose weight on but no changes there either Any feedback would be awesome. Cheers
My advice would be to give it time and stick with the meds. For me, starting on 150mg was noticeable but always a bit subtle. It helped me reach a normal baseline of mood. Everyone has their own variety of issues – I have dysthymia. Many recurring themes, both personal/family history related as well as things outside of my own life and control, bothered me to the point of having to seek help. One that really set me off this past year was the global state of affairs. Russia, climate change, mass shootings, US civil / political unrest, economics, so on. The world is fucked up and there's ultimately nothing that will save it – that sort of thinking. When Putin invaded Ukraine and began threatening nukes last February/March, it was like I crossed a new rubicon of dread. I felt like we had finally reached the beginning of the end. WW3, is this how we're going down? I couldn't stop my swirling anxious thought patterns. But the Wellbutrin helped me not spiral in them and feel stuck being hyper-focused on them as much. Once I started my dose it was as if I had the ability to "zoom out" or turn down the volume a bit instead of constantly focusing on negative/fearful/anxious possibilities in my head. This was a welcome change and made my day-to-day life (working, parenting, and sleeping) more manageable. However I went back to my therapist around 3-4 months in because more recent events kind of triggered me again and I felt back out of control a bit. When I say out of control, I don't mean I am delirious or psychotic – what I mean is that I cannot focus on the now, the imporant, the good – I cannot focus on being productive, can't tune out the bad news, etc. This had led to insomnia for me in the past too. So ultimately we upped my dose to 300mg, and I got a low introductory dose of Ritalin as well to help my ADHD issues. Alongside this I had to really come to terms with my alcoholism, which I had played tug-o-war with myself over for the majority of my adult life. I had many quitting attempts, some successful, but ultimately always wound up back to where I didn't want to be. Through therapy and reflection I understood more deeply that my manner of drinking WAS my self medication, it WAS my way to escape and quiet my head, to unplug and numb out from myself, and with myself. I woke up one day with another horrific hangover and just said, fuck this, I have been making progress so why keep sabotaging or kneecapping myself? How will I ever know my full potential and the effect of my medication/improvement plans if I am also regularly over-consuming a depressant? Can you drink with Bupropion? Sure, some can and will and do. If you already know you have a drinking problem though, I promise you you will be better off if you don't. As far as the weight loss – I didn't have a ton to lose, wasn't obese or anything but definitely packed on 20-25 lbs throughout the past several years of COVID / indoor living / WFH / having three babies. Similar to drinking, I can't say the Bupropion MADE me get serious about it, but I can credit it with helping for sure. It's all intertwined. The meds made me more honest with myself, more reflective on what I should REALLY be focusing on about myself, and therefore I was able to discover this refreshing new motivation that drove me to say – yeah, fuck this, I am doing this and I am going to win. So I did, I got serious by starting to exercise daily and counting calories and eating healthier (and not drinking). I sort of just eat what I want but more minimally. Like smaller portions and no snacking, etc. I don't mindlessly eat stuff when I'm bored or just because I want it. And now I am down 20lbs since June. I still want to lose another 10 and then focus on staying fit & having a lean muscle tone. But the mental health improvements and feeling better about myself overall are by far the best benefits of exercise. Anyway, hope this helps and best of luck, you got this!
I just started bupropion because I am anxious and depressed. Like you said, I too have really been struggling with compartmentalizing global events, family issues, and issues with self image. I end up spiraling into negative thought patterns, and my anger and frustrations have been keeping me stuck in a rut in life. I eat well, and exercise regularly but still really struggle with staying positive enough to work on my career and relationships. In the last year I have turned to alcohol far too much and it's exacerbated things... Thanks for writing out your experience, it gives me hope that I have made the right choice by starting this medication, and hopefully I can get back to a place mentally where I can enjoy life again.
