What is the best antidepressant for energy and motivation? (3 choices) 

In this blog post, we are going to answer the question, “What is the best antidepressant for energy and motivation?”. Antidepressants are drugs that are used in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and several other mental health conditions. 

These medications can significantly help save a depressed person and can change negative perceptions. This blog will talk about the best antidepressants to elevate your mood, energy levels, and motivation. 

What is the best antidepressant for energy and motivation?

The best antidepressants for energy and motivation include:

• Wellbutrin (Bupropion) 
• Prozac (Fluoxetine) 
• Effexor (Venlafaxine) 

Antidepressants are those medications that can help you recover from a variety of mental health-related problems. These illnesses can destroy your entire personality. If we specifically talk about depression, it is that mental health condition which can make you stay in bed all day long. 

You don’t feel like getting up, eating something, going to work, or engaging in any productive activity. They just feel sad, or numb sometimes, and don’t wish to do anything at all. 

For such people, antidepressants can help elevate their mood and energy levels, some antidepressants more than others. Let’s talk about each of the above-mentioned energy-boosting antidepressants in detail, from the strongest to the least strong. 

Wellbutrin (Bupropion) 

Wellbutrin is considered one of the strongest antidepressants to elevate your mood and energy levels. The distinct mechanism of action of this antidepressant is the reason why it stands out from the other antidepressants when it comes to increasing your energy levels. 

Wellbutrin is a dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. It works by actively inhibiting the reuptake of these two excitatory neurotransmitters to counteract the symptoms associated with depression and other mental health-related problems. 

It does not affect the levels of serotonin. If we specifically talk about dopamine, it is one of those chemicals which is closely associated with your energy levels. It gives you a reward sensation and you feel good and motivated. 

This is why Wellbutrin is at the top of the list of those antidepressants which can boost your energy levels. However, Wellbutrin may not suit everyone. It is a known fact that medications don’t work on people in the exact same way. 

Some people are more sensitive to them, hence they feel a greater difference in their conditions. However, the greater difference in their condition is not the only thing they experience. 

Such people tend to suffer from more side effects as compared to people who are not too sensitive to meds like antidepressants. If you’re suffering from symptoms like hopelessness, sadness, lethargy or lack of energy, Wellbutrin may be a good choice of antidepressant for you. 

However, the way your body responds to the drug also makes a huge difference. Some people might exhibit signs of an allergic reaction soon after taking their first ever Wellbutrin dose. Such people can not continue the treatment because of the greater risk than benefits. 

The funny thing is that there is literally nothing you can do to predict how your body will react once it is exposed to Wellbutrin. If you have taken it before, you can surely tell. If not, the only way to be certain is to actually use the drug. 

This is exactly why the drug should be started from the lowest effective dose. Once it becomes clear that your body can tolerate the drug well, that’s when the dose should be increased, but too slowly. 

If the doses are suddenly escalated, you can get subjected to disturbing side effects and your body may not be able to bear a high dose. This is why you should always stick to your doctor’s recommended dose. If you have been prescribed Wellbutrin, make sure you take your med properly. 

If you think taking more than the prescribed dose will boost your energy, even more, you’re absolutely wrong. More dose does not equal more effects, it actually equals more side effects. Some of the side effects associated with the use of Wellbutrin include:

• Anxiousness 
• Unexplainable excitement and happiness 
• Insomnia or inability to fall asleep 
• Xerostomia or dry mouth 
• Dizziness 
• Drowsiness 
• Nausea with or without vomiting 
• Abdominal pain 
• Headache 
• Tremors 
• Weight loss 
• Loss of appetite 
• Tinnitus or ringing in the ears 
• Excessive sweating 
• Altered sense of taste and smell
• Constipation 
• Throat infection 
• Increased frequency of urination

Prozac (Fluoxetine) 

Another antidepressant which is associated with high energy levels is Prozac (Fluoxetine). It is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which works by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin. It does so by blocking serotonin transporters (SERT). 

This makes more active serotonin available to bind to its respective receptors. This is how it helps counteract the symptoms associated with depression, anxiety, and several other mental health conditions. 

Serotonin also plays a huge role in regulating your energy levels. The deficiency of this excitatory monoamine neurotransmitter is one of the main causes of depression and this is why a huge number of antidepressants are serotonin-specific. 

Several studies have suggested that the increase in energy levels caused by Prozac is so significant that it fails to help people who have depression comorbid with insomnia. It clearly indicates that Prozac boosts your energy levels. 

The symptoms of depression are different in different people. Some people become lethargic and are drowsy all the time. They sleep more than 10 hours each day. Such people can greatly benefit from Prozac as the drug will help them with their lethargy. 

However, depression can make some people suffer from insomnia or the inability to fall asleep. Such people are not good candidates for Prozac and an antidepressant with a sedative effect, like Mirtazapine, is a good choice for them.

