Dec 19, 2011 (Started Jan 23, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for fatigue)
  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for problems concentrating)
  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia))
  • Side effects
    Moderate (for Overall) (insomnia, teeth grinding (bruxism), agitation with irritability, irritability, sleeplessness, alcohol cravings, feeling well, energetic, alcohol consumption, hypersexuality)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 13 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Titrated downward twice in two weeks for the usual adverse effects: hypersexuality, insomnia, craving alcohol, slight hyperacusis (ear pulse), mild teeth grinding.
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: irritability, sleeplessness, feeling well, energetic, alcohol consumption, alcohol cravings, hypersexuality

Sep 30, 2010 (Started Jan 23, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for depressed mood)
  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for fatigue)
  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for problems concentrating)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (for Overall) (insomnia, irritability, sleeplessness, alcohol cravings, feeling well, energetic, alcohol consumption, hypersexuality)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 25 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: At prescribed doses, induced hypomania. At lower doses, may have helped with concentration, depression and fatigue—or not. Did keep me awake if I took it after noon. Stopped because I came to see it as contributing to irritability. This gets complicated, because giving it up can do the same—perhaps because it's habituating/addictive. Be all that as it may, I feel better off without it now.
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: irritability, sleeplessness, feeling well, energetic, alcohol consumption, alcohol cravings, hypersexuality

Aug 5, 2009 (Started Jan 23, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for fatigue)
  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for problems concentrating)
  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for depressed mood)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (for Overall) (insomnia, sleeplessness, alcohol cravings, feeling well, energetic, alcohol consumption, hypersexuality)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 68 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Dosage, dosage, dosage! Be observant about effects, report them, and work with your prescriber to optimize the dose. Micromanage as needed. Use the instant mood readings to spot trends. Get multiiple prescriptions (in different dosages) if that's what you need to manage and your prescriber will cooperate.
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: irritability, sleeplessness, feeling well, energetic, alcohol consumption, alcohol cravings, hypersexuality

Feb 21, 2009 (Started Jan 23, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for problems concentrating)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (insomnia, sleeplessness, alcohol cravings, feeling well, energetic)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 68 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Be vigilant about effects, particularly hypomania, and how they relate to dosage and timing of dose. Charting your instant mood can be very helpful for this. It works for me to adjust the dose according to my pattern of good and bad days, and this helps a lot in evening out my moods. If you notice tinnitus, particularly pounding in the ears at night, check out other causes; bupropion may be making you more sensitive to something that you can fix with an earwash or other measures.
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: irritability, sleeplessness, feeling well, energetic, alcohol consumption, alcohol cravings, hypersexuality

Nov 10, 2008 (Started Jan 23, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for problems concentrating)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (for Overall) (insomnia, sleeplessness, alcohol cravings, feeling well, energetic)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 60 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Dosage, dosage, dosage! Observe the effects, and work with your prescriber to find the dose that's best for you (assuming this is the right drug for you, which of course may not be the case). Through quite a bit of trial and error, I arrived at a dose of about 60 mg a day, which I manage by taking 50 mg (half a 100 mg tablet) 4 days a week and 75 mg (the smallest tab available) 3 days a week. I'm generally sensitive to medications, and many people tolerate and benefit from much more, but the same principle applies: weigh the cost and benefits and see if you can optimize their balance through adjusting dosage (always in consultation with your prescriber).
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: irritability, sleeplessness, feeling well, energetic, alcohol consumption, alcohol cravings, hypersexuality

Aug 19, 2008 (Started Jan 23, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for problems concentrating)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (for Overall) (insomnia, sleeplessness, alcohol cravings, feeling well, energetic)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 60 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: This is in my experience and according to a friend's report a "speedy" drug. Watch effects carefully and be prepared to adjust dosage as needed.
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: irritability, sleeplessness, feeling well, energetic, alcohol consumption, alcohol cravings, hypersexuality

  • 6 helpful marks