Prozac and Wellbutrin (+What are the effects)
This article will discuss the effects of Prozac and Wellbutrin. For that, the article will explain what are the indications for each of the drugs, and when they are not recommended.
What are the effects of Prozac and Wellbutrin?
Prozac and Wellbutrin are both forms of antidepressants. But each of them is used for a specific diagnosis. They can have similar side effects, but can also have different ones. Remember that those medications should only be taken as prescribed by your health care professional.
But now, let’s discuss each of the drugs and their uses.
What is Prozac?
Prozac is a prescription drug that is used to treat depression and some other mental health conditions. It is usually used in cases of major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, panic disorder. It can also be taken by people with bipolar disorder type I, and people with drug-resistant depression.
The main side effects of Prozac are nausea, upset stomach, constipation, headaches, anxiety, difficulty sleeping and feeling dizzy. It can also cause people to become nervous, to have heart application, change in eating patterns, which can lead to weight fluctuations.
It can also cause people to experience dry mouth, decreased sex drive, as well as impotence, and difficulty having an orgasm. Along with that, people taking Prozac can experience symptoms similar to a cold.
When taking Prozac people should be aware that it can interact with other medicines, such as cold and allergy medicines. It can also interact with sedatives, narcotic pain medicine, and sleeping pills.
Prozac can have an interaction with alprazolam, clopidogrel, clozapine, flecainide, haloperidol, nebivolol, seizure medications, and vinblastine. Along with that, it can interact with muscle relaxers, medicines that treat anxiety and seizures.
People taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), as well as other antidepressants, blood thinners, or migraine headaches, should be aware.
Since Prozac is a medication of continued use, if people stop taking them all of the sudden, they can experience withdrawal symptoms. That is why the medication should be taken only when prescribed.
Its dosage may also change, meaning your doctor may start you off with a smaller dosage, and go up with it little by little until it reaches the right dosage. You can take it before or after eating, and if you forget to take it at the right time, take it as soon as you can.
But if you remember it too close to the next dose, skip that one, and go directly to the next dose in the time you have set for taking it. Don’t take too much of it at once, but if that happens, get in touch with your doctor, or go to an emergency room.
What is Wellbutrin?
Wellbutrin is a medication used to treat people with major depressive disorder, as well as people with seasonal affective disorder. There are many side effects related to the use of Wellbutrin, some of them similar to the use of Prozac, but some of them are different.
The side effects that can happen to people using Prozac and Wellbutrin are dry mouth, difficulty sleeping, headache, nausea, and constipation. Not only that, it can cause an upset stomach, do the person feel dizzy, as well as decreased sex drive.
Both drugs can also cause symptoms similar to cold, and changes in eating patterns, which can lead to weight fluctuation. But some side effects are particular to the use of Wellbutrin. It can cause agitation, vomiting, and ringing in the ear.
Aside from that, the use of Wellbutrin can cause sight problems, such as blurred vision, muscle pain, itching, and skin rash. It may cause increased sweating and urination, tremors, and joint aches.
Along with that, it can bring a strange taste in the person’s mouth, diarrhea, and especially when taken in high doses, it can lead to seizures. There are a lot of other drugs that interact with Wellbutrin, so people should be aware when taking them.
It can interact with insulin, blood thinners, and asthma medication. Not only that, it can interact with medications to treat the heart and blood pressure, as well as HIV and AIDS medication. It can also impact seizure medications and other antidepressants.
Wellbutrin can interact with medications to treat psychiatric disorders, antibiotics, some antihistamines, and bronchodilators. It also interacts with birth control pills and hormone replacement estrogens. Along with that, it interacts with the bladder and urinary medication, diet pills, and stimulants.
This drug can also affect medications used to treat ADHD, oral diabetes medications, and medication for nausea and vomiting. Medications to treat malaria, Parkinson’s, and restless leg syndrome can interact with Wellbutrin. Drugs that are used for pituitary gland tumors, or to prevent organ rejection drugs as well.
Narcotics, numbing medicines, steroids, theophylline, and ulcer medication can interact with Wellbutrin. The drug should be taken in the way it was prescribed by your doctor. You should take it at the right time, and with the right dosage.
