If you're currently taking Effexor XR (venlafaxine) and are experiencing sexual side effects such as delayed ejaculation or lack of sexual desire, you may want to talk to your doctor about combining or switching to Wellbutrin XL (bupropion). According to a recent 12-week study of 348 adults published in Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Wellbutrin XL and Effexor XR both reduce depression symptoms at approximately the same rates, but Effexor XR causes more sexual side effects.
Comparison of Wellbutrin XL and Effexor XR
The researchers write:
"Sexual functioning worsened in patients treatedHow Wellbutrin and Effexor work
with venlafaxine XR relative to patients treated with bupropion XL. Depression endpoints improved comparably in patients treated with bupropion XL and venlafaxine XR with the exception of remission rates, which favored bupropion XL over venlafaxine XR. Both antidepressants were generally well tolerated; however, patients perceived a greater side-effect burden with venlafaxine XR."
Both Wellbutrin and Effexor are multiple reuptake inhibitors, which means they regulate more than one neurotransmitter in the brain. Wellbutrin regulates the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine (called noradrenaline in Europe) and Effexor regulates the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. All three neurotransmitters (serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine) are thought to be associated with depression and emotions. Other studies show that Wellbutrin alleviates fatigue better than pure SSRIs. Still, this doesn't mean you shouldn't try Effexor, because each antidepressant medication works differently, and Effexor may work well for you.
If you're still trying to find the right antidepressant therapy, read you might enjoy my previous article What's the best antidepressant?.
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1 readers have commented on this article:
My name is Tricia Hurley and i would like to show you my personal experience with Wellbutrin.
I am 54 years old. Have been on Wellbutrin for 1 year now. Helps with depression. No weight gain like with Zoloft or decreased libido like with Prozac. I do think Prozac worked better and the only reason I went off it was my husband complained about that libido thing.
I have experienced some of these side effects -
Involuntary jerks of hands and legs. Feels like when you're about to fall asleep and suddenly jerk awake, but this is in the daytime. Often feel like adrenaline is flooding my stomach.
I hope this information will be useful to others,
Tricia Hurley
Wellbutrin Side Effects
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