![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jbird on June 7, 2000, at 20:20:29
Has anyone had any experience with taking Celexa and Wellbutrin together? I have been taking 20mg of Celexa for about a month and it seems to be helping the depression (although I still don't want to get out of bed in the morning; once I'm up and going I'm fine). I am having a couple of side effects (of course!) - insomnia (probably why I don't want to get out of bed in the morning!) and the inability to orgasm. I'm going to try meditation for the insomnia and I have tried ginko for the other and it seems to help somewhat but not enough, sex is still frustrating. I saw the doctor today and she has prescribed 100mg(?) Wellbutrin along with the Celexa. She thinks this will help with the sexual side effects. Has anyone had any experience with this? What do I need to know about the Wellbutrin? We may drop the Celexa if I still have problems.
(If background info helps - I am a 32 year old woman and have battled depression since I was a teenager. Prozac at low doses -no side effects - worked for years until recently. My boyfriend and I have always had a great sex life, so this has been a little upsetting, to say the least)
Posted by CarolAnn on June 8, 2000, at 8:55:16
In reply to Celexa and Wellbutrin, posted by jbird on June 7, 2000, at 20:20:29
Dear jbird, I am on 40 mgs. Celexa and 400mgs. Wellbutrin per day. I have not had much luck with this combo, it helps more then anything else I've tried, but I still get depressed and have no energy. You will probably react differently, since the 20 mgs. of Celexa is already helping you. The one problem you may have with adding Wellbutrin is, worse insomnia, because Wellbutrin is an activating drug. Then again, it has not "activated" me at all, so you may get the benefit without any problems.
I'm sorry this isn't more helpful, as we all know by now, every drug effects every person differently. good luck! CarolAnn
Posted by T~ on September 1, 2000, at 10:06:09
In reply to Celexa and Wellbutrin, posted by jbird on June 7, 2000, at 20:20:29
> Has anyone had any experience with taking Celexa and Wellbutrin together? I have been taking 20mg of Celexa for about a month and it seems to be helping the depression (although I still don't want to get out of bed in the morning; once I'm up and going I'm fine). I am having a couple of side effects (of course!) - insomnia (probably why I don't want to get out of bed in the morning!) and the inability to orgasm. I'm going to try meditation for the insomnia and I have tried ginko for the other and it seems to help somewhat but not enough, sex is still frustrating. I saw the doctor today and she has prescribed 100mg(?) Wellbutrin along with the Celexa. She thinks this will help with the sexual side effects. Has anyone had any experience with this? What do I need to know about the Wellbutrin? We may drop the Celexa if I still have problems.
> (If background info helps - I am a 32 year old woman and have battled depression since I was a teenager. Prozac at low doses -no side effects - worked for years until recently. My boyfriend and I have always had a great sex life, so this has been a little upsetting, to say the least)Hi,
i am interesting in this RX combo and hearing more about it. I am presently on 30 mg of celexa, most recently the doctor upped my dose from 20 mg.
I too am experiencing 'sleepless' nights and NO libido!
T~
Posted by TJ on September 27, 2000, at 21:30:00
In reply to Re: Celexa and Wellbutrin » jbird, posted by T~ on September 1, 2000, at 10:06:09
Hi all,
I am a 22 year-old guy and I have been on 20 mg/day Celexa for four months. At first, I was unable to achieve orgasm. I began to take Wellbutrin to counteract this. 150 mg a day had no impact. I was desperate, since I had been with a new girlfriend for a month and had never been able to orgasm during intercourse (imagine the suffering! but an interesting role reversal...), so I upped the Wellbutrin to 150 mg/twice a day and also began to take Gingko Biloba. Here's what I found through a little trial and error of going off one medication at a time for a few days:
The Wellbutrin did not noticeably affect my ability to have an orgasm, but it did _dramatically_ increase the intensity of my orgasms.
The Gingko Biloba enabled me to have an orgasm.