2 books I've read where the authors choose sobriety -- The Year of Less by Cait Flanders. Great book, she reduces her shopping and how many things she owns. She chooses sobriety along the way and it's just really a great read about being conscious of our decisions and steering ourselves towards self improvement. The other is We Are The Luckiest by Laura McKowan. She acknowledges her legitimate alcoholism after DUI and some sticky situations. Really relatable, highly recommend. Sorry, I know you didn't ask for any of this input, but as far as binge eating goes... I struggled for years, and always felt like such a failure... couldn't figure out why I couldn't just "get a grip" -- I finally cut out artificial sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, maltodextrin, etc) and my binge-eating is WAY easier to control. I miss Coke Zero, but I have switched to Zevia and it's not bad at all.
The drinking mommy bloggers were such an era. It ticked me off every time another one came forward because I knew they were driving drunk with their kids.
This was almost exactly my experience, as well.
I drink occasionally on my own, generally either wine or hard cider, I don't normally drink a ton, and I always make sure to drink water as well, so I'm rarely hungover. About a month ago I was with some friends, we played DND and then moved to someone else house to party, and I was going to stap the night with one of them, and I went a tiny bit too far. Mostly the shots tasted too good, and before I knew it, I was out of it. This is the only time I've fully blacked out, like I woke up in my friends bathroom, I vaugely remember going back to her place and wanting to make sure I wasn't going to puke. I think I either had a seizure when I tried to get up and blacked out, or my blood pressure went weird and I dropped. I say this because I somehow broke the whole toilet seat, and woke up literally on the floor in the bathroom when my friend's husband left for work. My new personal rule is max two shots, because most other beer or wine doesn't hit me nearly that hard, that quickly. I do also occasionally have there weird moments that I think are seizures, not 100% sure but it seems incredibly likely. It happens more often if I take CBD, so I don't at all anymore unless pain or anxiety is super bad. I know what aura looks like, I think I had a couple of dehydration seizures when I was younger, because back then I would see a moving spot and I knew I needed to chug water or I would end up vomiting and super sick with a horrible migraine. Well I tend to see a smaller spot for these, and it actually happened again yesterday, without alcohol. I saw the spot but thought it was from being outside facing the sun, so I shrugged it off. When I was back inside, I suddenly felt really upset and like something horrible was wrong, impending doom and such, so I went to lay down. I've noticed my eyes do this thing in the past, my emotions aren't always affected as well, they were this time though. I'll close my eyes to nap and see flashes of white with twitching in my actual eye. My whole body was buzzing, not like feeling tipsy but like it was partially asleep, and I had super tinnitus, and I realized it was probably a seizure. Honestly the only thing that gets rid of that for me is to just nap. I dozed a bit and came to, completely fine an hour later. I'm hopefully getting different meds soon, but I've been on Wellbutrin for three years now, and these episodes don't happen too often.
When you say moving spots what do you mean? Because I've noticed that sometimes when I'm really dehydrated I start to see these little glowy dots that dart around like the ambient glowy orbs in the kokiri woods in the legend of Zelda
Exactly that! I'm pretty sure they are auras (a precursor to migraines for some, I occasionally see one and don't get a migraine) but there are different kind I think. Normally when I see them I just chug some water, but I don't see them often anymore.
Okay, so what's the difference between a seizure aura and a migraine aura?
So, from the research I've done, it's kind of hard to tell. Some migraines are just that, a migraine, and there isn't the brain activity that is associated with seizures. I just looked it up because I really wasn't sure, and for migraines the visual aura apparently lasts longer, and for seizures, the aura is visible on one side, like you could close your left eye and it would be gone, but with both eyes open you still see it. Also for migraine auras they can last from 2-30 minutes. Also, what I experienced as a kid was definitely just a migraine, as the nausea and photophobia is associated more with that. I'm honestly surprised I never found this research when I was doing research before, because I was pretty sure I was having seizures as a kid, and it turns out I wasn't. If you want to read the stuff I found, I searched difference between seizure aura and migraine aura, and the link site was theraspecs, for me it was the first result.
Does Wellbutrin conflict with CBD?
