The Dangers of Abruptly Stopping Wellbutrin and Other Mood Altering Drugs

For several years, I have taken Wellbutrin for severe pre-menstrual symptoms. Not only have they helped the original problem enormously, but they have also helped to take the edge off when I feel stressed, angry, or frustrated. I had never thought, though, that they made a drastic change in my personality or demeanor.

Several months ago, I went on vacation and when I came back, I was unable to locate my Wellbutrin bottle and one other prescription I take regularly. I knew I wasn't supposed to stop taking the drug abruptly, but I really didn't think it did so much for me that it would matter. I never did any research on stopping the drug, though, because I hadn't had any intention of discontinuing use until then, and, even then I knew I'd eventually find the bottle.

During the time I stopped taking the Wellbutrin everything seemed relatively normal. I even remember thinking to myself, "I wonder what the big deal is about stopping these pills...I feel fine". The only thing that was happening to me that was out of the ordinary was that I was having what I can only describe as waking nightmares. I would just begin to drift off to sleep and then something would happen, I assume a dream, that would panic me, and I would wake up scared to go back to sleep.

I had experienced this before but only isolated incidents, never so many days in a row. It also hadn't happened to me in years, and I couldn't figure out what was going on. There were nights when I would wake up completely paralyzed with fear, yet during the day, I was fine. It never occurred to me to connect this with the pills.

The nightmares persisted for about a week before it finally hit me that these nightmares could be a side effect of the discontinuation of the drug. I immediately went online to see what I could find about symptoms that can occur when stopping Wellbutrin, but nothing mentioned nightmares. But, by this point, I was convinced this had to be the reason.

I knew the pills had to be somewhere in my car or buried in a suitcase that I hadn't completely unpacked, but because until that point I hadn't thought it was a problem to not take them, I hadn't really looked. As soon as this epiphany hit me, though, I began a frantic search for the bottle. I did find it after a few hours and took one that night. Lo and behold, I had a sound sleep that night and did not wake up once.

Now, part of me said, "okay, that was the problem and now I'm fine." But, there was also a part of me that thought, "No, this has to be in my head; there is no way one pill could have made such a difference." I knew there had to be a connection, but it seemed too simple. So, on my next appointment with my therapist, I told her about what happened and expected her to confirm my thoughts that the end of the nightmares was a psychological reaction and not a chemical reaction to taking the first pill. Surprisingly, though, she said it was definitely chemical. She told me that stopping Wellbutrin could definitely cause the types of nightmares I had, and because I still had so much of it in my system, by taking just one pill after a week without; it's very likely the nightmares would stop. I was surprised but glad that I had an explanation that made sense.

This experience, although minor in comparison to what could have happened to me, scared the heck out of me and has made me very conscious of making sure I take my pills faithfully. The discontinuation of any mood altering drug can be extremely dangerous and should not be taken lightly. Stopping Wellbutrin abruptly can cause not only nightmares but also seizures which can be life threatening. I'm lucky that did not happen to me, but it could have.

Consult your doctor if you think you're ready to stop taking an anti-depressant. Most likely, if your doctor thinks you're ready, he/she will put you on a program where the doses of the medication are gradually decreased. This is not something that should be done without medical supervision.

Something else that is important to remember about anti-depressants and other mood altering drugs is that just because the symptoms have stopped, does not mean the root of the problem has gone away. The symptoms have stopped because of the drug. For me the PMS problem is chemical and will not go away, so I will always take the Wellbutrin. But, if you are taking an anti-depressant because of an emotional issue, speak with a therapist and try to deal with the underlying problem. Once you do this, then the discontinuation of the medication will be easier and more comfortable to take.

Reference:

http://www.crazymeds.org/discontinue.htm