Wellbutrin can be taken with or without food, and it should be swallowed whole, don’t chew. One dosage should be taken at least 6 hours away from the other. But if you miss a dosage, don’t take another one to replace it.
Wait for your next time to take the medication, because if you take too much it increases your chance of having a seizure. If at any time you take too much of the medication, get in touch with your doctor or go to the emergency room.
Since it interacts with many medications, talk to your physician about all the drugs you are taking to check if it is safe. When you start the depression treatment with Wellbutrin, remember it takes some time for you to feel better, and once you start to feel better, don’t stop taking it without talking to your doctor.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): What are the effects of Prozac and Wellbutrin?
What is a major depressive disorder?
A major depressive episode is a form of depression in which the person experiences all the symptoms of depression, along with the possibility of becoming delusional, having hallucinations, and even psychotic episodes.
Major depression can impair people in their life, and sometimes doing the simplest of things such as getting out of bed and going to work can be impossible. To treat major depression it is usually necessary to take medication and therapy. Both will allow your symptoms to improve and for you to learn how to deal with your emotions.
If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.
What is seasonal affective disorder?
The seasonal affective disorder is a form of depression that causes the person to experience loss of energy and sadness related to the changing of the seasons. It can happen when summer turns into fall and winter, which is the most common, or when the seasons change from winter to spring and summer.
People that are already depressed have a higher chance of developing a seasonal affective disorder, and its treatment can go through lifestyle changes, and supplement some vitamins such as vitamin D.
Does depression have a cure?
No, depression doesn’t have a cure. Since it has a genetic factor that is impossible to change, it makes it impossible to affirm that a person, once they get through a depressive episode, will never go through another one during their lifetime.
What is possible to say is that your depressive episode will go into remission. This means your symptoms will decrease and going back to your life will be possible. You will regain a sense of joy and will feel more energetic, and interested in things again.
What is important, once you go into a recession, is to keep your mental health awareness. Continue to take care of yourself, maintain some of the practices you develop during your treatment, such as exercising, sleeping well, or meditating. This will make it harder for you to develop depression again.
What are the types of antidepressants?
Antidepressants are the type of medication people take when they are going through a depressive episode. The one that is prescribed more often is the Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) because they usually have fewer side effects, two examples of it are Fluoxetine and Citalopram.
Another form of antidepressant is the Serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). This type is similar to SSRIs but was created to be more effective than SSRIs. An example of SNRIs is venlafaxine.
Noradrenaline and specific serotonergic antidepressants (NASSAs) are recommended to people that can’t take SSRIs. They have some side effects that need to be taken into consideration such as dizziness, but it affects the person’s libido less than SSRIs. An example of it is mirtazapine.
There are older forms of antidepressants such as tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), they can be recommended to people with major depression that are resistant to other medications. An example of it is amitriptyline.
Serotonin antagonists and reuptake inhibitors (SARIs) are a form of antidepressants that is also prescribed when other forms haven’t worked. An example of it is trazodone.
There are Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) that are an older type of antidepressant. It has a lot of serious side effects. The most known example of it is tranylcypromine.
What is drug-resistant depression?
Drug-resistant depression is a form of depression in which the regular treatments don’t improve the person’s condition. When a person has drug-resistant depression, it doesn’t improve completely or even a little.
It is possible to say someone has drug-resistant depression when they don’t get better after a series of tries to treat it. And if you and your doctor are considering you have drug-resistant therapy, you may consider some other forms of treatment. Here are your options.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
This is a 30-minute treatment in which an electromagnetic coil is placed on your scalp, close to your forehead. It will send an electrical current through your brain to improve your condition.
Ketamine
This is another suggestion for people that have this condition. It is a medication that can only be used under prescription. And are only recommended to people that have tried 2 other forms of antidepressants and haven’t improved.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
Is a method in which a dose of electricity is sent through your brain, causing a small seizure that can reverse the symptoms of major depression.
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS)
Is another form to treat that is only used when other forms of stimulation have been tested without any success. This treatment will connect a wire to your chest and neck in which electrical signs will be sent to the mood centers of the brain.
Conclusion
This article discussed the effects of Prozac with the use of Wellbutrin. For that, the article explained what are the main use of each of the medications, and its side effects.
If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to write it in the section below.
