The dangers of Wellbutrin and other drugs
Posted in pregnancy and wellbutrin on July 4th, 2011 by Sharon – Be the first to comment
I created this website to help consumers really understand the pros and cons of taking a drug like wellbutrin (bupropion).
How many times have you heard an ad that said “contains XYZ always read the label”?
How many times have you read the label and either not understood the real risks or been scared to death by all the potential side effects?
I know that when my daughter was prescribed an anti epilepsy drug I was scared to death, I argued with my husband about it until the seizures came more and more often. She now takes the drug and has regular blood tests so we can monitor the damage being done and the seizures have stopped.
So drugs can be more than a necessary evil, but to me it is about knowing the risks and that is what this site is all about.
Wellbutrin (bupropion) has been found to cause birth defects when taken by people who are pregnant. The birth defects it causes are to do with the heart (more details to follow); this struck a chord with me because my late brother died of this condition. His death had nothing to do with Wellbutrin but it destroyed my father who was a broken man every day after that death.
There is some vicious irony that someone who might be planning to have a baby starts taking Wellbutrin (bupropion) because they want to give up smoking before conceiving a child, then then fall pregnant and continue taking the drug in the belief that they are helping the child.
So please, if you are planning on stopping smoking because you want to conceive, don’t stop your contraception until you are free of smoking and free of wellbutrin if this is what you are planning on taking.
If you already have a child and you took wellbutrin (bupropion) while you were pregnant then please use the contact us link and I will send you an information pack about what you can do.