[soaringfalcon11]

So Celexa has greatly reduced my social phobia...but it also did it's other infamous job: cause sexual dysfunction.

He (Willy) still works ostensibly, but he's suffering from a lack of sensation...like a heroin junkie impervious to corporeal pain!

Hence Willy has suggested I start Wellbutrin because he's heard it can reverse SSIR-induced sexual dysfunction. Also, he says since the SSRI is decreasing my dopamine levels, this will help my normally outgoing, outrageous personality - which Celexa has somewhat suppressed - flourish.

I like his thinking, but I fear that since I'm on Celexa for anxiety and Xanax as needed (not exceeding once a day), my doctor won't let me give her a try.

Thoughts appreciated.

 

[soaringfalcon11]

Bupropion would be an excellent augmentation.

Go for it and good luck!

Thank you. I just hate the idea of decreased dopamine.

 

[soaringfalcon11]

Same here.. *shudders*

Thank God there's always cocaine , even if only for short-term relief.

 

[arth77]

stay with the celexa and work around the sexual problem, theres no guarantee the wellbutrin will do anything for you

 

[Post_Punk_Proclivity]

You lose sensitivity??

Oh ****, this is bad news.

 

[Edwin]

In my experience, as augmentation, Wellbutrin will not easily do enough for your dopamine levels (since it works on norepinephrine primarily). I noticed a pretty drastic difference (on XL 150mg) when going off my SSRI though.

I'm trying to get the dose up to 300mg now, to get even more dopamine action, but the norepinephrine increase is hard to deal with (irritability, restlessness).

Funny fact: my social anxiety improved after stopping the SSRI, possibly due to the dopamine increase.

Disclaimer: I speculate that I had a good increase in all three major neurotransmitter levels due to increased magnesium intake (thereby curing my chronic magnesium-deficiency; this mineral is essential in their production). At this point I felt the SSRI was no longer beneficial.

 

[Edwin]

The irritability is actually probably being caused by dopamine as I've never heard of norepinephrine causing that; dopamine commonly causes aggression on the other hand. Glad you found success with it for your SA though. That's somewhat rare due to the prominent norepinephrine elevation causing anxiogenesis in most people, even in non-anxious individuals sometimes. It's good to hear.

...

Nonetheless, even if you reduce norepinephrine, you can only dose so high due to the seizure threshold..

If the irritability isn't caused by norepinephrine, I hope it's from the SSRI withdrawal. I'm pretty sure that I need a sufficient dopamine boost to get rid of my anxiety. Luckily, norepinephrine doesn't seem to cause anxiety for me, but I do feel quite 'on edge'.

My anxiety problems were mostly caused by an inability to sufficiently process stimuli (ADD/ADHD trait), which caused cognitive 'shutdown' in situations that were really stressful (aka: dealing with the opposite sex).

I'm 100% confident that Wellbutrin wouldn't work for me without the dramatic increase of magnesium consumption.

 

[Bluemeow]

If the irritability isn't caused by norepinephrine, I hope it's from the SSRI withdrawal. I'm pretty sure that I need a sufficient dopamine boost to get rid of my anxiety. Luckily, norepinephrine doesn't seem to cause anxiety for me, but I do feel quite 'on edge'.

Norepinephrine is notorious for causing irritability, Just google norepinephrine and anxiety/irritability and you'll get plenty of information. Norepinephrine is one of the components involved in our flight or fight system, which might be why you feel on edge.

My pdoc doesn't like to give medications that increase norepinephrine to any one with irritability or temper issues. I have taken Dexedrine and Adderal and never had problems with irritability, even though these drugs primarily effect dopamine. With Wellubutrin, well, that's another story.

Norepinephrine definitely is something you don't want to have a shortage of. It's great for helping one doggedly stick to a goal.

Good luck getting the right combo of med's. Eventually you'll get the right combination of med's that will work for you.

 

[americandancer]

This is where I get so confused and wonder if I am wasting my time taking pristiq. Sometimes I feel like it helps my irritability and anxiety, and sometimes I feel like it makes it worse. My doctor hopes it will level out, but I don't think it will. Wellbutrin definately made my anxiety much worse. The energy was more like an agitated feeling, nothing like energy from adderall.

If norepinephrine is so bad for anxiety, then why is effexor approved for so many anxiety disorders? Does it work only for people who have too little of it, and it makes the ones who have a normal amount nervous/irritable?

 

[Edwin]

It's actually quite hard to say what ADD is, and the same goes for social anxiety. I do know dopamine is involved in both; and it could very well be the case we shouldn't be talking about either; but of a 'dopamine-deficiency-syndrome'. My ADD symptoms were mainly inability to pay attention in stressful situations (basically all the time), and a lack of motivation for just about anything.