Wellbutrin Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors, Anticholinergic Effect, Pins and Needles, Nootropics, Nootropic

If the hearing loss is severe, stop. If the memory loss and muscle weakness are the greatest problem, though, there could be another solution. Both these symptoms are because of bupropion's anticholinergic effect: it blocks nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter important in memory and muscle activity, and a shortage will lead to the symptoms you described. Those symptoms are also similar to some of those of myasthenia gravis, which is caused by blockage of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The lack of energy resulting from this could also have eventually increased depression, so that you had to increase your dosage.

The solution to this could be simple: nootropics, such as piracetam, could restore acetylcholinergic activity while keeping bupropion's antidepressive effect. Be warned that not all nootropics are safe, and using one medicine for the side effects of another can only make matters worse if the other medicine causes more side effects. However, the evidence for piracetam's safety is fairly compelling, and the rare symptoms that do occur are usually "mild, few, and transient," which is why the FDA classifies piracetam as a dietary supplement. I have been using piracetam myself for several years without side effects, except for pins and needles when sweating when I started using it. I've also been doing quite a bit of research on piracetam. However, if you're still distrustful, there are other, natural ways of increasing your acetylcholine as well: choline bitartrate, choline citrate, choline alfoscerate, lecithin, cyprodenate, centrophenoxine, etc. If you try any other nootropics, even from plants, be careful to research them first, and if you can't find any information, don't use it.

Whether you stop using bupropion or not, I would advise to use piracetam or some other nootropic for just a while anyway, just to replenish acetylcholinergic activity. The increase of acetylcholine receptors caused by piracetam lasts for some time even after cessation.

I've been using bupropion myself and been having tinnitus, but it's mild. I hope the diagnosis of permanent nerve damage was wrong and that these people eventually recovered their hearing, but I wouldn't risk it, and if the tinnitus gets bad, I'll take the warning and stop, even though it's the only antidepressant which works for me.

Hope this helps.