People have a lot of pressure to deal with these days, which is why a high percentage of the population is depressed. Many of them take an antidepressant called Wellbutrin to deal with their depression.
When people try to lose weight with an appetite suppressant medication like Phentermine, it can make them feel even more panicky and stressed out. In this case, should a user of Phentermine take Wellbutrin to reduce their depression as they lose weight?
Since the number one symptom of Phentermine is mood swings, you might find some relief from those mood swings if you take Wellbutrin as well.
An Overview of Wellbutrin
Wellbutrin a brand name for Bupropion
Wellbutrin has been found to effectively treat several different types of psychiatric conditions, such as eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder too. The doctor prescribes the medication in tablet form. Soon after you swallow the tablet, you should quickly feel a sense of release from all your anxiety and stress.
Since 1985, Wellbutrin has been approved to be used in the United States by clinics. No other antidepressant has been prescribed as much as this one. You might know it better by the other brand names it goes by, such as Zyban, Chantix, Forfivo, Budeprion, and Aplenzin.
Side Effects of Wellbutrin
All medical treatments have a particular degree of risk to them for the patient. Antidepressants don’t usually have any long-term side effects.
Wellbutrin may cause you to have mild side effects that last for a couple of weeks the first time you take it. But you won’t experience those side effects again if you continue to take the medication.
During those initial two weeks, the common side effects that people experience include dry mouth, weight loss, headache, nausea, insomnia, rapid heartbeat, constipation, sore throat, and dizziness.
Under 10% of the people who take Wellbutrin may develop the following side effects:
- Ringing in the ears
- Sweating
- Skin rash
- Stomach Pain
- Shakiness
- Cognitive issues
- Muscle Pain
- Vision changes
- Eye pain
- Eye redness
- Eye Swelling
- Anxiety
The one positive thing is that sexual side effects are not experienced by most of the people who take Wellbutrin. This is one reason why so many people choose Wellbutrin as their primary antidepressant because other antidepressants cause unwanted sexual side effects.
The Risks of Taking Wellbutrin and Phentermine Together
It is always risky when you combine two prescription drugs. There is the question of how each drug will interact with one another in the body.
Here is the situation with Wellbutrin and Phentermine combination. People have a higher chance of experiencing a seizure if they take Wellbutrin. If they take Phentermine as well, then it will lower their seizure threshold which would boost their chances of having a seizure. That is why you must be very careful when taking a medication that lowers the seizure threshold while you’re actively taking Wellbutrin.
If you have a history of seizures or are at a greater risk of having a seizure because of your age, metabolism, brain tumor, head trauma, or hepatic cirrhosis, then you should avoid taking Wellbutrin.
The Best Way to Consume Both Drugs
The best advice is to check your prescription label for instructions and follow them carefully. Your doctor should be guiding you through this process as well. Take the exact dose of each drug that your doctor recommends.
Wellbutrin can be consumed with meals or without meals. The drug comes in capsules, so make sure you swallow the entire capsule. Don’t break it apart or chew on it.
Drink lots of water to stay hydrated throughout each day. This is critically important when you consume Wellbutrin and Phentermine on the same day because these drugs can dehydrate you quickly. Then you’d experience a dangerous imbalance of electrolytes and low blood pressure in your system.
As you begin to consume both drugs regularly, it’ll take you about 12 weeks for your weight to decrease by 3% or more. However, you must maintain a low-calorie diet during this time.
If you fail to lose 3% of your weight after 12 weeks and you’ve maintained a low-calorie diet, then talk to your doctor about what to do next.
When both drugs are taken together, you’re most likely going to experience insomnia, headache, and a rapid heartbeat. You may feel tempted to take even more medication to get rid of these new symptoms, but that’ll just make things so much worse. You could put your life in danger if you take more medication.
If you experience unbearable symptoms from taking Wellbutrin and Phentermine together, the best thing to do is to stop taking both drugs and then to talk to your doctor for further advice.
Conclusion
Your doctor is supposed to weigh the risks versus the rewards before they prescribe Wellbutrin and Phentermine to you. Since most people don’t experience any critical side effects, your doctor will likely prescribe them to you if you don’t have a complicated medical history. There is still always going to be a risk, though.
Phentermine is a powerful drug on its own. It can be dangerous enough just to take that drug alone without anything else included. Therefore, if you don’t have a doctor examine you before taking both drugs, then it could kill you or make your symptoms so much worse.
What happens if your doctor doesn’t want you to take Phentermine because they don’t feel you’re obese or qualified enough for the drug? Well, you could always take a supplement called PhenQ. It can help you lose weight with minimal side effects under these circumstances.
PhenQ is one of the best alternatives to over-the-counter Phentermine. It features a mood-enhancing chemical ingredient, which means it’ll be so much easier to maintain your diet and control your temper.
But first, you must talk with your doctor about the safety risks of taking PhenQ if you’re currently taking another type of antidepressant. This is the key to saving your life.