Submitted by Questions on 04/05/2010.
My husband has been diagnosed with dysthymia and lymbic ADD. He's been taking Wellbutrin for about 6 weeks and it's really helped. He started taking Concerta last week and went back to how he was before the Wellbutrin or worse. He's VERY irritable, unpredictable, angry, has a short temper, etc. Has this happened to anyone else? He's stopped taking it and is going to try to get an earlier apointment with his Dr. (she had scheduled one for 3 weeks)
Concerta dose too high?
Submitted by family on the mend on
It sounds like the dose of concerta is too high. The symptoms you describe match up with needing a lower dose or a different stimulant that can be prescribed at a lower dose like 10 mg for instance.
same here
Submitted by Clarity on
My husband said he had been wanting to physically fight someone at work. The psych lowered his dose and said it was because of that feeling as well as the ginkgo he just started taking. He has been unusually calm, alert and focused lately. Any new drug can cause a reaction or side effect. I try to find out what all the side effects are from the pharmacist or online. My husband's meds have been tweaked a number of times over the years.
Good Luck!
Will try...
Submitted by Questions on
I'll have him ask about a lower dose. He's only taking 20mg. I'm just afraid that he'll give up. The Wellbutrin was working so well and now he feels like he's lost the benefits from that and is back to square one.
If the Wellbutrin worked, why
Submitted by family on the mend on
If the Wellbutrin worked, why did the dr. add another medication? Wellbutrin has a stimulant in it, so it treats both the ADHD and depression. Concerta is a form of ritalin. If he needs a stimulant on top of the Wellbutrin, maybe the doctor can try ritalin in a very low dose, 5 mg, 10 mg short acting to see how he reacts to it. If he feels good on it, he can then start taking it in the long acting form.
My child had a terrible reaction to Concerta, but ritalin did the trick. My other child, a teenager, takes Wellbutrin with some Adderall. That works well for her. Stimulants are funny. They all are similar, but some work well for some people, not so well for others. It's a try and see and fiddle with them until the right one at the right dosage is found. It's pretty easy, but it can take a few weeks. Good luck.
My husband takes Wellbutrin and I wish he would add a stimulant to it, but he won't. He's been on the Wellbutrin for 4 years and his ADHD is not as well controlled as it used to be on that medication.
I'm not a doctor, just passing along well earned advise as my husband and two kids have ADHD and depression too, and I've witnessed lots of reactions to the medications.
The Wellbutrin was helping
Submitted by Questions on
The Wellbutrin was helping with the depression but not with the ADD (in my opinion).
Stay hopeful that a different
Submitted by family on the mend on
Stay hopeful that a different stimulant added to the Wellbutrin will do the trick. The meds are fantastic when the right ones are prescribed. They can change the life of everyone living in the house!!! Medication for depression and ADHD have saved our family!!! Good luck!!!
I'm trying to keep hoping...
Submitted by Questions on
I'm trying to keep hoping... thanks for your encouragement. He's struggling to want to try something else after the negative experience with Concerta and the Dr isn't returning his phone calls. Both are pretty frustrating for me... I keep on thinking we're almost there and then something happens (first Dr said he didn't have ADD, it took a long time for his counselor to communicate with the psychologist who did his evaluation and a long time for him to communicate withe a Dr who could prescribe meds, now it's taking a while to get through to the Dr to change the med or dosage...)
I'm not expecting things to be perfect or expecting the right medication to immediately change everything - I'm just waiting for him to be at an ok place (having worked through stuff from his past in counseling and having ADD symptoms under control) so that I actually feel like I'm married again (as opposed to just having an extra child). I feel like I have been in survival mode - just holding on - for so long. It takes all of my energy (physically, mentally, spiritually...) to be a good mom and keep our household running and try to live with him while he's so difficult. I keep on telling myself that if I can just hold on for a little longer it will get better, we'll go back to being partners in marriage and parenting... I'll be able to feel like I can breathe again. With 2 very small children I can't really "take care of myself" unless he steps up and takes care of them. If we didn't have kids or if they were older it would be different I guess...
So I keep on feeling like a nag. There are just some things that have to happen and if I remind him he gets upset and if I don't remind him he gets upset so I tend to do the first. And I keep on fighting for his attention for me and for our children. He aparently doesn't find us very interesting and when he's home is usually glued to a book - escaping. I miss having silly conversations about nothing, but I also miss having a partner to discuss important things with. I feel so alone in our marriage.
Wellbutrin really not enough help for ADD
Submitted by Sueann on
I think George is lucky that Wellbutrin alone works for him. My husband also suffers from chronic depression and ADD (inattentive type). He could get Wellbutrin from out local mental health clinic, but they don't prescribe for adult ADD, so I had to pay a private doctor and the full cost of meds. (No insurance as he wasn't working.) It was worth it.
It took both to motivate him to consider working again. Without that, I'm sure I'd have left him by now.
If you've got a doctor who will prescribe for him, have the doctor try another stimulant. They really do all work slightly differently.