BUPROPION/MANIA

This post isn’t intended to request any true medical advice. Requests for personal experience and/or secondhand experience. I have already read a lot online so I’m hoping to hear from others who may have similar experiences. My plan at this time is to continue life unmedicated. And get into therapy if need be.

I am a 31 yr old female. I was on Bupropion 150XL for 10 days and it threw me into a manic episode by day 5. Day 7-8 I began realizing this was more than “work stress” and “I just quit smoking weed”.

The only other time I’ve been manic is when I took Cymbalta over ten years ago. In research it seems the culprit is likely the mutual norepinephrine reuptake part. I don’t really understand how these meds work tbh, but I imagine the idea is that it increases the norepinephrine somehow.

As many know, this side effect in bupropion is exclusively tied to bipolar disorder and when I tried to google it pretty much said it’s highly unlikely to have this experience and NOT have Bipolar disorder. I’ve read into it a bit even the rapid cycling and I just can’t see it for myself.

Did anyone have a similar experience and really NOT have bipolar disorder?

I have had poor experiences on every SSRI I’ve taken as well, but not mania, so I’m not sure if I’m simply sensitive to these kinds of medications

For context, in my early 20s I was having a lot of issues, most of which probably contributed to the horrible relationship I was in. Outside of life experiences, the only time I seem to have real mental health issues is when I’ve been a regular cannabis user. I actually am more of an abuser and I spiral quickly. I also recover quickly as well after quitting so I know the connection is there.

So getting on Bupropion was the first psych med I had been on in 10 years. I get what I consider normal mood swings. I’m never severely depressed or high energy. I am mostly known as a very chill person overall, who also tends to overanalyze everything. (I manage a company so analytics is an everyday constant for me) I don’t believe any part of me has ever presented as having excess energy, happiness, motivation, insomnia, or anything. BESIDES ANXIETY. I am an anxious person who, as I said, overanalyzes. But …. I am not an anxious person who fears and panics regularly. I simply think the most simple of things 10 ft into the ground. I over-evaluate everything to the point where at times it’s hard for me to be decisive because I’m balancing too many perspectives for me to exclusively choose.

I have some past relationship trauma I still suffer with that causes me to misinterpret my current partner constantly. I absolutely do suffer from that and am only mentioning bc it’s the only area in my life I find myself to be any thing other than “average” Overall I find my trauma symptoms to be quite standard, and I am a successful, high functioning person, with no history of doing anything out of the ordinary, besides my early 20s on those meds I mentioned.

Do you think someone can have bipolar disorder with no disabling symptoms whatsoever? Or has anyone else shared this same experience and confidently feel they are not Bipolar?

No hate on bipolar folk. I frankly just don’t want to feel like I should take ANOTHER psych med. I’m going to pay attention more and see if I do notice rapid cycling in myself. When I went manic this last time with Wellbutrin, it was the most uncomfortable that I have been my entire life. It was absolute misery. And on top of it, I had literally just had my gallbladder removed when the symptoms really came on strong, so it was a miserable recovery week. Fortunately, I quit on a dime once I realized it was the pills making me crazy, and 6 days no pills I’m inching closer to normal, with the help of anxiety and sleep meds

I appreciate your reading this whole thing! I am physically incapable of making a short post!