A doctor to prescribe wellbutrin?

[WhiskyAndTwiglets]

I have seen private psychiatrists before abroad (where I used to live) and was prescribed Wellbutrin (Bupropion). After having tried at least ten different types of ant depressant, this was truly life changing for me.

I am now back in the UK. I stopped taking it for the last month and have felt progressively worse and worse, so today after seeing my GP, I have restarted.

HOWEVER, I only have a week's tablets left and wellbutrin is not regularly prescribed for depression in the UK. My GP said several times she would not prescribe it, and also said it as possible I wouldn't get it on the NHS at all, and strongly recommended I find a private doctor to prescribe it, if they are willing.

She will do a referral letter as soon as I have found someone.

Has anyone had this before? Who have they used?

UK here. I am after trying this too...but can't find anyone to prescribe it. The licensing issue is a bit of a red herring. It's not licensed as an antidepressant in the UK because the manufacturer only applied for it to be licensed as a smoking cessation drug, the issue with seizures was due to high doses being prescribed. Irrespective of that there is a huge precedent to use Bupropion as antidepressant, i.e. it is widely prescribed in the USA. I think the reluctance of UK doctors is also due to the cost of the drug. There is no cheap generic version available, only the expensive Zyban version. It will never make it onto the generic market as an antidepressant unless it gets licenced. So a vicious circle. But doctors in the UK will give people antipsychotics for difficult to treat depression and those drugs are way more dangerous than Bupropion. It's very wrong.

@Iamnotmad It can be purchased via a pharmacy in Canada (a legitimate pharmacy - not black market), but it costs heaps, takes ages, shipping costs are also steep, and there is no guarantee it will get through customs. If it is lost they won't replace or refund. A UK prescription will have to be private (further cost) as NHS Primary Care GPs are not allowed to prescribe it. I was on Zyban but that is not being manufactured here at the moment. From what I gathered further up this thread it seemed Wellbutrin SR was available in Scotland, or did I get that wrong?

According to the BNF the only medicinal form of Bupropion available for prescription in the UK is Zyban.

Zyban isn't being manufactured at the moment.

Hello
I've had it prescribed in Scotland but apparently it's out of stock everywhere and I won't be able to start it till the autumn which is disappointing.

"It can be purchased via a pharmacy in Canada (a legitimate pharmacy - not black market), but it costs heaps, takes ages, shipping costs are also steep, and there is no guarantee it will get through customs."

What pharmacist are you thinking of?

You are allowed to import prescription only medications for personal use without needing a prescription. (Assuming they aren't controlled drugs obviously, which antidepressants aren't.)

However, a lot of the more legit pharmacy companies will only sell to you if you have a prescription, despite the fact that it isn't legally needed for UK customers.

It seems to be happening a lot these days that there are manufacturing issues with drugs, even before coronavirus.

@WinterDaffodil is it Wellbutrin you have had prescribed, or Zyban?

@Zinco if you go on pharmacychecker.com there are several different legitimate pharmacies. They do need a UK prescription though and not very many of them ship to the UK.

Hi, sorry if I was confusing. I asked my psychiatrist if I could try Wellbutrin. He calls it bubriprione (I think). I haven't actually seen the prescription, it got sent to the chemist. He had to ask the health board for approval which took a few months. Very frustrating I was keen to start it but it will be another few months now.

@WinterDaffodil what country are you in?

Scotland

The psychiatrist said he has a few patients on it.
He told me about the seizure risk and I had to agree that I have been warned. He then applied for approval and it was granted. I have a long history of depression that has never responded to anti depressants. I was keen on Wellbutrin after reading that it worked differently. He also says I have tried all types of anti depressants so not any point in any more. However he gave me vortoxitine in Feb to try while waiting on the bubroprione and I have had some benefit from that. It's helped with all the thoughts flying around my head. It's quieter in my head. However my depression is still very bad .

@WinterDaffodil I feel for you. Bad mental health is the pits and very misunderstood. I also read that Bupropion works in a different way to other ADs. I wish there was an opportunity for me to try it but even the private psychiatrist I saw would not prescribe it (in England).

"He also says I have tried all types of anti depressants so not any point in any more."

If you haven't responded to various other antidepressants, then I would be asking for MAOIs like phenelzine. Difficult to get prescribed, especially now as there is a shortage, but they are reported to work well for some people where other antidepressants have failed. They raise levels of serotonin / norepinephrine and dopamine, so it would be kind of doing the function of bupropion anyway. There are dietary restrictions in taking them; also drug interaction issues, but according to some people they are underused drugs.

Quote:

www.statnews.com/2017/11/20/antidepressant-maoi-depression/

"I’ve been well now for four years, in my right mind because of an old, inexpensive, and uncommonly prescribed drug. I’ve grown increasingly appalled at how long it took for a clinician to prescribe it and that ECT, a costly and invasive procedure, was prescribed before I was finally offered this single oral medication that gave me such rapid and unequivocal relief."

