I have been really emotionally stressed and I just attained a script for Wellbutrin. Two of my sisters have had good experience with Wellbutrin and I am hoping for a little relief in this stressful time for me.
I can not discuss with the prescribing Dr. my use of AL.
So my question is:
If I continue to take nal and drink my 10 units per day and introduce Wellbutrin, am I mixing a mentally fatal "cocktail"
I wonder where I could get the answer? I apppreciate Dr.'s knowledge but I have never fond yet a Dr. who can organize the "BIG" picture of drug combinations. My sister suggested telephoning the pharmacist.....?

I have been taking nal w/ wellbutrin for some time now. Pretty much since May. I take it for smoking cessation. I have only recently started focussing on that again. I was taking wel sporadically and now take 150 twice per day. I haven't noticed any strange SEs at all. I don't think it will cause anything. the only thing I could possibly think is that the nal would cancel the effects of the wel. That doesn't seem to be the case. I did question whether it lowered the efficacy of the wel. Not sure. Since starting twice a day again, it seems to be working right.
In regard to AL, the packaging of wel is a bit confusing. In one part it is not recommended drinking w/ it. In another part it says not to abruptly stop drinking? So the combo w/ nal might be a good one.

Aj, are you the one who was talking about taking chantix kinda like TSM? I took chantix for a while, per the manufacturer recs, and it made me feel like crap.
Zyban has worked for me in the past but like al a certain trigger has knocked me off the wagon. I have found that on wel even when I didn't completely abstain I have been able to get by w/ 4-5 cigs a day. An improvement by anyones measure. It doesn't work the same as chantix, it is a substitute for the nicotine. Therefore, if nic addiction works like alcohol I would probably have to take wel constantly if I were to abstain. W/ chantix, if it is working similar to nal, one would assume that you take it everytime you smoke like TSM.
????
Also, I drink/ drank a lot while using wel and never noticed an amplifying effect. There were time I drank more but I saw this anytime I quit smoking even/ especially when I went cold turkey for 3 mos.

Thanks for info so far, lots to digest and I have been taking Baclofen to help sleep. I think I will go and have a good talk with the pharmacist and see if we can unravel my web of meds so I can carefully continue, with caution. Those pills all look small but I know they are powerful, remember the blot?
Best to you and still appreciate any more info. ART

A few years ago my doc put me on wellbutrin to stop smoking but I noticed on the label do not drink on it, so the AL won out and I was too much of a sissy to continue on it. I know that the labels they put on the drugs are one in a thousand who would have the reaction but why take the chance and be that one

I've been taking Wellbutrin for about 6 years now. I asked my doc about 2 years ago if maybe I should try going off it. She asked if it was working and I only guessed it was since I'd been on it for 4 years at that time and had no time off to compare it with. So she said since I'm not having any problems there's no reason to stop it. My inside joke is that last year I went for a stress test and the nurse noted I was taking an anti-depressant and I said if you were married to my husband you'd be taking one too, and she said, you're still married to him? And I said sure, because now I'm taking anti-depressants!

All joking aside, I've not had any problems at all taking wellbutrin along with the nal.

petal

I've been taking Wellbutrin/bupropion for years - drinking like a fish the whole time, and I've not had any problems. In fact, within 2 months of starting Nal, I dropped 20 pounds without really trying. That was an unexpected and welcome side effect! I'm convinced that the Wellbutrin/Nal combination is the cause. I think it was Craving that first posted the link here to a study that confirmed this combo has worked:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4345/is_2_36/ai_n29416433/

petal and Krazy1, thanks that is helping me to have more information,
petal, yes, that same joke might possibly suffice in my book.
You all are really giving me hope, and hope is all I have right now.

I am definitely going to try the Wellbutrin and I so desire a relief.

I am so very thankful for all of the support on this site.

Started Wellbutrin in 1993. Restarted drinking after 20 years sober in 2003. Kept up with the Wellbutrin. Quit drinking in October 2008 and started Nal the wrong way, during abstinence to curb craving. Started drinking in June. Kept on with all three. Started TSM Sept 16 taking Nal one hour before drinking and no bad side effects ever -except horrendous hangovers when ever I go over 5 beers or so, or what's that about 4.6 stadard drinks? I think Wellbutrin & Nal are mutually compatable.

Day Std Drinks Weekly Daily Avg
9/13 8.54
9/14 7.54
9/15 7.62
9/16 4.61
9/17 9.44
9/18 6.87
9/19 9.44 54.06 7.72
9/20 7.15
9/21 9.09
9/22 7.38
9/23 7.42
9/24 9.66
9/25 8.92
9/26 8.3 57.92 8.27
9/27 4.01
9/28 5.77
9/29 4.61
9/30 6.46
10/1 6.21
10/2 7.49
10/3 11.95 46.5 6.64
10/4 1
10/5 5.51
10/6 7.02
10/7 5.01
10/8 3.01
10/9 5.53
10/10 9.22 36.3 5.19
10/11 6.98
10/12 5.69
10/13 6.06
10/14 8.49
10/15 0
10/16 0
10/17 0 27.22 3.89

I think I've commented on this before....but I've been on Wellbutrin for the last 1.5 yrs. I know the warnings on the Rx package about mixing it with alcohol, but seriously, where is there a prescription drug that doesn't advise you to avoid alcohol while on that medication?! (Even naltrexone!!!)

I also took Wellbutrin about 8 yrs ago when my ex and I divorced. Again, I was drinking (though not as much as now), and it really didn't seem to interfere with the effectiveness of the Wellbutrin.

From my personal experience, Wellbutrin has helped me with depression even while drinking and on nal.