As far as the AD properties, the Celexa made a marked difference in my mood, but I'm not sure if the Wellbutrin has complemented that. In fact, I'm not sure if I'm getting anything out of the Wellbutrin other than amazing orgasms (what? that's not enough?!).Ideally, I would like to take more Celexa, but my ability to orgasm is borderline and I'm already taking Gingko three times a day.
I'm wondering if I should consider switching to a different SSRI, but I'm hesitant to do so, b/c the AD properties of the Celexa have been excellent.
Any thoughts?
TJ
Posted by Bill L on September 28, 2000, at 6:54:19
In reply to Celexa, Wellbutrin, Ginkgo and Sex, posted by TJ on September 27, 2000, at 21:30:00
Don't switch to another AD since the Celexa is working. Other AD's such as Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft, have the asme side effect of sexual disfunction- even more so than Celexa. It seems that about 90% or more of patients are effectd by that side effect. Four months isn't that long. Maybe it will get better on it's own. Keep experimenting with the ginko and Wellbutrin but don't stop the Celexa at this point.
> Hi all,
>
> I am a 22 year-old guy and I have been on 20 mg/day Celexa for four months. At first, I was unable to achieve orgasm. I began to take Wellbutrin to counteract this. 150 mg a day had no impact. I was desperate, since I had been with a new girlfriend for a month and had never been able to orgasm during intercourse (imagine the suffering! but an interesting role reversal...), so I upped the Wellbutrin to 150 mg/twice a day and also began to take Gingko Biloba. Here's what I found through a little trial and error of going off one medication at a time for a few days:
>
> The Wellbutrin did not noticeably affect my ability to have an orgasm, but it did _dramatically_ increase the intensity of my orgasms.
>
> The Gingko Biloba enabled me to have an orgasm.
>
> As far as the AD properties, the Celexa made a marked difference in my mood, but I'm not sure if the Wellbutrin has complemented that. In fact, I'm not sure if I'm getting anything out of the Wellbutrin other than amazing orgasms (what? that's not enough?!).Ideally, I would like to take more Celexa, but my ability to orgasm is borderline and I'm already taking Gingko three times a day.
>
> I'm wondering if I should consider switching to a different SSRI, but I'm hesitant to do so, b/c the AD properties of the Celexa have been excellent.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> TJ
Posted by Darby on September 28, 2000, at 14:57:51
In reply to Celexa, Wellbutrin, Ginkgo and Sex, posted by TJ on September 27, 2000, at 21:30:00
TJ
I know where you're coming from. (no pun intended) I tried Celexa about 8 months ago and had similar experiences. Have you tried 10mg of Celexa with the Wellbutrin? This seems to work pretty well for me. Since Celexa is so potent and selective for serotonin, I found a smaller dose worked well WITH a noradrenergic/dopaminergic like Wellbutrin. I also take a very small dose of deprenyl (Selegeline) daily to help fight the sluggishness and apathy and also the problems with orgasm/sexual interest. Reducing from 20mg to 10mg of Celexa made a huge difference in my ability to enjoy sex. Also, adding amantadine (a dopaminergic) was helpful for me, but I found 100mg capsule was too much and had to half the capsule (50mg).
Good luck
Darby
Posted by lizzy on April 14, 2001, at 12:47:16
In reply to Re: Celexa, Wellbutrin, Ginkgo and Sex, posted by Bill L on September 28, 2000, at 6:54:19
> Don't switch to another AD since the Celexa is working. Other AD's such as Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft, have the asme side effect of sexual disfunction- even more so than Celexa. It seems that about 90% or more of patients are effectd by that side effect. Four months isn't that long. Maybe it will get better on it's own. Keep experimenting with the ginko and Wellbutrin but don't stop the Celexa at this point.
Hi, I'm a 31 year old female. How much ginkgo biloba are you taking each day? I have been on Celexa for 4.5 months - dosage range from 10 mg to 30 mg currently. I have decreased sensation in the important areas! and find I can only orgasm by penetration now whereas I could also orgasm by manual stimulation. Even masturbation doesn't seem as interesting (although I was able to orgasm by manual stimulation but it was more difficult than usual). I have taken Ginkgo before for a ringing in my ear and did notice it increased blood flow and helped my sex drive. I have not taken Wellbutrin. My husband did for a while and was angry a lot and couldn't concentrate or remember anything. He also had a rash from it. I never asked him about sexual side effects. Best of luck.
