wellbutrin and crossdressing

i searched the site to see if anyone else had posted about this, but didn't find anything.

i started taking wellbutrin for depression about 4 yrs ago. it really helped. but here's the interesting thing - or at least the part that's relevant here.

i had given up crossdressing for about 8 yrs prior to starting on that drug. pretty soon after beginning it, i started dressing again, and felt less depressed. i should really say not depressed at all anymore. i'm afraid to stop taking wellbutrin now. i don't want to go back to feeling the way i felt before . . . and i don't want to stop dressing.

so, did i start dressing because i wasn't depressed any more? or did i get depressed because i stopped dressing? i don't know

if you read the literature or see the ads for wellbutrin, they use the phrase a low risk of sexual side-effects. in one of the ads, a woman says i think it's nice that wellbutrin has a low risk of sexual side-effects -- with this sly smile! seems that wellbutrin, unlike most antidepressants, can increase the sex-drive sometimes! so i think that's their way of using the warning as a sales pitch.

i'm really happy to be me again, that is being a girl! i'm ok with being a boy sometimes, but part of me was missing and i feel more whole now. i'm a little uncomfortable, however, about being drug-dependent.

anyone else taking wellbutrin? anyone else have a similar experience? or any comments at all - all are welcome!

yours truly,
[SIZE="3"]miche[/SIZE]

I take that med to. As for side effects I get the shakes in my hands, and as for dressing it does seem to help me not feel as bad.
Hope that helps.
By the way I hope it is ok that I answer this question. I usally do not answer questions on this side of the forum being as I am FTM.

A few years ago, our DR. had the wife and I on Wellbutrin for stopping smoking. I never noticed any difference in sex drive or wanting to X dress. And it didn't help with stopping smoking for us. Maybe slipping on some sexy undies, got rid of the depression for you. Many PPL have said they are more peacful and happy with themselves, when dressed. Since I hurt my knee, the DR has me on prozac, so I don't get depressed. I told him I have something better. He asked what drugs I was using. NONE, was my answer, it's just the ability to change my state of mind. I use generic tylonal for pain and put on my bra and panties every morning to change my attitude. And that works, atleast for me....BJ

Hi miche

Well I am not taking any drugs but if you choose to stop.

I would do it in stages

Never heard of anything causing dressing drugs wise

I have known people who have stopped longer than you and re started

so enjoy it while you can

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mistunderstood

I take that med to. As for side effects I get the shakes in my hands, and as for dressing it does seem to help me not feel as bad.
Hope that helps.
By the way I hope it is ok that I answer this question. I usally do not answer questions on this side of the forum being as I am FTM.

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hey there aaron,
of COURSE it's ok - thank you for posting! it does make you feel better about dressing "en homme" - that's interesting. i don't have any bad side-effects, except the first 3 days i started it i couldn't sleep

I was one of the unlucky few that wellbutrin mad suicidal. After stopping it and switching to a better medicine I was fine. I dress more when I am happy that sad so I bet thats part of it in your case.

It is odd that you should ask that question. I had not put the two together in that vein but had connected them. I too had quit dressing after my wife died and that was almost 6 years now. A short time ago I started taking wellbutrin for the depression. It was shortly after that when I started having the urge to dress again. I had taken Wellbutrin a while back to quit smoking and I am not sure of the time frame of when I took it and started dressing back then. I didn't connect it as a side effect of the drug but I just associated it to feeling more normal again (which I did in a big way) and "normal" for me was crossdressing. It made me feel comfortable and more "normal" like I thought I should feel. And, yes it has helped me tremendously with the smoking. I had quit for 6 years before starting up again. Now it has been 3 months without smoking.

huh, I take wellbutrin and that ...umm flucon-something, is that why my hands are shakey???
that shakiness has been making painting and working in paintshop Very difficult!

I take it also and have for several years. Not so much as an anti drpresent, but to quite smoking. (did not work). That is an interesting observation about cross dressing. Now that I think back on ity my urge to dress has been stronger since I started it. It would be interesting if anyone has contact with a doctor versed in drug effects to get an opinion. It would also be a great topic for someones thesis.:happy:

I took Wellbutrin for several months also, up until a month or so ago, as an aid for me to stop smoking(and it worked great!) My doctor told me it was an antidepressant, which was a bonus for me, but it's difficult to say whether it had an affect on me in this regard since my bouts with depression come and go sporatically and unexpectantly. I am also TS, and not a crossdresser, and there has been no effect at all on that or my sex drive.

Yes Kerry that is what my doc told me any ways.

I've taken Welbutrin for years and years along with most other anti-depressants. The doctor just tripled my dose. I'm not feeling as bad now.
Depression is a big part of me. Keeps me alone. Makes me not care, or is that the drugs?
I take them; I try not to blame them or give them credit. I started stuffing socks in my mom's bra a long time ago.
Advice?:tongueout
Don't worry, be happy.:happy:

Mary

A few years back, I had a bout with depression. I went to a shrink, who promplty diagnosed the condition and gave me medication, which snapped me out of it pretty quickly. While in the depth of the depression, I didn't have any desire to CD, in fact, I purged. After I came out of the fog, the desire to CD returned. I concluded then that CDing and it's side effets didn't cause my depression. But now, as I look back, I'm not so sure. Maybe it was the constant stress of hiding, keeping secrets, lying, that sent me over the edge. I was fortunate the medication brought me out of it.
Today, I'm much happier because I have accepted what I am and always will be. I don't have to hide and sneak, and I enjoy both of my lives.

