Posted by Cam W. on December 27, 2001, at 13:09:59
In reply to Paranoia and Dopamine CamW or anyone ?, posted by janejj on December 26, 2001, at 23:29:50
Jane - My holidays are going well; as well as they can for a secular humanist-type of guy. Santa sent a pile of philosophy books (I think he/she thinks that I am collecting too much information about psychopharmacology without internalizing it (ie. collecting the knowledge, but not integrating it into wisdom). Guess I gotta become more selective in what I learn, and finally realize that I can't know it all! (Sure Santa, wanna bet!)
Anyway, I have seen someone who did develop paranoid ideation about 3 or 4 weeks after starting Wellbutrin™ (bupropion). I had seen this person in outside the clinic (at a mall) and he/she had said that they were feeling very "anxious and jittery". Since it was about three weeks into therapy, I had chalked it up to start-up side effects. I told this person to hang on and these would go away.
I went back to work and had a conversation with the therapist about this individual and she gave a call. I guess this person had deteriorated and the therapist went to the apartment. This person had progressed to the point where the neighbors were plotting to "get them" (the whole family). This person was sent to hospital for a couple of days, the Wellbutrin was stopped, and the ideation faded.
It should be noted that this person had been taking Haldol™ (haloperidol) for a number of years, and had a few breakthrough psychotic episodes (usually delusions, rather than overt paranoia, though). This person had experienced paranoia during the occasional cocaine binge (which was denied, at this time - also, had previously told me that coke wasn't a favorite escape because of the paranoia). Also, this person had been known to occationally binge on other recreational chemicals, but had never mentioned (to me) of any paranoia.
The pdoc, therapist, and I had chalked up the paranoia to either extreme agitation &/or nervousness. In any case, whatever had caused the paranoia, it did resolve within a couple of days of stopping the Wellbutrin. I do believe that I had read somewhere that Wellbutrin had caused paranoid ideation in a person taking Wellbutrin, but I cannot remember the particulars.
I hope that this is of some help. - Cam
poster:Cam W.
thread:87920
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011222/msgs/87961.html