Wellbutrin and its effect on auDHD brain?
I'm officially diagnosed with low support level autism and a bit of ADHD. I took all kinds of SSRI for years because they were trying to treat what they falsely attributed to generalized anxiety disorder. It never worked, it only made me gain weight while making me feel like a robot with no emotion. The subject of Wellbutrin came when I realized most of that "anxiety" came from an overactive brain. First, I was put on 150XL tablet. I had a bit of insomnia, but it gave me a good amount of energy too. Anxiety was more manageable as if I gained the ability to control my train of thought more easily.
But then, the bad effects came after two weeks. I got this brain fog which I couldn't get myself out of. I had difficulty articulating my thoughts and it was a huge problem since slow processing was already part of my autism. So, I asked to see if I could switch to 100SR tablet and they told me I could split it in half if I wanted. I ended trying half a pill (50mg) and there were still too many side effects (brain fog, feeling a bit numbed out). So, I decided to split in quarter (25mg) and I feel it's more manageable. I get less anxiety while still feeling present in the moment.
My question is : does anyone else with autism experienced the same thing? When I told the pharmacist I wanted to only take half a pill, she made sure to remind me it wasn't even above the threshold for a therapeutic dose. Then, I reminded her that autistic people often get strange reaction to medication, especially with pills that impact the brain. I heard that it was because we have more neurotransmitters. Too bad I had to waste 25 years of my life to realize my autistic brain was peculiar and antidepressant would affect me in a different way than most people.
Posted Oct 3, 2025, 5:17 PM UTC