Let me chime in and say that Wellbutrin XL worked wonders for me as long as my T levels are good. When I came off Trt, it’s effects took a clear nose dive and were probably more negative than positive.
So if your T levels are GOOD (not just “in range”), it’s definitely worth a try for energy/motivation, and even libido. For me when I was at my worst/wit’s end, it was literally the difference between being physically disabled (from the fatigue) and very decently functional.
What do you consider as “good TRT level”?
By good T levels, I mean your Free T needs to be in the upper quartile of the reference range.
Something else to consider: I went to a professor in neuropsychiatry last week, and the first thing she said about bupropion is how we actually have no clue by what mechanism it works.
It’s also used to help cessate smoking and to treat ADHD. In both these situations it’s actually to suppress either the motivation to stop smoking or to reduce the amount of impulses in ADHD.
I think for many PFS sufferers we actually want more motivation and more impulses. The ones of us who’re actually suffering from anxiety might benefit more from bupropion.
Well, stimulants such as amphetamines are the first-line treatment for ADHD so I’m not entirely sure about that. They work by boosting dopamine levels.
Actually, Wellbutrin increases dopamine and norepinephrine action which generally leads to higher motivation and “impulses.” And that was definitely the effect it had on me…when my T levels were good, things were great. However, when Trt was discontinued and my T levels dropped off, all that remained was terrible anxiety which was the main reason I stopped it.
Just to have your story properly recorded:
Did you first get on TRT (any effects on its own?) and later on Wellbutrin, which then improved your condition? And when you went off TRT (why?), you felt worse (anxiety), but improved once you went off Wellbutrin?
Just trying to get an idea on the time line here to distinguish between the effects of TRT and Wellbutrin, respectively.
The exact mechanism is unclear.
Couldn’t it also be that you felt better because of higher testosteron levels? That’s my experience. I felt more energetic when my T was higher due to low dose hCG. When stopping low dose hCG my energy levels plummeted.
After which I started bupropion.
Now I’m on low dose hCG again and bupropion 300mg and it seems like I’m even feeling a little worse than when I was on hCG alone.
But it’s all so hard to measure…
So yes, it’s important to provide an accurate timeline and all the variables at play in my experience:
Yes, I was already on TRT at that time. I had been experimenting with TRT on and off for years. Up to that point, it’s benefits were trivial at best. I was very resistant to the idea of going on an anti-depressant (pride, reputation, etc), but I finally gave WB a shot. It was a major game-changer…relieved fatigue, increased libido, motivated me to go back to school, etc.
Then our dog got sick, died, girlfriend decided she wanted to have a baby, she was diagnosed with fertility issues, made me quit TRT (all in that order). After quitting TRT for a while, I started experiencing a LOT of anxiety (abnormal stress responses, even for PFS). Then I stupidly tried adding Prozac to the mix (per dr rec) to try to calm the stress…that did work but gave me Anorgasmia and then ED, so I dropped it.
After cruising along with WB for a bit longer, I found out that it ain’t too good for male fertility either, so I decided it had to go as well. Yes, my anxiety then improved back to normal PFS levels.
Long story short, my benefits only came from the combination of good T levels + Wellbutrin…and it was a stark, unmistakable improvement from anything I had experienced during the prior 8 years or so of PFS.
Just in case anyone is curious, I did also run some more T + Proviron for 2 months last year, was what eventually enabled me to become more functional (without the Wellbutrin), but that is not something I’m recommending here.
I can see that. I’ve tried hcg by itself before and it just doesn’t feel too good for me personally. But if Hcg increases your T enough (without E), that’s great.
I’ve spoken to many guys where WB didn’t do squat, but I think if you fit a certain symptom profile where debilitating fatigue, brain fog (regardless of T) is your top problem, WB is worth a SHOT.
It’s worth noting how T (or androgens) has a synergistic relationship with dopamine (Wellbutrin).
With all due respect, I don’t quite follow how this relates to this thread.
I actually first started taking wellbutrin well before I ever took finasteride and it works good for me. I’ve been off it for awhile and I noticed my thinking’s been more unhappy lately. I don’t know if it’s a depression thing or if my shitty life circumstances are bothering me more as time goes on. I do plan on going back on the med soon.
Fwiw, I think it’s a good medicine. Should definitely be prescribed for depression before SSRIs are in my opinion.
just an opinion. stop finding silver bullets, even more when it comes to pharma shit. there’s absolutely nothing to do with dopamine and whatever isolated shit we suppose here. trust me, i fucking know what i am talking about, and modestly i’m the smartest motherfucker i know
i just can’t get how you guys insist on this kind of shit. all meds are poison and just a creation of an industry that ONLY care for your money and most of all, for our illness -then the money is born.
stop kidding yourself. act.
Perhaps you should get out more and meet people.
oh boy, i do it daily. and it causes me infinite more improvements than a single pharma pill or any non-sense protocol.
also, it makes me less and less imbecile, so i can finally forget my thoughts when stupid ones like “donate to the research” comes to my head.
get real. perhaps you should meet the real world.
Well I hope you start to see some progress on that front as soon as possible.
I’m unsure what your posts are trying to achieve - are you just asking patients to…give up? Turn to alternative health protocols that have demonstrably failed the community for 15 years? If it’s the latter, then good luck treating the type of massive gene dysregulation found in Baylor’s results with herbs and natural therapies.
This cannot be emphasised enough. Ever since joining this forum I’ve seen a lot of doom and gloom over the qualm that we’ll never be able to pioneer a “cure” for our problem; we’re aware of this. As Sugarhouse says, the goal is to identify to the pathology then hopefully use existing resources to tackle the issue. Remember this guys.
But @SkinDiesel and @Sugarhouse there is some hope to find some key genes in gene region’s wich could be relevant, some feedback cycle from androgen receptors to AR Gene Expression and regulation & mechanism of silenceing AR for example so that we can manipulate with proven technics to s good way.