Wellbutrin is a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI). It has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of depression and smoking cessation. However, there are many off-label ways in which it is prescribed, namely treatment for things like:
- ADHD
- OCD
- Bipolar Disorder
- Anxiety
- Sexual dysfunction as a side effect of antidepressants
If you have been prescribed Wellbutrin and you are looking to stop taking it, it’s important to know things like if Wellbutrin causes withdrawal and how long Wellbutrin withdrawal lasts.
Does Wellbutrin Cause Withdrawal?
Wellbutrin works by boosting chemicals in the brain, specifically neurochemicals responsible for your energy levels and your mood. Like all medications, the more you take, and the longer you take it, the more your brain and body adjust to the outside sources.
This means that your brain and body don’t work as hard to produce the same levels of those neurochemicals because they get support from Wellbutrin. So, if you stop suddenly, it can take time to adjust to the lack of support.
This is what causes withdrawal symptoms, leaving you with things like:
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Trouble sleeping
It’s important that you manage your withdrawal so that your brain and body have time to compensate and adjust to the changes.
How Long Does Wellbutrin Withdrawal Last?
Most of the symptoms will range between a few days and a few weeks. How long does Wellbutrin withdrawal last for people who have taken it a long time? It tends to be a little bit longer.
- The longer you have taken Wellbutrin, the more prolonged your symptoms will be
- The higher the doses you have taken of Wellbutrin, the longer your withdrawal timeline will be
There are also factors like your physical and mental health that can dictate the severity and duration of your Wellbutrin withdrawal.
Wellbutrin Withdrawal Timeline
In order to prepare for your next steps, it’s important to understand the withdrawal timeline, which can be broken down into four key phases:
- Initial Phase: The first few days of tapering or cutting off your Wellbutrin will cause many of the flu-like symptoms, severe headaches, and initial mood swings, which begin about 24 hours after your last dose
- Peak Phase: Over the span of the first week, your symptoms will intensify and reach their peak, hence the name
- Subside Phase: The second to third week is called the subside phase because this is when the most intense withdrawal symptoms of Wellbutrin begin to diminish and a lot of the physical symptoms resolve themselves; during this time, you might also notice that your irritability and mood swings begin to stabilize
- Resolution Phase: The fourth week and the timeline beyond is considered the resolution phase because it is when most of your symptoms are gone, though you might have lingering psychological effects for a few more weeks
Note: While this is a general timeline, most people who receive help from a professional treatment center will detox for the first week or so and work through the second two phases while participating in ongoing therapy.
What to Expect During Wellbutrin Withdrawal
When you start your Wellbutrin withdrawal timeline, you will experience a range of physical and psychological symptoms. How severe these are and how long they last varies from one person to the next.
Physical Symptoms
Physical symptoms include headaches which can range from mild to severe, fatigue which can also range in severity, dizziness, and flu-like symptoms.
Psychological Symptoms
Psychological symptoms include abrupt mood changes and anxiety, depression, and irritability. You might also experience problems sleeping, brain fog, and memory issues.
In order to help mitigate these symptoms, it’s good to have a support system, whether that is friends or family, even professional forms of support. Equally important is to regularly exercise even if it’s something simple like walking around outside or doing yoga. Hydration and healthy meals can go a long way toward supporting the body through detox, and overcoming some of the more common physical symptoms.
Getting Help for Wellbutrin Withdrawal
Reducing your Wellbutrin intake or stopping it entirely can be difficult, given the withdrawal challenges. Understanding these challenges, our team provides a controlled, supportive environment where you can undergo Wellbutrin withdrawal.
Our staff members will monitor your symptoms 24 hours per day and adjust the tapering based on your needs in order to keep discomfort to a minimum. We can also provide access to other over-the-counter medications or if necessary, other prescription medications depending on your circumstances and any other withdrawal you might be experiencing.
While you are moving through your Wellbutrin withdrawal timeline, we will provide emotional support and encourage you to manage your cravings and prevent a relapse through continued therapy and relapse prevention skills.
We work hard to manage the withdrawal process in a safe, comfortable way so that you don’t experience unnecessary complications.
FAQs
What are the withdrawal symptoms from Wellbutrin?
If you decide to no longer use Wellbutrin, you will experience a range of symptoms, including physical and psychological symptoms. These can extend to cognitive issues, mood swings, dizziness, headaches, and the general feeling of having the flu. The severity and length of the symptoms vary from one person to the next. These can be managed by tapering, a method where you reduce how much Wellbutrin you take at a time, diminishing the amount that you normally take until such time as you are not taking any.
Can I detox from Wellbutrin on my own?
We don’t recommend it. If you stop taking Wellbutrin abruptly or you taper too quickly, the body and the brain can struggle to balance all of the things that Wellbutrin was controlling or modifying. While you won’t necessarily have the same risks as things like alcohol detox, it can cause serious emotional distress and discomfort. With the right level of help from a qualified facility, you can manage all of this in a much safer fashion.
Why would I want to stop taking Wellbutrin?
There are many individual reasons why a person might want to stop taking Wellbutrin. In the best of cases it’s because the medication has done its job so now individuals are able to move forward without reliance on medication. In other cases, the negative side effects like weight changes, insomnia, or headaches might not be worth any symptom relief that Wellbutrin provides.
Sometimes, people decide to switch medications to try and improve symptom management even more or rely on lifestyle changes and other natural alternatives to pharmacological approaches.
Do I have to detox from Wellbutrin if I am just switching medications?
Yes, because all anti-anxiety medications or antidepressants work in a different way. The way that Wellbutrin might impact your brain or body could be vastly different from what a new anti-anxiety medication would do. For that reason, you will need to manage your withdrawal symptoms for Wellbutrin and slowly taper from it before you switch to a different medication.
Do I need a doctor’s referral to detox from Wellbutrin?
This is contingent upon your circumstances. For example, if you want to go to a treatment center like Multi Concept Recovery for help with Wellbutrin withdrawal, and you plan to apply your insurance benefits to the cost, your insurance provider might require that your primary care physician provider referral. In other cases, you may not need a referral, but your team might work with your primary provider.
Can you stop Wellbutrin cold turkey?
No, it is not recommended that you do so. Wellbutrin withdrawal needs to be managed safely in order to reduce the severity of the withdrawal symptoms. In order to do that, you need to work with qualified medical professionals who can help you taper by decreasing the amount of Wellbutrin you take in regular intervals until such time as you are no longer dependent on it.