Prozac is usually well tolerated, but again, there are some people in this world who can not bear the presence of this antidepressant in their bodies. This is why you should consult your healthcare provider before taking any antidepressant on your own. 

Your doctor will evaluate your symptoms and then prescribe you the best possible antidepressant to help treat your unique symptoms. Prozac, like every other medication on this planet, is also associated with some side effects. These include

• Restlessness 
• Anxiety 
• Drowsiness 
• Dizziness 
• Skin rash
• Muscular pain
• Joint pain
• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting 
• Tiredness 
• Sweating 
• Loss of appetite 
• Loss of sexual desire 

Effexor (Venlafaxine) 

Venlafaxine is another antidepressant which does possess some energy boosting activity. However, it is not as strong as Wellbutrin and it may not act as an energy-boosting antidepressant for everyone. 

Even if it does, it may cause insomnia as a side effect which becomes one hell of a problem for some people. Effexor (Venlafaxine) is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). 

It works by inhibiting the reuptake of both serotonin and norepinephrine by blocking serotonin and norepinephrine transporters, SERT and NET respectively. 

These two excitatory monoamine neurotransmitters bind to their receptors and work to counteract the symptoms associated with depression and other mental health conditions. Effexor is usually well tolerated and it is considered a good choice of antidepressant. 

Some of the common side effects associated with the use of Effexor include

• Nausea
• Vomiting 
• Abdominal pain 
• Sleepiness or somnolence 
• Fatigue or excessive tiredness
• Muscular pain
• Joint pain 
• Nightmares 
• Insomnia or inability to fall asleep 
• Headaches 
• Loss of appetite 
• Weight loss
• Tremors
• Excessive sweating 
• Diarrhoea 
• Acid reflux 
• Tinnitus 
• Mydriasis

Conclusion 

In this blog post, we have discussed the best antidepressant to boost your energy and motivation. We have learned that Wellbutrin (Bupropion) is considered the best one as research has indicated that this antidepressant can significantly help elevate your mood, energy, and motivation. 

Prozac (Fluoxetine) and Effexor (Venlafaxine) can also be used for the same purpose with Prozac a bit better acting than Effexor. However, you should always consult your healthcare provider about this matter and stick to the antidepressant that your doctor has prescribed. 

The medication only is not responsible for your energy levels and motivation. Your lifestyle and the kind of person you are also playing a huge role. If you have an optimistic mindset, it’s easier for you to get motivated, with or without a drug. 

FAQs: Best antidepressant for energy and motivation 

Which antidepressant works best for motivation?

• Wellbutrin is considered one of the strongest antidepressants to elevate your mood and energy levels. The distinct mechanism of action of this antidepressant is the reason why it stands out from the other antidepressants when it comes to increasing your energy levels. 
• Another antidepressant which is associated with high energy levels is Prozac (Fluoxetine). It is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and it helps to boost your energy levels.
• Venlafaxine is another antidepressant which does possess some energy-boosting activity. However, it is not as strong as Wellbutrin and it may not act as an energy-boosting antidepressant for everyone.

What type of antidepressant gives you energy?

The type of antidepressant that treats your depression-induced lethargy can help boost your energy levels. The most common examples include Wellbutrin and Prozac. The kind of antidepressant you should take depends on the type of symptoms you have. If you suffer from depression-induced insomnia. There’s no point in taking a medication like Wellbutrin as it’ll make you even more restless. For such a person, taking an antidepressant that can help them fall asleep is a better choice. 

Is there a drug that increases motivation?

There is no magic pill to increase your motivation. If you’re demotivated because of an actual clinical condition, then the treatment of that specific condition can help increase your motivation. The best way to increase motivation for a healthy person is to engage yourself in healthy and motivating activities. Eat good food, exercise, and do things that make you happy. 

What is the best combination with Wellbutrin?

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are probably the best choice of antidepressants to be combined with Wellbutrin. There are a huge number of research studies that can claim the therapeutic efficacy and safety of this combination. However, not all SSRIs can produce fruitful results. SNRIs are also considered good when it comes to the combination treatment with Wellbutrin. Studies suggest that several case studies showed good response to the combination treatment of Wellbutrin and SNRIs. 

What is the best combination of antidepressants?

There are a huge number of possibilities when it comes to the combination of antidepressants. It’s hard to tell which one is considered the best, as all of the combinations act uniquely for different mental health conditions. However, research suggests that the combination of two SSRIs, mainly Sertraline and Escitalopram is considered a good, safe, and effective choice for the treatment and management of depression, anxiety, and several other mental health conditions. 

References 

• What’s the best antidepressant for me? https://www.singlecare.com/blog/best-antidepressant/
• Humberto Marin, MD and Matthew A. Menza, MD Specific Treatment of Residual Fatigue in Depressed Patients https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3012615/