Heart rate at 116 resting on Wellbutrin, also trouble sleeping??

Question

I had a physical for Life insurance this morning, my heart rate was at 96. Now after laying around for two hours (also having horrible headaches) I strapped on my pulse monitor for the treadmill and i am at 116. I am having a hard time focusing enough just to write this!!

I started on 150mg on Friday, since then I have hardly slept. Is this going to go away eventually, is this super abnormal?? Hope this makes sense, like I said...cannot focus either.

Answer 1

Increased heart rate and a general stimulated feeling are very common side effects of Wellbutrin.  This is because of the effect that the drug has on the neurotransmitter "norepinephrine".  Most people do adjust to the side effects of the drug after a few weeks.

However.....116 is quite high for resting, and I would say rather unusual (your treadmill's heart rate monitor may not be the most accurate though).  96 is still a bit high for resting, but not totally abnormal since you have just started taking the drug recently.  It seems that you may be a bit hypersensitive to the stimulant side effects of the drug, and they may or may not go away.  If you are really uncomfortable from the side effects (and it sounds like you are), then it would not hurt call your doctor today to ask him what he would like to do.

Answer 2

Ouch, 116 is really high. If it doesn't go away within a week, you might want to ask your doctor to switch you to a different drug. If you start feeling like something's really wrong, see a doctor right away.