How do you know if Wellbutrin is working?
By
Dr Natalia Marceli Stephanes (PhD)
Author bio
Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes PhD is a Pharmacist with expertise in Drugs Administration and Toxicity; Discovery of New Drugs; Cancer Treatment; Biochemical Analyzes and Hematological Analyzes. She writes and reviews content on these topics.
Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes’ Highlights:
- Pharmacist at the Department of Health of Santa Catarina State, Brazil
- PhD with a focus on oncology treatment
- Years of experience in commercial pharmacy
- Bachelor, Master and PhD degrees in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina
Professional Experience:
From her undergraduate studies to her Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Pharmacy, Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes has participated in numerous scientific studies in the field of oncology and onco-hematology at the University Hospital of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Her research has focused on understanding the molecular and biochemical bases of malignant neoplasms and investigating safer and more effective therapeutic alternatives.
Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes has also served as an assistant professor of haematology for undergraduate students at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Additionally, she held the position of professor of Hospital Pharmacy at the Qualificar Technical School in Brazil, where she developed instructional materials for use in the Pharmacy Postgraduate Program at the Leonardo Da Vinci University Center.
In addition to her academic experiences, Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes possesses a strong expertise in commercial pharmacy, with in-depth knowledge of medications, their routes of administration, desired effects, adverse effects, and toxicity.
Currently, Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes works as a Pharmacist at the Health Department of Santa Catarina State, where her role entails providing pharmaceutical scientific consulting services to judges.
Education:
- 2016 Bachelor in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
- 2018 Master in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
- 2023 PhD in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
The main publications of Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes are:
Falchetti M ; Delgobo M, Zancanaro H, Almeida K, Das Neves RN, Dos Santos B, Stefanes NM, et al. Bishop Omics-based identification of an NRF2-related auranofin resistance signature in cancer: Insights into drug repurposing. Comput. Biol. Med [Internet]. 2023; 152:106347.
Feuser PM, Matos dos Santos PC, Cordeiro AP, Stefanes NM, Walter LO, Maioral MF, Santos-Silva MC, et al. Antineoplastic activity of free 4-nitrochalcone and encapsulated in poly(thioether-ester) nanoparticles obtained by thiol-ene polymerization in two human leukemia cell lines (Jurkat and K562). J Drug Deliv Sci Technol [Internet]. 2022; 67:102924.
Jacques AV, Stefanes NM, Walter LO, Perondi DM, Efe FL, Souza LFS, Sens L, et al. Synthesis of chalcones derived from 1-naphthylacetophenone and evaluation of their cytotoxic and apoptotic effects in acute leukemia cell lines. Bioorg. Chem [Internet]. 2021; 116:105315.
Duarte BF, Vieira DSC, Lisboa ML, Stefanes NM, Grando LJ, Santos-Silva MC. Características clínico-epidemiológicas de pacientes portadores de carcinoma de células escamosas de boca. Arquivos Catarinenses de Medicina. 2021; 50(2): 232–245.
Machado V, Jacques AV, Stefanes NM, Santos-Silva MC, Biavatti MW. Anti-leukemic activity of semisynthetic derivatives of Lupeol. Nat. Prod. Res. 2021; 35(22):4494-4501.
Bigolin A, Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Mascarello A, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Nunes RJ, Yunes RA, et al. A novel sulfonamide derivative as a strong and selective apoptotic agent against hematological malignancies. Chem. Pap. 2020; 74:2965–2976.
Bigolin A, Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Zatelli GA, Philippus AC, Falkenberg MB, Santos-Silva MC. Cytotoxic mechanisms of primin, a natural quinone isolated from Eugenia hiemalis, on hematological cancer cell lines. Anticancer Drugs. 2020; 31(7):709-717.
Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Neufeldt PD, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Nunes RJ, Santos-Silva MC. Aldehyde biphenyl chalcones induce immunogenic apoptotic-like cell death and are promising new safe compounds against a wide range of hematologic cancers. Future Med. Chem. 2020; 12(8):673–688.
Perondi DM, Jacques AV, Stefanes NM, Maioral MF, Sens L, Pacheco LA, Cury NM, et al. A novel thiosemicarbazone as a promising effective and selective compound for acute leukemia. Anticancer Drugs. 2019; 30(8):p 828-837.
Rengifo AFC, Stefanes NM, Toigo J, Mendes C, Argenta DF, Dotto MER, Santos-Silva MC, et al. PEO-chitosan nanofibers containing carboxymethyl-hexanoyl chitosan/dodecyl sulfate nanoparticles loaded with pyrazoline for skin cancer treatment. Eur. Polym. J. 2019; 119:335-343.