Hello

Iammotmad. Thank you. It really is the pits. I am lucky that. Y psychiatrist is very good is very open to me making choices with my medication. It's not right that you can't have it prescribed though. It should be the same rules everywhere.

Hi Zinco
That is very interesting. Thank you I will have a proper read of that. The psychiatrist I see is very open to letting me make my own choices with the medication so I might discuss this with him. I do find the vortoxetine has helped though. It has taken away the suicidal urges which were very bad and all consuming. I was also hospitalised they were so bad but they have disappeared which I am very grateful for! Just need to get a break from the depression and all that comes with it!

Unfortunately in the UK, Tranylcypromine has become very expensive so difficult to get on the NHS; and there is a world wide shortage of Phenelzine right now. And that isn't the cheapest of meds either.

hi I really need Wellbutrin or any other antidepressant containing Bupropion antidepressant but it is out of stock in the UK.
there does anyone knows any reputable online brand to buy Wellbutrin?
Alternatively - where I used to live -south america - it's ok to buy it with prescription could I get my family to buy it and post it to me, would it be any issues to go through the Border if it's illegal or is it not illegal?
thank you

I just stumbled across this thread while looking up something about Bupropion (Zyban). It's out of stock at the moment because Glaxosmithkline have moved sites, but they expect it to be back in circulation by the end of November. I've had to reduce my dose to taper off and been offered alternatives in the meantime, but I suspect I'll just wait for it to come back in stock. They tried getting supplies for me via a hospital pharmacy, but to no success.

I've been on it since January, but was also on it a few years ago for a year or two. Mine is prescribed by a psychatrist at an NHS community mental health team because the GP refused to take over the prescribing. I don't know if that's because it's not licensed for depression or because I have anorexia (it says in the guidance not to prescribe to people with eating disorders).

I only managed to get it because I had tried everything else:- SSRIs, tricyclics, lithium, anti-epileptics, MAOIs, antipsychotics, as well as others like Agomelatine. I'm also autistic, which apparently makes me very sensitive to side effects, so a lot I had very bad reactions to (Stevens Johnson syndrome with Lamotrigine) and SSRIs made me go a bit manic. Bupropion is the only medication that has actually helped slightly in the 20 years of trying medication and therapy (my husband thinks Lithium may have worked a bit, but I struggled with side effects, although everyone reacts differently). It's not a wonder drug, but does make a little difference and has minimal side effects. I also tried Vortioxetine last year, which didn't help with the depression, but I didn't get any side effects. I've also had melatonin prescribed since January, which I think is also helping regulate my sleeping patterns.

If any of you decide to go private to get it, I recommend finding someone who specialises in psychopharmacology. They will sometimes suggest going above the recommended dose in treatment resistant depression and know more about off-label medications. I was lucky to see one on the NHS, but I moved and they won't follow his advice here unfortunately.

Just read your question about Bupropion. My son was prescribed quetiapine by a psychiatrist in the U.K. but when he went to the USA to stay with his dad a psychiatrist also prescribed Wellbutrin (bupropion). When my son came back to the U.K. his GP agreed to prescribed bupropion on the NHS. We assume that was because it had already been prescribed by a psychiatrist, even though it was abroad. I was looking at the thread as there is currently a worldwide shortage of the drug and I wanted to see if there is a suitable alternative - there doesn’t appear to be. I would suggest you see a psychiatrist and ask if they would recommend the drug and if they would write a letter to your GP so you can access bupropion on the NHS.

@Mersey76 any alternative found?

[quote Talkmom]@Mersey76 any alternative found?[/quote]
As far as I'm aware, it'll be available at the end of this month again. I hope so because my psychiatrist couldn't offer me anything that was a suitable alternative and I didn't really want to try Pregabalin. Just crossing my fingers it's not delayed because of Covid.

I got a telephone review a few months back to see if I was ready to come off (standard review wasn’t told it was discontinued). Placed my telephone order last week and called Pharmacy yesterday to be told they only got the prescription sent over the night before and to call later. Called later in the afternoon and was advised it’s discontinued nothing they can do. Been trying to speak with a doctor took a panic attack as last night i had my last tablets and no one made me aware there was none anywhere. Spoke with a doctor who I have never spoke to before who just says we will try you on something else (you can’t tell someone who has been taken a medication for 3 years to suddenly stop and try something else). I asked him why doesn’t he get me a green slip prescription and Mark it as special request and send to a pharmacy in England who can get it (I’m in Scotland) and he told me - “no I’m not willing to do that” I asked him why not and he says I’ve never had to do it and I’m not going to do it now and I’ve been a doctor for 30 years. I told him that they could get it imported for me and he told me not to speak to him the way I’d been speaking to him (clearly distressed at not knowing what I will do or how I will react without the medication). Any way sorry for long post - still don’t know what to do and his response was tough luck just try Duloxoline! I’ve never heard of it or mentally prepared to deal with trying new medication!

psnc.org.uk/our-news/supply-disruption-alert-zyban-bupropion-hydrochloride-150mg-prolonged-release-tablets-glaxosmithkline-uk/