Last Updated on March 30, 2022 by
Alternative to Meds Editorial Team
Medically Reviewed by Dr Samuel Lee MD
Table of Contents:
At the Alternative to Meds Center drug addiction treatment facility, we offer Wellbutrin addiction help that allows individuals to be free of this medication and get relief from the overwhelming and serious side effects. Wellbutrin addiction is a growing problem that needs strategic and evidence-based treatment.1
How Does Wellbutrin Addiction Develop?
The path toward Wellbutrin addiction symptoms is similar to any other addiction to a drug, whether legally or illegally sourced. After taking a drug every day for an extended period of time the CNS and brain adapt and become dependent for normal function upon the drug being present. Wellbutrin is FDA approved as an antidepressant, and for smoking cessation. Its molecular structure is similar to amphetamines7 which are highly prone to addiction and abuse. Pharmaceutical ads say that Wellbutrin is believed to restore chemical balance within the brain and this can help with quitting smoking, or feeling less depressed. When used as a smoking cessation tool, studies have shown little to no difference between the placebo and the control groups.8 For more than 3 decades drug advertisements have used this chemical imbalance theory to successfully increase sales of antidepressants, drugs to quit smoking, and many other types of medications.
While the theory sounds like a good thing, researchers have questioned the basis for it, noting that mental health outcomes have not improved during this period despite escalating use of prescribed antidepressants.2-4 Drug regulators also state that they don’t actually know how SSRI drugs like Wellbutrin work.5 What we do know that is actually happening is that the drug is now continuously acting on the dopamine and norepinephrine receptors. The drug will eventually decrease both the volume of neurochemicals in the CNS and brain, and also impair the ability of the receptors along the nerve pathways (that exist all through the body) to respond in normal ways. This is the anatomy of addiction. Restoring a healthy gut (second brain) is also an area of great interest and importance in recovery from Wellbutrin addiction. A healthy gut is needed for natural mental health and well-being.6
After addictive neuroadaptation has occurred, when a dose of this drug is missed, delayed, or forgotten; users report Wellbutrin withdrawal symptoms.
Adding fuel to the fire, original symptoms, no longer suppressed, will also return, usually more intense. This leads to needing the drug to dampen these uncomfortable symptoms.
This repeating cycle, reinforced by a poor diet, poor sleep, and lack of exercise among other factors, is typically the pattern of how Wellbutrin addiction develops.
Now let’s look at ways to reverse this dwindling cycle of addiction.
Are There Other Ways to Treat Depression Besides Addictive Drugs like Wellbutrin?
If you are relying on a drug to make you happy every day and make your depression go away, you may feel dependent upon the drug to do these things for you rather than having to do them yourself. There has been much research done since Wellbutrin and other drugs came to the consumer marketplace that tells us there can be many reasons linked to depression, none of which could be classified as a deficiency of medication. There are many more ways to authentically treat depressive symptoms that don’t include addictive drugs like Wellbutrin.
The first step in treating depression should be investigating the sources of such symptoms. Rarely is this ever done before writing a prescription.
Here are some examples of some things that can contribute to or cause a depressed state:
- Loss, other psychological trauma (present and past unresolved)
- Bad diet
- Toxic exposure
- Poor sleep
- An unfulfilling lifestyle or career
- Lack of exercise
- Lack of sunshine or light
- Nutritional deficiencies such as magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids
- Recreational alcohol or drug use
- Lack of adequate hydration
We may do well to focus on addressing the root causes in solving depression and other ills, but to do this takes longer than a 5-minute visit to a doctor’s office. In the words of the famous author and philosopher GK Chesterton, “It isn’t that they cannot find the solution, it is that they cannot see the problem.”
One could say that spending enough time to properly diagnose a problem is the fastest route to solving it. You can find more detailed information on the website on non-pharmacological alternatives to antidepressant medications that are used at the Alternative to Meds Center.
Holistic Tools to Beat Wellbutrin Addiction
Traditional modes of addiction treatment include counseling, both individual and group or family settings. Learning methods of self-regulation and self-directed lifestyle changes as in CBT or ILM therapies have proven efficacy as psychological models of treatment.8,9
Another set of holistic treatment choices could draw on elements of Chinese traditional medicine, including mindfulness meditation, acupuncture, yoga, Qi Gong.
Other effective tools to consider:
- Dance and movement therapies, exercise 10,11
- Art therapy
- Music therapy 12
- Equine therapy
- Recreation and leisure, forest bathing and immersion in nature 13
- Spiritual growth and development, mindfulness-based addiction treatment14
About Wellbutrin Addiction Recovery
Have you experienced Wellbutrin addiction or dependence? Do you seek an authentic recovery? Withdrawing from this drug could be one of the best choices you ever make. But there will be work to do to make improvements that can have lasting positive effects on your life and maybe those around you as well.
Once you slowly begin removing the medication from your system and reach a stable point, you can begin working on yourself, with an aim to understand more about the symptoms that led you to be taking this drug in the first place.
At Alternativ to Meds, it is fundamental to do testing for nutritional deficiencies, to check for accumulations of neurotoxic material over a lifetime, gently purge these from the body, and check for other possible underlying causes and contributors to your depression. Many modes of counseling are provided such as CBT and Life Coaching. Exercise programs and outdoor activities such as Equine therapy are scheduled to boost your body’s production of hormones, energy, and to improve sleep and mood. Spa services are provided such as sauna, colon hydrotherapy, therapeutic massage, nebulized glutathione treatments, IV therapy, and more. We will help you learn what nutritional changes are needed, and why, and also teach you new de-stressing and other life skills that can help you to maintain natural mental health without relying on medication. If you took Wellbutrin to quit smoking, we have a wonderful smoking cessation segment to the program you may benefit from.
We give you the tools to fully resolve Wellbutrin addiction.
If you have these tools, you will discover that prescription drugs are not needed to maintain natural mental health, or find joy in life. After safe withdrawal from Wellbutrin, you can use these tools for the rest of your life. You can recover from addiction to Wellbutrin, and regain the skills you need to build the life that you want to live, free of addiction or dependency on prescription drugs.
The Alternative to Meds Program for Wellbutrin Addiction Treatment
At our drug rehab, we search for the underlying causes of why a person is depressed. To fight depression while the drug is withdrawn from the system, we employ targeted amino therapy and specific supplements designed to help produce serotonin. Our program also uses lab tests, natural substances to stabilize the neurochemistry, removal of accumulated toxins, support of peers and a highly trained, compassionate medical and clinical staff, yoga, Qi Gong, holistic pain management techniques, and other resources that provide comforting addiction treatment.
We invite you to call so you can talk to us and achieve an increased understanding of the different types of Wellbutrin addiction help available for you or your loved one.
