Wellbutrin Side Effects: Nightmares
Anti-depressant drugs have become a staple of the mental health industry. However, it may seem that the side effects of some of these drugs may be worse than the conditions that they're meant to treat. Wellbutrin is one such drug, which has a bevy of reported side effects. A tendency to nightmares is one of the more extreme side effects that this drug may cause in those taking it.
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Wellbutrin
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Wellbutrin is a prescription drug to treat major depression. Major depression is a condition that includes a severely depressed mood, loss of pleasure in formerly well-liked activities, loss of sexual drive and an inability to concentrate. There are a variety of treatments for this condition, but Wellbutrin is a commonly prescribed drug, even with all of its side effects.
Operation
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Wellbutrin is taken orally in pill form, and it works by altering the neurotransmitters in a person's brain. Specifically, wellbutrin changes the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine. However, any drug which alters the brain or body chemistry may result in side effects. Wellbutrin has a laundry list of them, one of the most disturbing is nightmares.
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Nightmares
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Nightmares, or sleep disturbances as they've been listed in clinical results, are on the list of severe side effects that wellbutrin can cause. While by no means displayed in all patients, nightmares can be disturbing to patients who are already suffering from major depression. Unfortunately, scientists do not yet understand what causes nightmares generally, so figuring out how wellbutrin can cause these bad dreams is beyond the current capacities of the medical community. In some cases, nightmares that the patient already had due to depression are worsened by wellbutrin.
Avoiding Side Effects
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While the cause of wellbutrin induced nightmares isn't currently known, some methods have been shown to be effective in minimalizing this and other side effects. The most common way to avoid wellbutrin side effects is to start the patient off on a low dosage of the drug, 150 milligrams taken 3 times per day. Depending on the results and the needs of the patient, the dosage may be increased slowly. The slow increase, and allowing the body to get used to the new levels of the drug, is what is generally considered responsible for lowering the occurrence of nightmares and other side effects in patients.
Disclosure
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The best way to avoid the nightmares caused by taking wellbutrin is to make sure that you give full disclosure of your medical history to your doctor. This includes any drugs you've been using, which could negatively impact the effects of wellbutrin and worsen or cause side effects by interacting with it. If any side effects do manifest, you should inform your doctor as soon as possible so that she can modify the dose or take other precautions against the side effects returning.
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