Rengifo AFC, Stefanes NM, Toigo J, Mendes C, Santos-Silva MC, Nunes RJ, Parize AL, et al. A new and efficient carboxymethyl-hexanoyl chitosan/dodecyl sulfate nanocarrier for a pyrazoline with antileukemic activity. Mater. Sci. Eng. C [Internet]. 2019; 105:110051.
Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Bigolin A, Zatelli GA, Philippus AC, Falkenberg MB, Santos-Silva MC. Miconidine acetate, a new selective and cytotoxic compound with synergic potential, induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in leukemia cells. Invest. New Drugs. 2019; 37:912–922.
Srefanes NM, Toigo J, Maioral MF, Jacques AV, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Perondi DM, Ribeiro AAB, et al. Synthesis of novel pyrazoline derivatives and the evaluation of death mechanisms involved in their antileukemic activity. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2019; 27(2):375-382.
Maioral MF, Bodack CN, Stefanes NM, Bigolin A, Mascarello A, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Yunes RA, et al. Cytotoxic effect of a novel naphthylchalcone against multiple cancer cells focusing on hematologic malignancies. Biochim. 2017; 140:48-57.
You can view some of Dr Natália’s work below and links to her professional profile below.
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Natalia-Stephanes
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliamarceli/
How do you know if Wellbutrin is working?
You’ll know your Wellbutrin is working for depression if it causes the following effects:
- You feel like yourself again
- Your eating patterns are going back to normal.
- You’re sleeping well.
- You feel high on energy and motivation
- You have a more positive mindset
You feel like yourself again
The biggest impact of depression is detachment from one’s own self. This mental health condition makes you hopeless and worthless, which can affect your entire personality with time.
If you’re taking Wellbutrin and it’s working on you, you will begin to feel more attached to yourself. You’ll feel that self-love and will surely start to see your worth again.
You don’t find the activities you love a burden on you anymore. Work will start to seem less problematic, and you will feel confident in yourself and in front of other people.
Your eating patterns are going back to normal
Depression is well known to affect your eating patterns. Some people lose their appetite as they struggle with depression, whereas some people begin to binge eat.
These irregular eating patterns can lead to weight loss or gain, which can also affect your mental health. When Wellbutrin starts to work, you begin to observe your eating patterns going back to normal.
People who used to overeat will start to notice a decrease in their cravings, and people who lost their appetites will begin to find food more desirable. Wellbutrin may cause some appetite-related side effects during the early course of your treatment, but they don’t usually stay.
You’re sleeping well
Depression can also damage healthy sleep patterns in almost every person it affects. Some people may struggle with insomnia, as their thoughts keep them up all night long.
Some other people may experience somnolence or hypersomnia, and they fall into a deep sleep – no matter if it’s the middle of the day. Wellbutrin starts to normalize such sleeping patterns when it starts to work.
Some people may struggle with insomnia during the early course of their treatment, but it gets better as your body adjusts and taking Wellbutrin in the morning can also help.
However, once your body is fully adjusted and Wellbutrin kicks in, you’ll find your sleep patterns going back to normal.
You feel high on energy and motivation
Wellbutrin is known as the best antidepressant for energy and motivation. It may make you tired during the early course of your treatment, but it eventually increases the amount of norepinephrine and dopamine in your brain – which are two excitatory neurotransmitters.
This elevates your mood, boosts your energy levels and motivation, makes you more productive, and frees you from the nerve-racking fatigue of depression.
You have a more positive mindset
When Wellbutrin starts to work, you find your mindset getting more positive by the day. This is because depression makes you suicidal and even a minor inconvenience makes you think that everything is falling apart.
This mindset and negative perception start to change when Wellbutrin kicks in. You begin to tackle your daily life problems more positively and small things don’t seem to upset you anymore.
What to do if you feel your Wellbutrin isn’t working?
Talk to your healthcare provider if you fail to notice a positive change in your depression symptoms after weeks of using Wellbutrin. It’s a known fact that Wellbutrin takes some time to work, more for some people compared to others.
However, it does start to normalise your sleep quality, eating patterns, and energy levels within 2 weeks. If you don’t feel better within 4-6 weeks, talk to your doctor. Wellbutrin is overall a good antidepressant, but it may not be the best one for every other individual.
If it’s not working well enough for you, your doctor may escalate your dose or switch you to another antidepressant. Make sure you don’t stop using Wellbutrin without consulting your doctor first.
Abrupt Wellbutrin withdrawal can lead to disturbing symptoms, such as mood changes, flu-like symptoms, unusual weight changes, brain zaps, increased risk of relapse, etc.
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References
1.-
MedlinePlus. Bupropion [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); [updated 2022 Apr 15; cited 2023 Feb 28]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a695033.html
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