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What Causes Severe Weight Gain While On Vicodin?

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Posted on Fri, 27 Jan 2017
Question: I have been on Vicodin for a long time for an ankle injury but have gained a lot of weight and the effectiveness has worn off....Now, I want to quit smoking and try something else so she prescribed Tramadol and Wellbutrin. When looking at those side effects, they look worse!! I think I just want to go back to a pain med and forget the Wellbutrin. What would be the best option to try?I need to add that I have asthma and drink wine weekly.
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Answered by Dr. Dr. Matt Wachsman (26 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Yeh....an interesting choice....

Detailed Answer:
Those aren't used together because both buproprion (wellbutin) and tramadol (ultram) have seizures as a prominent side effect and they are likely to be at least additively risky. so, it wouldn't be recommended.

Cannot say in your particular case, but generally, "the effectiveness wore off" is a sign of tolerance to narcotics. Going with NON-narcotics and ultram is borderline on this, is one good option.

Going UP AND UP AND UP is an obviously bad idea. Going with a combination blocker+narcotic is an interesting choice that often works (suboxone) BUT it would be temporoary for a few weeks until the tolerance wears off.

Stopping everything for a while and restarting is a common choice.

Wellbutin is an obvious choice for quitting smoking but it sucks. The increased success rate in quitting goes only from 20% up to 25%. And vaping, chantix, other nicotine replacements are much better (about doubling success). Generally both wellbutin and a nicotine replacement are used together.

It depends on what works on the pain. Most people on vicodin (which has a very bad reputation) are on rather low amounts (about 20 mg a day or less). Withdrawal isn't going to happen except maybe difficulty sleeping which is hard to tell from "I get more pain if I'm not on a medicine". Neither pain nor sleep problems nor tolerance is addiction.

Don't go up and up and up on narcotics. This includes going on a long acting agent PLUS the previous vicodin. Not good. Trying ultram WITHOUT wellbutin or trying some other pain medication at an equivalent or LOWER dose or trying aspirin like drugs (which only causes fatality only very rarely in asthma) are all options.
Note: In case of any other concern or query related to prevention, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, or the recovery of persons with the any type of addiction or substance use, follow up with our Addiction Medicine Specialist. Click here to book a consultation now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Dr. Matt Wachsman

Addiction Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :1985

Answered : 4214 Questions

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What Causes Severe Weight Gain While On Vicodin?

Brief Answer: Yeh....an interesting choice.... Detailed Answer: Those aren't used together because both buproprion (wellbutin) and tramadol (ultram) have seizures as a prominent side effect and they are likely to be at least additively risky. so, it wouldn't be recommended. Cannot say in your particular case, but generally, "the effectiveness wore off" is a sign of tolerance to narcotics. Going with NON-narcotics and ultram is borderline on this, is one good option. Going UP AND UP AND UP is an obviously bad idea. Going with a combination blocker+narcotic is an interesting choice that often works (suboxone) BUT it would be temporoary for a few weeks until the tolerance wears off. Stopping everything for a while and restarting is a common choice. Wellbutin is an obvious choice for quitting smoking but it sucks. The increased success rate in quitting goes only from 20% up to 25%. And vaping, chantix, other nicotine replacements are much better (about doubling success). Generally both wellbutin and a nicotine replacement are used together. It depends on what works on the pain. Most people on vicodin (which has a very bad reputation) are on rather low amounts (about 20 mg a day or less). Withdrawal isn't going to happen except maybe difficulty sleeping which is hard to tell from "I get more pain if I'm not on a medicine". Neither pain nor sleep problems nor tolerance is addiction. Don't go up and up and up on narcotics. This includes going on a long acting agent PLUS the previous vicodin. Not good. Trying ultram WITHOUT wellbutin or trying some other pain medication at an equivalent or LOWER dose or trying aspirin like drugs (which only causes fatality only very rarely in asthma) are all options.