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I am a 22 year-old guy and I have been on 20 mg/day Celexa for four months. At first, I was unable to achieve orgasm. I began to take Wellbutrin to counteract this. 150 mg a day had no impact. I was desperate, since I had been with a new girlfriend for a month and had never been able to orgasm during intercourse (imagine the suffering! but an interesting role reversal...), so I upped the Wellbutrin to 150 mg/twice a day and also began to take Gingko Biloba. Here's what I found through a little trial and error of going off one medication at a time for a few days:
> >
> > The Wellbutrin did not noticeably affect my ability to have an orgasm, but it did _dramatically_ increase the intensity of my orgasms.
> >
> > The Gingko Biloba enabled me to have an orgasm.
> >
> > As far as the AD properties, the Celexa made a marked difference in my mood, but I'm not sure if the Wellbutrin has complemented that. In fact, I'm not sure if I'm getting anything out of the Wellbutrin other than amazing orgasms (what? that's not enough?!).Ideally, I would like to take more Celexa, but my ability to orgasm is borderline and I'm already taking Gingko three times a day.
> >
> > I'm wondering if I should consider switching to a different SSRI, but I'm hesitant to do so, b/c the AD properties of the Celexa have been excellent.
> >
> > Any thoughts?
> >
> > TJ
Posted by SalArmy4me on April 15, 2001, at 7:54:17
In reply to Re: Celexa, Wellbutrin, Ginkgo and Sex, posted by lizzy on April 14, 2001, at 12:47:16
I get the feeling that people turn to these herbs like Ginkgo Biloba because they are too shy to ask a doctor for medication to treat sexual problems.... The doctors want to help you, they really do. Consult one, and stay away from Ginkgo Biloba until a trained professional can advise you on it. Otherwise, you could get really sick from that herb. My father often treats people who have taken some herb and get colon or liver problems. Its really terrible.
Posted by Glenn Fagelson on April 16, 2001, at 1:33:15
In reply to Re: Celexa and Wellbutrin » jbird, posted by T~ on September 1, 2000, at 10:06:09
> > Has anyone had any experience with taking Celexa and Wellbutrin together? I have been taking 20mg of Celexa for about a month and it seems to be helping the depression (although I still don't want to get out of bed in the morning; once I'm up and going I'm fine). I am having a couple of side effects (of course!) - insomnia (probably why I don't want to get out of bed in the morning!) and the inability to orgasm. I'm going to try meditation for the insomnia and I have tried ginko for the other and it seems to help somewhat but not enough, sex is still frustrating. I saw the doctor today and she has prescribed 100mg(?) Wellbutrin along with the Celexa. She thinks this will help with the sexual side effects. Has anyone had any experience with this? What do I need to know about the Wellbutrin? We may drop the Celexa if I still have problems.
> > (If background info helps - I am a 32 year old woman and have battled depression since I was a teenager. Prozac at low doses -no side effects - worked for years until recently. My boyfriend and I have always had a great sex life, so this has been a little upsetting, to say the least)
>
> Hi,
> i am interesting in this RX combo and hearing more about it. I am presently on 30 mg of celexa, most recently the doctor upped my dose from 20 mg.
> I too am experiencing 'sleepless' nights and NO libido!
> T~Hi,I am on 80mg of Celexa and 400mg of Wellbutrin. I have a pretty good sex drive, but
it could be a lot better. I think the Wellbutrin
probably has helped my libido, but it does take me
a long time to fall asleep; I take Serzone and
Seroquel for sleep. Wellbutrin is one of the more
stimulating anti-depressants; it made me nervous
at first, but then the nervousness went away after
a few weeks. I wouldn't be without my maximum dose of 400mg for anything in the world. I have found Celexa to be an outstanding medication as well.
Glenn
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.