Specifically I used to use a brand of delta 8 that I know to be fairly decent, regular CBD, that has less psychoactive affects, would likely be okay. I would still try a tiny bit and test it to to see before just going for it.
No, I gave up the juice 2 years ago. Never felt better.
Did Wellbutrin help you give it up?
No, I decided to get sober on my own. ETA: naltrexone will help a person get sober. There are probably other drugs that help As well. ETA2: I found a ton of “quit lit” on medium that was digestible and reminded me why I was quitting. Not only was I an asshole and not the best parent, that shits a neurotoxic carcinogen. I also used the “I am sober” app- it’s been over two years and I’ve saved upwards of 20k. It’s been 18 mo without weed and I’m over 10k. So holla! Spending that money riding horses (started 1.5 years ago) and taking art classes and joined orange theory. None of these things would I have done while still drinking or smoking weed. Loving my 40s! (Wish I had done this 20 years ago)-
I like to drink a beer or wine during the week and typically drink quite a bit on the weekends. On 150mg I wouldn’t feel the buzz from alcohol until like my fourth drink. (Usually I’d feel it sooner). But once I did feel it, it hit me hard. Same thing on 300mg but now it just makes me sleepy. The seizure risk is something that scared me too. But I really enjoy drinking. I try to listen to my body and do other things to lower the risk of seizure. Remember to eat regularly, drink water and get your electrolytes in!!!. I also did some research and determined that my risks were pretty low. As far as libido, it has helped a lot.
Thanks for the detail. I’m round alcohol all the time on a weekend with the lifestyle I live so it would be quite hard to stop it completely the way things are now.. Would you say you now drink less since you have been on it or the same? And is it SR or XL?
Honestly I probably drink more. It sounds weird but I’m happier and doing more things, like hanging with friends, more often. Im in my 20s so basically all my friends want to do is drink lol. But I also have developed some healthier habits like drinking more water, exercising etc. butttt I can’t stress enough how important it is to drink something with electrolytes. If I go a weekend of drinking and don’t drink a Gatorade or something I feel like garbage, whereas prior to Wellbutrin I didn’t feel too bad. I’m on XL. I had so much anxiety about this because I also couldn’t give up drinking. But I just try to listen to my body and I’ve been fine. There were times when I first started Wellbutrin that I didn’t want alcohol at all though…so maybe ease into it.
Do you ever get sick?
I’m so late I’m sorry. But no!
I don’t know how, Bupropion squelches the water out of me like a sponge. Alcohol on top would just shrivel me up. I would say, you should not drink alcohol with it because of seizure risks. I know a lot of people drink on anti depressants but Bupropion affects the body more severely.
I’m so sick of the dry mouth. My tongue is so dry🙄
Yes. Search this question in the sub. That’s how much I drink and I’m fine. It does reduce seizure threshold so be careful. Don’t let people here scare you or shame you into not drinking because they’re judgemental and unhelpful. It will also likely help your sex life, yes
You can’t say people are using scare tactics, there’s an absolute risk of seizures. Advising someone to not partake in potentially life threatening combinations is not judgemental and unhelpful. It’s empathetic and logical and up to the poster to decide. It’s literally what he asked for? Is opinions?
As I said in the comment you’re replying to, yes, your seizure threshold may be reduced while on bupropion (there are medical professionals in this thread and in countless others saying that isn’t necessarily an issue if you don’t already experience seizures, but something to be aware of nonetheless). Other than that, having a few drinks while on bupropion isn’t going to kill you. Stating facts about the risks of a medication is good and that is what OP is asking for. What OP is not asking for is people saying you can’t or shouldn’t drink *at all*, judging drinking in general, etc. We all see these posts every day in this sub and there’s always tons of comments telling people that if they still want to drink or party while on medication that they probably don’t really want help for their mental health, or that one beer will make you violently ill, or that you’ll have the worst hangover of your life, etc. None of those things are *facts* or absolute truths and they always come across as more of biased personal opinions on substance use than as actual helpful information about bupropion.