Vikki

I've been on just about every anti-depressant or variant / family thereof. Have taken both Welbutrin, and Welbutrin XL. The drug companies got their money, and I get minimal results.

When I first started taking them the only sexual side effect was "lasting longer". Because it "takes the edge off" in situations where you might react with overwhelming emotion, for me it meant that as I approached ejaculation, the excitement would build, and then disappear. My wife's only complaint was that she was done, and didn't want to wait for me to finish anymore :lol:

But worse, she started thinking that I didn't enjoy sex with her anymore, and that's why I couldn't finish :eek: I promptly explained to her what was going on, and eventually that side effect did diminish.


Kinda reminds me of an women in the elevator joke, though:
3 women go to a special department store that provides husbands. They are told to get on the elevator, and as they go up to each floor, the qualities in the husbands will get better. There are 4 floors, and they are just to get off at the floor where they are satisfied.

They go to the first floor, and the men are unemployed, armchair quarterbacks with beer bellies, and... less than desirable hygiene. All of the women look at each other, and without a word proceed to the 2nd floor.

The 2nd floor the man is employed in a blue collar job, he makes pretty good money, and is basically middle class. He spends time with the family, as needed, but does go out with the friends on occasion. The women are much more pleased, but agree that they want to see what's on the 3rd floor.

The 3rd floor has multi-millionaire bachelors that are as attractive as they are rich. They have maids and butlers, and the women would never have to lift a finger to take care of the family or the household. There would be nothing but family outings and leisure time. All of the women are impressed, but are also all equally curious. They say, "If this is the 3rd floor, I just have to see the 4th floor".

They get to the 4th floor, and there is nothing there, but a sign that reads:

"This floor was designed to prove that you can NEVER truly satisfy a woman!"

:tongueout

Did I answer the question yet?

:2c:
Denied

I got the inspriration to crossdress (as such) a few months after I started taking wellbutrin. But I'd been trying on some of my wife's clothes before that, to see what they looked like -- not with the idea of wearing them, though. The idea that I could wear such clothes was pretty much a revelation to me.

Was there a tie to the wellbutrin? That's pretty hard to say. The stage had been set long before. Maybe it aided in the sense of reducing the stress that might have been associated with the idea of going out in public dressed up; maybe not.

Certainly I found that dressing had the capacity to lift me further out of my depression than the normal dosage of my drugs did.

I just started with Welbutrin a couple of months ago. I don't think it changed my level of desire to dress, but I do seem to feel much better - less guilty - about it. As a result, I probably dress more often and stayed dressed longer.
And I feel prettier. Cause and effect are so hard to separate.

jj

I had a simular reaction to the drug I'm taking, Bromocriptine... For my pirurary tumor.. And it blocks the production of Prolactin which is a female hormone responsible for my breast growth and also prolactin causes testosterone levels to plumit... So the femal hormone actually made me not want to crossdress and when the testosterone levels picked up I was on fire to crossdress...

Male hormones make me want to be female and female hormones have the opposite effect!! Go figure.. Hehe. So I woulldnt be surprised if your testosterone levels are up also...

Side effects of Bromocriptine lower blood pressure and lower heart rate (42 at rest) :):):)

Karren

It's VERY unlikely that bupropion (Wellbutrin) is responsible directly for your increased libido. Perhaps you feel a bit more free now that you are a bit more relaxed. What the add means when they say, "low risk of sexual side effects", is that Wellbutrin in less likely to cause a DECREASE in the ability to get an erection. There is nothing in the literature about Wellbutrin INCREASING libido.

Steph

Thats an amazing co-incidence. Not 2 months ago I spoke with my shrink about my dressing for the first time. She was shocked. Would not have believed it if I had not told her myself etc.

She told me that in her practice Wellbutrin is added to other anti depressants to help increase libido.

I must say that the dosage I am on now (450mg) ,which is two thirds increase from where I stared, has increased my linido and my desire to dress 10 fold.

I did not feel any increase at "theraputic dosage threshold of 150mg/day but now I'm a randy old queen !!

Also - to add to this discussion - I have had my prostate removed for cancer 1 year ago. The sex I have post surgert is better and more intense than ever and my number of shoes and sky high heels has increased proportionatly

The next time you see your physican ask him. You wear panties to all your appointments anyway, don't you?

One side effect I had with Prozac was (18 years) my testosterone levels dropped. And no, there are not coming back per my GP. He wanted to put me on supplemental T shots. Said I'd feel better and my depression would be better. Hmmmm. Low T Huh ?.......Hmmmmm. You know I think I started to accept myself for who I am about a year before this revelation. Hey ! Prozac all around for my Gal-friends here !:heehee:

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Originally Posted by Stephenie S

There is nothing in the literature about Wellbutrin INCREASING libido.

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I haven't checked recently, but I distinctly recall finding serious articles about wellbutrin increasing libido especially for females. I believe it was a side effect from the anti-smoking studies, that a significant number of patients requested to stay on wellbutrin because their libido had increased noticably.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tess-leigh

I haven't checked recently, but I distinctly recall finding serious articles about wellbutrin increasing libido especially for females. I believe it was a side effect from the anti-smoking studies, that a significant number of patients requested to stay on wellbutrin because their libido had increased noticably.

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Well, well, you learn something everyday. I guess I didn't search very well. There certainly wasn't anything that showed up with a cursory search of the usual references. Thanks for letting me know.

Steph