Wellbutrin Bupropion Hydrochloride Review

    WellbutrinXR is an antidepressant that may also be useful in helping kick addictions of all sorts, including cigarettes, alcohol, and opiates (pain meds).

      In my own experience, I was in a boat wreck in 1996 and left with a crippled left leg and chronic pain. Now, let me tell you something my doctors never told me. If you suffer chronic pain and must take opiates for relief, you will become tolerant to the med doses, and physically addicted. This is NOT anything similar to a street addict at all. This is a normal side effect of a necessary, life saving med (anyone doubt that, try living with severe pain day after day year after year). Opiates (hydrocodone, vicodin, oxycodone, etc) interfere with  the brain's ability to make dopamine and endorphins - two of the major chemicals that allow us to feel any type of happiness or pleasure. Seems obvious to me that a product like Wellbutrin should be prescribed along with opiates for long term use, but it is not commonly done. As for the addictions, its currently believed that dopamine and endorphins are largely or completely responsible for the physical reactions - your body cannot make what it needs and it reacts when the substitute is pulled. It takes long term use to help, if it helps, so don't give up (took me 9 months before i forgot to take a pain pill and realized it did not make me sick). BTW, this physical addiction is nothing to be ashamed of, and nobody can judge who has not been there. The medical professions, as well as government agencies concerned, recognize a huge difference in physical addiction due to taking needed meds aka pseudoaddiction, and tolerance which is to be expected in either case, and in those who get addicted trying to get high (those with severe pain know, you cannot get high, you cannot even get complete pain relief when in true pain). But though there is NO shame in this, there is also no need to suffer if you don't have to - there are many many reasons one runs out of meds, from taking a pill half an hour early 9 or 10 doses of the month, to inability to get hold of your doctor in time (mine is often on vacations when needed), lack of money or insurance, etc. And seeking pain relief when undertreated is not the same as drug seeking to get high, and the public needs to be made aware of this. Too many good people are suffering in pain that will never heal, only get worse, while being preached at to quit the meds and feeling looked down upon and judged by doctors,nurses, friends and family, and society in general, and it just wrong. It unjust.

      Wellbutrin is different from other antidepressants, in that it is not an MAO inhibitor nor a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (popular among docs now evidentally). If you have tried these types of antidepressants, whether you have any addiction or not, your depression could be caused by a lack of dopamine and/or endorphins, and it may be a good idea to ask your doctor about Wellbutrin.