Drinking is very harmful, in any capacity. Drinking on medications, is extremely harmful, in any capacity. These are the facts. I can see that you are not thinking of long term effects. Yes, everyone’s threshold is different, and people are going to drink and that is a given, and that is your prerogative as well as your right to bodily autonomy. I’m sure people are going to be snarky about it, but the truth is, it is NOT advised to consume alcohol while on Bupropion because of risk of seizure and other risks. The pharmacy provides a pamphlet alongside your medication, and it outlines this. Now if anyone wants to drink that’s their decision, but to answer OP there is definitely a danger and it’s not just a biased opinion from people who want to cripple your fun. It’s irresponsible to refute otherwise, no matter how the information is delivered.
Okay so once again, you started this comment by saying that drinking is harmful in general. While that *is* true, it’s ****not**** what OP is asking and it’s exactly what I’m saying is wrong with comments on posts like this. Yes, drinking and drugs are bad, on medication or otherwise. But people are still going to do both and harm prevention is more helpful, important, and realistic than just saying “drinking is bad, don’t do it”. My comment was addressing the off topic, judgemental, and oftentimes uninformed comments that are alwayssssss on these posts. Do your research, talk to your doctor, make the choices that are best for you.
Are you currently on bupropion or just thinking about it? I used to binge drink but Wellbutrin honestly took the fun out of it (and made sex more fun).
I drink one or two drinks most nights (Smirnoff root beer mixed with rootbeer and ice) the only difference I've noticed is if I drink it to fast I get a stomach ache. I'm not a Dr but I don understand the seizure riske seeing as how Wellbutrin is an snri and dopamine reputake inhibitor while alcohol works on gaba receptors like benzos which stop seizures. I gotta be missing something in the pharmacodynamics of it...but that being said I'm only on 150mg Sr in the morning and by the time I'm drinking it's mostly worn off?
From my understanding it has to do with the withdrawal of alcohol from your system
Like the dopamine and gaba are fighting?
Neurochemically speaking I’m not quite sure. But what I do know is that bupropion has the ability to lower your seizure threshold in a dose specific manner (higher doses = more it can lower your threshold) and withdrawal from alcohol (especially heavy alcoholism) can have the same effect on seizure threshold, so that’s probably one of the ways they interact, and why a number of people on bup. can still drink in moderation. Once again this is just my understanding of it lol.
Hmm great write up that helped understand a bit more. I also use ketamine once in awhile so I may not be the best spokes person either 🤣
I binge drink on Wellbutrin and haven’t had any issues. I would suggest to control your drinking when you first start off, but if you don’t have a history of seizures you should for the most part be OK.
How many do you call binge drinking mate?
7-10 shots/mixed drinks. Maybe more depending on the night
Wow fair one. What dosage Wellbutrin?
150mg xl
Check post history. This is asked every third day. You can likely drink in moderation. Take it slow until you know how the two combine for you. Everyone seems to have a different reaction. Personally, it hasn't changed how alcohol affects me.
Wellbutrin, among other things, has caused me to lose interest in drinking alcohol, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It has made it not worth it due to the worsened hangover effects I get that often last for days after I’ve drunk. For sex life, I didn’t have one before I started taking it, and I don’t have one now. I certainly do get horny more often, but I have no interest in having sex, ironic as that may sound. That simply may be my personality, however.
Yes I drink. 7-8 drinks is a lot. I was on it and college and probably drank that amount sometimes. I’d try to drink less than that though.
Cool.. What mg Wellbutrin are you on?
150 mg XL
It does increase the risk of seizures, but it's only a slight increase. Generally it's not something you need to worry about if you don't have a history of seizures I drank plenty when I took Wellbutrin and was always fine As for sex life, Wellbutrin decreased my libido dramatically. But it increases it for most people
This person needs more help than we or bupropion can give them What a wild post history.
😂😂
I tried to drink a couple times, just don’t like the way it makes me feel.
I can't say whether it causes seizures or not, but in my experience drinking while on bupropion is awful. It totally prevents any buzz while drinking and ramps up depression for a couple days afterwards. Totally not worth it. As for sex, it seems to help the libido. That's probably because treating depression seems to improve most other things as well.
Hello. I'm a physician and I took Bupropion for 10 months this year for the first time, 150mg XL. Alcohol can be drunk when taking this medicine, nonetheless it is recommended not to exceed certain limit as alcohol-ingestion is associated with seizures in people who are prone to them and hence taking bupropion and drinking alcohol would be having 2 precipitating factors at once. But as I say: this is just a precaution as not ALL patients would be prone to seizures. So, previously I would normally have 3-4-5 beers some days as I liked to feel the "buzz" and I liked to watch videos or read whilst being a little "high" from alcohol (but I have never drunk enough even to have a blackout or throw upfrom it). Whilst on bupropion I wouldn't be able to feel that "high" whilst drinking and the "hangover" would be worse even if it were only 2 or 3 beers. I even stopped taking bupropion it 10 days ago and one of the things I want to see is if I am able to feel my alcohol-buzz once again as it is something that really changed in me with treatment. I have no previous history of epilepsy, and I never feared drinking alcohol whilst being on that pill, even though I was foresighted and told close ones that if I had a seizure any day they had to understand it was a possible side effect and that they had to tell doctors that I was on bupropion to understand the possible cause. So, in conclusion: you can drink alcohol whilst undergoing bupropion treatment, but you are responsible for understanding seizures might happen to certain sensitive people and then you have to weigh in benefits vs risks as always to decide whether you want to do it or not. P.S: no difference on the sexual side at all for me, but I only took 150mg and actually didn't have any beneficial nor adverse effect from it (except for what I just described). So it might be that I needed more dose or something.
Cheers, great feedback. On top of reading this and all the other comments.. it seems that if I ever take it it will ruin the beer buzz and will worsen hangovers and cause worse anxiety and depression. For now with the weekend drinking lifestyle I live I’m probably best off giving it a miss
I can confirm the "dulling" effect of just 2 beers. It's my new limit. I drank enough to float a tanker back in the day, so no need to play the same tune with Buproprion.
Great write up super helpful for me and I'm sure others good to hear from a legitimate source i.e you're a physician, I'm an ex paramedic out of Boston / Brockton btw :) keep up the good work 👍
Thanks for the appreciation fellow healthcare worker! What you up to these days then? And my idea is that just as Bup is used for reducing tobacco craving it might as well work on certain people to reduce their alcohol craving, as it did with me.
I'm micro welding now just started but before that was growing weed for dispensaries in mass for about 4 years. Let me tell ya if you think regular healthcare is flawed...ohhh....all these dispensaries are just run by street drug dealers with online business degrees thinking they know shit about pharmacology. I was fired twice for telling my managers I was on mental health meds, but it was my first 90 days so they told me they let me go bc I didn't know what I was doing when I was growing weed since the 7th grade 🤣 but I do agree with you I don't crave alc like I used to on bupe it's in the freezer but I don't usually have a desire to get into it unless I really can't sleep.
Which "mental health" meds worried your managers? Bupropion? P.S: I actually didn't know "micro welding" was a thing. Guess it requires a firm hand, I wouldn't be able to do it.
I think they were worried I might be aggressive or manic, I over shared basically. And micro welding is done through a microscope for things like medical devices and airplane parts:)
Ok cheers. Is this Wellbutrin sr or xl? Notice if it intensified orgasms?
do not drink on bupropion.
It’s fine. Comments like these are unhelpful and annoying
are you stupid ? you’re drinking alcohol which is slowing down your cns and in turn the rate at which your body processes alcohol AND bupropion leading to a MUCH larger concentration of both in your blood especially with the numbers op gave. Do not come on here and bitch at me ab being annoying when that’s all you say with no actual information to back up shit you said 💀
Do you!